Noob Questions

[barker_23]

Hi all,

I havent been on here for a while, i was looking at setting up a marine tank in my Rio 180, with a few problems i'm not going to be able to set it up.

So i have kept my tank and i am going to go tropical, but i have a few questions:

1. I wanted to use sand in my tank, would i need any specific sand or will any do, i did hear that normal play sand would be ok as long as its given a good rinse through?

2. I was thinking about getting a Fluval filter, would people reccomend these? I was either looking at the 205 or the 305?

3. Also the dechlorinator, is any brand better than any others?

4. I purchased a new lighting unit for marine 4 x T5's, now im guessing that this is a big time over kill, i do have the original lighting unit for my Rio 180 so i would use this.

5. Would i need anything else, i already have a heater and test kits, just not sure what else i would need.

If anyone could answer any or all of these questions i would be most grateful.

Many Thanks

Rich

 

[Bebobb]

Well I use what is avaible at my local stores for dechloranitor. And that is simply AquaSafe! It kills everything that will harm the fishies. How large is your tank? If it is about 100 gallons or so I would deffinatly try a South American Theme. What I mean by that are some non-agressive Cichlids and some Tetras. I would NOT get a Pleco! Get some Rams Horn snails! They don't even eat plants if you are going on a planted tank! I might get like a Loach or 2 to cover the un eaten food that will fall to the bottom. But it really depends on what kind of theme or fish you will be investing on. Even though they are Fresh water there is a HUGE varity!

 

[locust267]

Hi all,

I havent been on here for a while, i was looking at setting up a marine tank in my Rio 180, with a few problems i'm not going to be able to set it up.

So i have kept my tank and i am going to go tropical, but i have a few questions:

1. I wanted to use sand in my tank, would i need any specific sand or will any do, i did hear that normal play sand would be ok as long as its given a good rinse through?

2. I was thinking about getting a Fluval filter, would people reccomend these? I was either looking at the 205 or the 305?

3. Also the dechlorinator, is any brand better than any others?

4. I purchased a new lighting unit for marine 4 x T5's, now im guessing that this is a big time over kill, i do have the original lighting unit for my Rio 180 so i would use this.

5. Would i need anything else, i already have a heater and test kits, just not sure what else i would need.

If anyone could answer any or all of these questions i would be most grateful.

Many Thanks

Rich

Hi, I'm new to all this too but from what I gather:

1. The play sand is fine just rinse for ages until the water is clear

2. Dont go fluval - All the big stores stock them because they sell - Eheim will be recc'd on here as they have the best longest standing reputation. I have just bought a tetratec 1200 for my 260l and that had a very good rep too, you can also get the smaller 600/700 ones of these for about £50.

3. Any should do the job but best if it removes chloramine too just incase your tap water has it in. I just use aquasafe

4. Are you planning on having live plants, if no then I would say go back to the original. If yes are you planning on injecting CO2? More lighting will require CO2 so if you only want a few live plants and not to both with CO2 I would go for lower lighting. Go to the plant forum for more detailed info on your lighting requirements.

5. You probably have everything important other than the filter. All I would say is reread everything on this forum again regarding equipment (lights and filters), cycling, fish compatibility to make sure you are using the right stuff. Also I beleive the testing kits are different for marine and freshwater? If you are adding plants it might be worth looking into substrates too. Some people recc'd air pumps although many dont beleive they are neccessary, best just to read through and make your own mind up.

Good luck

 

[barker_23]

Thanks for the reply, I have been looking into this and there seems to be a bit of a debate between the Ehiem and the TetraTec.

As i have a 180 litre tank, if i went for the tetratec would it be ok to go for the EX700 as it says it powers up to 350 litres.

Thanks

 

[humpy_the_humphead_wrasse]

can i have your T5's XD LOL.. so what happened to your plans for a saltwater marine aquarium?.

cant wait to get mine set up next year so i can go out diving and catch my own stock. been eyeing off this big ase surgeon fish which is probably over a meter long and "bi goly" round for a few months now down at the local channel under the bridge hehe.

your a diver? what cert's do you have and are you padi? i only ask because of your dp. btw for dechlorinators i recommend prime

 

[rabbut]

Prime is a good conditioner

As above, avoid Fluval unless you are on a realy tight budget and a second hand one comes along cheap. They clogg quickly and are a pain to work on

For EI tanks, the marine lighting would be ideal with some new tubes, otherwise, go back to the origional unit

I run Tetratecs also, and they are a dream to work and run. Eheim are well recomended on here also. For your tank I'd either get the EX1200 TT, or an Eheim 2217, or Pro2 equivilant. You want about 800lph flow minimum idealy from your filter. If you did go Fluval, go with either the 304, 305, 405, or 404.

All the best
Rabbut

EDIT to add, avoid thermo filters, they have more bugs than a gecko breeders food store

 

[bordercollie05]

I'm a bit confused, do you want to do freshwater or saltwater? I ask because you mentioned a marine tank, but then people replied with freshwater fish options...

Laura

 

[rabbut]

S/He is now doing freshwater in a tank they origionaly planned to be marine

 

[bordercollie05]

Ooooo okay that makes sense. Thanks! Good luck with the new set up

Laura

 

[waterdrop]

Prime is a good conditioner

As above, avoid Fluval unless you are on a realy tight budget and a second hand one comes along cheap. They clogg quickly and are a pain to work on

For EI tanks, the marine lighting would be ideal with some new tubes, otherwise, go back to the origional unit

I run Tetratecs also, and they are a dream to work and run. Eheim are well recomended on here also. For your tank I'd either get the EX1200 TT, or an Eheim 2217, or Pro2 equivilant. You want about 800lph flow minimum idealy from your filter. If you did go Fluval, go with either the 304, 305, 405, or 404.

All the best
Rabbut

EDIT to add, avoid thermo filters, they have more bugs than a gecko breeders food store

I agree, Prime or StressCoat are fine conditioners and conditioner is not a terribly tricky choice anyway.

Although even some of the people who run Fluvals have reported various problems, I note that a fair number of experienced aquarists here at TFF do in fact still run them and haven't felt the need to change - good maintenance can hold off a lot of problems. For your 180 litre, an Eheim ProII model 2026 would move 950 L/Hour which would be right at the average recommended 5x per hour turnover rate. These are amazing machines, but you could compare to see if one would be a lot more than a 1200TT. If you don't already have a heater, a Hydor 300 would work nicely with one of these, keeping equipment out of the aquascape.

~~waterdrop~~