HELP! Help with setting up first saltwater tank

[Ian64]

Hi! I used to own two freshwater tanks, and I want to start my first saltwater tank in a 20gall aquarium. I want to start a FOWLR tank with a few fish (damsels, clowns) and maybe a sea star for maintenance.

Do I need to make my own RODI water? Or can I buy it from the store? Do I need a protein skimmer? And can I add corals later on? I am also wondering whether I should use InstantOcean sea salt or Instant Ocean Reef crystals. And when I fill the tank with NOT LIVE crushed coral, do I have to let it sit in RODI water or tap water? And when I wait for a month before putting fish in, do i have the filter on? Do I need a heater and a sump?

Sorry for all of the questions, but Im a noob to saltwater and none of the topics/guides/instructional youtube videos seem to help. Thank you!

I haven't bought anything yet..

 

[Blue Space]

Hello and welcome! Simplest advice I can give is before you buy anything, buy a good book on the subject and read it. That will give you a good foundation.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Some feedback ... see what others think !

Do I need to make my own RODI water? or buy it... see link below...
Or can I buy it from the store? yes
Do I need a protein skimmer? highly recommended
And can I add corals later on? yes - just get "good" lights... that will support corals...
I am also wondering whether I should use InstantOcean sea salt or Instant Ocean Reef crystals. corals are fun & there are many "easy" ones you can have success with... with corals use reef cryctals
And when I fill the tank with NOT LIVE crushed coral, do I have to let it sit in RODI water or tap water? suggest a good aragonite sand, not crush coral, you can rinse the dry sand with some rodi

And when I wait for a month before putting fish in, do i have the filter on? you can it won't hurt, but not necessary

Do I need a heater and a sump? you may need a heater, sump is nice but not a must

A Simple RO/DI hookup anyone can do...

hope something here helps...

lots of great info here too
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/look-frequently-asked-questions.33555/

 

[wscttwolfe]

Hi! I used to own two freshwater tanks, and I want to start my first saltwater tank in a 20gall aquarium. I want to start a FOWLR tank with a few fish (damsels, clowns) and maybe a sea star for maintenance.

Do I need to make my own RODI water? Or can I buy it from the store? Do I need a protein skimmer? And can I add corals later on? I am also wondering whether I should use InstantOcean sea salt or Instant Ocean Reef crystals. And when I fill the tank with NOT LIVE crushed coral, do I have to let it sit in RODI water or tap water? And when I wait for a month before putting fish in, do i have the filter on? Do I need a heater and a sump?

Sorry for all of the questions, but Im a noob to saltwater and none of the topics/guides/instructional youtube videos seem to help. Thank you!

I haven't bought anything yet..

Might add that (paradoxically) it will be easier to run a somewhat larger tank than a 20 gallon, because more water volume makes everything more stable

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Here a 34 gallon you might consider... it's an AIO (all in one) that will support many kinds of corals...

if interested...

http://www.redseafish.com/max-concept/max-c-series/max-c-130/

 

[DianaKay]

Hello Ian
WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary
The best thing you can do when you decide what tank that you want: START A TANK CHRONICLE THREAD & let the nice members here give you advice as you go.
Good advice from all above!
I agree that BIGGER is better, you are WAY LIMITED with a 20 gallon tank. Like only Two fish ....even damsels get too big to live in such a small tank. And they GROW FAST.
Sea Stars are not a good option for that small of a tank either unfortunately They require a mature tank so it might be wise to mark sea star off your wish list for now.

You can "sink" a lot of money in a tank that is too small to keep what you want, So best to figure out exactly what fish you want & save up for the tank size it needs.

Saltwater is an amazing & addictive hobby, bet you'll
LVE IT!!

Very BEST WISHES....

 

[DaveK]

Welcome to the club.

I have posted this before, and recently posted it, but it's so applicable to the op here that I'll post it again. It is the best advice I can give anyone new to the hobby.

You will note that it doesn't deal with the original questions. There is a reason for this. At this point the op needs to learn a lot of the background information so that they can ask the correct questions.

While SW system has some things in common with their FW counterparts, SW systems are a completely different ballpark, and plays by very different rules.

So back by popular demand, I again present -

DaveK's Standard Lecture #1 – Advice for people new to the hobby

The very first thing you want to do, before you spend any money on equipment or livestock, is get yourself a few good books on state of the art reef systems. Then read and study them, so you have some idea about what your are doing.

Here are two to start with -

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner

The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paleta <---This book has an especially good section on fish suited to someone starting off in the hobby.

This is information that you can not easily obtain from the net. While it's out there, it's all over the place, and there is a massive volume of information. There is also a lot of bad information out there.

Once you get that done, plan or rethink your system. What do you want to keep? Do you have the necessary equipment? Do you have the knowledge to keep the livestock you want? Do you have the time to dedicate to keeping a system and it's livestock?

Many salt water fish, corals and inverts often have very specific requirements. Some are extremely difficult to keep alive, even if you do everything right. Before you get anything, research it, and be sure it will work out in your system.

Lastly, you will find that most LFS people are clueless when it comes to SW systems. Verify their advice, until they prove otherwise.

 

[pablomay28]

Hi! I used to own two freshwater tanks, and I want to start my first saltwater tank in a 20gall aquarium. I want to start a FOWLR tank with a few fish (damsels, clowns) and maybe a sea star for maintenance.

Do I need to make my own RODI water? Or can I buy it from the store? Do I need a protein skimmer? And can I add corals later on? I am also wondering whether I should use InstantOcean sea salt or Instant Ocean Reef crystals. And when I fill the tank with NOT LIVE crushed coral, do I have to let it sit in RODI water or tap water? And when I wait for a month before putting fish in, do i have the filter on? Do I need a heater and a sump?

Sorry for all of the questions, but Im a noob to saltwater and none of the topics/guides/instructional youtube videos seem to help. Thank you!

I haven't bought anything yet..

Never trust LFS in regards to salt or rodi water. Make your own. Use instant ocean since it will be FOWLR no need for the extra trace elements or $$ for the reef crystals. I definately recommend a heater and a small hang on back skimmer. All of my LFS have some tds in their rodi and the SG in their salt is usually on the low side this is to keep the fish on sale from showing ich. Making your own rodi and salt water is cheaper plenty of videos on youtube on how to mix salt water. Mr salt water is one of the best