Lazeespite's River Reef 94

[lazeespite]

Hi All

I've kept multiple tropicals for four or five years now,but have always wanted to get into marine reef fishkeeping but never got round to it. I was looking on Ebay this morning and noticed a River Reef 94 and extras going for £110 which I hope is a good price as I bought it! It came with a V2 nano 120 protein skimmer, unused filter media, Hydor flo rotating water deflector, 300W heater upgrade, an upgraded Maxi jet 1200 powerhead and one bulb had been changed to a TriPlus.

I've spent a little time doing some research and I think I need the following for my set up(with some newbie suitable corals):

Sand (not sure how much I'll need)
Test kits (ammonia,nitrite,nitrate and PH)
Marine Salt
Hydrometer
Live rock (again not sure how much)
RO water
Bucket
Spare power head for mixing

Am I missing anything obvious, it's Monday morning so I'm not at my sharpest! I hope you guys can give me some advice because marine seems very different to tropicals.

Thanks

 

[kelwoo]

to the salty side

 

[lljdma06]

I'd get a refractometer rather than a hydrometer. It's more accurate.

What are you goals for the Marine tank?

 

[ALW]

I'd get a refractometer rather than a hydrometer. It's more accurate.

Agreed. You will need about 10kg of Live rock and a 30lb/14kg bag of aragonite sand. http/www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/index.php?p=product&products_id=5005&cid=1

 

[lazeespite]

Hi All

Thanks for the advice I'll see if I can pick up a refractor and the sand of Ebay.I collect the tank on Friday... very exciting!

I have noticed there's different types of live rock about Alantic, Fujian etc. is there a better type? Do I need to worry whether it's cured or not?

My plans are a few of the apparently easier corals(like Palythoa Coral and Pachyclavularia Corals), live rock and a small amount of fish. I'm thinking of a pair of clowns as I'm hoping the wife will find them cute, building her enthusiasm for salty side so that she won't protest when I suggest a bigger tank .

 

[ALW]

Hi All

Thanks for the advice I'll see if I can pick up a refractor and the sand of Ebay.I collect the tank on Friday... very exciting!

I have noticed there's different types of live rock about Alantic, Fujian etc. is there a better type? Do I need to worry whether it's cured or not?

My plans are a few of the apparently easier corals(like Palythoa Coral and Pachyclavularia Corals), live rock and a small amount of fish. I'm thinking of a pair of clowns as I'm hoping the wife will find them cute, building her enthusiasm for salty side so that she won't protest when I suggest a bigger tank .

The different types are for aesthetic purposes only. You want cured live rock. Zoas and Green Star are a good start along with other soft corals like Leathers, Mushrooms and Xenia. For that size tank you are looking at about 5 fish. Heres a quick idea on what you could have:

A Pair of Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
A Cherub Angelfish (Centropyge argi)
A Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas)
and a Valentini Puffer (Canthigaster valentini)

 

[lazeespite]

I liked the look of the Angel and was considering it, hadn't seen the Blenny before definitely worth considering. I had also planned on getting a Catalina Goby I think they're suitable for smaller tanks and of course a pair of Clowns... I was thinking the Yellow Striped Maroon variety if I can get them.

In my tropical tanks I've become more interested in the plants, so I'm hoping to get some really nice corals.

 

[lljdma06]

Catelina goby does best in cooler temperatures. It's not really a tropical goby and won't do well in a tropical reef setting. There are plenty of other goby species that will do well in reef temperatures.

L

 

[ALW]

I was thinking the Yellow Striped Maroon variety if I can get them.

If by them you mean Premnas biaculeatus, then no they grow too big for your sized tank

 

[lazeespite]

Bought my refractometer, aragonite and the test kits, the rest will have to wait till pay day I think... although I am selling some tropical stuff on Ebay which should be able to finance the live rock, at least letting me begin cycling. Still looking for a economic source of salt, who could have guess salt was so expensive!

Thanks for the information on fish, glad there's a forum like this where I can receive advice. I was thinking normal clowns would be cool instead of the Maroons, and maybe some sort of Wrasse would be suitable instead of the Goby... I did see a Six Line Wrasse that I thought looked cool.

The second hand tank comes with it's original filtration, but I've noticed most people swap that out... what would you guys suggest for filtration media.

 

[ALW]

The second hand tank comes with it's original filtration, but I've noticed most people swap that out... what would you guys suggest for filtration media.

Filter media is not required, the live rock and sand do the filtration for us. You can add a sump/refugium, in which you can grow different types of Macroalgae. Which in turn also aid in filtering the tank water.

 

[lazeespite]

Hi All

Haven't been around for a couple of weeks as I've been moving house, the less said about that the better.

Anyway, I've bought some RO water to fill the tank and some over for top ups, salt, refractometer, sand and test kits (ammonia, PH, Nitrate, nitrite). I saw a guy selling some live rock so I thought I'd pick it up this Sunday, 10KG 9kg-ish for the front of the tank and 1kg of rubble for the filter.

To prepare for the live rock I'll be filling the tank the day before, mixing the salt and heating it up. There's a lot of different guidance on parameters, but I was thinking 1.025 salinity and 27 degrees; I think that's fine for corals and fish. Please let me know if it's not!

I have a question about live rock, I'm going to pick it up on Sunday and have read that providing I'm not hours away I can wrap it in newspaper for the journey home(about 1.5 hours). I also have a polystyrene box I got from Pets@Home which I'm hoping is airtight and stop any evaporation. Are there other methods, or do you think the newspaper will be fine?

Thanks
Adrian

 

[SaltNoob]

Is it directly out of his established tank? Or is this fairly new stuff. If not, you might consider curing it. You will know if you smell rot and not ocean like smell.

The polystyrene box should be enough to keep the stuff wet to get it home if its 1.5 hours. I would just make all the stops before hand so your not prolonging the time.

 

[lazeespite]

He's breaking down his tank, so it's already cured. I'll make sure the wife drives quickly... within the law of course!

 

[wildechild_01]

To prepare for the live rock I'll be filling the tank the day before, mixing the salt and heating it up. There's a lot of different guidance on parameters, but I was thinking 1.025 salinity and 27 degrees; I think that's fine for corals and fish. Please let me know if it's not!

I have a question about live rock, I'm going to pick it up on Sunday and have read that providing I'm not hours away I can wrap it in newspaper for the journey home(about 1.5 hours). I also have a polystyrene box I got from Pets@Home which I'm hoping is airtight and stop any evaporation. Are there other methods, or do you think the newspaper will be fine?

Thanks
Adrian

Water parameters should be fine, its always a toss up with water parameters since we tend to mix fish and corals from different oceans so we need to find a "happy medium" for them, I run my SG at 1.024-1.026 meaning that when i mix water for a WC as long as its in there i go for it.. after a while you get better at premixing water so i usually hit right on 1.025 now.

as for the live rock.. mine shipped across Canada wrapped in newsprint and packed into black garbage bags and boxed took 5 days, rock arrived with a healthy ocean smell with no horrible rotting at all, and tank cycled properly in less than a week, so your 1.5 drive should be just fine especially if your waiting a bit to add fish and such.

Also Welcome to the Salty Side, i've only been here since..well... started planning my tank a year ago and have had it set up since January/Feb this year... lots of work but definitely worth it.

As for fish...

Pair of Clowns seems to be a staple for marine tanks, I have a pair of black ocellaris clowns in my 90g and a pair of mis-banded true percs in my 30g. In the 30g with them right now I have an amazing addition to tanks you should really look into, its a Wheelers Shrimp Goby paired with a shrimp.. i dont know the name of the shrimp species but wow is it an amazing symbiotic relationship to watch, there are several different Gobies that pair with shrimp... something to think about.