New to the forum

[qsgirl1978]

Hi I am new to the forum and to reefs. So I have lots and lots of questions I have a 25 gallon bowfront tank and right now it is completely empty I mean no water no nothing and it has been since I got it about a month ago. I have the lights though they are called dual satellite I have no clue what they are all about I do know that there is a little light that shines at night when I turn the other lights off LOL.

I guess here comes the questions.
I am going today to get the power head and will have water and sand in it by next week. I just need to know if my lighting and all are okay also how much live rock to put in tank. I have heard like 35-40 pounds I don't want a tank so full of rock that I can 't have any fish. so can you please help with the whole thing. the best way to get started and all.

I am buying my first water from petco. I have a friend with a nanocube and they say it is they best for there tank so far. so here is to the new tank and for all the new friends I hope to make.

thank you

 

[reedman]

Well. You are asking questions at the right time....before you start. First, lighting is very subjective and highly dependent on what you plan to keep. Sooo, you will have to provide more information on your goals for this tank.

Do you plan to keep corals? SPS, LPS, Softies?
What fish do you want and are they compatible with the corals?

On the "dual satellite" lights: Are these power compact (PC), normal output flourescent (NO), VHO, other? This makes a big difference in what you can keep.

Also, on water flow....readup on it and the needs of the corals you plan to keep. It is easier to deal with this now as opposed to after you have rock, fish and water in the tank.

Most important...take your time. If you lack patience...learn. If you rush anything in a reef tank you will have a disaster...it's just a matter of when.

Good luck and keep asking the questions.

-Reed

 

[Ed Hahn]

Qsgirl,
My favorite and best investment was my skimmer. Nice to see you here.
Ed

 

[NaH2O]

Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!

Is this the light fixture you have? Current USA PC Dual Satellite. I wasn't sure what size of fixture it is.

First, do you know what types of corals you want to keep, as well as fish? You will be able to keep softies with the lighting you have.

Do you have a skimmer for your tank, yet?

As far as your live rock goes, the "recommended" amount is 1-2 pounds per gallon, so you could get away with only 25 pounds of rock.

What other equipment do you have or are planning to purchase? Test kits, hydrometer or refractometer, heater, thermometer, powerheads (you posted you are purchasing one).

Do you know what the water is at Petco? I'm unfamiliar with it....is it just RO/DI water or is it pre-mixed salt water?

Hopefully, we will get you on your way to a successful reef tank!

 

[qsgirl1978]

okay I want to keep nemos and crabs in the tank I am lookin into strawberry crabs and emeralds I really don't know all of the abbreviations you guys are using. I do not have a skimmer yet I have a power filter that I used in my 55 gallon fresh water tank. I was told that I didn't need a skimmer until I actually got fish. I am really not into all the rock and really would love to only have fish but my hubby wants a reef tank so we are compromising. my son of course wants the nemos and of course as close as we can get to a dory and also some anenames(sp). Please thanks for all the help

 

[reedman]

your list of wants ranges from very easy to keep (clown fish) to very difficult (anemones). I would strongly recommend getting a good book on anemones if you plan to keep them as they are easy to keep alive.

If you are going for fish only with some rock and a few mushrooms then the setup you have is fine. If you want to keep that anemone then you will need to upgrade the lighting to (in my opinion) metal halide. They need light...lots of it.

If you want to keep corals other than mushrooms, then I would highly recommend a good quality skimmer to keep the water quality up. You can either buy a good one or build one if you are good with your hands.

Get a good book and research a bit on the inhabitants you want to keep before you get them. You'll be happy...and they will be too.

 

[Nemo415]

WELCOME gsgirl1978 , Form the sound of it your family is a big fan of the movie "Finding Nemo" You came to the right place . I'm giving you a link to a lady that raises rose bubble tip anemone's , It's just a start but has very usefull information . Remember that after your tank cycles and is fish safe it will still be about one year before you can keep an anemone with success . For now click on this link www.freewebs.com/karenssaltwater .

 

[Skimmy]

welcome to the board!!
i have to say that i feel the protein skimmer is singularly the most vital piece of equipment on your system, irreguardless if it's a fish only or a reef tank.
it is generally accepted that the best hang on the tank protein skimmer is the aqua c remora, which would be great for your 25g. unless you are going to get an under the tank sump filter, then there are better skimmers to be had.
fresh water hang on the back filters are o.k. for salt water but in no way should they take the place of a good protein skimmer.
also, make sure you use purified water and not tap water for your top off and water changes. i assume you were talking about using the boxed catalina saltwater at petco for your main saltwater suppy. safeway usually has a large r.o. water filter that you can fill up 5g containers at.
it sounds like your light is the 65watt x 2 orbit fixture, fine for all soft corals, and some l.p.s. corals in a 25g tank.
water flow would be the next important thing, you want alot of it, probably more than you think. 20x to 30x the total tank volume is the typical recomended formula, so about 600 to 750 g.p.h. toal flow from power heads inside your tank would be great. im sure thats plenty to think about for now, good luck!!

 

[qsgirl1978]

thanks guys I didn't get my blower tonight I am still waiting for water to come into petco. they aren't getting it in until end of this week maybe. Quick question will a 900 blower be alright? Thanks all have a great night

 

[NaH2O]

It might be better to go with 2 or 3 smaller powerheads. That way, you aren't creating dead spots for algae to grow if there was only one. With 2 or 3, you can place them to have good flow pattern for all around the tank.

I also agree with Nemo415, to wait until your tank has matured before introducing an anemone. I wanted to link you to a few articles about keeping them:

The Anemone FAQ
Field Guide to Anemone Fishes and Their Host Sea Anemones
Host Anemones
Anemone Health and Longevity Survey

Also: Acronyms and Abbreviations

Hope this helps!

 

[qsgirl1978]

thanks for all the advice. I am wondering what GARF grunge sand is. I used the sand calculator and it said I needed 17 punds of Caribsea seaflor sand anD 3 pounds of Grunge GARF what is that and I calculated it at 2 inches is that enough sand or do I need more? we got the power head this morning its a 900 I got it before I read the board this morning. So I hope its okay. What is the best placement in my tank for it? okay those are my questions for the night. Thanks for all the info guys and I love the links keep them comin. thanks
qsgirl

 

[wrightme43]

Welcome glad you are here. By a 900 power head or blower as you call it do you mean a hagen aquaclear 900. If so that will be huge and probley way to much for your tank in one stream. You can always return it if you havent got it wet yet.
In my opinion there are four major parts to a reef.
One is water quality and most important stability
Two is lighting quality and intensity
Three is the type and amount of protien skimming
Then last live rock and/or sand and live stock compatibility.
Ok in a new tank there are many many things happening. No one could begin to tell you all of them in a few hours sitting at a petco store.
The absolute worst thing a store can do is sell you a saltwater tank and not sell you books, or give you resources to be succesful with it. It is miserable watching people come in and say this fish is sick, this one died, this one is doing this, this coral is dying. Its not really anyones fault, 9x out of 10 its just lack of knowledge. What happens is they put in lots of money in medicines, quick fixes, and just plain snake oil remedies, buy several hundred dollars worth of live stock, not to mention several hundred dollars worth of equiptment. The end result is it sitting in the garage collecting dust.
Time invested now in learning will make this one of the best hobbies you have ever had. There is a tremendous amount of happiness in designing, and creating a thriving underwater ecosystem in your living room. There is a lot of pain in making a nasty algae swamp of dead fish. By spending some time now you can save yourself alot of money and heart ache.
Before you set up your tank here is a some advice.
Get a book called the Conscientous Marine Aquarist by Mr. Bob Fenner.
It is written in plain english, it has fish, corals, lighting, filtration, water quality all covered in detail. It is a interesting read, and only costs $30, much less than the cost of a nice fish or coral. It will save you lots of money and heart ache.
Look thru several of the photo gallery (link under everybodys screen name) and see what you want. If you like something ask questions of that person about thier system. I hope this helps you in some way. Steve

 

[Kensn]

Well said Steve. I remember my first 75 gallon tank about 15 years ago. If I had all the money wasted on items I bought, thinking I knew what I was doing and taking anyones word for it I could buy a 250gal tank. I think most of us are on a continuing learning experience, no matter at what level we are. I guess the only thing I would add is not to get discouraged, take the time to read and investagate, when you think you know what you want to do ask several people their opinion and advice. Take it slow, expect to make a couple of mistakes and most of all have fun.

Ken

 

[Maxx]

What part of Missouri are you in?
I agree with Wrightme that the most important thing you could buy right now would be a copy of "The Concientious Marine Aquarist", by Robert Fenner. What you will learn from reading it will speed the process up and make things easier for you to understand. There are lots of local reef clubs which can also be a huge source of information as well.
www.seasl.org is a St Louis Club.

Nick

 

[qsgirl1978]

Thanks all I will get that book this weekend. I am in the independence area of missouri close to Kansas City. I look forward to the weekend reading. I am thinking about taking the 900 back my hubby wants to try it first in the tank. You know men. LOL jk guys. I guess he will find out next week when we get all the water and sand and stuff finally saved the money for it. LOL I am gonna start off with 25 pounds of live rock. to see if that is enough. I will probably add more later. thanks for the advice and can't wait to read the books.