Wanting To Join The Salty Side Of Life...

[kylealastairlove]

i've been keeping freshwater fish for over a year now, got a pretty good grasp on it, but theres just something about a salt water set up that i find more appealing and interesting.

i've recently brought a new tank as well, juwel lido 120 and i've just moved over everything from my old tank to this one would this tank be suitable for a salt water set up, does anybody know ? 

i've been reading up on how to set up a salt water tank, i still dont fully understand, the amount of different equipment you need and all that stuff i've never heard of before, i've not really found a source on the internet that takes me through step by step on how to set it up and what equipment i will need, well i've heard of some of the equipment but it just doesnt explain what it is why its needed and what it does etc.. 

i want to do a FOWLR to get me started was wondering if any of you here can help me, and tell me how i would go about this , just give me some basic information  
 

 

[Chad]

There are LOTS of different ways to do it and often it depends on what kind of tank you want to have and what fish go in it but for the most part you can do a basic FOWLR with very little equipment.
 
Minimum I would say a tank, heater, light, rock, water and salt. I recommend RO water for a swim tank and RO/DI for a reef tank. The salt mix will take care of the pH and other balance issues for you. Always remember when dealing with a marine tank top off with freshwater and not salt. Salt doesn't evaporate like the water so if you add salt water to top it off then the salinity changes. Water changes with salt, top off with fresh.
 
Substrate is an option for many marine keepers though personally I will always have sand. Partly because I like how it looks and don't like bare bottom, and because I keep sand dwelling animals that need it. For a fish only tank you can get a way without having a skimmer so I list it as optional but I highly recommend it as it makes life easier. The rock and the skimmer really create your filtration. If you have a drilled tank or an overflow a sump is a great addition as well but it isn't 100% necessary to have. I didn't have one for years but once I started with one I will always include one.  
 
If you buy live rock the tank will cycle rather quickly depending on the quality of the rock and if it is cured or not. Most other rules are very similar to keeping freshwater except that marine fish really like turbulent flow rather than laminar which is more common for FW.
 
That's an overview...do you have any specific things you want to know about?

 

[techen]

I may warn you firstly, I have you have a good paying job, lots of time and be prepared for a ton of stuff to hit the fan one would say.

A 120L tank is fine for a marine but the bigger the better really.

What you want to do is source a place to buy RO water from, That or buy a RO kit which will set you back a good 100 quid.

Without a source of RO I highly recommend not trying marine.

 

[nkd5024]

Welcome, it definitely can be difficult to find a single source of all the information you need. For a fish only tank you could probably skip on the protein skimmer which is the main filtration for most coral tanks and use a canister filter but for the size tank your usings (120 liter correct?) buying a small hang on back protein skimmer would be the best solution.

You will need a heater rated for your size aquarium as well as some simple lighting. T5 fluorescent would be your best bet as they are relatively cheap and bright enough to support some lower light corals when you realize you don't actually want a FOWLR. (it will happen, just give it a few months) You will also need some powerheads for water circulation. I am not sure what every uses in Europe but over here Koralia pumps are the best pump in the cheaper end.

The main biological filtration is attained through the addition of live rock. The live rock can support the bacteria that progress the nitrogen cycle. You should have a good grasp on this since you've had freshwater tanks. 1 us pould per gallon is a rough idea of how much to add.

This is the basics of what you need for a salt setup. Remember that you also need a way to measure your salinity, preferably a refractometer that can be found for around $50, and to use reverse osmosis water for you top off and water change water.

I am trying not to throw to much out at once so let me know if you have any other questions.

Good luck,
Nick D.

 

[kylealastairlove]

thanks for the replies people okay all this information and general talk about it is a lot for me to take in, im gonna have to take this real sloooooooooww but i really want to do it, i'll do whatever it takes! im thinking either fish only set up or FOWLR, i think FOWLR would look better, and be better in the long run because eventually i can see myself wanting to add corals as that is one of the things that attracted me to saltwater setups obviously the fish as well lol

okay i know a teeny tiny bit of info but i have a question or 2 here,
if i want to do a FOWLR set up then what kind of live rocks am i looking for ? and should they already be cured or should i cure them myself (i know this will take a lot longer to do) 
can you give me a list of equipment i would need. is there any kind of special heater i need ?

at the moment i have 2x 24w light tubes on my tank the ones that came with the juwel lido tank that is, will i need different lighting ? (if i want to grow some corals in the future maybe) 

where can i get RO water from ? or where could i buy an RO kit... hmm i think i will get to grips with this, once i get to know all the equipment and what it does, i wont feel so clueless about the whole thing haha 

thanks for your help

 

[Chad]

If you know you are going to do corals I agree with the comment above that it's a good idea to start out with at least a T5HO light or better yet LED's.
 
Here are a few links to articles I wrote on live rock, beginner corals, and picking a clean up crew. 

• Good beginner corals
• How to choose live rock
• How to pick a clean up crew

They might help you out some.

 

[kylealastairlove]

thank you very much, i will check your articles

i kind of know what fish i will be wanting, well i think, i really like clowns i know that there are a good few different species but i've heard a good one to start out with is Ocellaris clown fish ? 

i would like a goby too, i read in a PFK magazine about certain species of shrimp and goby that share a special partnership too about how they live and work together and stuff, id love to have something like that it'd be great  

i think i will manage with this, the only thing thats confusing me a bit is the lighting, yes i am going to want to keep corals im just trying to get my head round what lighting will fit my tank and if there is any specific lighting i will need as i dont know exactly what kind of lights i have on my tank at the moment so i dont know if i could get the right lighting to fit my tank hmm but other than that this is sounding great and im looking forward to getting started on this

 

[Chad]

For a small tank A. Ocellaris is the way to go! Also for a small tank the yellow watchman goby is an ideal spcecies and of course goes with the pistol shrimp.

If you don't want corals then any lighting will do.

If you want corals the lighting will depend on the corals you want to keep. Since I keep a broad range from soft corals to SPS I have very bright and controlable LED's (AI Sol Super Blue). What kind of lighting also depends on how deep the tank is. For example T5 only penetrate so deep and on a tank like mine (30 inches) they don't provide enough light down low. LED's can penetrate all the way as do metal halide lights.

 

[kylealastairlove]

awesome i like the sound of that i will remember those 2! 

i dont know an awful lot about corals, i've just been reading up on the low light corals like mushrooms, but i think i will want to have bright lighting as i would want to keep some of the bright vibrantly coloured corals, i really like zoanthids however i have no idea what kind of requirements they have but thats just one of the corals i like that i actually know the name of, i might look into LED lights, but i think the way to go for me will be to start with the FOWLR setup keep the lighting i have, until i have done enough research on what corals i might be wanting and what lighting i will need for them, then i can upgrade the lighting when im ready for the corals  

 

[Chad]

Zoos are a soft coral that can be a bit odd in terms of lighting. Some require lower lighting and some brighter. All of them could be kept under T5HO without any issues. They don't really require too much effort but plenty of water changes with a good quality reef salt does wonders. I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. It's a good blend that works well for my corals.

 

[kylealastairlove]

thanks tcamos you're a great help my plan for now is to read up on the zoas and other corals i will want then im gonna make a list of all the things i am going to need to start up a tank and then spend spend spend lol! 

 

[Chad]

Time is key. If you are patient and slow you will be successful. Sounds like you're off to a good start.

 

[kylealastairlove]

yes yes! its funny because i can be very impatient but when it comes to this i just get excited thinking about finally reaching the point of set up when im ready to do so as for now its reasearch time !