say hello and need help :)

[Raina]

hey everyone
im the new around here, and i have a lot of questions about the Reef tank
Im planning to buy a tank for the marine fish and coral reef, as this is my fist time to get a tank <for enjoy> , is there anyone can give me some good suggestions? all will be very appreciated ^_^

 

[Holygral]

take your time, do not add anything for 4-6 weeks until your tank is completely cycled. Do not add items like anemones, mandarins ect. for 12-18 months. Get a RODI unit and a good skimmer, and read read and read.

 

[Raina]

take your time, do not add anything for 4-6 weeks until your tank is completely cycled. Do not add items like anemones, mandarins ect. for 12-18 months. Get a RODI unit and a good skimmer, and read read and read.

hmm, i see..does that mean i need to keep the tank only for freshwater for 4-6weeks and do nothing?

 

[mcoomer]

No, add your salt to get to the specific gravity that you want, typically 1.026, then drop a piece of shrimp in the tank and allow it to disintegrate to kick start the process of cycling the tank.

Backing up a bit, what size tank are you looking to start and what do you want to do with it? What animals or corals do you plan on keeping in it? Have you decided what type of lighting, circulation, and filtration you'll be using? Give us an idea of what you want to do and where you're at with your plans. What part of China are you from??

Mike

 

[jmcbride]

Decide what fish you like and write down a possible stocking list.......This is a mistake I have personally made.....I ended up having to start another tank because the tank mates were fighting to bad I had to separate them.....Starry Blenny and Pink spotted goby....Bad match.....And do your research...yet another mistake I made.......There's is a ton of Knowledgeable people out there, Just ask!

 

[josh88]

I agree with jmcbride, and holygral. I to have this urge to rush things, and am still learning a lot. No ? Is stupid to a lot of the experienced people who will would be happy to chime in on your posts. Trust me I've felt I've asked stupid noob ?'s. And not understood a lot of things. But was met with patients, and an abundance of knowledge. Good luck, and don't rush.... Excited to see your progress in The hobby.

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[Raina]

No, add your salt to get to the specific gravity that you want, typically 1.026, then drop a piece of shrimp in the tank and allow it to disintegrate to kick start the process of cycling the tank.

Backing up a bit, what size tank are you looking to start and what do you want to do with it? What animals or corals do you plan on keeping in it? Have you decided what type of lighting, circulation, and filtration you'll be using? Give us an idea of what you want to do and where you're at with your plans. What part of China are you from??

Mike

I come from south of China, my tank is 610×310×490mm, not sure how to measure it of gallon < this is not the usual unit in china> ...

I wanna keep some guppies, dont know if it is possible. and how many i can keep for my small tank???

Speaking of lighting, im confused.. some agree with HPS or MH, but some others insist on Led light. but i noticed that Led light is a bit expensive. any good idea, guys??

I do know nothing about how to keep the fish tank....

 

[Krish]

I think you may be looking for a freshwater forum if you are talking about freshwater and now guppies. This forum is dedicated to saltwater reef keeping.


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[Raina]

I think you may be looking for a freshwater forum if you are talking about freshwater and now guppies. This forum is dedicated to saltwater reef keeping.


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how fool i am, i forgot the guppies is freshwater fish... however, i dont know what kind of saltwater fishes suitable for my tank...
As i said , this is my fist time to keep fish, so i really dont know where to start. sorry ...

 

[josh88]

Well as I was told by a couple of folks on this form, Krish, Mojo, eww, And a few others before you start in The hobby research everything. And I messed up and only did it for about 8 months. Still wasn't good enough. Your still going to get ? But the research helps when it comes to the vocabulary they use. And understanding the saltwater world. A hint learn you abbreviations.......lol. well I think that's all I'm able to say since I'm still learning myself. Good luck

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[trido]

For SALTWATER, with corals and OCEAN FISH your in the right place.

For FRESHWATER with GUPPIES an PLANTS you should take a look at this forum here.

 

[Raina]

Well as I was told by a couple of folks on this form, Krish, Mojo, eww, And a few others before you start in The hobby research everything. And I messed up and only did it for about 8 months. Still wasn't good enough. Your still going to get ? But the research helps when it comes to the vocabulary they use. And understanding the saltwater world. A hint learn you abbreviations.......lol. well I think that's all I'm able to say since I'm still learning myself. Good luck

HTC tapatalk

yeah, i have bought my tank, but i didnt do anything yet until it is competely cycled as Holygral said...and im reading a book about the saltwater fish recently, hope to learn more quickly

 

[Raina]

For SALTWATER, with corals and OCEAN FISH your in the right place.

For FRESHWATER with GUPPIES an PLANTS you should take a look at this forum here.

Im going to keep the corals, they are very beautiful i think thank you for your recommendation ^_^

 

[sedrostyle]

If you have the time and money, wait and buy led lights. Do it right the first time. And theyll last way longer than anything else.
You want the best lighting, ciculation, and a protien skimmer.
Those are the key things to spend your money on. Your tank will thrive from them
First figure out how many gallons you have, then decide what types of coral you want.

Softies are blan colors for the most part, but dont need super good lighting. Their the easiest to have for beginners.
Lps and sps need more lighting.
All up to you. Leds are ideal, tons of light and energy efficiant in the long run. But a little more $ to start out.

With metal helides, t5s and power compacts your going to change the bulbs every year or so. Ranging from 40+ per bulb. ( it adds up fast. )

Key is to do research and soak up as much as you can.
Most of all have fun with it.

Sent from my Evo Shift

 

[Raina]

ohh, at the beginning, i only get a tank with keeping coral first.... i will add more until im familiar with this... take it slow, or i will mess up everything^_^
Redrostyle, have you used the led light for your tank before? or you are using it now ????

 

[Krish]

ohh, at the beginning, i only get a tank with keeping coral first.... i will add more until im familiar with this... take it slow, or i will mess up everything^_^
Redrostyle, have you used the led light for your tank before? or you are using it now ????

Corals will come in quite a ways down the road. They need a balanced system in order to keep them so first thing would be to set up your aquarium, put in your liverock and allow the tank to cycle (which can sometimes take up to 8 weeks). After that, you can slowly start introducing fish to slowly increase the bioload. As the tank matures and balances out then you can begin to add corals once your water parameters are in check which includes salinity, calcium, alk, mag, nitrates etc. It took me almost one year from my initial start up to add my first coral so it takes some time.

Nothing happens fast in this hobby so patience is key.


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[josh88]

Krish you say mag, alk, cal, nitrate, nitrite, phos, ammonia, etc. Is there anything else us noobs should be monitoring?

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[Krish]

Krish you say mag, alk, cal, nitrate, nitrite, phos, ammonia, etc. Is there anything else us noobs should be monitoring?

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If you are a newb, then chances are you wouldn't have corals (especially seeing you are just setting up and getting things going - much less new to the hobby and still have a few things to learn). So during this time (your intitial cycle) ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are your main concerns as well as getting your salinty levels in check. Once you have completed your initial cycle where all traces of ammonia and nitrite have dropped off to zero and remain there, then you can basically stop testing for them (unless something crazy happens in your tank that you want to troubleshoot) and you can just monitor nitrate and phosphate if you like. You will go through some algae stages, as most people do, and as your nitrates get lower and lower and your tank starts to find it's balance, you can start testing more for alk, calcium, mag to see where the levels are at and what needs to be done to get them within the proper ranges for when the corals are introduced into the tank. Corals are usually the last things to go in as they typically need really good water quality as well as maturity and balance within a tank and so alk, calcium, mag etc aren't as important on newly set up tanks or even fish only/ fish only with liverock tanks. It's only when it is coming down to the point to where you are about ready to add in your corals does it become more important to test for these things to ensure you have them all well balanced and within range. Newly set up tanks that still have to cycle and all that stuff, it isn't quite as important to tst for all those other things.

 

[josh88]

Awe..... Thanks for the advice, I'll not be so worried aboue that till about 8 months from now

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[Krish]

Awe..... Thanks for the advice, I'll not be so worried aboue that till about 8 months from now

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All tanks are different. So many things to factor in so you may be ready for corals a lot sooner than that. Then again, could be a bit longer. Only time will tell. Just take it one day at a time and learn all you can about the hobby.