Regular Member Vee Posted July 3, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2011 So, I found a super awesome deal on Craigslist today! A 90g Saltwater tank with two heaters, a light, pumps, and trickle wet/dry filter all for $100 bucks. I have a few things relating to salt water tanks (got them with my goldy tank, though they've been sitting in the garage..) I know you need salt water, and I kind of understand on how to make it, but I know my lfs sells pre-mixed water. I know I'll need to get live-sand, a sw master kit, food, decorations, etc. but I've no idea where to start really.. I know when I get the tank tomorrow I'll be spending a good bit of time cleaning it out with bleach and water (that is safe for SW too, right?) Really all I know what to do is to put the cleaned tank on the stand, fill it with premixed SW and add live-sand.. If anyone has any good information or a step-by-step how to, that'd be great! I think after my tank is established I'd like to get a clown fish and a... Dory? The blue one from "Finding Nemo". Of course, I haven't looked up the information on these fish yet, but I plan to do that momentarily. Any and all information is appreciated. Thanks guys. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ashlee18 Posted July 3, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2011 I have no advice to give since saltwater scares me... But I wanted to congratulate you And you must keep this thread updated with pictures! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GoldFishNewbies Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Hey Vee i can help you with some of your problems but not all sorry 1st: i dont know about the bleach but some are really strong so id wait for someone else to come by and help you with that one 2nd: once the tank is clean add water half way add the sand and the filter and heat and decorations 3rd: wait a bit because the sand is going to make the water a bit cloudy 4th: when you add everything you want to add more water until full 5th: you want to add water conditioner and other adhesives that your going to add 6th: let it fun for a week maybe 2 7th: this should be first but ask the guy if the tank is cycled if not you need to learn about cycling before you put water which im not going to lie takes 4-6 maybe more weeks(im currently cycling) some information might not be correct because i am also kinda new but w8 for another member to swing by to correct me if im wrong or add more information 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GoldFishNewbies Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 i think this is the fishtank she is thinking about purchasing http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/pet/2474872088.html 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member caitie Posted July 3, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2011 That's a great deal. One word of advice if you're going into salt water for the first time, you need to do lots of research. It's completely different from freshwater and the rules are actually very different. For example cycling a saltwater tank can take a few months if you want to do it right. Also before you set it up you should decide will this be a fish only tank or will you add some live rock and corals? Once you decide this you can then choose the right kind of sand (yes there are different kinds that serve different purposes.) What you put in the tank will also influence what lighting you need. I researched for a whole year before I set up mine and then it took a few months before I put in any corals. It was a lot of fun just to watch all the creatures that came out of the live rock and started to populate the the sand. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Vee Posted July 3, 2011 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2011 (edited) I have no advice to give since saltwater scares me... But I wanted to congratulate you And you must keep this thread updated with pictures! Thanks Ashlee. I'll add pictures of everything as I go along and maybe as I'm learning I'll put up a step-by-step visual guide. Hey Vee i can help you with some of your problems but not all sorry 1st: i dont know about the bleach but some are really strong so id wait for someone else to come by and help you with that one 2nd: once the tank is clean add water half way add the sand and the filter and heat and decorations 3rd: wait a bit because the sand is going to make the water a bit cloudy 4th: when you add everything you want to add more water until full 5th: you want to add water conditioner and other adhesives that your going to add 6th: let it fun for a week maybe 2 7th: this should be first but ask the guy if the tank is cycled if not you need to learn about cycling before you put water which im not going to lie takes 4-6 maybe more weeks(im currently cycling) some information might not be correct because i am also kinda new but w8 for another member to swing by to correct me if im wrong or add more information i think this is the fishtank she is thinking about purchasing http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/pet/2474872088.html Haha, nope. I live in SC, and there's no pictures up, or I'd post them. However, this is the ad: http://charleston.craigslist.org/for/2474029551.html I just suggested bleach, because I know that's how you clean out goldy tanks. Bleach is just chlorine and by rinsing thoroughly and adding in Prime it stops being dechlorinated. I know the tank isn't cycled, it is emptied of water. It'd be impossible to lift if it were full. If it's possible to I'll just add some of the bioballs from my goldy tank to cycle the new one, though I'm not sure if that would be a good idea, seeing as the goldies are fresh water and the tank will be sw. Does anyone know if salt has a shelf-life after being opened? I've had this huge bag of salt for a while, and it's been opened from where the previous owner used some of it. If it's still good I could use it to start my first batch of salt water. And I could do it directly in the tank, right? That's a great deal. One word of advice if you're going into salt water for the first time, you need to do lots of research. It's completely different from freshwater and the rules are actually very different. For example cycling a saltwater tank can take a few months if you want to do it right. Also before you set it up you should decide will this be a fish only tank or will you add some live rock and corals? Once you decide this you can then choose the right kind of sand (yes there are different kinds that serve different purposes.) What you put in the tank will also influence what lighting you need. I researched for a whole year before I set up mine and then it took a few months before I put in any corals. It was a lot of fun just to watch all the creatures that came out of the live rock and started to populate the the sand. --- Sorry, just saw your post. If I'm not mistaken and I do end up getting clown fish they need live rock and anemones, right? So I'll probably have rock. Like I said, I've no idea where I'm starting out with, so for now it's just getting the tank, cleaning it up and setting it up. Plus I think I'd like to see little polyps and all that. Those things are so cool. x3 I'm not sure on the lighting, because it's what's coming with the tank, I'll have to ask what type of fish he kept in the tank.. I could also be selfish with my goldies and put them in the 90g and use my 55g as a salt water... but I think they'll be staying in the 50g Edited July 3, 2011 by Vee 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member caitie Posted July 3, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2011 Actually the clownfish don't really need an anemone, in fact I recommend not getting one. Anemones in my opinion are more trouble that they are worth. They move around the tank all the time and sting everything they touch. The clownfish will host anything, they would love a nice toadstool leather like this one. (It's the big round thing in the corner You don't really need a filter for filtration in a reef tank. If you use enough live sand, live rock that will be your filtration. Regular filters will cause problems in the long run. That's why I say freshwater rules don't apply here. On my 29 gallon reef I use a 110 AC filter but it is a fuge, I filled it up with some live rock rubble and some cheeto algae that helps keep nitrates down. They have to be as near zero as possible in a reef tank. If you want I can dig up some of my favorite information sites I found when I started out a few years ago and send you the links. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Vee Posted July 3, 2011 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2011 That'd be great! I like to do the research required, but am wary about a lot of it. I found some mmm care sheets, but am very wary about those.. Pet shop employees often mislead their customers. I didn't know they didn't need anemones. I knew the anemones sting, but I didn't know they moved! That's cool! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member caitie Posted July 3, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2011 Everything moves in a reef tank which can sometimes be frustrating. I'll gather up the material and post it here in a day or two, I'll sort it out for you so that you get the basic info. It really is an incredible adventure to set up a reef tank, you'll love it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Vee Posted July 3, 2011 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2011 I'll have to make a trip to the lfs and ask them how much their live rock costs. I know they're having deals for 25% off frag rock caves, corals and it's $15.00 for a single zoanthid frag. Oh boy this is going to be expensive. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Vee Posted July 5, 2011 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 5, 2011 Well I got the tank itself cleaned out the other day.. I'll clean out the filter sometime soon It was exhausting! Does anyone know if it's safe to seed the media from my goldy tank to the salt water? It would just be BBs, right? I plan on following this method to fill the tank: Step-by-Step I'll try and take pictures of what I do while I do it, but it might be a few days. Also, when I got the tank, the guy gave me some tube-thing (that he said cost him at lest $70) that replaces the protein skimmer? I can't remember what it is, but I have the box and read up on it. It says that it ionizes and further cleans the water. I'll go look at that later. Do I have to buy the live sand and live rock at the same time, or can I put the salt in half of the water, put in the sand and fill it up with salted water, then add the rocks? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member caitie Posted July 6, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted July 6, 2011 Sorry about the delay but here are some interesting sites I used when I set up my reef tanks. How to set up your reef Tao of Marine Aquaria Hope these help you out a bit. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Vee Posted July 6, 2011 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 6, 2011 Thank you very much Caitie! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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