New Tank Advice!

[MrScruff]

Hello,

I have recently decided to step up to keeping marine fish and I would greatly appreciate any help you experienced users can give me! I have been the proud owner of a tropical tank for over a year now, but ever since i started this hobby I wanted to keep marine fish, I took the advice of one of my friends who said it would be a good idea to invest in a tropical tank first before taking the plunge into marine, and i think/hope i am ready! I just ave a few questions that i would like to put out there for any one kind enough to answer!

Thanks to my family they recently purchased a new tank for me for my birthday, an aqua one as follows:
Aquarium Model: AquaStyle 850
Dimensions Tank: 84W x 44D x 59H cm
Dimensions Cabinet: 84W x 44D x 66H cm
Capacity: 155 L
Lighting: 2x25w, 1x20w
Filtration: Wet and Dry Trickle,

Alongside this i have some equipment from my old tank:
Tetratec EX600 and a Tetratec 300W heater,

-Do I need stronger lighting?
-Is the filtration ok? obviously alongside a protien skimmer
I am looking to keep some inverts and maybe 1 or 2 fish, am i missing anything?! The guy at the store said the lighting would be ok for some things but no hard corals, I just wanted a second opinion! what would i be able to keep!

Any help will be greatly appreciated,
Thankyou

B.Cooper

 

[Anonymous]

MrScruff,

:welcome:

Okay, doing a quick change metric conversion, that tank size would be what, 170 liters or about 48 US gallons?

The lighting isnt't going to be adequate for any type of coral, I am afraid that's one thing you need to think about upgrading if you ever decide to go that way. For fish only, and inverts it would be fine.

The wet/dry filter is not a good choice for reef tanks, as they tend to produce nitrates-but not to worry, all you have to do there is remove the wet/dry media to take care of that issue. By the way, if I loose you anywhere along the way in my explanation please ask me to clarify and I will do so! It's hard to know what your level of understanding is via this media.

A good protein skimmer is a must in my opinion, it makes keeping the tank water stable so much easier as it exports excess nutrients (garbage that would otherwise decay).

Tossing out a few more ideas...
You don't mention water, but you might consider a RO system, or using water you buy at the store as opposed to tap water to use in making your salt water. Tap water often has excess nutrients in it, and can cause unsightly algae issues. Oh, and speaking of water, invest in a refractometer to measure the speciic gravity-they aren't that expensive and the accuracy is far greater than the average swingarm hydrometer.

Another thought that comes to mind is that you'll need a clean container (say a new plastic garbage can washed out with tap water) to mix saltwater in, and a powerhead and heater to aeriate it prior to it going into your tank. Saltwater needs to be mixed and let level for 24 hours at least before it is used, otherwise it can cause issues in a tank. Also, you will need to have freshwater to make up for evaporation that is added on a daily basis so you need a clean storage vessel for that as well.

As far as what fish you can keep, now is a good time to start researching what you would like to keep. Bearing in mind the (relatively) small tank size, you can immediately discount any of the tangs, and other surgeonfish or angels that get quite large. What appeals to you in terms of fish? Anything you particularly admire or like?

 

[MrScruff]

Wow! thankyou for the quick and in-depth reply!

-In response to removing the wet / dry media, is that the bio-balls / sponge media? should i replace that with anything or just leave it?
-The RO unit is in the pipeline but at the moment it is cheap and relatively easy to get the treated water from the store (I work about 100 yards away!).
-In regards to the preparation of the salt water how long should I airiate the solution for with the powerhead, and just as a matter of course - how often do you perform water changes? would this be the same as a FW tank? I am pretty strict with the quality of the water in my FW tank but if it needs to be more often then I can do that.
-Are there any protien skimmers that you can reccomend for my tank? And also what about a UV Steriliser?
-I have purchased a few books on marine fish and a few have captured my imagination! Firstly I will say i was looking at an angel fish and down to what you say I will leave it up to you to decide weather or not you think it is suitable! it was an emperor angel, but according to the book it says i should be able to keep one in that size of tank, please as you have first hand experience of this i will take everyting you say into account! alongside the angel i thought about just a common clown and maybe a picasso trigger? - i have heared / read that they can be a little territorial, what do you think? other than those 3 i was thinking more along the lines of anemones and cucumbers, what do you think??

Thank you again!
B.Cooper

 

[Anonymous]

Wow! thankyou for the quick and in-depth reply!

-In response to removing the wet / dry media, is that the bio-balls / sponge media? should i replace that with anything or just leave it?

Don't replace it with anything, all that does is trap detrius and promotes a higher nitrate level in the tank.

-In regards to the preparation of the salt water how long should I airiate the solution for with the powerhead, and just as a matter of course - how often do you perform water changes? would this be the same as a FW tank? I am pretty strict with the quality of the water in my FW tank but if it needs to be more often then I can do that.

Actually, it's a good practice to aeriate the freshwater for 24 hrs before you mix the salt into it (forgot to mention that) as that helps to buffer the water and stabilize Ph. The accepted time period for allowing mixed saltwater to level out is 24 hours. I prefer to change water once a week. My practice was to always have enough premixed saltwater around to do a water change. I'd use it, and mix a fresh batch for the next week's change.

-Are there any protien skimmers that you can reccomend for my tank? And also what about a UV Steriliser?

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/search.php
Do a search on this forum using the above link, there are many many threads talking abou those same issues.

-I have purchased a few books on marine fish and a few have captured my imagination! Firstly I will say i was looking at an angel fish and down to what you say I will leave it up to you to decide weather or not you think it is suitable! it was an emperor angel, but according to the book it says i should be able to keep one in that size of tank, please as you have first hand experience of this i will take everyting you say into account! alongside the angel i thought about just a common clown and maybe a picasso trigger? - i have heared / read that they can be a little territorial, what do you think? other than those 3 i was thinking more along the lines of anemones and cucumbers, what do you think??

Thank you again!
B.Cooper

Emperor Angels and triggers grow waaay too big for the size tank you have! As far as clownfish, yes they get territorial but depending on tankmates that may not be an issue. Anemones require far more intense lighting than you currently have so that's probably not a good idea either.

You can get a lot more opinions by starting a new thread, listing what you have in terms of tank size and equipment and entitling it "Suggestions for fish" or something similar.