newbie to Marine life

[Big Pete]

Hi Guys

Big Pete here, i am a newbie when it comes to Marine, so hopefully you will all chip in when i ask the stupid questions of which i am sure i have loads.

i currently run a 25 gallon freshwater planted tank and its going great, i have always wanted to get into saltwater but kept getting told no its difficult and about 2 months ago i thought How hard can it be?
i have an RSM 250 cycled with 22 kg of live rock and the cleaning crew working their little socks off, i am on vacation in a few weeks time so i will wait until i return before i start filling it with fish and coral.

anyway good to say hello and get ready for the stupid questions.

cheers

Big Pete

 

[Jasper McNoobin]

Hi Pete

Like you I'm also new to saltwater after a long stretch in the fresh... although my salty adventure was began more through necessity than choice. Recently moved house and it was far easier to swap my 60 gallon fresh for a 34 gallon RSM with the guy moving into my old place.

I'm sure i'll be a worthy competitor on the daft question front

 

[Big Pete]

how are you finding saltwater? do you really think it is more difficult than fresh, do you have skimmer issues with the RSM, i don't have any bio load yet so its difficult for me to gauge but from reading the forums everybody seems to think its a bit of a nightmare.

 

[Snid]

Welcome Aboard, Matey!

P.S. If you have a CUC, you have a bio load. Everything that is alive in your tank has a bio load, including the small things living on the live rock. It may be small and your skimmer might not produce much gunk, but it is there. Which is a good thing... You need the bio load to host the beneficial bacteria.

Glad to see that you aren't rushing into things. Patience is the key to success. Get ready for a phase of the uglies, where you'll have various algae blooms and such. Just remind yourself that it is normal for the first several months.

 

[jrose323]

Those that claim saltwater is a nightmare are typically the ones that do not have the patience that saltwater tanks require and in turn, tend to have a negative experience with the hobby because they rush though things (ie. Adding fish too soon to a new tank, adding too many fish at once, not doing the appropriate research before purchasing and introducing new marine life to a tank, etc). Most members on RS will tell you that they love the saltwater life and with a little lot of patience, can be a very enjoyable, colorful, and learning experience. Me personally, I think saltwater is easier than freshwater, but thats because I know more about marine life than I do of freshwater.

 

[Big Pete]

i am in the uglies now and it is getting me down, i look at my freshwater tank and its great then i remember the pain i suffered when i set it up, new tank syndrome, freshwater ich you name it i suffered, but you are right patience is the key, i would like to think i have learned something from my first 6 months with freshwater that i can take across to salt water.

i cant wait to get my vacation out the way so i can start watching my tank grow.

better not let the wife hear me say that Ha! Ha!

 

[jrose323]

I will admit one thing..Saltwater tanks are not for everyone as it is much more involved than freshwater. Its very easy to maintain/monitor water conditions for freshwater (Primary concerns: PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate). In the saltwater world, you have all the freshwater parameters plus Salinity and if doing a reef tank, Calcium, phosphates, Magnesium, alkalinity, ORP.

Some hobbyists simply dont like the extra work of maintaining a saltwater tank where us other love the micromanagement (Like me).

The ugly tank syndrome is typical. EVERYONE deals with it in the beginning. You just have to have the patience and it will clear on its own and be picture perfect so long as you stay on top of testing/maintaining your water conditions. Just keep in mind, dont introduce fish until your Ammonia and Nitrite levels are at 0 after 2 weeks of your tank cycling. When you do start adding fish, do it slowly (1 possibly 2 fish every 1-2 weeks. You have a small tank, so 1 fish would be optimal. If you do a quarantine system by keeping your new fished quarantined for up to a month, this will help regulate you adding fish too quickly to your DT. This will also help ensure you do not experience an ICH infestation again). This will allow your DT to acclimate to the new additions and build up the good bacteria to keep your ammonia and nitrite levels down.

 

[Jasper McNoobin]

how are you finding saltwater? do you really think it is more difficult than fresh, do you have skimmer issues with the RSM, i don't have any bio load yet so its difficult for me to gauge but from reading the forums everybody seems to think its a bit of a nightmare.

It's been a bit of a toughie so far but I put that down to not being prepared. It was virtually dumped on me... 'here's ya tank, here's ya fish... off you go' kind of thing Added to that it was a real stinking filthy mess and I had to clean it up best I could as fast as I could so that I could put the fish back in.

2 weeks down the line, with very regular small amounts of cleaning/maintenance it's looking much nicer. Plus no deaths and noticeably happier fish.

But yeah I reckon i'm at the stage now where I can just leave it alone and let it settle in. I just have to keep learning as much as I can.

The hardest part is how it keeps hitting me in the wallet :verymad::tongue:

My 60 gallon fresh practically took care of itself but like you it's difficult for me to guage how much more difficult it will be in the long run as i've not quite reached the point where it's established enough to get a feel for a regular maintenance schedule.

I tell you one thing though ..I find it ridiculously more fascinating than fresh water fish keeping... i'm constantly spending time just staring into it wondering what peculiarities i'll find next. About an hour ago I added 3 small pieces of LR all of which I chose for what they had growing on them. Had to move a couple of rocks around to accomodate them and some odd little green creature was under one. Looked like a giant aphid or something:tongue: wish I had time to get a pic but it scuttled back into a hole.

 

[Jasper McNoobin]

do you have skimmer issues with the RSM,

Not really... it is L O U D .. but the pill bottle trick helped a lot. Other than that the only probs i've had with it was my own fault for over filling the DT.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

 

Start a new tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along - we love pics

 

[DaveK]

I would say that the big difference between FW and SW systems is that you have similar goals, but the way you achieve them is very different. If your talking about a FW planted tank verses a SW reef, you'll fine that they both require a a lot of work, and knowledge.

Now you'd think that SW would be lots more expensive, and generally this is true, but FW planted tanks also have some high end out of sight expensive equipment, especially if you get involed with high-tech tanks using CO2 injection.

Often someone making the change from one to the other type of system has to relearn things, and unlearn things that were considered gospel in the other type of system. For example, in FW planted tanks you want to maintain certain levels of nitrate and phosphate. In most cases you need to add fertilizers to get to those levels. Contrast that to SW reef systems, where we want nitrate and phosphate to be as low as possible. Another example, in a SW system we usually don't much care for canister filters, because they often become big nitrate factories. FW planted tank people love canisters, because that condition is desirable.

I do think SW system give you a lot more places where you can go wrong. A lot of this is because there is still a lot of bad or obsolete information out there, and it's still being spread around by many people. Compare how much the SW hobby has changed over the last 40 years or so. The methods used way back then for SW are now almost hopeless if you want good results today. Contrast this to the FW hobby, where many methods used back 40 years ago, anr still valid today.

SW systems are not that difficult, but they are different. If you make the switch from FW, remember your starting on a new learning curve, and soon enough you'll have a great tank, and hopefully few problems. If it's any consolation, SW reef people going to FW planted tanks have similar issues, and need to figure out what they are going to do with that MH lighting, and sump, so they can have a good FW system.

Lastly, I have both a FW planted tank and a SW reef, and love them both. There are just scenes you get out of one system that you'll never see in the other.

 

[goma]

Welcome to RS! Start a tank thread so we can follow your journey!! :swmfish:

There are no stupid questions in this hobby so feel free to ask.

 

[DianaKay]

Hello Pete
:welcomera WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary!
Hope you'll start a tank thread & post some pictures of your tank (we LVE pictures!)
Very BEST WISHES :biker

 

[Big Pete]

Hi Diana

so tell me what mods you have done to your RSM250?

 

[DianaKay]

Hi Diana

so tell me what mods you have done to your RSM250?

I've done more than I ever dreamed possible
All mostly due to peer pressure here :LOL:
I guess the BIGGEST (most expensive anyway) was the addition of a LifeReef sump/refugium.
Here's the picture of it: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...82991-dianakays-rsm-250-a-56.html#post1212790
The RSM really needs no modifications but when you think you want MORE...well, you go for it.
It gets kinda addictive REALLY ADDICTIVE!!!
I've also added Steve's LED (made for fitting into the RSM 250 hood) lighting.
I think I'm done with modifications for a while. ....except for adding a media reactor...

 

[Big Pete]

Woah did you fit the sump in the cabinet then, i also like the idea of the LED's in the hood
My wife is going to kill me when she finds out i can mod the RSM

 

[DianaKay]

Woah did you fit the sump in the cabinet then, i also like the idea of the LED's in the hood
My wife is going to kill me when she finds out i can mod the RSM

I can tell the peer pressure will SUCK YOU IN :LOL:
Yep, better tell her everything is on Sale & not let her find out for how $$$MUCH$$$.

 

[DianaKay]

The LifeReef build was made for the RSM 250 cabinet. It required drilling 2 small holes in the divider.
Not sure if it will work with the newer RSM C-250 tho. I don't think it will
But I really do like having more water volume & a pod/chaeto growing addition with no extra maintenance.
Hope it makes my system healthier as it matures.
I didn't start out thinking I'd want to modify anything tho :smirk: