Great! I actually already have the tank (just had to figure out where to put it) along with the heater so that part is covered. I’ll make sure to get another powerhead too. I already have the freshwater master kit so maybe I’ll be able to use that (if not I’ll get saltwater). Definitely will get a heater for the new saltwater. Thanks!
Ok, sounds good. I don’t think I will do the 3 month cycle but the reason I was thinking one clown is because it wouldn’t have a huge bio load so it might be easier to add and not have a ammonia spike vs. two clowns. I feel like 20 pounds of live sand and 4 pounds of live rock plus 16 pounds of dry rock would be able to support a clown but I definitely could be wrong. How much live rock do you think I should start with if I were to add the clown after a few days?
I actually wouldn't add the clown right away either, as you're going to need to get used to topping off and maintaining the salinity. You might already have one from freshwater, but do you have a lid? Gotta make sure the fish doesn't jump!
Personally, I'm going to take my time letting my tank cycle and use that time (probably a full month at least) to get used to the evaporation rate and keeping up on top-offs. If the cycle is faster than that, I'll still dose ammonia or whatever and keep practicing if I can muster the patience. I'd hate to lose a coral just because I didn't wait until I was ready to care for it. I'm not sure what the process looks like for you with live rock, but I wouldn't want to hit new fish with a bunch of salinity swings because of inexperience. Remember! Nothing good ever happens fast!
Im curious, as long as I keep the salinity levels the same each time i do a water change (my LFS sells saltwater and the salinity levels are almost always the same each time they make the saltwater. I’m also getting a refractometer) and only use RODI for top offs wouldn’t that prevent any swings?
This tank is going to be in a place where people will see it really often so I’ll be topping it off a ton (not just once a week. Basically whenever it goes below where the rim is) to both prevent swings and also just for its appearance. Do I need a mesh lid? Right now I have one of those plastic lids that came with a 20 long kit. I’m not sure if it’d work for saltwater but if it would then I feel like there wouldn’t be too much evaporation.
Your plan for top off works. An ato is an amazing thing. Most tanks evaporate 1-3% a day. I spent 3 months filling one gallon a day. Winter evaporation is worse because heaters work a little more. 4lbs of live rock if it's from the ocean will support 2 clownfish from the start. Welcome to the salty side
Sounds good. How long do you think it’d take? Also, is Dr. Tim’s Ammonium chloride still good for saltwater? I know people use it for freshwater but I’m not sure if there would be a difference or something. Thanks!
You need to wait till the nitrogen cycle has completed at the very least. SW fish are far more sensitive to ammonia and nitrites than FW fish are. you can either speed up the cycle by doing ghost feedings or chemically with the Dr Tims products thats suppose to start the cycle and add the beneficial bacteria. im sure you know what the nitrogen cycle entails and how it works so as soon as you have that beneficial bacteria in the filter you can effectively add fish if you wanted to.
Sorry for posting again, but I think I need to specific what I meant. I noticed you had said that live rock will be able to support the fish from the start and that life rock will take a lot more time. I have access to both so if the live rock will be able to support the fish better then should I get that instead? If so, how do I prevent unwanted pests?
I thought that the live rock and live sand was the filter? If so then wouldn’t I just need to get established live rock? Sorry for all the questions. I want to make sure I understand everything before I actually start getting the stuff.
My LFS has a TON of live rock for sale so I think I’ll be able to get about 4 pounds of it. The main issue is the pests. I keep reading about people who got aiptasia, mantis shrimp, or some other pest because of live rock. Is there some way I can remove the pests but not kill the bacteria on the rock?
Wow, that really is faster! I did however find someone selling a huge live rock for only $40. I think if I got it then I’d have more than enough for the 20 gallon. It would come with a coral attached but I think I could remove the coral? Either way I would have more than enough and I didn’t see any aptasia on it. It seemed like the tank didn’t have any fish in it and was a coral grow out tank (had lots of coral frags and just didn’t seem like a display tank) so that would help rule out some fish diseases. Do you think I should get it? It looked huge so it’d solve my problem of getting live rock.
LIve rock and sand are nowhere near enough to keep a SW tank clean you def need a filter that has been fully cycled. rock and sand help but they wont get rid of detritus and other organic materials that your filter will. as far as rock i am no expert i personally started with base rock so it took over 3 months for it to fully develop into live rock and its transition was something cool to watch because i knew i was doing right and my parameters were in check.
I mean an actual filter with bio, mechanical media and chemical media if you want to. besides that you will also need a power because SW tanks need flow. Dont count on live rock and sand to do much honestly they will help but mostly your filter will do the heavy work.
I think that mechanical filtration can definitely be helpful (again, I'm a total noob), but I've seen a whole lot of nano reef builds (the majority, even) that go without. Those builds use nothing but flow, spot cleaning, and larger water changes to provide the nutrient export and general water maintenance you're referring to. Can you speak to the difference between the two strategies?
first of all nano reef refer to tanks smaller than 20 gallons i believe something ridiculously small like a 5 or 10 gallon so their parameters will shift drastically within a day. So i wouldnt dare to touch them myself since i also consider myself a beginner. But for example if you have a 10 and a 40 SW tank and each one loses 1 gallons of water to evaporation thats only 2.5% of a 40 BUT its 10% of a 10 gallon tank thus increasing the salinity far more drastically on the 10 gallon tank. The same goes for all the nutrients that the WC replenish such as Calcium and Magnesium which are really important for coral growth and the essence of reefs. SOrry if im all over the place.
Yeah, I know that nano reefs are under 20 gallons - the tank that jkkgron2 is planning is a 20 gallon (at most... they might still be using a 10g?). It's not a reef, but the general principles still apply. Across all of fishkeeping, larger water volume equates to less dramatic swings in water conditions. What I want to know if you can tell us why you find mechanical filtration so necessary in a saltwater tank when the rock acts as biological filtration and water changes are so doable in tanks this size?
Right. I'm well aware of the difference between mechanical and biological filtration. However, I'm also aware that there is a huge issue in saltwater, especially in smaller tanks, of mechanical filtration becoming a nitrate sink. My understanding is that unless you are removing and replacing filter floss, for example, every two days, it becomes a hazard and not a help. The increased flow in a saltwater tank traps organic material and debris in "dead spots", no? Most reefers I plan to emulate use a turkey baster to spot clean those areas to remove organic waste to keep it out of the tank, rather than allowing it to accumulate in a mechanical filter.
What do you recommend I do? Do you think it’s safe to use 4 pounds Caribsea life rock, 20 pounds live sand, 16 pounds dry rock and then add the clownfish a week after? during that week I would be dosing 1 ppm ammonia everyday to help prepare the tank. I would also be using a refractometer (for water changes and measuring salinity ), a protein skimmer, and a powerhead. Also do you have any tips on how to remove pests from live rock?
I think you should add all that rock and sand, dose ammonia, and test the parameters, then continue to do so with water changes as appropriate until the cycle is present and complete, when you see ammonia disappear, no nitrite, and nitrate levels rising, just like in freshwater. The process is the same, the strains of bacteria doing the job are just different. Then, when you're at the point the cycle is done, add the fish! And continue checking parameters and doing wcs as needed to be sure you're on top of things if the BB colony needs to catch up to the new bio load and goes through a mini-cycle. That said, I'd trust Jesterrace or Rcslade124 's advice over my own!
That had some great info! If I don’t end up just getting live rock then I’ll keep that in mind. Seems great for just a budget tank!
Ok, if the peppermint shrimp won’t always eat aiptasia then I’ll Avoid live rock. So how long do you think it would take for the bacteria to be able to support a clown with 4 pounds of Caribsea life rock, 16 pounds dry rock, and 20 pounds of live sand?
I’ll go with all dry rock then .
