Advice on my first tank?

[TX_REEF]

Welcome! Biggest piece of advice is PLEASE take your time, don’t be tempting to fill up the tank and throw in all your pets day 1. Take your time and cycle properly so you can enjoy your fish friends for years to come. I agree with real live rock, also you can save some $ if you find a hobbyist with a mature tank nearby who is willing to part with some rock for less $. I also highly recommend auto top off (ATO) to prevent salinity swings due to evaporation, which is a serious concern for all saltwater tanks but especially smaller ones like your system. Enjoy the process, and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

 

[Jonathanw1234]

Ohhhhh that makes loads more sense, thank you, why would you recommend real live rock over fake? Just out of curiosity

personally I would just buy live sand and dont worry about the live rock, I just bought live sand and dry rock and my ugly stage was negligible. I have a similar set up with some lps corals and 2 cown fish snails and a goby . here are some pictures of my ugly stage.

 

[2020 Worst Year]

in FOWLR nothing is really important i had 500+ nitrates 10ppm phosphate and the fish did fine

 

[Fiona22222]

Thank you! Here is updated picture from minute ago

That looks so brilliant! It looks so classy and relaxing. I can't even imagine how complex it must be as an ecosystem. Total reef tank goals!

 

[Fiona22222]

in FOWLR nothing is really important i had 500+ nitrates 10ppm phosphate and the fish did fine

Yeah, my I never tested my FW tanks and I never had any problems. Does that mean I don't need any phosphate removing filter media?

 

[Fiona22222]

Welcome! Biggest piece of advice is PLEASE take your time, don’t be tempting to fill up the tank and throw in all your pets day 1. Take your time and cycle properly so you can enjoy your fish friends for years to come. I agree with real live rock, also you can save some $ if you find a hobbyist with a mature tank nearby who is willing to part with some rock for less $. I also highly recommend auto top off (ATO) to prevent salinity swings due to evaporation, which is a serious concern for all saltwater tanks but especially smaller ones like your system. Enjoy the process, and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Thanks so much, I so appreciate how receptive all of you guys have been especially all of the experts like you answering my questions! It's so useful and really helps!

 

[Fiona22222]

personally I would just buy live sand and dont worry about the live rock, I just bought live sand and dry rock and my ugly stage was negligible. I have a similar set up with some lps corals and 2 cown fish snails and a goby . here are some pictures of my ugly stage.

That's so interesting, I will do some more research but thanks for letting me know, it would save me LOADS of money!

 

[CoralB]

Welcome !!

 

[Aeb1419]

I wouldnt go the live rock route. Dealt with too many pests in the past. I would say get dry rock and cure it in the dark, dose bacteria and ammonia and do it for a good 2 months. I would also start the tank with sand only and put reef mud in it and let it sit in dark as well. Has worked for me and never dealt with pests again.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Base Live Rock – nano sized – Tampa Bay Saltwater

Carib Sea ACS00940 Ocean Direct Natural Live Sand for Aquarium, 40-Pound https://a.co/d/cWNme1k


You won't need all of the ocean direct sand, but it's cheaper and has small shells and looks very cool in a aquarium. Do not rinse! Very important. Water will be cloudy for a day or two. This is imo the best way to avoid a ugly stage for the most part.

They sell it in 5lb bags also. I think Pet smart does. Love the sand, as it is a literally a mixed bag.

 

[Fiona22222]

They sell it in 5lb bags also. I think Pet smart does. Love the sand, as it is a literally a mixed bag.

I'm in the UK though so that sucks, but thanks for letting me know I will definitely check out the UK alternatives. Carib Sea seems to be really popular, is that a good choice?

 

[2020 Worst Year]

Yeah, my I never tested my FW tanks and I never had any problems. Does that mean I don't need any phosphate removing filter media?

if you plan on having corals i would as its a pain getting them down once there up

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I'm in the UK though so that sucks, but thanks for letting me know I will definitely check out the UK alternatives. Carib Sea seems to be really popular, is that a good choice?

Well they do have a corner on the market here mostly. But I might want to mention that while the 13.5 is very popular, there are other brands out there that might be more suited. I got my 13.5 super cheap via a sale and a discount code. But I ended up not using anything. I upgrade the pump, the lights, the cover, etc. So in the end I could of got something better for what I put into it. I understand you will start out as a fowler so just out of the box the Fluval will be just fine. My own rule in this hobby is try to buy for the future so you are not buying twice. Because I would say if you stick with the hobby one or more larger tanks are in your future.
Oh, back to sand... Aqua forest has a live sand also if you cannot get Carib. I am a live rock person. You can even use live rock from your ocean/sea (where legal) it will work although not as exciting of getting it from the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[srawnc]

Yes ma'am! Good start. One thing I would add when stocking a tank and some may disagree make sure you go with the most peaceful first. I started with a pair of clowns which now are about 3 years old, and also added a Goby and Pistol Shrimp pair( which is comical to watch) in a 30 gallon not sure if I will add any more livestock to this tank other than corals

As far as testing, I started with a FOWLR tank too the only test I kept up with was Ph once or twice a month. Weekly I would run nitrates and sporadically ammonia just to ensure myself there wasn't any in the system. By chance there was I dosed a little Seachem Prime with no issues.

Good luck and remember nothing good happens fast. I have forced myself to be patient.

Lots of knowledgeable guys and gals on here. You'll learn a metric ton.

And Welcome to R2R!

 

[Fiona22222]

Well they do have a corner on the market here mostly. But I might want to mention that while the 13.5 is very popular, there are other brands out there that might be more suited. I got my 13.5 super cheap via a sale and a discount code. But I ended up not using anything. I upgrade the pump, the lights, the cover, etc. So in the end I could of got something better for what I put into it. I understand you will start out as a fowler so just out of the box the Fluval will be just fine. My own rule in this hobby is try to buy for the future so you are not buying twice. Because I would say if you stick with the hobby one or more larger tanks are in your future.
Oh, back to sand... Aqua forest has a live sand also if you cannot get Carib. I am a live rock person. You can even use live rock from your ocean/sea (where legal) it will work although not as exciting of getting it from the Gulf of Mexico.

That's really helpful thanks, do you think it would be fine to have only live sand with no live rock because its cheaper? There seems to be some conflicting opinions lol

 

[Fiona22222]

Yes ma'am! Good start. One thing I would add when stocking a tank and some may disagree make sure you go with the most peaceful first. I started with a pair of clowns which now are about 3 years old, and also added a Goby and Pistol Shrimp pair( which is comical to watch) in a 30 gallon not sure if I will add any more livestock to this tank other than corals

As far as testing, I started with a FOWLR tank too the only test I kept up with was Ph once or twice a month. Weekly I would run nitrates and sporadically ammonia just to ensure myself there wasn't any in the system. By chance there was I dosed a little Seachem Prime with no issues.

Good luck and remember nothing good happens fast. I have forced myself to be patient.

Lots of knowledgeable guys and gals on here. You'll learn a metric ton.

And Welcome to R2R!

Thanks so much, it's brilliant to have found this forum!

 

[kevgib67]

That's really helpful thanks, do you think it would be fine to have only live sand with no live rock because its cheaper? There seems to be some conflicting opinions lol

Sorry but no , you need the surface area of rock for the amount of beneficial bacteria you will need.

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R and the salty world Fiona. Lots of good advice has been given. Take things slowly. Any mistakes or setbacks, and they will happen, are learning points that will improve your success as you go on. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

You can get the UK banner here: Click Account then “Join User Group”, scroll to the bottom and click on “United Kingdom User Group‘’

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

That's really helpful thanks, do you think it would be fine to have only live sand with no live rock because its cheaper? There seems to be some conflicting opinions lol

Yes, there are many conflicting opinions... But be aware that they are opinions of what worked and didn’t work for others. You can start out with new sand and new rock and a bottle of bacteria, but you are only adding just that, Bacteria. You will have a battle in your tank of uglies, as organisms compete for space. Using real ocean live rock allows for all the tools in the tool box so to speak to battle the uglies. I really shouldn’t say uglies, it is a misnomer. Your tank is maturing and while it is doing that it may not be pretty. I have started tanks with both new and live rock, I personally feel it is more challenging to start it without real live rock. I also feel that "aged" rock from someone else or a LFS is still not as effective as real ocean rock. I have personally started tanks without uglies using real ocean rock, but I live a few blocks from the ocean so it didn’t skip a beat.

 

[vetteguy53081]