i am having no luck with my tanks. i first had a 55 and now want to move to a 125 but am having no luck with keeping live stock. i'm on the verge of quiting all together. what do i have to do to maintain a safe and health tank. i currently havve a 125g with wet dry 2 heaters a coralife 72in with power compact 50/50 about 100lbs of live rock and will be picking up 40lbs of live sand and a berlin protein skimmer? what else do i need or what else do i have to do?
what is the best way to do an initial setup for a 125g
- Thread starter mic_1011
- Start date
- Location
- Sound Beach,LI
You ave to let the tank cycle for a while and than add stuff very slowly. I think you should do ALOT more research before you set up the 125. Your going to waste a lot of money if you dont learn how to take care of the livestock you are buying!
- Location
- New Jersey
i AGREE with fishman....i think u should think first of what your getting yourself into first before u start spending money like crazy this hobby is EXPENSIVE trust me
- Location
- New Jersey
do alot of research and decided what u really wanna do...ask anyone n they will tell u the same thing that im telling u
i know a lot but i really know nothing. i've researched it and i know this is something i wanna do and have wanted to do for a long time. so i'm here to get advise, info, and help. plus i also heard that these forums are the place to do research
- Location
- poughquag, ny
after tank is up and your done adding rock and sand dont put anything in the tank for atleast a month, what all test kits do you have and have tested for ? how are you measuring salinity ? are you using a ro\di for you water ? the berlin skimmer sucks save ur money and get a better skimmer, what all equiptment are you using ?
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
Read my sig... When you think you've waited long enough to do something, wait a week longer. When you think you've added enough cut it in half. Ge the jist? As Noob asked there are A LOT of answers from you that would help us guide you in the right direction. I can tell you this though, if you can't keep anything alive in a 55 you won't do it in a 125 
- Location
- Brooklyn, NY
What kind of problems were you having with your 55g.? What kind of tank are you looking to set up. Fish only? Mixed reef? Aggressive tank? etc. The equipment you listed above is inadequate/ inappropriate for most of your options. The lighting is not sufficient for corals beyond maybe mushrooms and some other softies, the Berlin skimmer is not efficient enough for a 125g. tank, and the wet dry is not a favored method of reef keepers though it might be ok for a fish only system.
How much time and $$$ can you realistically give to this project ( you don't need to answer this here, but you need to answer this for yourself). Do you own or have you read any good books on the hobby so you can understand and evaluate the advise given here and elsewhere? This what people mean by slow down and do your research.
There are lots of ways to do things in this hobby and be successful, but there are also lots of ways to waste a ton of money and fail. Failure is almost always related to lack of research and plowing ahead too quickly without a sound understanding of what you are trying to accomplish with choices that you make or are recommended to make.
How much time and $$$ can you realistically give to this project ( you don't need to answer this here, but you need to answer this for yourself). Do you own or have you read any good books on the hobby so you can understand and evaluate the advise given here and elsewhere? This what people mean by slow down and do your research.
There are lots of ways to do things in this hobby and be successful, but there are also lots of ways to waste a ton of money and fail. Failure is almost always related to lack of research and plowing ahead too quickly without a sound understanding of what you are trying to accomplish with choices that you make or are recommended to make.
First of all, take a step back take a deep breath and relax ... Don't be in such a rush to do anything, especially quit.
One of the benefits of having that much water in the tank is that It takes awhile for something to happen, good or bad.
Now in order for anyone on here to help we'll need some initial info, like :
- How long is that 55gal up for ?
- did you let is cycle and for how long?
- Do you run any filter media (carbon, phosban, etc) ?
- What fish, inverts, corals do you have in there? and how many?
- Do you acclimate fish/corals/inverts?
and of course, do you own a test kit(s) ?
* I don't test for anything I don't add.
One of the benefits of having that much water in the tank is that It takes awhile for something to happen, good or bad.
Now in order for anyone on here to help we'll need some initial info, like :
- How long is that 55gal up for ?
- did you let is cycle and for how long?
- Do you run any filter media (carbon, phosban, etc) ?
- What fish, inverts, corals do you have in there? and how many?
- Do you acclimate fish/corals/inverts?
and of course, do you own a test kit(s) ?
* I don't test for anything I don't add.
i plan on going FOWLR 55 was up for 6 month was doing ok. got ick on a huma trigger and also took out my niger. they were juvis. had a maroon clown with an anemone and a yellow tang. the anemone died and then wiped out eveything (i'm guessing) all i have is a few hermit crabs and 2 snails. i let the 55 cycle for 4 weeks (2 with damsels that i took back) No filter media just a bioballs and sponges oh and actually the white media that u cut out and put in the drip plate. and i do drip acclimation
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
So far everyone has given you great advise!
You will want to ditch the hydrometer and get yourself a refractometer for checking your specifig gravity. Hydrometers are generally not very acurate.
Sorry to hear about your bout with icK Do yourself a huge favore and set up a quarantine tank. It doesnt have to be anything elaborate. Just a 20-40 gallon tank with a heater, hang on filter and some pieces of PVC on the bottom for new fish to hide. Keep your new fish in there for at least 4 weeks before adding them to your tank. It will give you time to observe the health of a new fish. If you notice any disease you will treat it in there before adding sickness to your tank. Alot of us have learned the hard way how important qurantining new fish is.
Also spend alot of time readin through the tank thread section here. Look at what others have done, what has worked and not worked for others here.
I just set my 125g up in the past few months. So far so good, but not without a few bumps. I have a build thread in the tank threads forum if you care to have a look. It is definitely due for an update though.
You have definitely come to the right place to learn. Read as much as you can, ask questions when you have to and dont do anything until you have a complete understanding of what it is you are trying to accomplish.
You will want to ditch the hydrometer and get yourself a refractometer for checking your specifig gravity. Hydrometers are generally not very acurate.
Sorry to hear about your bout with icK
Do yourself a huge favore and set up a quarantine tank. It doesnt have to be anything elaborate. Just a 20-40 gallon tank with a heater, hang on filter and some pieces of PVC on the bottom for new fish to hide. Keep your new fish in there for at least 4 weeks before adding them to your tank. It will give you time to observe the health of a new fish. If you notice any disease you will treat it in there before adding sickness to your tank. Alot of us have learned the hard way how important qurantining new fish is. Also spend alot of time readin through the tank thread section here. Look at what others have done, what has worked and not worked for others here.
I just set my 125g up in the past few months. So far so good, but not without a few bumps. I have a build thread in the tank threads forum if you care to have a look. It is definitely due for an update though.
You have definitely come to the right place to learn. Read as much as you can, ask questions when you have to and dont do anything until you have a complete understanding of what it is you are trying to accomplish.
thanks everyone for the info. do i need to cycle a quarantine tank? ok so im am going to pick up a new bigger wet dry, a refractometer, a good skimmer (any recommendations?) and a mag drive 12, still considereing the rodi?? mixed opinions. oh and a uv sterilizer. am i missing anything?
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
Or a Bubble-Magus.....
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
