What to buy for new setup?

[nleong]

Sorry for this FAQ.

I just got rid of my freshwater and is converting my 2ft tank (60X30X45) to a Marine Setup.

Mostly, will be going for a fish only tank to reduce the risk of failure.

So now, I need to know what to buy ? Roughly, i list down the following i think i need but need to know the cheapest and most available place i can get them

1. Sand

2. Salt

3. hygrometer

4. Protein skimmer? (Do i need this for now ?)

5. Livestock (For later - New Trio at Neo Tiew good ?)

I already have an Eheim 2213.

What else I missed ?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Achilles Tang]

Hi nleong!

Welcome to SRC! You came to the right place!

Erhmmm... I will be coming up with an article on setting up marine tanks for newbies in the Singaporean context. But in the mean time, there are many articles around which you should research before venturing into this hobby.

It's also hard to recommend places to get stuff as prices vary, livestock quality is inconsistent, distances is a factor and we don't really know what they have in stock anyway.

Also the deciding factor is budget. I hope you are prepared for it. The marine hobby is very very draining on the pocket. It is well known that the quality of your tank's wellbeing is very much tied in to investing in good equipment... and these don't come cheap. The saying that you pay peanuts you get monkeys is very true here.

I rather you try learning as much as you can on marine reefkeeping, the equipments used, listen to feedback on them and then save money to get them. Too much money has been wasted on impatience to setup a tank asap... and having to upgrade because they don't work well... trust me... and save livestock from untimely deaths.

AT

[victorp]

I am also planning to setup a saltwater aquarium. I am willing to start slowly though, that is, setup the aquarium with live rocks, saltwater, filtration system, etc. - everything except fishes - and let itself cycle through. I plan to start with clownfish (with anemones, if possible) and damsels first, then as I get more experience, other suitable varieties will be introduced later.

Okay, as I am also on a low budget, I will be starting with a 2ft glass tank. Should I purchase a stand specifically for this tank or can I put it on a sturdy table? Must this table be absolutely level (as I read that stress build-up due to unlevelness may eventually cause the glass to break suddenly)?

I know most says it is not necessary but I want to line the bottom with sand (or gravel?). Any pitfalls and maintenance needed?

Is it essential to get a protein skimmer now? If not, which type of inexpensive filtering system should I use? I do not mind getting 2 or more types each for their own speciality provided they are not expensive as a whole. I also plan to install a power head to simulate current - for a 2ft tank, what is the suggested litres per hour rate for filtering and other stuff.

As for light, I am going for a fixture that can hold 2 tubes - any suggestion on the tubes to get? How many lumens do I need if I intend to rear anemones (I understand there are some species that are relatively easy-going on the lights but what is the minimum lumens?).

Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[fairywrasse]

I thought it is not so advisable to start off with smaller tanks? coz the smaller the tank, the less forgiving it is?

[DragonGoby]

Hi victorp and nleong,

Glad to know that more people are joining this hobby!

AT, hope you don't mind I steal your scene first before your article comes out, haha! But he's right, it's very draining on the bank account, and you might want to start off with the best equipment you can afford. No point buying something inadequate and changing it later - you'll waste more $$ that way.

victorp, a 2 footer shouldn't be a problem, many people do keep tanks that size successfully. My first one was a 2 footer as well and did fine until I made a very silly mistake. The thing is, the larger your tank, the more forgiving it is because of the dilution factor. Which means that you'll have to be prepared to change water more often in a 2-footer. Protein skimmers - yes, I would highly recommend one. They tend to skim organic stuff out of your water before they can break down into ammonetic substances. There are some rather inexpensive air-driven models out there - Orca and Sanders are just 2 of the more commonly-available ones. Tank-wise, I currenly have a 2-foot seahorse tank in my room, it's a high 2' tank and sits directly on a cabinet. You'll have to make sure that the cabinet's support pillars are made of real wood, not plywood, else you'll probably end up with a collapsed tank and a lot of water to mop up. Also, putting a layer of styrofoam under the tank will help to ease out any imbalances and spread out the stress on the tank and the stand.

nleong, fish-only will be less trouble when it comes to lighting and cooling .. your equipment list seems ok, but do start out slowly and allow your tank to age and cycle completely before adding any fish - and add slowly!!

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Hong Yee

[cool water]

Hi:

Any tip where to get a cheap 4 feets tank, with over flow and sump system. please advice

[dodo]

How cheap are u looking for? to some pple wif deep pockets...$2k is cheap...to poor pple like me...$800 is still expensive

[Chris]

Cool Water,

I suggest you check our pasar Malam thread. You could get the stuff you need at very good prices, not to say the advice that can come along from the more experienced reefers.

[cool water]

DODO,

$800 is ok for me. I just got my 1 mth bonus. Could u pls give any address for the tank manufacturer.

Chris,

I have shop shop in pasar malam for 33 years i could not find the pasar malam u talking about.

But anyway thanks for your reply, pls guild me to the pasar malam.

[Phang]

I have shop shop in pasar malam for 33 years i could not find the pasar malam u talking about.

But anyway thanks for your reply, pls guild me to the pasar malam.

He's refering to this.......

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forums/index.php?act=SF&f=10

[Anthony]

"I have shop shop in pasar malam for 33 years i could not find the pasar malam u talking about.

But anyway thanks for your reply, pls guild me to the pasar malam."

wow ... 33YEARS.

wahahahaha

[Chris]

My apologies Cool Water,

Forgotten that you are new to SRC (Singapore Reef Club). The pasar Malam I was refering to is the one that Phang has hyperlinked.

[dodo]

DODO,

$800 is ok for me.   I just got my 1 mth bonus. Could u pls give any address for the tank manufacturer. 

wah...still got 1 mth bonus...got AWS or not?

anyway...i am jus giving an illustration...if u are looking at $800...i suppose u can PM Qoo/Yazid and ask him where did he get his tank from...Qoo got a quotation for a 5ftx2ftx2ft tank for only $1.1k...i thk Yazid even cheaper

refer to tis thread here

[nleong]

Thanks AT and DragonGoby,

I have read about the draining of bank account. Thats why want to get as much info before i actually got down to buying the stuff.

Of cos' looking forward to the article that AT is doing up. Do keep me posted. Meanwhile, i will just read more and ask around those LFS to see whats available. To some market research hee....

[dodo]

"I have shop shop in pasar malam for 33 years i could not find the pasar malam u talking about.   

But anyway thanks for your reply, pls guild me to the pasar malam."

wow ... 33YEARS.

wahahahaha

so bad...pple 1st few times posting mah

[yazid]

wah...still got 1 mth bonus...got AWS or not?

anyway...i am jus giving an illustration...if u are looking at $800...i suppose u can PM Qoo/Yazid and ask him where did he get his tank from...Qoo got a quotation for a 5ftx2ftx2ft tank for only $1.1k...i thk Yazid even cheaper

refer to tis thread here

How come mine is cheaper? $1,100 is just the tank only. Qoo got quote for $1,100 and comes with cabinet and 3 ft sump.

[dodo]

your one got starphire glass mah?izzit?

anyway...jus giving Cool Water a few choices...well...it's up to him to decide which is cheaper he is the one going to own a brand new tank

[cool water]

Hi: ALL

thanks you very much.

Dear: Yazid, can advice me the address.

THANKS

[dodo]

I thk yazid mentioned he made his tank at Aquamart...Aquamart jus next to Reborn

here is Reborn/Aquamart

[nleong]

Guys, after rumbling around the previous post. I'm abit confused now.

What type of sand should i use ? What is #1 for ? Coral chips and #3 for what? Lets say if I were to start with reef only as recommended by AT ?

Also, this evening i went to Keong Seong and Soon Heng. They have salt brand like MarineMix, Reef Crystal (got calcium) and Redsea.

Prices vary a few dollars for similar weight.

The more i read, the more my head got confused....

... but also learn alot. Its gonna be quite challening in the days to come. Think better give my brain some rest....

[newdamsel]

nleong, ok #1, #3 are different grades of sand, usu we go for #1 as it is finer thus more suitable for a dsb setup.

Saltmix wise, you can try brands which are commonly used by fellow reefers like instant ocean and coralife.

Hope that answers your ques

[nleong]

thanks newdamsel.

Is it alright to start by mixing the saltwater and put in the sand now and wait for the tank to cycle while i read more ?

But is a packet of 10KG #1 sand enough? i reckon shld give about 3"-4" of bed.

or is it recommended to use #1 since mine is only a 2footer. Altho' its a 18in tall one. Does it serve the purpose of denitrification like what some of you talked about in the numerous previous postings ?

[lona]

Hi nleong,

I'm also just starting out myself..

To give you an idea how much sand you need..I'm having a 3x1.5 tank floor, 10kg of sand gave me an average of 1"..

I guess should be ok to put the sand and water in already..I've already got a 1" layer sand and 2kg LR and small powerhead running for a week already..and so far so good ley..get your test kits ready though.. it's amazing to see how much salt goes into the water before you can get the right salinity..oh ya..don't forget your trusty hydrometer too...