kano5003

i need help im going to change to saltwater i now have a 35 gallon tank all i do is add water and artificial salt is this correct and i would like to get either 2 clown fish, blue tang, yellow tang. help me out common im new all i wanna know if im ok and also i have a heater and filter and 2 bulb jebo fluresent light and 1 pump plz help.........

Miss Mouse

Hi Kano, welcome to the saltwater world!

If you're going to keep fish only in your tank then you'll be fine with your tank, heater, regular filter, aquarium salt and 2 clowns but I wouldn't recommend the tangs - they get too big for a 35 gallon.The need a minimum of 75 gallons so maybe save up for a bigger tank if you want them!
I would definitely get some live rock too - it acts as a brilliant filter and you'll often get some great little hitchhikers on it like asterina starfish and feather tube worms.

Other equipment: You'll have to get a water test kit for phosphate, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia as well as a hydrometer whcih measures the level of salt in your water.

Bear in mind you'll have to cycle the tank for a while so you can speed up the process by adding live rock right from the beginning and if you can get some live sand that always helps. Make sure your water parameters are steady before you add any fish at all because you dont wanna harm your little clowns

Any questions feel free to ask!
Urs

kano5003

ok so i need to put just normal tap water in and then put the salt in and then do all the tests for like a week or so then just have normal gravel and normal heater what temp should i have it at then i have my big massive filter and double bulb light and a few acceseries like plants etc.
Please help anyway possible is this all i need to have and do to keep 2 clown fish ohhh and also i have added you to my msn to talk about it thanks.

Miss Mouse

Yep that sounds good to me! Just make sure you mix the salt and water in a bucket - not directly into the tank!
And also you'll have to cycle the tank for at least 4 - 6 weeks before you put any fish in!
If you can find some stuff called "cycle" it's in a white bottle - that helps increase the speed and as I said, some live rock and live sand too!

kano5003

Hello again. What temperature does the heater have to be for 2 clowns.Im in Australia so im not sure if our temperatures are the same. I think they are and do I need live rock and live sand cause I cant afford a big light. I only have a double jebo flourescent light but is it ok to go down to the beach and get some sand if i thoroughly clean it. I think that should be ok if i clean it in fresh water. Please reply.

Miss Mouse

Hello!
Heater should be between 24-26 degrees celcius. You'll be fine with live rock and sand because you dont need the lighting for them - its only corals and polyps that need the high intensity lighting. I would definitely advise live rock - its very pretty and adds real life and colour to your tank as well as being a good filter.
You can use beach sand but as I said in my email - make sure you boil it and rinse and boil and rinse and boil and rinse for so long before you put it in the tank!

kano5003

have you done that with sand before or has anyone done that with sand before because sand is very expensive in the pet stores.

Miss Mouse

I haven't done this with sand and I doubt many people would because of the risks...

riosdaddy

I have done the boil sand thing and its a pain.better off buying it on ebay you need 1to 1.5#s per gallon.the sand helps with the cycle.You have to keep track of the water for amm. spike.

Mike

I would also add that if you can't afford to purchase the sand for a 30 gallon tank, then maybe you need to re-think the whole saltwater thing. You'll need to stay on top of the water changes having a smaller tank and salt can be expensive... Not to mention all the other costs.