Fish Whisperer
02-13-2007, 04:08 PM
I’ve received several PM’s about starting a thread discussing the set-up of a marine tank, so here she is. First though, allow me to put forth a few disclaimers.
1. Although I’ve kept marine tanks for around 25 years, and consider myself fairly knowledgeable in the hobby, I’m no marine biologist. I encourage you to read as much as you can about the subject, and explore the thousands of threads on other discussion forums-there are some great ones out there.
2. The methods of maintaining a marine aquarium are as varied as the critters we keep. One can spend literally thousands of dollars, purchasing the latest high-tech equipment with all the bells and whistles, or it can be as basic as keeping a brine shrimp in a thimble-yes a friend of mine actually did just that, for a surprising length of time.
3. Inevitably, someone will say that you “have” to have this or that, so on and so forth. There are tons of devices and thingamabobs out there, most of which serve a useful purpose. Conversely, these items can ultimately be sources of grief, due to the constant tweaking and maintenance involved with elaborate systems. With the last bit of that in mind, the purpose of this thread is to enable the NOVICE to set-up, stock, and maintain a very SIMPLE and CHEAP marine tank. Of course cheap is a relative term.
4. You MUST be patient. The only thing that happens quickly in a marine tank is disaster.
5. Although at one point I operated my own LFS, and encourage you to support yours when possible, the prices are typically double what you would pay verses a place on the net-especially where equipment is involved. Marine is an expensive hobby-save where you can, and order from the net.
PART I
EQUIPMENT
TANK
The old saying bigger is better is true in marine. Buy as big a tank as you can afford, for several reasons. The more water you have, the greater room for error, and the amount of time you have to fix it. Greater bodies of water are obviously more stable, and less likely to have large swings in temp, salinity, pH, ammonia/nitrate(ite), etc. Lastly, you will always be wanting a larger tank for more critters. I have a 300 and wish it was bigger.
On the flip side, bigger tanks involve bigger costs. Not only initially in purchase price (although I have bought many a used tank), but in equipment needed and maintenance-specifically salt.
IMHO a 55g is the best starter tank for a novice. It’s big enough to have some buffer room for water parameters, big enough for a decent number of specimens, and small enough that it isn’t cost prohibitive. In addition, when you want to go bigger (and you will), the 55 can be used as a quarantine tank, sump, etc.
FILTER
The most simple and cheap filter is the tried and true undergravel filter (UG). More experienced hobbyists will tell you that they are archaic, and they are. However, UG’s are what the marine hobby was started on and was just fine for decades, before the use of trickle filters became the rage, then skimmers, then sandbeds, etc, etc. The point is they are simple, cheap, easy to maintain, will last for years with proper maintenance, and are just fine no matter what the local fish store guy tells you. One can either buy one to fit, or make one from ½ PVC.
Hang-on filters and canisters can be used also, but for now stick with the UG only. Additional filters only interfere with the UG’s bacterial growth. In essence a good UG/powerhead set up is all you’ll ever need if you keep the number of fish reasonable. You can always add on filters as the number of critters increase.
POWERHEADS
These are what drive the UG filter and you need to buy some good ones, so bite the bullet here. IMHO the Rio 1700 is the best bang for the buck-around 42.00 each. They have a somewhat tarnished reputation for failure and leaking a black dye type substance into the tank, but I’ve owned probably 20 of them, and never had a problem-just keep the impellers clean. I think a 55 UG has 4 uprights. You’ll also need one for circulation in the middle of the tank. If I were to do it on the really cheap, I’d get 2 Rio’s & 2 cheaper ones for the UG.
SUBSTRATE
The gravel is responsible for trapping detritus, and for buffering the water’s pH.
In marine you’ll need to either buy dolomite (crushed limestone), crushed coral, or crushed shells. Dolomite & crushed coral are usually half as much as crushed shells. Yes, you can crush you own shells-just get it down to bits of about ¼ inch
Get enough to cover the UG with about 2 inches of substrate.
LIGHTING
Lighting can be very, very expensive. But the good news is, a fish doesn’t care what kind of light you have, if any. The strip light that comes with a 55 will do just fine. Otherwise you can buy a $10 shop light (or two) at Lowes with a simple plug in.
Bulbs come in a variety of types, but I’ve found that a nice cheap combo is using 2 shop lights (4 bulbs) with 1-2 blue actinic and 2-3 50/50 (50%actinic/50%daylight) bulbs.
Plain fluorescents will work, but give a off a yellow spectrum which washes out fish color. Actinics really bring out the florescent color of marine fish.
HEATER
Buy a good submersible heater. I prefer to buy two smaller ones, one for each end of the tank.
SALT
Synthetic sea salt is not cheap. As with other fish supplies it is cheapest to order via the internet. But shipping can be costly as well. For the money and convenience I go to PETSMART or one of the national chains.
There are different brands, but just buy the cheapest kind-usually instant ocean. If you have the money, buy the large buckets. It is much cheaper in bulk, and you’ll use it eventually.
TEST KITS & CHEMICALS
You’ll need a test kit for SALTWATER (fresh will not do). All you really need to test for is ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. You can do with out the others for a while.
You’ll also have to buy a hydrometer which is used to test salinity.
As with fresh water, you need a bottle of chlorine eliminator
That, folks, is all you need to get started. Many of you may only need to purchase some new substrate, salt and test kit/hydrometer to get started.
PART II
SET UP & CYCLING
Thoroughly rise the substrate several times before placing a 2-3 inch layer over the UG.
When filling a new tank, I usually just run a hose from the outside tap or the washing machine tap straight to the tank. Put the end of the hose over something that will allow the water to cascade down to the substrate-like a cookie sheet or a piece of coral-just to keep the tank from bare bottoming. Fill the tank fairly slowly. The water will still be cloudy, but will clear up after the UG runs for a while-don’t forget the de-chlorinator.
When the tank is about ¾ full, stop the hose and mix a batch of salt water in a NEW bucket. Warm water dissolves salt much easier than cold. It’s not important to check salinity in the bucket, just remember to use a lesser amount of salt than the tank will hold to allow for the water displaced by the substrate. So if you have a 55g tank and a 50 gal bag of salt, only mix about 45 gal worth of the salt into, say, two buckets and pour it straight into the tank. Continue to fill the tank until it is a 3 inches or so from the top. Use the hydrometer to check the salinity-Simply put the hydrometer down into the water and check the reading. I prefer a salinity of 1.019. Manufacturers recommend about 1.023, but the lower amount will not enable most parasites to survive, and it takes less salt. The majority of fish wee keep have no problem with that salinity.
Set the thermometer(s) at about 80-82*. I like this higher temp because, again, it discourages parasite/disease, and encourages bacterial growth.
Start the powerheads, and aim them so they create as much turbulence on the surface as possible. This is a must to promote oxygen exchange-always, always keep a rolling surface.
Now for the science-the cycling.
For every 25 gal of water in the tank, throw in a medium sized raw shrimp, and wait, and wait, and wait some more. That’s it, all there is to it-some science huh?
After about 3-4 weeks continue to check the ammonia levels every few days until it reads zero. When that occurs, check nitrite & nitrate levels until they read zero. When you get zero across the board-you are ready to add some stock.
All the time continue to add only fresh water to top off (tap water is just fine in most cases). DO NOT do any water changes. Patience is a virtue and will pay off.
Next thread will deal with stocking the tank and maintenance.
Feel free to e-mail me at sbonney@vt.edu or PM me with questions. Enjoy.
1. Although I’ve kept marine tanks for around 25 years, and consider myself fairly knowledgeable in the hobby, I’m no marine biologist. I encourage you to read as much as you can about the subject, and explore the thousands of threads on other discussion forums-there are some great ones out there.
2. The methods of maintaining a marine aquarium are as varied as the critters we keep. One can spend literally thousands of dollars, purchasing the latest high-tech equipment with all the bells and whistles, or it can be as basic as keeping a brine shrimp in a thimble-yes a friend of mine actually did just that, for a surprising length of time.
3. Inevitably, someone will say that you “have” to have this or that, so on and so forth. There are tons of devices and thingamabobs out there, most of which serve a useful purpose. Conversely, these items can ultimately be sources of grief, due to the constant tweaking and maintenance involved with elaborate systems. With the last bit of that in mind, the purpose of this thread is to enable the NOVICE to set-up, stock, and maintain a very SIMPLE and CHEAP marine tank. Of course cheap is a relative term.
4. You MUST be patient. The only thing that happens quickly in a marine tank is disaster.
5. Although at one point I operated my own LFS, and encourage you to support yours when possible, the prices are typically double what you would pay verses a place on the net-especially where equipment is involved. Marine is an expensive hobby-save where you can, and order from the net.
PART I
EQUIPMENT
TANK
The old saying bigger is better is true in marine. Buy as big a tank as you can afford, for several reasons. The more water you have, the greater room for error, and the amount of time you have to fix it. Greater bodies of water are obviously more stable, and less likely to have large swings in temp, salinity, pH, ammonia/nitrate(ite), etc. Lastly, you will always be wanting a larger tank for more critters. I have a 300 and wish it was bigger.
On the flip side, bigger tanks involve bigger costs. Not only initially in purchase price (although I have bought many a used tank), but in equipment needed and maintenance-specifically salt.
IMHO a 55g is the best starter tank for a novice. It’s big enough to have some buffer room for water parameters, big enough for a decent number of specimens, and small enough that it isn’t cost prohibitive. In addition, when you want to go bigger (and you will), the 55 can be used as a quarantine tank, sump, etc.
FILTER
The most simple and cheap filter is the tried and true undergravel filter (UG). More experienced hobbyists will tell you that they are archaic, and they are. However, UG’s are what the marine hobby was started on and was just fine for decades, before the use of trickle filters became the rage, then skimmers, then sandbeds, etc, etc. The point is they are simple, cheap, easy to maintain, will last for years with proper maintenance, and are just fine no matter what the local fish store guy tells you. One can either buy one to fit, or make one from ½ PVC.
Hang-on filters and canisters can be used also, but for now stick with the UG only. Additional filters only interfere with the UG’s bacterial growth. In essence a good UG/powerhead set up is all you’ll ever need if you keep the number of fish reasonable. You can always add on filters as the number of critters increase.
POWERHEADS
These are what drive the UG filter and you need to buy some good ones, so bite the bullet here. IMHO the Rio 1700 is the best bang for the buck-around 42.00 each. They have a somewhat tarnished reputation for failure and leaking a black dye type substance into the tank, but I’ve owned probably 20 of them, and never had a problem-just keep the impellers clean. I think a 55 UG has 4 uprights. You’ll also need one for circulation in the middle of the tank. If I were to do it on the really cheap, I’d get 2 Rio’s & 2 cheaper ones for the UG.
SUBSTRATE
The gravel is responsible for trapping detritus, and for buffering the water’s pH.
In marine you’ll need to either buy dolomite (crushed limestone), crushed coral, or crushed shells. Dolomite & crushed coral are usually half as much as crushed shells. Yes, you can crush you own shells-just get it down to bits of about ¼ inch
Get enough to cover the UG with about 2 inches of substrate.
LIGHTING
Lighting can be very, very expensive. But the good news is, a fish doesn’t care what kind of light you have, if any. The strip light that comes with a 55 will do just fine. Otherwise you can buy a $10 shop light (or two) at Lowes with a simple plug in.
Bulbs come in a variety of types, but I’ve found that a nice cheap combo is using 2 shop lights (4 bulbs) with 1-2 blue actinic and 2-3 50/50 (50%actinic/50%daylight) bulbs.
Plain fluorescents will work, but give a off a yellow spectrum which washes out fish color. Actinics really bring out the florescent color of marine fish.
HEATER
Buy a good submersible heater. I prefer to buy two smaller ones, one for each end of the tank.
SALT
Synthetic sea salt is not cheap. As with other fish supplies it is cheapest to order via the internet. But shipping can be costly as well. For the money and convenience I go to PETSMART or one of the national chains.
There are different brands, but just buy the cheapest kind-usually instant ocean. If you have the money, buy the large buckets. It is much cheaper in bulk, and you’ll use it eventually.
TEST KITS & CHEMICALS
You’ll need a test kit for SALTWATER (fresh will not do). All you really need to test for is ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. You can do with out the others for a while.
You’ll also have to buy a hydrometer which is used to test salinity.
As with fresh water, you need a bottle of chlorine eliminator
That, folks, is all you need to get started. Many of you may only need to purchase some new substrate, salt and test kit/hydrometer to get started.
PART II
SET UP & CYCLING
Thoroughly rise the substrate several times before placing a 2-3 inch layer over the UG.
When filling a new tank, I usually just run a hose from the outside tap or the washing machine tap straight to the tank. Put the end of the hose over something that will allow the water to cascade down to the substrate-like a cookie sheet or a piece of coral-just to keep the tank from bare bottoming. Fill the tank fairly slowly. The water will still be cloudy, but will clear up after the UG runs for a while-don’t forget the de-chlorinator.
When the tank is about ¾ full, stop the hose and mix a batch of salt water in a NEW bucket. Warm water dissolves salt much easier than cold. It’s not important to check salinity in the bucket, just remember to use a lesser amount of salt than the tank will hold to allow for the water displaced by the substrate. So if you have a 55g tank and a 50 gal bag of salt, only mix about 45 gal worth of the salt into, say, two buckets and pour it straight into the tank. Continue to fill the tank until it is a 3 inches or so from the top. Use the hydrometer to check the salinity-Simply put the hydrometer down into the water and check the reading. I prefer a salinity of 1.019. Manufacturers recommend about 1.023, but the lower amount will not enable most parasites to survive, and it takes less salt. The majority of fish wee keep have no problem with that salinity.
Set the thermometer(s) at about 80-82*. I like this higher temp because, again, it discourages parasite/disease, and encourages bacterial growth.
Start the powerheads, and aim them so they create as much turbulence on the surface as possible. This is a must to promote oxygen exchange-always, always keep a rolling surface.
Now for the science-the cycling.
For every 25 gal of water in the tank, throw in a medium sized raw shrimp, and wait, and wait, and wait some more. That’s it, all there is to it-some science huh?
After about 3-4 weeks continue to check the ammonia levels every few days until it reads zero. When that occurs, check nitrite & nitrate levels until they read zero. When you get zero across the board-you are ready to add some stock.
All the time continue to add only fresh water to top off (tap water is just fine in most cases). DO NOT do any water changes. Patience is a virtue and will pay off.
Next thread will deal with stocking the tank and maintenance.
Feel free to e-mail me at sbonney@vt.edu or PM me with questions. Enjoy.