Interested to get started in marine tank...

[Shaihulud]

Nano-tanks for freshwater and saltwater are entirely different beasts, reef organisms are very sensitive to changes from my experiences, I would recommend getting a tank larger than 24cm cube. There are small brackish water gobies though that could propably survive in a 24cm tank though, I do not really have much experience with marine tanks though (I fail at them)

[zephyros]

u can either DIY a water top up device, pretty easy to do
- 1 water bottle
- 1 small tap
- silicon gel
- use a screwdriver to push a hole through the bottle, abt 1 inch above the base
- push in tap and silicon the surrounding .. let it sit for a day

u can use kalk mix as ur top up. good as it stablise ur KH and add calcium at the
same time ie if u do not need a calcium reactor

[qingshun]

Hi,

Have started on this marine tank hobby of mine recently as well. Got a nano fish tank from the aquarium shop at Plaza Sing.. Had set the tank up and waited for a week b4 putting 3 LS in..

1 x percula clown
1 x blue damsel
1 x starfish

Prior to that, had bought 2kg of LR & a bottle of bacteria solution...
The fishes as of now look quite normal to me. No abnormal behavior thus far.

Would observe for about 1 mth b4 deciding to add more LS in.

Below is a picture of my tank:


Can anyone ID the starfish for me? Shopkeeper said it will feed on its own... just feed the fishes will do.


Thanks. Will update with more info on my tank.

[Kristen]

That's a chocolate chip starfish. Yeah, I don't feed my starfish either. As the others have said, you want to add fish slowly... I had a mass wipe out because I added too many too fast >_< everything died, leaving one lone wrase... /grieves for money lost... /oh, and grieves for fish too.

[qingshun]

Would the fishes show any disturbing behaviour b4 they die ? Or u just wake up one morning and find all of them dead?

I only have 2 fishes excluding the starfish.

Notice my salinity level is decreasing... dunno if anything (prolly the starfish) is eating away the salt.

[beetlejuice403]

Hey bro, nice marine tank set-up you have there... [especially like the sunken ship deco... ]

Mind sharing the dimension of your nano tank?

Wow! You introduced livestocks immediately (all at once) after 1 week of cycling the tank? Did you test for the ANN (Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate) before you do so??

I'd cycled my nano tank also for a week +, but have reservations about introducing livestocks (most probably getting a false clownfish, a 3-striped damsel fish, a camel shrimp, a small starfish) yet as I intend to let it cycle for another week or more... [I also intend to buy & intro all the livestocks at a go... but is fearful of a sudden Ammonia spike leh... ]

Currently staring at my tank with only livesand & liverocks inside... Sianz!!!

Do update on your tank bro Qingshun...

Hi,

Have started on this marine tank hobby of mine recently as well. Got a nano fish tank from the aquarium shop at Plaza Sing.. Had set the tank up and waited for a week b4 putting 3 LS in..

1 x percula clown
1 x blue damsel
1 x starfish

Prior to that, had bought 2kg of LR & a bottle of bacteria solution...
The fishes as of now look quite normal to me. No abnormal behavior thus far.

Would observe for about 1 mth b4 deciding to add more LS in.

Below is a picture of my tank:


Can anyone ID the starfish for me? Shopkeeper said it will feed on its own... just feed the fishes will do.


Thanks. Will update with more info on my tank.

[qingshun]

Hey beetlejuice403,

Thanks Me & wife chose the sunken ship theme as one half of ship has quite a number of "holes" for fishes to swim into and out. The size is pretty small...Tank holds about 12G I think? I will measure the size when I get home.

Nope. We did not buy the test kits to test out the ANN. Feel is kinda waste of $... Already spent quite a bit on this hobby liao so din wanna spend more on test kits... Also, shopkeeper mentioned wait for 1 week can put fishes in so we listened as per his instruction...

So far so good. The fishes & starfish are looking normal with no signs of distress. The starfish likes to move around when we are not watching... so far haven got the chance to actually see chocolate move... Will still be observing them for some time b4 adding more LS in.

Yea... I can understand your anxiety as well. But if you are always worrying about this not enuff and that not enuff, prolly u will wait a few mths b4 adding any LS in. Furthermore, we're talking only fishes not corals. So my advise is, to throw caution to the wind and put a few LS in to test out first. That's what I did. Choose those hardy ones.. Marine fishkeeping hobby should be a pleasure and not a strain.

Will update with more pictures to come. Cheers

[qingshun]

A video of my fish tank.

YouTube - My Marine Tank

[BFG]

Hey beetlejuice403,

Thanks Me & wife chose the sunken ship theme as one half of ship has quite a number of "holes" for fishes to swim into and out. The size is pretty small...Tank holds about 12G I think? I will measure the size when I get home.

Nope. We did not buy the test kits to test out the ANN. Feel is kinda waste of $... Already spent quite a bit on this hobby liao so din wanna spend more on test kits... Also, shopkeeper mentioned wait for 1 week can put fishes in so we listened as per his instruction...

So far so good. The fishes & starfish are looking normal with no signs of distress. The starfish likes to move around when we are not watching... so far haven got the chance to actually see chocolate move... Will still be observing them for some time b4 adding more LS in.

Yea... I can understand your anxiety as well. But if you are always worrying about this not enuff and that not enuff, prolly u will wait a few mths b4 adding any LS in. Furthermore, we're talking only fishes not corals. So my advise is, to throw caution to the wind and put a few LS in to test out first. That's what I did. Choose those hardy ones.. Marine fishkeeping hobby should be a pleasure and not a strain.

Will update with more pictures to come. Cheers

Worrying is a good thing when you are dealing with animals especially those that depend on you fully for their survival. It makes you want to check up on things that are happening in the tank and to ask question too. Are you doing the right things, are you feeding them enough, are the parameter stable in the tank and so on and so forth. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can buy a tank, filled it with saltwater, add marine fish and claim " Hey, I started a marine tank and it's so simple, not as hard as other people say!" But a few days later, things started to go wrong. Then the owner would start to frequently go back to the lfs to buy more stuff to keep the tank going, spending more money in the process which they could avoid if they've done the proper homework in the 1st place. The strains always appear before pleasure but never so early in a marine tank. Bad things do happen quickly in a marine tank.

Hope everything turns out good for you.

[planted86]

damsels are aggressive~~

[qingshun]

Yea.. I noticed as well. Luvs to pick a fight with poor Nemo. But there was once Nemo fought back and ever since, Damsy has shown grudging respect to him liao.

There's still occasional bickering though.

[planted86]

lol... i just hope my percula(also a clownfish) can fight back against my candy hog... haiz....

[beetlejuice403]

Hi bro, from your video, there seems to be a lot of bubbling coming from the deco in your tank... You had a pump/ airstone in your tank to create that effect?

How much did you roughly spend on a setup like this (tank, livestocks etc)? [You may PM me the info if you don't mind letting me know...]

Btw, where did you buy that 'Chocolate Chip' Starfish? How much did it cost? Thinking of buying one for my tank when I'm ready to introduce livestocks into my marine tank... [actually my little girl likes this red-coloured starfish when I brought her to Aquamarin @ Jln Kayu - Don't know the name of the red coloured starfish... When I showed her the pics of your starfish, she goes 'STAR!!' STAR!!' again... ]

A video of my fish tank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VQ7B4OYMSs

[waterfaller1]

I did not read but a few posts and it seemed everyone was talking you out of trying a nano. I have kept this 12 gallon nano cube since 2005 with no problems.





I have two cool fish , many corals & small inverts that are awesome.









I can help you learn if you like.
p.s. CC starfish eat coral and need to be spot fed with chunky meaty foods like scallop, squid, silversides..something of that nature., and there should be no airstone in a marine tank.

[qingshun]

Picture taken in the morning b4 going to work. Chocolate has amazingly planted itself on the front side of the tank! lol.

Hi bro, from your video, there seems to be a lot of bubbling coming from the deco in your tank... You had a pump/ airstone in your tank to create that effect?

How much did you roughly spend on a setup like this (tank, livestocks etc)? [You may PM me the info if you don't mind letting me know...]

Btw, where did you buy that 'Chocolate Chip' Starfish? How much did it cost? Thinking of buying one for my tank when I'm ready to introduce livestocks into my marine tank... [actually my little girl likes this red-coloured starfish when I brought her to Aquamarin @ Jln Kayu - Don't know the name of the red coloured starfish... When I showed her the pics of your starfish, she goes 'STAR!!' STAR!!' again... ]

We got the starfish at the aquarium shop at plaza sing... there's still another one of the same type but different color. Initially wife wanted a red starfish too but there wasn't any in shop of the size we wanted so settle for that and haven regretted it since. Chocolate is a very active starfish which both of us had pleasure viewing it everyday after work. It would settled in a new place each day without us actually seeing it move. Each morning we would look forward to guessing where it has planted itself to. Amazing. lol. As for cost, roughly adding everything up, should be around $500 including LS, decorations, etc. Rem I got the starfish around $33+. I will not be adding any more LS. Would be observing Nemo, Damsy & Chocolate for 1-2 mths time...
Was wondering... not sure if any LFS can help to test water for free or a token sum? I dun really want to get those test kits as most prolly will only test a few times and once stable, will not use it again.

I believed the tiny air bubbles you see in my video should be called an airstone... it produces very tiny bubbles...can act as a skimmer too I guess.. can use a cup to scoop up those foam forming up on the surface... But why is an airstone not recommended to use in a marine environment?

Appreciate any advice. Thanks.

P.S: Nice photos you have there Carole

[waterfaller1]

For several reasons. The bubbles irritate the gills of saltwater fish. It alters the PH. It causes salt creep which changes the specific gravity over time.Corals hate it. Fluctuation..not good for a marine tank.A small powerhead with no air attachment is the best option for extra water movement within the tank. There should be surface movement. Another thing not good for a marine tank are the freshwater/plastic decorations you have in there. They will/can break down in a saltwater environment and can potentially leech detrimental chemicals into the tank.They are made for fw tanks, not marine tanks. No offense but you basicly have a freshwater setup with saltwater fish and inverts. They would benefit so much more from good live sand and live rock. They are missing out on all of the creatures and bio-diversity that make a marine tank stable and healthy. It's unnatural.
In case you missed it, your chocolate chip star is suffering if you are not specifically target feeding it a few times a week. It does not take much effort, Cut a small piece of seafood and slip it next to him when he comes up to the glass{it may be what he is looking for} he will grab it, and can learn to come back for subsequent feedings. He has no way to show you he is starving, and it takes a long time for them to waste away.
As far as test kits go, you should always keep a few basic ones on hand. Even the most experienced aquarist should test on occasion. Not every type, but a few that are important. If your tank is a fish only tank you should be monitoring your specific gravity{with a refractometer} PH,NO3, and PO4. You have alot invested in your tank to trust testing to someone else.
Thanks for the compliment.

[qingshun]

What kind of seafood does he like? Fyi, those deco are saltwater friendly.

[waterfaller1]

That's good. I spoke with my very close friend who owns a sw reef shop and she said there were some deco out there available that were safe in sw. She talked to the manufacturer. I stand corrected there, but still think they would benefit from LR. No matter, it's your tank.
The star should take to any chunky meaty food:
scallop
squid
clam
silverside
mussel
nice clean white fish
shrimp
etc. A couple times a week should be ok, the rest of the time he may get some leftover food if needed. You should see him get more active and fill out nice when he starts getting fed.
Good luck

[patennis]

Hi Fellow Marine Fanatics,

Anyone here tried to start Marine Tank using the Reef One System? I am referring to the Biorb & Biube setup. I currently hv a 60 lit Biorb and am thinking of getting another one but with a Marine Tank setup. I do know that Reef One does provide a Marine Tank Conversion Kit. Any Reef One experts out there?

Here are some pics of my current 60 lit Biorb Tank...









Thank you!

[beetlejuice403]

Wow! Very nice & cool tank there patennis...

Is it hard to place in the hardscape into the tank or they come with the tank in the 1st place? Looks like must go LFSs walk walk soon, if not will become "mountain tortoise" in this fast paced hobby already...