Pre-Plan for Marine Tank ( Newbie )

[IshDeOne]

Hi Guys ,

i'm really new to this saltwater hobby and it would be nice if i could get some advice from the Experienced Hobbyist.

I've yet to buy any of the stuff , as i want to fully plan out before i get the stuff. & i know this hobby isnt cheap as well.

Can someone advice mi how to start this hobby from scratch? I;ve read many sites but its all over the place & i cnt seem to have a clear picture.

also i would like to know if a chiller or heater is neccessary?

thank you

[pcw]

I'm pretty new too so I hope I can still help you as far as possible.

I think there's a thread/post out there in SRC giving great advice to newbies venturing into marine aquaria.

Please do search it up and read it thoroughly. Helps a ton.

I would suggest setting a budget and planning out what you intend to keep. Or at least a rough idea of what your set up is to look like. Say a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) or a reef tank.

Generally the bigger, the more stable the parameters and allow for a greater margin of error. Bigger tanks would also afford you the flexibility to keep more varieties of fish. Smaller tanks are easier to set up, equipment is cheaper (less initial investment for the beginner reefer) and are also probably easier to clean.

Tank: If space allows, go for a tank with a sump. Increasing the total volume of water in your system, generally more stable. A sump would also allow you to dose your additives and hide your equipment away from viewing. As for the glass, depending on your tank's dimensions. The bigger the tank, the thicker the glass. Do note that tanks that are used to house marine aquaria have to be thicker than their freshwater counterparts due to the density of saltwater. You could also consider crystal glass if the greenish tint bothers you.

Other equipment: Skimmers, Lights, Chillers etc have been discussed at great lengths all over the forum. Just do a simple search and everything turns up (:

With particular notice to the chiller/heater:

Heaters, nope. I've yet to see anyone use a heater in a reef tank in Singapore. (Im assuming you're local?)

Chiller, not necessary unless you're keeping corals and cold water creatures. That being said, I heard that having cooler waters helps to slow down the metabolism of fish and contribute to a longer lifespan (:

Hope that helps (:

[Planted]

Agreeable with what pcw shared. No budget restriction, you can follow the below from my humble experience 1) Start to plan what kind of marine setup do you want? [Reef/Fish only with live rocks(fowlr), and what kind of fishes] This may give you a guide on how big you want your tank to be. Angel or butterfly fishes need bigger tank. Bigger reef is nice but that means more corals and more exp. but when the corals expand and color shows nicely, you know it's worth it. ^^ 2) depending on your tank size, your equipment varies. Stronger pump, stronger chiller, stronger skimmer, bif get sump and more media. With budget constraint, you may have to reverse the process 1) set your budget, search for items within your budget. Compare between stores or websites. 2nd hand items can still be good. I bought a 2nd hand chiller that has been used for 1.5yrs I think, and I continue to use for 2.5yrs without issues. 2) plan your type of marine. Higher budget that allows you to get corals plus equipments, then grab them. ^^ if not fowlr can be nice as well. Each setting has its beauty. Haha. The above is just a humble opinion from a newbie myself too! ^^ hope it helps. My advice, a good infrastructure gives good tank. Some money are worth to spend. I bought a first hand skimmer+ 2nd reactor w NP pellets and pump at nearly 300, helps me combat algae well, saved much time and discouragement. I was advised and bought a lighting for coral that cost about 400. I reused an old chiller which cost about 200-300. And guess what.. my tank is only 2ft ._." Exclude rocks, fishes and corals. Yet it's really worth the spend though I felt the pinch.

[kfc]

dimension more important to consider

[IshDeOne]

Thank you so much for ur suggestions. Will update you guys on my progress

[domvonn]

Pre plan is good dun skimp on equipments , end up u will pay more when ur purchase does not seem ok . Plan wisely

[Planted]

Hope you have some rough idea. Maybe you can share your tank size that you intend to get and we can all share what equipment to look for? When all equipments are gathered, you can start to cycle and wait for your lovely tank to mature.

[IshDeOne]

I finally manage to get a 3ft IOS tank , dead rocks & Live sand ( Given away by kind SRC bros here ) . I bought a hydrometer ( -_-' cant seem to get a reading aftr first few times ) , more live sand , digital thermometer , filter wool ( Black N White ) , 5 bio cubes and a bag of white circular things ( not sure what they are called ) & marine dechlorinator.

So I placed my live sand , and dead rocks and the filter media. I mixed my salt , dechlorinated water n left a powerhead to stir them , in a huge water container. After a 2 hrs i check the salinity , its read 1.014 . I kept mixing more salt n the needle nvr when up. I mixed like almost 8 cups of salt n it finally rose to 1.021. I filled the tank up n i checked the salinity , & it had dropped to 1.014. N this stupid hydrometer doesnt give accurate readings , i had to try so many times until i finally got a reading.

Anyways i'm not sure if i mixed enough salt n i have no spare cash to buy a refractometer. So i'm assuming that my salinity is enough cuz i mixed 2kg ( like half the packet of salt gone sia ) for a 56 gallon tank. Do you guys use so much of salt or i'm just experience beginners bad luck?

so yuh tis is my tank set up.

And then the next trouble starts.

Idk how a IOS works. i googled so much ( and nonsense stuff like iphone apps appeared ) until i decided to just come up with ways to get the flow going.

So i used my HOB filter ( cut a huge hole to let the water exit the other end ) , placed a spong inside the HOB , cuz the water level wasnt enough for suction . So basically , after the water enters my 2 ft filter chamber , the HOB draws the water and sends the water into the main tank.

My Powerhead is placed at the other end to create a flow. So the flow is sufficient enough to build up a current where debris n what not , are able to enter the overflow area.

After all this bad luck in the start , i manage to get things done with what i had and i placed 2 cubes of frozen brine shrimp ( read somewhere that brine shrimps can also start bacteria ) .

And thus my Cycling begins.

In 4 weeks , i'm planning to purchase my test kits , refractometer , skimmer ( not sure if i cn fit in my sump ) & a few more filter media and Light.

So fellow bros , sorry for the long post. And please do share your opinons. i'm open to any of your constructive advices to rectify my mistakes.

Do advice mi on what else i missed out or i should get.

p.s : I gotta feeling i messed up the cycling cuz of the salinity issue.

Thanks in Advance.

[joby553]

You using iOS tank and have a sump too?.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[IshDeOne]

Nope. Don haf a sump at the moment..

[joby553]

Oh then I think u looking for a hob skimmer.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[domvonn]

There shud be a empty compartment for u to place a power head to pump the filtered water back to ur display tank ?

[IshDeOne]

Nope.. The water has to b pumpered over the compartment.. Day 8th of cycling.. Nothing so far