urgent..

[betaFISH]

i made a big mistake and did not do my research before wanting to start up a marine tank..now i realised that there is alot of things i have to watchout for..so..im going to post alot of questions..so if u are able to answer them..pls feel free to do so...

1.What do anemones eat?

2.What do corals eat?

3.Is a sump a must in a tank?

4.What is a live rock? do it need feeding?

5.What is the cycle people talk about?

6.Must my lighting be on 24/7?

7.What cheap ways are there to control protein?

8.About the nitrate stuff..how do i reduce them easily?

9.Are there animals,invertabrates etc that help to control protein or nitrate..?

Please answer these questions..for i am really lost..

[Achilles Tang]

Gee... it appears that you have zero knowledge about the marine hobby!

It's going to be an enormous task for anyone to answer you in details for all your questions as it would have to take you at least 5 hours of reading on the internet or books on these basics.

It's your responsibility as a hobbyist to know what you are getting into before starting a marine tank. And you have to do your homework.

We can point you the way... but you need to put in your own effort.

After studying and researching and you still have doubts about certain facts that are not covered in your reading materials... pls do post questions and we will be more than willing to offer advice and tips.

First off...

1. Buy some marine books - eg. A good book is Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman.

2. Go to the links pinned up in the New to the Hobby forum here in SRC and digest everything. Don't rush thru it. Try to UNDERSTAND the concepts and logic of things & how they work before rushing to your tank and doing something. Study the pros and cons of methods. Study the housing and feeding requirements of every marine species of corals, inverts and fishes. Study their compatibility. Study the various types of equipment people use in this hobby.

3. Carry on to read, read and read. Knowledge is key to success in this hobby when used wisely with patience. Having lots of money also helps coz you can buy the right kind of equipment right from the start.

4. There is no shortcut to the reef hobby except towards a tank crash, livestock deaths and failure in this hobby.

Good luck, my friend... we'll be here for you!

[anakjoh]

MOST IMPORTANTLY DO NOT ADD ANY FISH OR CORAL because you may be wasting your money when they die or are incompatible, worse because you are killing LS which could be happier in someone else's tank. No offense meant, this is serious.

Leave your tank as it is now while you read up, but leave your equipments on esp. for filtration and circulation. REMEMBER - NO LIGHTS (cause algae growth) if you do not have corals yet. This is actually the first step to let your tank cycle ie when living creatures in the live rock die off and releases ammonia(NH4) which converts to nitrite (NO2) and finally (NO3) by bacteria which need time to grow and multiply in a new tank. The tank is ready when the aforesaid compounds are absent or at least below dangerous levels.

Take your time but be informed. Trust me, this hobby is most enjoyable in the setup process then rushing to "complete" a tank to be viewed/displayed.

Keep reading and ask. All the best!

[terryansimon]

you mean you never turned on your lights during cycling?

hmm

[junyong84]

wow...thats sure alot of question... i think there is some thread in this forum that teach pple the basic setup of marine tanks... hmz..