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Thread: Advise Needed

  1. #1
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    Advise Needed

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    I thinking of starting a Marine Tank.
    I have some queries, hope i can some help here.

    1)I have a spare tank. not those regular rect. tank but an hexagon. ard 2ft wide with glass ard 5mm thick. Can i use it?

    2)What kind of filter system is there for marine tank?
    I have no idea at all... (Cos i only keep planted tank and luohans b4). Please advise. Or is there any website that has info. on this?

    3)What is the procedure for setting up the tank?

    4) What are the necessary stuffs needed?

    5) How many kind of marine tank are there? Eg. fish only, livesrock and fish etc. What kind is recommended for newbie?

    6)Any other info. i needed to know?

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Hello, and welcome to the hobby! Get ready to sweat it out, get excited, explain to your beau, pull your pockets out and ... enjoy it thoroughly. =) This is a mad bunch of people you're dealing with.

    Anyway, hope you read up before you start - loads of articles online, plu stuff on this forum and others as well.

    1) 5mm is not thick enough - although a round tank should be slightly more stable than a regular rectangular tank, it's still better to get 10mm glass. I used to use 5mm too for my 4-footer until the glass started bending and I had to get a 14mm one instead. Waste of $$, should have done it in 1 step instead of 2.

    2) Popular methods are DSB (Deep Sand Bed), Berlin (Live rock + protein skimmer), biological (with bioballs/ceremics and/or wet-dry drip system). Some use cannister filters to supplement their systems as well, but this can work alone for FO tanks I think.

    3) Wash tank, fill tank with water to ensure no leaks, set up plumbing, run entire system on electricity and check with a test pen to ensure no electrical leakage, then add salt to the proper salinity level, cycle the tank. You can cycle using any organic source, and once NH3 and NO2 have dropped to 0 and NO3 has increased, you can do a 50% water change and start stocking up *slowly*.

    4) Depends on what kind of tank you want to set up. For reef tanks (corals included), you need good lighting and a chiller/fans especially if you're using metal halides. Otherwise other things you need are salt, hydrometer for measuring salinity, protein skimmer.

    5) Generally, FOWLR (fish only with live rock), FO (with any other filtration system), reef (fish + corals), SPS (small polyp stony tank). The first 3 are fine for beginners, and I'd leave an SPS until you've got enough experience. Then you can slowly shift towards that end of the hobby.

    6) I can't stress more on the importance of reading up. Good knowledge of what you're doing is mandatory in this hobby and to avoid disappointment. As such, it'll be good to start with buying all the proper equipment and scouting around for reviews and good prices (don't kena chop head!). A complete cycling period is also very important - it could make or break your tank, figuratively. Then, when it comes to stocking, it'll be good to know the compatability of your fish and corals.

    Regards,
    Hong Yee

    ----------------
    On 3/3/2003 8:56:37 PM

    I thinking of starting a Marine Tank.
    I have some queries, hope i can some help here.

    1)I have a spare tank. not those regular rect. tank but an hexagon. ard 2ft wide with glass ard 5mm thick. Can i use it?

    2)What kind of filter system is there for marine tank?
    I have no idea at all... (Cos i only keep planted tank and luohans b4). Please advise. Or is there any website that has info. on this?

    3)What is the procedure for setting up the tank?

    4) What are the necessary stuffs needed?

    5) How many kind of marine tank are there? Eg. fish only, livesrock and fish etc. What kind is recommended for newbie?

    6)Any other info. i needed to know?

    Thanks
    ----------------

  3. #3
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    FAQ

    i recommend that u might want to read the link first.. then get a basic understanding of what u are going to land yourself into first.. 5mm might not be suitable though.. u can also take a look at the recommended basic books to get from the link that i have provided... such that, if u decide not to plunge into it, the most u lost is the cost of the book.. also, if u embark on the project, it is useful as a basic guide to help u startup..
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

  4. #4
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    ----------------

    1) 5mm is not thick enough - although a round tank should be slightly more stable than a regular rectangular tank, it's still better to get 10mm glass. I used to use 5mm too for my 4-footer until the glass started bending and I had to get a 14mm one instead. Waste of $$, should have done it in 1 step instead of 2.
    Cos the tank is a spare one and i dun have space for a new tank
    So if 5mm to 6mm for a 2footer is a definite no for a marine tank
    Then i may have to throw this tank away for a new one.

    So any advise??

  5. #5
    Hi domzzz,

    What I'd do is to try adding salt water first and see if the tank can hold it without problems. As I mentioned, my 5mm was used for a 4-footer for one year before it started bending, but 2' may not be too bad. Still, it's worth a try. At very worst, you could dump the tank (or exchange with me for some fish/inverts/powerheads! LOL), and get a new one. It's still wise to start with the best equipment you can afford. I don't suppose you intend to use a drilled overflow?

    Let us know what you need, and what sort of system you intend to use, I'm sure the guys here will be glad to help out!

    Regards,
    Hong Yee

  6. #6
    Kel, when did you come up with the FAQ? Excellent idea! *thumbs up!* []

  7. #7
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    ----------------
    On 3/4/2003 3:47:52 PM

    I don't suppose you intend to use a drilled overflow?

    Let us know what you need, and what sort of system you intend to use, I'm sure the guys here will be glad to help out!

    Regards,
    Hong Yee
    ----------------
    Hi Hong Yee

    i dun think i will have a overflow system.
    i might get a ext. canister filter
    U have any recommendation?
    I intend to keep some LR and 3 to 4 fish
    As for reef, maybe later part if the tank is stable.
    BTW Is anemone difficult to keep?

    Thanks

  8. #8
    Don't try to keep an anemone, seriously! Hope I don't seem to be putting you off this, but anemones are trouble. They need very bright light, possibly at least 55W PL lights or MH, good water quality, and worst of all they'll walk around the tank, stinging any corals you have and may end up in a powerhead or block the inlet to your cannister filter. These buggers seem to know where to cause trouble! If you really must try, perhaps you could get the common bubbletip which is known to be more hardy, or carpet anemones. I've kept a carpet before, it's quite well-behaved but ate a couple of cleaner shrimp and died 3 months ago due to a freak increase in temp. in the tank.

    Sorry, but I have no experience with cannister filters. Perhaps someone else could point you in this direction. Currently I'm using a 6" DSB with LR and protein skimmer.

    One more thing - if you're going sumpless, you'll have to get a hang-on protein skimmer. Orca works fine, as does Sanders. Both are inexpensive, but get a good air pump. With my very first 2 foot tank I bought a 4-outlet air pump, linked all the outlets together to get crazy air flow and I was pleased with the skimmer's performance.

    In fact, if you're going for FOWLR, it's rather hassle-free, so go for it, and good luck!! =) I'm right next to a tall 2' FO tank in my room, it has a 1" sandbed for aesthetic purposes only, and I'm using an overhead filter for it. 3 months and no noticeable spike in NO3, so I reckon if you add LR to your setup it'll be even better.

    So have you decided on what to do with the tank? Try try? [] After you've cycled your tank and if you've got the funds to get some decent lighting you might even want to venture into keeping soft corals.

    Regards,
    Hong Yee

  9. #9


    Picture of the black box used to hold all the lighting components. Grey wire to the left is the input from mains, grey on right is output to bulb.

  10. #10
    [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0QwAAAHAS*0rNUIP!rilvjkDiilXUWbzdVGu!xhFGohB*kKmDc*elX7lGdWDirwCl0iU8QE7S252OzOlIDQAugT8MZ9hYmr6lkLFcDr4q73Y/MVC-020F.JPG?dc=4675412095877843510[/img]

    Box top opened. On the foreground is the ballast, with wiring instructions printed on top. Just behind the ballast is the ignitor (Green box) and below that, the white cylinder is the capacitor. The only other 2 things you'll need are the bulbs and the mogul base. The black metal casing for the components is grounded by an earth wire for safety.

  11. #11
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    i might get a ext. canister filter
    U have any recommendation?
    for an external canister.. for a 2ft, i recommend getting eheim series.. for my 2ft marine seahorse tank, i'm using 2229.. i know it is abit over kill.. hehehe.. but u can also consider getting 2028.

    I intend to keep some LR and 3 to 4 fish
    what kind of fishes are u looking at? that number is fine.. but u might want to consider looking at the size of the fish as well as the compatibility...

    As for reef, maybe later part if the tank is stable.
    for 2 ft reef.. pls be prepared to be in for a lot of work.. and i mean a lot of work.. this is because with 2ft, the tolerance level of error is much lower than that of 3ft and 4ft...

    BTW Is anemone difficult to keep?
    well.. mine got sucked into the powerhead and become anemone chowder... yes,.. they need lots of lights and current.. however, if they like the conditions in that particular place, they wun move abt.. the only thing u worry most is them moving abt..coz when they do so and get chowdered like in my case, u better be ard to rectify the situation coz it will pollute the tank very fast.
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

  12. #12
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    Hi Kel,

    what kind of fishes are u looking at? that number is fine.. but u might want to consider looking at the size of the fish as well as the compatibility...

    i am thinking of getting 2 clown fish and another 2 other fish...
    still thinking of what to get?
    at 1st thot of getting tang but it's not suitable for a 2ft tang.
    any suggestions?

    Anyway do i need to put a powerhead inside the tank?
    what about airstone?

    Can i just use the ehiem liberty filter?

    Do u know any website that teach how to make DSB?

    Thanks

  13. #13
    DSB doesn't require a lot of knowledge, it's just putting in a required depth of fine (#1 or smaller) sand. For a 2' tank you might not want a really deep DSB cos it won't look good. Airstone isn't required, powerhead will be excellent. You can direct the output of the powerhead towards the output of your cannister filter to create excellent turbulence.

    If you're getting clownfish, 4 fish will be very good stocking for your tank. Of course, try not to go for the tangs. You're right, they require a lot of space. You can try the gobies and blennies - lawnmower gobies are useful (eat algae) and have a lot of character. Bangaii cardinals are nice too. Royal gramma, blackcap basslet, dwarf angels are all good choices.

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    u all have any idea where to get the orca protien skimmer?
    how much does it cost
    I saw a few today all quite expensive.

  15. #15
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    liberty.. for that price, u might as well go get a 2213... and no air stone.. as for orca protein skimmer, u can try at petmart...
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

  16. #16
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    I just setup my tank yesterday.
    Just put in the C3 sand and the water.
    I'm using sea water but has insufficient will be
    getting some more today.

    I'm using a 2213 filter, a sander protein skimmer and a powerhead.

    So is this wat i should do now?
    1) fill up the tank and let it run for 3 - 4 days?

    2) test the parameter and then add some LR

    3) what is the requirement needed for the water before i can add LR

    4) Do i need to add any chemical? eg bacteria or wat into the water for
    it to cycle...

    5)This is wat i put inside the canister, top to bottom
    i)wool
    ii)substate
    iii)wool
    iv)bio ball
    v)activated carbon
    vii)ceramic rings

    Is it ok?

    Thanks

  17. #17
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    I just setup my tank yesterday.
    Just put in the C3 sand and the water.
    I'm using sea water but has insufficient will be
    getting some more today.
    using seawater?? u mean natural seawater??.. dun understand what u mean by insufficient

    So is this wat i should do now?
    1) fill up the tank and let it run for 3 - 4 days? How do i start the nitrogen cycle i.e. how to input the ammonia source? bacteria?
    put a piece of sotong or pieces of prawns inside for abt 4 weeks to get the ammonia.. after the 4th week.. check the water parameters. during this nitrogen period, no livestock pls!!!

    2) test the parameter and then add some LR
    only after your NH3 and NO2 are zero. if not, u will find that your livestock will die quickly. same thing with LR... yes, they do die too.. anyway, when u add, do so slowly

    3) what is the requirement needed for the water before i can add LR
    NH3 and NO2 = 0

    4) Do i need to add any chemical? eg bacteria or wat into the water for
    it to cycle...
    use natural methods is the best.. i personally advocate that..

    5)This is wat i put inside the canister, top to bottom
    i)wool
    ii)substate
    iii)wool
    iv)bio ball
    v)activated carbon
    vii)ceramic rings
    take out the bio-balls.. no use for 2213.. coz it will be a all wet filter.. same thing for activated carbon.. u dun need it at this stage... dump the ceramic rings.. they will clog up after a while... as for substrate, are u talking abt eheim substrate?? if so, me using it as well.. works well..

    Thanks
    ----------------
    [/quote]
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

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    So u mean i just put substate and the sponge that come with the filter as medium? nothing else??

  19. #19
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    So u mean i just put substate and the sponge that come with the filter as medium? nothing else??

    btw i'm using seawater from the lfs
    ----------------

    yes.. but i have to add this.. my bio-load is very small.. only 4 seahorses...
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

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