Help me set up my tank

[89supraguy]

Hey everyone, my name is Alan. I am 24 years old and have had a 150g tank since I was little. However, I have only had fresh water and brackish water in the past and the fishes have always died off. In the past I didnt pay attention to the chemistry of the tank. With your help I will like to learn how to start and maintain a proper salt water fish only tank. I have tried searching a bit however, most post are concerning starting reef tanks rather than fish only.

So here goes... I am looking to start my salt water tank from scratch with just a empty tank.

Can i go bare bottom? Or must i use sand?
What kind of filtration is possible?
Which brand/model is recommened?
Which RO/DI should i use?
Whats a good protein skimmer?

Do i need special lighting? I have twin tube florescence at the moment

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. If anyone knows of links that explain how to start a salt water fish only tank, please post.

***If anyone has anything for sale that is suitable for a 150 gallon tank, please let me know***


Thanks
-Alan

 

[isgon26]

You dont need any special lights for fish only. The ones you have will do. For filtration get a decent skimmer I use a ASM G3 on my 150 gallon. You can buy a used rodi unit here on the for sale threads or you can order one from TBAquatics they are a vendor on MR. I would use sand but you can do bare bottom. Just make sure you get Live rock for filtration also.

 

[pmui]

Welcome Alan.

You can go bare bottom in the tank, make sure the fish you chose does not require a sand bed for digging. If you don't like sand you can use crush corals, but the crush coral will be harder to clean. I think the tank would look stark without any substrate.

Filtration for fish can be canister filter or hang on back or wet dry system.

Brands are are too many to name, you will need to do a little homework.

Ro/DI filters do the same thing, the only difference is the number of stages and the brand if RO membrane that determines cost. Depening where you live and water quality that can dictate how many stage RO/DI filter you want.

Protien skimmer also requires some home work. The skimmer can be in-sump; out of sump; and on back of the tank types. it depends on your setup and budget.

no special lighting for fish.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I would use 2 aqua clear HOB filters. You will get the most bang for your buck from these filters & if you choose to make it a reef tank in the future they make great DIY HOB refugiums.
Bare bottom is going to look dirty very fast I would go with some sort of substrate.
Black sand looks really good and will make the colors of your fish pop a little more.
Best advice I can give you is don't rush do alot of research, look through peoples tank threads to get an idea of what you like.
Good Luck & Keep Asking Questions

 

[Galantra]

Welcome to MR Alan, Doing some research will really come into play when setting up your tank. Since you are doing fish only just make sure you get a good skimmer that is rated for more than your tank can do or rated higher than you can afford. With out filtration from live rocks the skimmer will be whats maintaining the water quality. like Chemchef said with out substrate it will get really dirty on the bottom of the tank really fast also understand with a Fish only tank you need to be able to keep on top of the water quality specially if you plan on introducing a lot of fish

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

try About.com for a good simple step to step setup article.

 

[Brian65901]

Take it slow

Don't be in a rush to fill a Tank then add fish a day or two later it takes a while after setup for the water to have the right parameters to support life. I would recommend you get a small set up also for quarantining you incoming fish I never add any fish to my system without this process and I've been free of any major disease problems.
I have bare bottom and I agree that it is harder to keep looking clean but after awhile you get coralline algae growing on the bottom and with proper placement of power heads they look fine. Its just a matter of taste I like both if I get another tank I will have sand in it just for variety. Stay away from canister filters they can become a store house for nitrates and phosphate without proper maintenance.

If you look in the "for sale adds" on this and other sites you can get good deals on used equipment. I would also recommend looking for other club members in your area that would be willing to help you in the setup process to avoid the mistakes we all make. remember there are usually more than one right answer for a question you just need to figure out what is best for your situation.

Do a budget of your plans before you step into the hobby its not a cheap one to get into and I see too many cases of people getting out because it became to expensive and time consuming.

Good luck!!