newbiz ... help me with my 2 ft tank

[jovian]

hi guys ,

i hope by posting here ... u proz can help me with my problem

A setup of marine tank for 2'length 1' b 1.5 ht ft..
budget can just be a couple of hundred of dollars

yeah me only visit bt timah shopping centre aquarium.
i bought 10 kg of gravel, Hydrometer, salt, base filter, pump, a small bottle of fertilzer...dunno what thatz call,
a bottle of easy life[fluid filter medium.dunno what that call too.]... all that cost me $68 from that shop. i find it damn ex


1. filter... izzit a must to have a gd filter.
2. Protein Skimmer...[today me went to bt timah again... ask the owner izzit must put skimmer, she she ans me starting starting dun need it, and the selling $20+ dunno what brand too... any gd and cheap brand to recommand. any shop selling cheap stuff?.
3. Live rocks average cost how much?... how much i need to buy for my 2ft tank ?...tmd just now me ask the owner... she say $12/kg WAH damn ex sial. she say their live rock all season 1... wun smell or die... <= sound veri fake.
4. Lightings. FL blue lighting gd enought for 2' tank?. me just keep some clown fish , blue and maybe discus n coral
5. Chiller... for 2ft tank, dun bother abt chiller?..get an AC fan rite?
6. New tank setup; test kits. Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite test kits. when must i put this ?. how much it cost ?

i have set up my tank already ... base got a layer of filter cage. 10kg of gravel. add water n salt already ... salinty level of the water is correct. me add 2 cap of powder[dunno whatz that call. the owner say it gd for the coral to grow.]and 2 cap of EASY LIFE liquid[the bottle show that in marine tanks 12-24 hr my water will be crystal clear. but i left it overnite, is also doesnt help much, still abit milky.] go back ask the owner, she say ehh u add liverock, later sure crytal clear. izzit true? the bloody owner say "Aiya dun beleive ppl online, their setup of marine tank is all crap, dun need to follow"

i hope u guys can help me with the setting up of my marine tank... how long do i need to let the salt water stable?... when can add coral? and fishes.

i hope u guys can intro me some reliable shop, basically cheap, and can ask the owner for comment 1. i hope is somewhere in west area ..

thanx alots , hope to get some expert reply ... heehee ciaoz
[:0]

[jovian]

hi guys ,

i hope by posting here ... u proz can help me with my problem

A setup of marine tank for 2'length 1' b 1.5 ht ft..
budget can just be a couple of hundred of dollars

yeah me only visit bt timah shopping centre aquarium.
i bought 10 kg of gravel, Hydrometer, salt, base filter, pump, a small bottle of fertilzer...dunno what thatz call,
a bottle of easy life[fluid filter medium.dunno what that call too.]... all that cost me $68 from that shop. i find it damn ex


1. filter... izzit a must to have a gd filter.
2. Protein Skimmer...[today me went to bt timah again... ask the owner izzit must put skimmer, she she ans me starting starting dun need it, and the selling $20+ dunno what brand too... any gd and cheap brand to recommand. any shop selling cheap stuff?.
3. Live rocks average cost how much?... how much i need to buy for my 2ft tank ?...tmd just now me ask the owner... she say $12/kg WAH damn ex sial. she say their live rock all season 1... wun smell or die... <= sound veri fake.
4. Lightings. FL blue lighting gd enought for 2' tank?. me just keep some clown fish , blue and maybe discus n coral
5. Chiller... for 2ft tank, dun bother abt chiller?..get an AC fan rite?
6. New tank setup; test kits. Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite test kits. when must i put this ?. how much it cost ?

i have set up my tank already ... base got a layer of filter cage. 10kg of gravel. add water n salt already ... salinty level of the water is correct. me add 2 cap of powder[dunno whatz that call. the owner say it gd for the coral to grow.]and 2 cap of EASY LIFE liquid[the bottle show that in marine tanks 12-24 hr my water will be crystal clear. but i left it overnite, is also doesnt help much, still abit milky.] go back ask the owner, she say ehh u add liverock, later sure crytal clear. izzit true? the bloody owner say "Aiya dun beleive ppl online, their setup of marine tank is all crap, dun need to follow"

i hope u guys can help me with the setting up of my marine tank... how long do i need to let the salt water stable?... when can add coral? and fishes.

i hope u guys can intro me some reliable shop, basically cheap, and can ask the owner for comment 1. i hope is somewhere in west area ..

thanx alots , hope to get some expert reply ... heehee ciaoz
[:0]

[jovian]

hi guys ,

i hope by posting here ... u proz can help me with my problem

A setup of marine tank for 2'length 1' b 1.5 ht ft..
budget can just be a couple of hundred of dollars

yeah me only visit bt timah shopping centre aquarium.
i bought 10 kg of gravel, Hydrometer, salt, base filter, pump, a small bottle of fertilzer...dunno what thatz call,
a bottle of easy life[fluid filter medium.dunno what that call too.]... all that cost me $68 from that shop. i find it damn ex


1. filter... izzit a must to have a gd filter.
2. Protein Skimmer...[today me went to bt timah again... ask the owner izzit must put skimmer, she she ans me starting starting dun need it, and the selling $20+ dunno what brand too... any gd and cheap brand to recommand. any shop selling cheap stuff?.
3. Live rocks average cost how much?... how much i need to buy for my 2ft tank ?...tmd just now me ask the owner... she say $12/kg WAH damn ex sial. she say their live rock all season 1... wun smell or die... <= sound veri fake.
4. Lightings. FL blue lighting gd enought for 2' tank?. me just keep some clown fish , blue and maybe discus n coral
5. Chiller... for 2ft tank, dun bother abt chiller?..get an AC fan rite?
6. New tank setup; test kits. Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite test kits. when must i put this ?. how much it cost ?

i have set up my tank already ... base got a layer of filter cage. 10kg of gravel. add water n salt already ... salinty level of the water is correct. me add 2 cap of powder[dunno whatz that call. the owner say it gd for the coral to grow.]and 2 cap of EASY LIFE liquid[the bottle show that in marine tanks 12-24 hr my water will be crystal clear. but i left it overnite, is also doesnt help much, still abit milky.] go back ask the owner, she say ehh u add liverock, later sure crytal clear. izzit true? the bloody owner say "Aiya dun beleive ppl online, their setup of marine tank is all crap, dun need to follow"

i hope u guys can help me with the setting up of my marine tank... how long do i need to let the salt water stable?... when can add coral? and fishes.

i hope u guys can intro me some reliable shop, basically cheap, and can ask the owner for comment 1. i hope is somewhere in west area ..

thanx alots , hope to get some expert reply ... heehee ciaoz
[:0]

[jovian]

hi guys ,

i hope by posting here ... u proz can help me with my problem

A setup of marine tank for 2'length 1' b 1.5 ht ft..
budget can just be a couple of hundred of dollars

yeah me only visit bt timah shopping centre aquarium.
i bought 10 kg of gravel, Hydrometer, salt, base filter, pump, a small bottle of fertilzer...dunno what thatz call,
a bottle of easy life[fluid filter medium.dunno what that call too.]... all that cost me $68 from that shop. i find it damn ex


1. filter... izzit a must to have a gd filter.
2. Protein Skimmer...[today me went to bt timah again... ask the owner izzit must put skimmer, she she ans me starting starting dun need it, and the selling $20+ dunno what brand too... any gd and cheap brand to recommand. any shop selling cheap stuff?.
3. Live rocks average cost how much?... how much i need to buy for my 2ft tank ?...tmd just now me ask the owner... she say $12/kg WAH damn ex sial. she say their live rock all season 1... wun smell or die... <= sound veri fake.
4. Lightings. FL blue lighting gd enought for 2' tank?. me just keep some clown fish , blue and maybe discus n coral
5. Chiller... for 2ft tank, dun bother abt chiller?..get an AC fan rite?
6. New tank setup; test kits. Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite test kits. when must i put this ?. how much it cost ?

i have set up my tank already ... base got a layer of filter cage. 10kg of gravel. add water n salt already ... salinty level of the water is correct. me add 2 cap of powder[dunno whatz that call. the owner say it gd for the coral to grow.]and 2 cap of EASY LIFE liquid[the bottle show that in marine tanks 12-24 hr my water will be crystal clear. but i left it overnite, is also doesnt help much, still abit milky.] go back ask the owner, she say ehh u add liverock, later sure crytal clear. izzit true? the bloody owner say "Aiya dun beleive ppl online, their setup of marine tank is all crap, dun need to follow"

i hope u guys can help me with the setting up of my marine tank... how long do i need to let the salt water stable?... when can add coral? and fishes.

i hope u guys can intro me some reliable shop, basically cheap, and can ask the owner for comment 1. i hope is somewhere in west area ..

thanx alots , hope to get some expert reply ... heehee ciaoz
[:0]

[eprouve]

I am no expert... but I doubt you'll get some answers soon from the experts. They're all busy I think. In the meantime, I hope this helps:

The milky water could be due to the undissolved salt. I had this too... once it settles, it'll be fine. You really should make sure the salt is properly dissolved before putting the water in. From my experience, when you put in live rocks, it will become milky again, but it clears up really fast with your filters working as well lah. I would suggest getting a good filter as the coral bed may not be as easy to clean and siphon as in a tropical tank.

The experts here say that a protein skimmer is absolute must... but my 2 ft tank just doesn't have the space for it. And a hanging skimmer costs about $205!! Something I cannot afford to pay so am doing without it for now.

I believe the cycling period is about 2 weeks for a marine tank. I read something about leaving the tank empty with just one (dead) prawn and wait. I have no idea wait for what... but I didn't go through the cycling stage as I bought over my LRs and other stuff from someone else in this forum.

As for cheap places to go... I only know Reef World is really good for fish, corals and Anemone. The second best place is Pacific Marine, both on Plot 33 and Plot 32 of Pasir Ris Drive 12. Just follow the signs toward "Pasir Ris Camp".

Haven't found a cheap equipment place yet. I will be looking. Will attempt to go to Hong Leong and Reef Aquaris tomorrow. Wish me luck!

[jovian]

----------------
On 11/22/2002 3:56:21 AM

I am no expert... but I doubt you'll get some answers soon from the experts. They're all busy I think. In the meantime, I hope this helps:

The milky water could be due to the undissolved salt. I had this too... once it settles, it'll be fine. You really should make sure the salt is properly dissolved before putting the water in. From my experience, when you put in live rocks, it will become milky again, but it clears up really fast with your filters working as well lah. I would suggest getting a good filter as the coral bed may not be as easy to clean and siphon as in a tropical tank.

The experts here say that a protein skimmer is absolute must... but my 2 ft tank just doesn't have the space for it. And a hanging skimmer costs about $205!! Something I cannot afford to pay so am doing without it for now.

I believe the cycling period is about 2 weeks for a marine tank. I read something about leaving the tank empty with just one (dead) prawn and wait. I have no idea wait for what... but I didn't go through the cycling stage as I bought over my LRs and other stuff from someone else in this forum.

As for cheap places to go... I only know Reef World is really good for fish, corals and Anemone. The second best place is Pacific Marine, both on Plot 33 and Plot 32 of Pasir Ris Drive 12. Just follow the signs toward "Pasir Ris Camp".

Haven't found a cheap equipment place yet. I will be looking. Will attempt to go to Hong Leong and Reef Aquaris tomorrow. Wish me luck!
----------------

hi eprouve

"You really should make sure the salt is properly dissolved before putting the water in." then i mix my salt with what?... if it let the salt dissolved before putting water in.

ya for filter, i ask the owner[from bt timah] to give me a gd filter, she just gave me a pipe connect to the base cage, oxygen blown down thru pipe then come up from the pipe thatz all ... i dun think i have a gd strong filter.[waste $$]


hmm i heard abt Hong Leong and Reef Aquaris too. ppl say they selling cheap stuff. but i dun know the address. [sorrie if i abit kuku. really newbiz lah]

i hope u guys can help me.
today goin off for holiday, hope u guys will ans my question. sunday nite will be back ~!
ciaoz
thanx

[]

[ws]

1. A definite YES. A good filteration will save you lots of time and money. As with lighting you can never have enough of filteration. If yours doesn't have an overflow sump go for the canister types. Better quality ones are Eheim...there are a few other brands like Jagno, Fluval..I was using a Fluval 203 for my 2 footer but recently supplemented it with a 2 footer sump.
I believe the filter you bought is an undergravel filter. If you can, pls don't use it..take it out. UGF are a no no in marine aquaria today...it is basically a "time bomb" because of the harmful gases that it will accumulate within.

2. Cheap ones are the ORCA brand ($18-$25 depending on LFS) I am using that and it works for me so far. They are air pump powered. I got mine from PetMart in Serangoon North.Total $40 with the airpump. Where are you staying...then can recommend some LFS near to your home.

3. I suggest that you don't go to that shop anymore...the lady owner probably came from the "Old School" she sounds fishy. Live rock are scarce nowadays due to enforcement. Sealife sells theirs for $8/kg. That would be the average pricing now. Normally the price is $5/kg.
Since you would be cycling your tank and it takes about 3 weeks minimum if your are starting from scratch, about 2-3kg of rock will do. The dead prawn that is usually mentioned is to activate bacterial growth. During the course of cycling you have to test your NO2, NO3 levels. During the 2-3rd week, diatoms (brown looking algae)will appear on the glass wall and sand surface which is normal.
After the 3rd week check you NO3 level, should be below 40ppm and do a partial water change, leave it a day or two and check NO3 again. Slowly add live rocks. How much to put depends on how you are going to layout the tank. As a guide about 6-8kg will do. Note:live rock will also act as a filteration unit.

4. If you are keeping fish only a white FL would be fine. Just having a blue FL would make your tank look blue and won't be bright enough. You could get those double FL lamp sets and fix an actinic fl and a white (6500K or 10,000K) white tube. These would be good enough for a tank with some fishes and a few not too demanding corals.

5. Too costly but if you can afford a chiller it will be good otherwise an AC fan will do but you have to top up freshwater often.

6. Brands are like Sera, Tetra..ask around but ultimately you'll get different reviews so best is to try yrself. Cost between $15-$20 per set.

I hope this will help you out.

[ryan]

hey sorry but could i borrow your thread? i think my situation is relevant to your questions anyway...
i just started my marine tank, its 62 by 30 by 45 cm in dimentions i think...
added 12 kg of coral sand, 11kg of live rocks, external eheim 2213, internal powerhead for water current, running an airpump, surface skimmer doesn't work cuz my tank has a piece of glass blocking the skimmer just above the water surface.
salinity is normal
kh is 7
ph is 7.5!
PHOSPHATES 1!
I think all my water parameters are pretty bad!
i bought ph up buffer today but i'm wondering if i should put it in yet as i'm just cycling my tank.
also will my live rocks die cuz i just put them in at the start?
and is running the air pump alright?
as for lights i've got 1 pl 36watt 10 000k and one pl 35watt 50/50 blur and 6500k tube. do i need to get more?
during the cycling period do i need to switch the lights on for a certain amount time or does the live rocks require no lights at all?
can someone PLEASE spare me some mature sand for my tank?

[eprouve]

"You really should make sure the salt is properly dissolved before putting the water in." then i mix my salt with what?... if it let the salt dissolved before putting water in.

Haha... sorry. I meant make sure the salt is properly dissolved before putting the SALT water inTO THE TANK. []

Yeah, undergravel filters are a no-no. Just use a hang-on filter or a canister type.

As for the shops... Patrick from Marine Life Hobbielist (affectionately known as Hong Leong in this forum) is very helpful. He's also honest and tells you which of his stock is not a good buy (ie: Half-dead or dying which is hard to tell unless you stand there and observe it for an hour or so.), which is a better choice. This shop is tucked away in a corner at Hong Leong Garden Shopping Centre 178, West Coast Way (which is NOT at all a shopping centre. Just a shophouse type place. Had a hard time finding it... if you're not driving, you can take 97, 197 from Jurong E Interchange or 154 from Clementi Interchange, Stop at a bus stop along AYE. Ask the friendly SBSTransit bus captain! The roof of this shophouse is blue. Contact: Patrick Wong 90107128 www.marinelifehobbielist.com Equipment wise, reasonable prices! Hydrometer costs $16 compared to $28 at Rainbow!

As for Reef Aquaris, didn't manage to go there... took too long finding this Hong Leong shopping centre!!

[kelstorm]

A setup of marine tank for 2'length 1' b 1.5 ht ft..
budget can just be a couple of hundred of dollars
yup... that is possible.. but honestly, i would recommend a bigger tank. coz it is less volatile than a smaller tank.
yeah me only visit bt timah shopping centre aquarium.
i bought 10 kg of gravel, Hydrometer, salt, base filter, pump, a small bottle of fertilzer...dunno what thatz call,
a bottle of easy life[fluid filter medium.dunno what that call too.]... all that cost me $68 from that shop. i find it damn ex
fertilizer??? marine tanks dun need fertilisers... base filter? u mean underground filters?? if so, pls throw that away.. that is totally useless.. ppl had move on from that filtration system years ago.. i rather u go for canister filters such as Eheim 2227


1. filter... izzit a must to have a gd filter.
it is the basis of your system.. rather the heart of your system.. think abt it... filters should form the largest cost of your system..
2. Protein Skimmer...[today me went to bt timah again... ask the owner izzit must put skimmer, she she ans me starting starting dun need it, and the selling $20+ dunno what brand too... any gd and cheap brand to recommand. any shop selling cheap stuff?.
i would recommend heavily on getting one.. does it need an external airpump to work?? what is the brand.. is it ORCA?
3. Live rocks average cost how much?... how much i need to buy for my 2ft tank ?...tmd just now me ask the owner... she say $12/kg WAH damn ex sial. she say their live rock all season 1... wun smell or die... <= sound veri fake.
that is very ex for LR... u should try going to lor. harlus to get them.. that is cheaper... LR usually dun die on u.. but they do.. and when that happens, trust me.. it really stinks.. speaking from experience
4. Lightings. FL blue lighting gd enought for 2' tank?. me just keep some clown fish , blue and maybe discus n coral
discus??? for lightings, u had to specify what corals u getting.. and the kelvins that comes with the lights..
5. Chiller... for 2ft tank, dun bother abt chiller?..get an AC fan rite?
yes.. an AC fan will do.. mind u.. this is related to lightings.. more lights = higher temp
6. New tank setup; test kits. Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite test kits. when must i put this ?. how much it cost ?
average test kits cost ard $10+... and u need some form of live stock inside your tank to kick start the system... read up on the aquatic FAQ.. to know more abt the nitrogen cycle

i have set up my tank already ... base got a layer of filter cage. 10kg of gravel. add water n salt already ... salinty level of the water is correct. me add 2 cap of powder[dunno whatz that call. the owner say it gd for the coral to grow.]
should be kalkwassers.. but wait a min.. your tank is so new.. it is not even stable yet.. y u dosing all this..?? if u are using kalkwasser, it is mostly for calcarous algae and hard corals..

and 2 cap of EASY LIFE liquid[the bottle show that in marine tanks 12-24 hr my water will be crystal clear. but i left it overnite, is also doesnt help much, still abit milky.] go back ask the owner, she say ehh u add liverock, later sure crytal clear. izzit true? the bloody owner say "Aiya dun beleive ppl online, their setup of marine tank is all crap, dun need to follow"
want some advice??? stop going to the shop.. it is trying to get u to buy more stuff.. and dump that bottle of easy life.. it is crap.. the reason why your tank is murky is because the bacteria to break down the waste has yet to colonize.. and unable to break down the excessive stuff that u are dumping in.. i never used any of those bio-bacteria in a bottle.. or crystal clear stuff.. those are gimmics.. i simply let my tank go thru the natural stage of cycling.. which takes up to 1 month..until then, u dun do anything like adding corals or fishes.

[eprouve]

There was some kind of foam forming at the surface of my water... doen't look like good news... so I decided to get a protein skimmer. Wonderfully small in size, this one is, but I still had to move several pieces of rocks. The brand is Sanders and is selling at $35 at Petmart (wonderful suggestion by ws, thanks mate!)!!

Go get it if you have a small tank! Its a cheaper alternative to one of those Red Sea or Prizm hangon ones.

Question for the experts: Does the wooden block that create the fine bubbles at the bottom of the protein skimmer need to be replaced periodically? If yes, how often?

[ryan]

its small really?
hey i want!!!
how small?![]

[jovian]

hi ws

1. for filter .. i guess i goin to get canister types. so u are using Fluval 203 rite ... how much it cost u? what abt Jagno, Fluval. izzit veri expensive?. where u bought it from? [address]

2. Cheap ones are the ORCA brand ($18-$25 depending on LFS) hmm me stay in bt batok... Hong Leong<= selling cheap stuff too?

3. Sealife sells theirs for $8/kg. That would be the average pricing now. Normally the price is $5/kg. any lfs to recommend?[address]
[Since you would be cycling your tank and it takes about 3 weeks minimum if your are starting from scratch, about 2-3kg of rock will do. The dead prawn that is usually mentioned is to activate bacterial growth. During the course of cycling you have to test your NO2, NO3 levels. During the 2-3rd week, diatoms (brown looking algae)will appear on the glass wall and sand surface which is normal.
After the 3rd week check you NO3 level, should be below 40ppm and do a partial water change, leave it a day or two and check NO3 again. Slowly add live rocks. How much to put depends on how you are going to layout the tank. As a guide about 6-8kg will do. Note:live rock will also act as a filteration unit.]<= ya so i just throw in 1 dead prawn? how long then remove? ya for the NO2,NO3level... use what to test? what test kit to get?
any recommend

anyway thanx for u help... hope can hear from u again ..
thanx dudez

[eprouve]

----------------
On 11/25/2002 12:41:03 AM

its small really?
hey i want!!!
how small?![]
----------------

Well, its the smallest around, according to ws and Ben of Petmart. The collection cup is approximately 8 cm in diameter and the air column is about 5cm.

Height of air column (which is supposed to be in the water is about 14cm.

Ask for "Sanders" protein skimmer. That's the brand.[]

[kelstorm]

i change my wooden airstone once every 3-6 months.. until i see the air column dying off..

[Sand_tubeworm]

Hi jovian,

I get to know a new shop-farm at Lim Chu Kang which they import directly on their own from Brazil, Indoneisa & other countries. From what I gathered they are 1 of the 2 direct importer of Marine Fishes & Inverterbrates in Singapore (besides Pacific Marine) as this shop not only deal with retails they do export weekly. The rest of the marine shops in Singapore are actually getting their fishes & supplies from Pacific Marine & this shop known as New Trio Fisheries. The guy called Bac at New Trio is an experienced & friendly man who can assist & advises on your new Marine Aquarium Set-up, maybe you can take a trip down tomorrow (Hari Raya holiday) to speed up setting up your tank. I had managed to buy some green-tipped liminious corals from them about 2 weeks ago --- good price & quality.
Sometimes, you can also find Sharks, seahorses, fresh & marine stingrays at this place.

This shop-farm is immediately after the Kranji Reservoir, turn to the right lane and you will come to "Sungei Buloh Nature Park" and they are just a few units after the park. I
suggest if you lost the way, try contacting the 2 guys below, they are very friendly.

NEW TRIO FISHERIES
LCK 110, 261 Neo Tiew Crescent
Contacts : Bac at 90097781 or Steven at 98178144