Newbie needing help

Aceman21

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Ok so I've been doing freshwater planted tanks an Id like to make the leap to salt water. I received a free 30g from a friend an that's my starting point lol. Wondering what sort of filter an all that stuff I'm going to need. Thanks for helping the newb out
 

saltyphish

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shornik

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+1 on doing research. I'd also add spend a lot of time on the forums here, there is a lot of collective knowledge on these boards.

And so I can be the first.... With saltwater patience is the key. Nothing that happens fast is ever any good :tongue:
 

cymonous

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Definitely read, research and ask questions after. A 30g is considered a nano, but can be made into a very nice tank. Good luck!
 

glb

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Definitely do a lot of research. Saltwater is great but it's more intense than freshwater tanks.
 

beaslbob

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Ok so I've been doing freshwater planted tanks an Id like to make the leap to salt water. I received a free 30g from a friend an that's my starting point lol. Wondering what sort of filter an all that stuff I'm going to need. Thanks for helping the newb out
One thing to consider is the marine equilivant of a FW planted setup.
With marine system you basically use macro algae instead of plants. Or an algae turf scrubber. Either way it balances out and stabilized operation just like FW planted setups.
Marine fish are generally macro eaters like some FW fish only the "problem" is more common like to the place where it is best to assume the fish will eat the macros.
So most setup some kind of refugium which can be just a simple partition to keep the livestock away from the macros.
my .02
 
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Aceman21

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Thank you for the links. There is some great reading there. So I won't be using a sump or a canister, so what would be a good HOB to use ?
 

Oscaror

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Instead of a HOB filter the preferable choice would be a skimmer. It just sucks the poop right out of the tank, without the water constantly flowing through it.
 

spllbnd2

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I've had good success with the Hagen Aquaclear HOB filters. Also a good HOB skimmer would either be a reef octopus or a CPR bak-pak. I run a CPR Aquafuge PS (protein skimmer version) and chaeto (macro algae that helps with nutrient export) grows like crazy.

And as others mentioned, read as much as you can and forums are your friend. :smile: Cheers, Alex
 
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Aceman21

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Ok so I think I'm going to go with a HOB protein skimmer, what size wave pump would I need for a 30g ? An I'm assuming I'll need 2 of them correct ?
 
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Aceman21

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Is the reef octopus bh 1000 to big for a 30 gallon ? I good one for a great price.
 

Shep

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Ok so I think I'm going to go with a HOB protein skimmer, what size wave pump would I need for a 30g ? An I'm assuming I'll need 2 of them correct ?
The amount of flow really depends on the types of corals you want to keep, lower of LPS and higher for SPS. but you would need two of them to get a good flow pattern, size is up to the corals. The reef octopus bh 1000 would be on the larger side or your tank but it wont hurnt having an oversized skimmer.
 
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Aceman21

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The amount of flow really depends on the types of corals you want to keep, lower of LPS and higher for SPS. but you would need two of them to get a good flow pattern, size is up to the corals. The reef octopus bh 1000 would be on the larger side or your tank but it wont hurnt having an oversized skimmer.

I'm only going to be keeping the lower to mid level since this is my first SW tank. I don't want to jump in over my head and risk killing anything. Thanks for help an tips. Many more questions to come im sure lol
 

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Ask all the questions you can think of! We love helping fellow reefers out
 
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Aceman21

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Ok so I have my skimmer, now I need a heater. Can you use the same heater as you would in fresh water ? An if not what is a good one for SW?
 
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Aceman21

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So now I have 2 600gpr hydor pumps with controller an I'm getting closer to setting everything up. Next question is how much sand what what is a good sand to get ?
 

acer

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As far as sand- It really depends on a few factors. - you don't have room in the 30 gallon to have much of a sand bed- so you are going to have to have just enough sand to look good and yet not too thin so it blows around with the current you have set up in the tank ( so maybe a inch thick). The type of sand is personal taste (color, coarse or fine, etc.) - just make sure it is pure- no additives,etc. that are toxic. You can also get "live sand" from several marine aquarium stores both local and online. A good idea is to purchase good non-live sand and then get a small scoop of sand from a local reefer from his tank or refugium to "jump-start" the sand bed in your new tank. Remember - only bad things happen fast in this hobby- so you have to wait a bit to make sure the tank cycles before putting live coral or fish in it.
 

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