Newbie

[DragonGoby]

Well, Kel said it all. Some people set up their tanks hastily, thinking it's anything like FS, everything dies, they give up and go telling people that marine tanks are for gurus only. Read up more on the net, there are PLENTY of good sites out there - go search for them.

To help you better I'll just give you a rough outline of what to do, and the timeframe you should be expecting:

Step 0) Decide on what setup you need; read up on that setup; research on equipment you need; visit marine fish shops for prices, buy your stuff, wash tank and get ready

Step 1) Add substrate (if any), mix salt water and add to tank, run filters/circulation pumps for *at least* 24 hours - I'd leave the salt mix in the tank for 2 days if I were you. Do not swtich on lighting yet, except to test your circuits.

Step 2) Add live rock (if any), continue letting tank run like that. Do not swtich on lighting yet. Measure NH3 and NO2. Both should shoot up for the next few days, then gradually fall back down. NH3 should read 0 (NO compromises here), NO2 should ideally be 0 but a little off this shouldn't hurt. This may tank anywhere from 7 days to a month, depending on how much die-off you have from your rocks. You know what? If you haven't realised already, most people here are really patient cos they want results, and they know that patience really pays. Kel cycled (This part on Step 2 is called the cycling period, FYI) his tank for 2 months, and I did that for more than 3 months just to be sure.

Don't think that only coral tanks need to be cycled a la the above method. Fish may be more forgiving sometimes than corals on their water quality, but I can assure you that they will die if you place in a tank straightaway. When everything is OK, NH3=0, NO2=0, SLOWLY add livestock. I mean slowly, really. One fish a week would be the best I'd risk; you don't want all those weeks of waiting to go to waste.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Confucius
Go with Step 0, 1 and 2 as suggested before you think about getting any livestock.

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On 1/3/2003 9:38:07 PM

now, i think i gonna buy about 4 - 5 fishes , put them in a "container tank" and try to keep them alive.
pls.. how long have u setup your tank? do a proper setup. read the most impt aspect of the the marine tank keeping..the nitrogen cycle.. i cycled my tank for 4-8 weeks. if u think marine is like FW, boy are u mistaken.. dun waste your money on it.. do a proper setup and then wait for it to be stable b4 dumping in your fish. i wun even recommend u to do that first... if u persist in those actions of yours; such as getting them and putting them in the container tanks, it is your call... i wun say anything else. chances are, ur setup is gonna fail on u and it will be an expensive lessons


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[DragonGoby]

I believe the Plenum system/Jaubert method is something like this. I tried this on my very first 2 footer with good results, but there are opposing views saying that phosphates tend to accumulate under the UGF plate. Yes, UGF is VERY outdated. It's almost taboo to most people, since these things are nitrate factories. You'll be ok with it for a while, and a few months down the read you'll realise you have to do very frequent water changes.

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On 1/3/2003 9:51:35 PM

Btw, do u have a undergravel filter for yr DSB?
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pls... UGF is very outdated.. do without it.. unless you are just using the plate to allow oxygen to flow and assist the bacteria in the DSB to multiply.
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[DragonGoby]

X-fish is right - clowns are baaad when there are more than 1 pair in the tank. Maroons are worse. I think 10 common clown-sized fish is just ok for your tank, ah boi. And do keep in mind that fish can grow and may soon overcrowd the tank. For eg, domino damsels can really grow huge.

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Don't think u can keep too many damsels & clown in 1 tank. They are very territorial. U can try 2 damsels at diff size. Same for clown...but at least not too fierce & kill each other. But don't try to put Maroon clown & other clown inthe same tank. The Maroon will chase after the rest ofthe clowns.

Good luck.
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[kelstorm]

all those mentioned above can be found on the FAQ, if only u take some time to read and then post any queries u have.. rather than to just go with the flow and then find that everything died on u.. when i first started this hobby, there isn't a place where i can learn my lessons except by books and the hard way.. personally, i have killed quite a handful of fishes and corals as well.. and with the experience learnt, i hope to share with ppl so that they would not contribute to more killings due to lack of knowledge... and learn from my mistake..

[kelstorm]

I think 10 common clown-sized fish is just ok for your tank, ah boi. And do keep in mind that fish can grow and may soon overcrowd the tank. For eg, domino damsels can really grow huge.

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[/quote]
hongyee,
mind u, he is planning a 2ft tank.. 10 would be too much.. for his bio-load.. i think 4 would be pushing its limits already.. and considering the growth size..

[Ah^boi]

er ... how much do those fish beginner books cost?
i think i go get some of them tomoro ...

sorry for the impatience that i seemed to be ...
u know, newbies like me .... []

[kelstorm]

er ... how much do those fish beginner books cost?
i think i go get some of them tomoro ...

sorry for the impatience that i seemed to be ...
u know, newbies like me .... []
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try borders or kino.. they have a basic book on marine keeping.. called the new saltwater aquarium handbook. cost less than $25 i think.. they also have a wide range.. but this book is simple enuff.. but if u want, u can try this book at kino, marine aquarium by Nick Dakin... there, u be able to see what are sumps = trickle filters, protein skimmers etc...

i understand the eagerness of keeping marine.. but patience is the key to this game... my advice is to read the book while waiting for your tank to cycle... recommended first thing to read, nitrogen cycle.... i just dun want u to go thru the same path as me.. paying tons of money to learn the lesson..

[Ah^boi]

hmm ... this stage : tank cycling , what actually, other then the tank do i need? assuming "fish only tank" (dare not touch corals yet []).

[kelstorm]

hmm ... this stage : tank cycling , what actually, other then the tank do i need? assuming "fish only tank" (dare not touch corals yet []).
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for cycling of tank, let say the saltwater is in and everything is up and the hardwares are obtained(filter, hydrometer etc)
dump a piece of sotong or half a pack of shrimp meat into the tank to kick start the system...then monitor the water parameters such as NO2, NO3, NH3...once NH3 is down, NO2 will start and decline and NO3 will start
then, add LR slowly.. and monitor the water quality.. then the fishes.

[Ah^boi]

what i precisely wanna confirm is the hardware side

[DragonGoby]

That you'll have to decide for yourself, I'm afraid. But I really highly recommend a protein skimmer. A Sander airstone model would be good enough. Getting any cannister filters? Lights? Actually lights can wait until you cycled your tank.

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On 1/3/2003 11:47:26 PM

what i precisely wanna confirm is the hardware side
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[Ah^boi]

so ..
i need :

a protein skimmer
a filter with powerhead ( not very clear about a "powerhead" though )
all those test kits
dechlorinator
coral sand
life rock
marine salt

ok ... how much $ is that total?

[X-fish]

Check out from the library. There are many goods books for beginners. Good luck.

[X-fish]

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On 1/4/2003 1:01:13 AM

so ..
i need :

a protein skimmer $20-$200
a filter with powerhead ( not very clear about a "powerhead" though )
Canister filter - $100-$200
Hangover filter - $30-$50
all those test kits - $50 +/-
dechlorinator - $2-$10
coral sand - 3" for 2 ft abt 10kg $8-$12
life rock - $6 per kg
marine salt - $10-20

ok ... how much $ is that total?
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Ah Boi,

How much are u prepared to spend on the initial setup? Pls be warned, once u are into this buz, there is noooo turning back!!! As I said, don't try to save on the gadget. Not trying to frighten u, check out the $$$ above that I have estimated for u. As u can see, the equipment price can have a wide range from cheap to expensive. Not sure I calculated the volume on sand correctly though. Do some serious reading before u decide.

Cheers.

[divinesloth]

Ah Boi, be prepared to fork out at least $300 lah. You can get books from Kinokuniya, I got this book "The Simple Guide to Marine Aquarium" and thought its quite useful.

[kelstorm]

Canister filter - $100-$200
Hangover filter - $30-$50
if possible, dump the overhead filter and go for a canister filter instead.. the best is still a sump but for a 2ft, u can make do with a canister filter, like Eheim 2213 or 2215
all those test kits - $50 +/-
try to get those starter kits.. preferably seachem.. avoid sera
dechlorinator - $2-$10
can do without it.. save your money on it.. u can either leave the water overnight to solve the problem.. for me, i just simply dump water into my sump..
life rock - $6 per kg
marine salt - $10-20
depending on the brand u choose.. expensive ones are like Tropic marine or instant ocean.. cheaper ones are like coralife.. avoid red sea marine salt.. lousy
u need to following as well;
hydrometer
lighting systems and it depends on what u wanna keep

Ah Boi,
How much are u prepared to spend on the initial setup?
for a 2ft, i would estimate easily to be ard $500, things that u cannot stinge on are: filter and lightings if u are keeping corals coz different corals have different lighting requirements

[DragonGoby]

I beg to differ here, regarding Red Sea salt. Apart from some OK reviews people have given this, I also used it before and found solubility to be much better than Tropic Marine. Also, the chemical composition of Red Sea and Tropic marine are almost the same. Only thing is that red sea salt is directly evaporated from sea water, so quality may differ from batch to batch. They are definitely cheaper though - I just bought a box of Tropic Marine salt (for 150 gal) at $93 this afternoon.

Don't have to use dechlorinator, I don't trust that stuff, and also you can leave the water overnight.

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depending on the brand u choose.. expensive ones are like Tropic marine or instant ocean.. cheaper ones are like coralife.. avoid red sea marine salt.. lousy

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