# want to start a saltwater aquarium



## littlejohn92 (Aug 8, 2013)

So I decided I wanted to start a saltwater tank with my 36 gallon bowfront. I have a hob filter heater and a marine land led light set up in it so far its currently a freshwater tank with just a few fish. I dont want to do a sump or anything just a fowlr tank no corals or anything to start with just looking for some advice on equipment and stuff like that any help is appreciated


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f67/what-you-might-need-start-your-41978.html


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

I'll share with you how I set up my reef tank.

Live Sand Bio-Activ Live® Aragonite - No Waiting...Just Add Fish!®

For sand I used aragonite black beach sand and the link to the product I bought is above. I bought it at Petco. Unlike the lighter colored sands, it usually looks clean. It has some variable texture but it's still soft and round enough for gobies, jawfish, and wrasse to safely dive into...and they do, a lot. It's considered a "live" product and I believe some of my bags MAY have contained live beneficial bacteria as they contained other living organisms such as live asteria starfish...however... you can't count on all bags being "live". Some bags may be old or they may have been mishandled ie: exposed to heat or freezing temps...ya just never know. I was at a Petco this past Sunday and they were clearancing this exact sand out...not sure if it was just that particular Petco, or all Petcos. 

I believe your sand bed should be right around or just under 2". There's little benefit to a 2"-3" sand bed- actually some downfall, and those who have sand beds deeper than 4" are implementing what's known as a "Deep Sand Bed", which is a science in and of itself and not necessary (IMO), for a fowlr. If you're interested, you can Google it. I have a deep sand bed myself but with it comes some strict rules that I've found inconvenient at times. 

You're HOB filter will likely work for a fowler but it won't have enough splash to agitate the water's surface enough or keep all the nicks and crannies clean of detritus. One power head would work, but two would work better. For fish, you could essentially get by with a "water blower" such as a _Hydor Koralia_. But don't buy one that's so powerful that it blows the fish into the glass. Fish get pist about that and the cheaper power heads aren't adjustable. I'm one to watch demonstrations on youtube before I buy anything, and that's saved me some guess work.

I use actual sea water for most of my water changes but I keep this product on hand for water changes as well. So far it's worked ok. It's the only salt I've ever used so I have nothing to compare it to. 

Instant Ocean Aquarium Salt - Aquarium Salt and Salt Water Aquarium Supplies from petco.com

There's more I could share with you about what I did...dry rock versus live rock, to skim or not to skim, but I'll stop there and let others chime in except to say that when you add fish...go slow. Research your fish species and then research them again. Make your educated stocking decisions in advance and stock your tank one species at a time, starting with the least aggressive and ending with the most aggressive. Wait a few days between species. And I realize that you can really only stock that way once, and that future tank mates will be added differently, but brand new tanks are stressful places for fish. Your first fish will likely be your most stressed out fish and you won't be familiar with typical behaviors etc...might as well minimize complications. Also, don't add your clean-up crew until after your cycle is complete. And do cycle your tank fully and WITHOUT fish. And shrimp and other select inverts will require a much lower nitrate level than your fish...so make sure those numbers are right before you add them.

Okay, gotta go. Good luck...


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## littlejohn92 (Aug 8, 2013)

Thanks man that was really helpful info


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## littlejohn92 (Aug 8, 2013)

Another thought can you use tap water in the tank?


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

littlejohn92 said:


> Another thought can you use tap water in the tank?


Tap water contains chlorine, silicate, phosphate, nitrate, fluoride, and ammonia believe it or not. Water conditioners don't remove those compounds, instead they contain additional compounds that bind with and neutralize the unwanted ones. Eventually the bound compounds will accumulate and may cause issues...especially if you're not using a protein skimmer. I'm not saying you absolutely can't use tap water in a SW tank. Some do. But I'd strongly advise against using it regularly and I definitely wouldn't do my first fill with tap water. If you do, you could create a self-sustaining diatom environment instead of a temporary one.


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## littlejohn92 (Aug 8, 2013)

Would weekly water changes of say 25% be good if I was to use tap water? Would it remove the build up of that stuff


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If you use tap you won't be removing any of that stuff,you'll just be replacing it with new fresher stuff.
Many keep fish with tap,but if you want the best quality,least algae/diatoms, then using RO/DI or distilled is the best choice.Walmart has distilled for $.87 a gallon.So for $50 you could have "clean water " to set up and for a water change or two.Possily your LFS has RO water also.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

littlejohn92 said:


> Would weekly water changes of say 25% be good if I was to use tap water? Would it remove the build up of that stuff


Well yes and no. You'd remove SOME of the compounds that are floating around but there would still be some remaining. And with the new tap water, you'd introduce new elements that would then have to be compounded...it's just a circle. There are a lot of nuisance organisms like diatoms that feed on minerals like silicates. Diatoms, if given a chance to linger on long enough, can essentially mingle with each other and create their own food. Diatoms can make a SW tank look super terrible. Reverse osmosis water is truly the way to go...you can buy it or process it yourself.

You should visit with Coral Bandit...not sure where he's at today. How dare he not be here! *old dude CB is a pro at explaining why Reverse Osmosis water is the way to go. RO water is cheap and using it may allow you to decrease your water changes significantly, not to mention make your tank look absolutely fabulous. And isn't that what this is all about? CB recently contributed heavily to a thread discussing RO water...I'll see if I can find the link. There is also a picture in the thread of Reefing Madness' RO set-up. It's so user friendly. It may appear complex, but they are fairly straight forward systems and not expensive IMO. You're a guy...u could figure it out easy I'm betting. )~


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> If you use tap you won't be removing any of that stuff,you'll just be replacing it with new fresher stuff.
> Many keep fish with tap,but if you want the best quality,least algae/diatoms, then using RO/DI or distilled is the best choice.Walmart has distilled for $.87 a gallon.So for $50 you could have "clean water " to set up and for a water change or two.Possily your LFS has RO water also.


lol...were your ears ringing CB? I was going to paste this guy the link of the thread with...permdogg? (I can't remember the guys name for sure...think it was permdogg) Is that ok?


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f67/appreciate-any-advice-i-can-get-42969.html

The discussion about RO water starts on 08/07/2013. Good stuff.


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## littlejohn92 (Aug 8, 2013)

Thanks for all the info if I do decide to follow through with the saltwater I will definitely just go with the ro water seems like it would save alot of trouble down the road


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## Johnnycat (Jul 24, 2013)

Feel free to tag along with perm dog and me - we're experiencing new tank syndrome!


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