Basic reef questions please HELP!!

[beang2299]

Hello im just looking for some help. Im starting my first salt water tank and have some questions. Itll be a 75 gallon and i would like to do some super easy coral and anemones. The fish will aldo be reef safe but not sure on the fish yet. Any suggestions?also what are some good lighting options? I've really only looked at fluvals lighting. Are they a good option or is there cheaper stuff out there. Also for sand and live rock what is the best combo. Live rock dry sand, dry rock live sand or both live rock and sand?
Thanks for the help

 

[blaxsun]

I like CaribSea live sand and Marco dry rock. In terms of fish, once your tank is established you can probably have 10-12 small to medium sized fish (which ones really depends on your budget).

Lighting, again - depends on your budget. How are you going to handle filtration and protein skimming?

 

[muzikalmatt]

Welcome to Reef2Reef and welcome to the hobby!

For a first reef tank you can't go wrong with the classic clownfish. You can get two of the same species and they'll typically pair up. Other great options are firefish, tailspot blenny, royal gramma, goby/pistol shrimp combo, and yellow coris wrasse.

Lighting is one area where you probably shouldn't go too cheap, especially if you're wanting to keep an anemone. I really like Kessil's shimmer, but you can't go wrong with Radeons either. If you're really looking to be budget conscious, you could look up the blackbox fixtures.

For rock I'd really recommend getting live rock if you can. Starting off with well established live rock is going to provide your tank with a lot of beneficial bacteria and microfauna to help setup a stabile ecosystem. Live vs. dry sand really doesn't matter, so I would just make sure to pick a texture and color that you like. Don't go too fine though as the sand will get blown around by the flow in your tank.

As blaxsun asked, you should think about your planned filtration approach too. Are you planning on having a sump?

 

[beang2299]

I like CaribSea live sand and Marco dry rock. In terms of fish, once your tank is established you can probably have 10-12 small to medium sized fish (which ones really depends on your budget).

Lighting, again - depends on your budget. How are you going to handle filtration and protein skimming?

as for right now i just have the fluval fx4

 

[beang2299]

Welcome to Reef2Reef and welcome to the hobby!

For a first reef tank you can't go wrong with the classic clownfish. You can get two of the same species and they'll typically pair up. Other great options are firefish, tailspot blenny, royal gramma, goby/pistol shrimp combo, and yellow coris wrasse.

Lighting is one area where you probably shouldn't go too cheap, especially if you're wanting to keep an anemone. I really like Kessil's shimmer, but you can't go wrong with Radeons either. If you're really looking to be budget conscious, you could look up the blackbox fixtures.

For rock I'd really recommend getting live rock if you can. Starting off with well established live rock is going to provide your tank with a lot of beneficial bacteria and microfauna to help setup a stabile ecosystem. Live vs. dry sand really doesn't matter, so I would just make sure to pick a texture and color that you like. Don't go too fine though as the sand will get blown around by the flow in your tank.

As blaxsun asked, you should think about your planned filtration approach too. Are you planning on having a sump?

no I cant make a sump work at the moment so I have purchased the fluval fx4 canister. what is the best way to get live rock without getting all the nasty hitchhikers?

 

[muzikalmatt]

no I cant make a sump work at the moment so I have purchased the fluval fx4 canister. what is the best way to get live rock without getting all the nasty hitchhikers?

Unfortunately with live rock hitchhikers will always be a risk. You could try quarantining the live rock in a bin of heated saltwater with some flow and check for pests, but ultimately some things can get through. If pests are a big concern you can simply go with dry rock.

 

[beang2299]

Unfortunately with live rock hitchhikers will always be a risk. You could try quarantining the live rock in a bin of heated saltwater with some flow and check for pests, but ultimately some things can get through. If pests are a big concern you can simply go with dry rock.

would it be a bad idea to do like half live half dry rock to help with cost and then using the bacteria stuff that you can get in a bottle to help cycle the tank?

 

[muzikalmatt]

You can totally do that. Even having just one piece of live rock is enough to seed your tank and you can fill out the rest of the scape with dry rock.

 

[beang2299]

You can totally do that. Even having just one piece of live rock is enough to seed your tank and you can fill out the rest of the scape with dry rock.

ok awesome i think ill do that. thanks for the help i really appreciate it

 

[Forty-Two]

I'll throw my two cents in.

A full man-made/mined dry rock start - is basically expert mode imo. Especially 'Marco Rock' - as this has the tendency to suck the Phosphate out of your system into the rock, leaving you open to all sorts of problems with Dino's; only to rebound back out later and spike your phosphates. Not recommended at all.

As suggested above make sure you start with some live rock - ideally you want around 50% live rock. Dont worry about 'pests' too much - you'll get them whether you go dry rock or live rock - it doesnt really matter. The other 50% should be dry rock that used to be live - ie: in my area I can get Indonesian dry rock pretty easy. It does create some other problems - but on the scale of things - its better than going with the mined or the man made.

Do not get an anemone early (in the first 1-2 years). They require a mature tank, and if they die - its like a bomb going off in your tank - it will likely kill everything else in it. Also they dont tend to show a lot of signs of being unhappy - just one day they die and poison your tank.

Do dose frozen phytoplankton and frozen rotifers early (every day) - like after your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle is completed. This will help establish healthy flora and fauna in the tank - and something that I wish I had done earlier when I first setup my tank. It appears to help combat cyano, algae and dino's - as it breaks down it outcompetes the uglies and can really help overall.

I'll also suggest trying out Aqua Forests Life Source - this will add valuable micro flora/fauna into the tank. I personally dose it weekly and have noticed an overall improvement in the health of my coral and tank.

For fish - I would suggest going with a couple of clowns at first, then go with a gobie if you have a lid, and then also get yourself a working tang - like a purple tang, or a yellow eyed kole tang. The purposes of these guys is to eat the algae which will make your life easier.

Hope that helps.