2 feet tank??

[kentkent]

Hi guys my uncle gave me a two ft tank n a overhead filter.

As i relatively new to marine fish keeping , i would like

try keeping some marine fishes but not sure how to go about.

i would like to have 2 clownfishs, a yellow tang and a hippo tang in my 2 ft

tang. i want they rather small. but can you guys help me out wat must i do

to get ready the tank for this fishes and what must i do and where do i

buy all the required stuff. your help would be greatly appreciate. plus

anyone know of any marine shop in jurong ???

[Tanzy]

First of all, great that you are doing some research and asking questions before you start. Secondly, welcome to SRC!

2 feet is not the best size for a marine tank. It's preferable to get something that has an overflow and sump. It will make life easier later. Understanding that cost might be involved, you can start up with a 2 feet but you will need to keep up with the water changes and you will run out of space quickly.

I'm not sure how to set up a good 2 feet cause the last time I did one it was with UGF(undergravel filter) which I later converted to DSB(deep sand bed). I'm quite sure some of the more experience nano-tankers can advise you.

Tangs are not a good idea for your tank. They will require a lot of swimming space and can grow quite large. Minimum 3' and even that is pushing it.

What must you do to get the tank ready? Ask the uncle what was previously in that tank and if any medication (e.g. copper) was used in it. Anyway, now is a bad time to start a tank cause the market is short of live rocks. Best is to wait until after April to start and read up as much as possible in the mean time.

The closest LFS I know to Jurong will be Marine Life at Hong Leong.

[Sinn]

its not only possible to keep marine fishes in 2 feet tanks but some corals as well...

if yer intrested in keeping corals... be prepared to spend $$ on the equipments (can spend on equipment while waiting for live stock to come)....

some nice nano reefs can be found here

u can do a search in this forum for further details of the equipment needed

hope that helps

[dodo]

it is best to discard your overhead filter away if you really want a tank with healthy looking fishes/corals...have to spend abit on other equipments

i thk you need to invest in a good Eheim canister filter, Light(FL/PL) Hood, fans. Then u need to buy sand and salt and start cycling your tank ASAP...i guess u have to spend at least abt $700-$800 to get this 2ft tank started. u got to read more b4 starting a marine tank...read more on the steps needed to start and equipment needed...read fr tis forum or buy some books to read

btw...maybe your 2ft tank glass thickness cannot hold too much LR...hehehe...better dun put too much LR inside

[wolfie]

kentkent...

I'm a proud owner of a yet to be completed 2ft tank... It's my "testing" tank and didn't hve much budget and no research done when I first setup the tank. Haiz.... I trusted the LFS too much... Aniwae, Mummy & Daddy say might b shifting soon so when I shift, I'll get a 4-6 ft tank...

I agree wif wat dodo hve to say and go get urself a gd canister (got mine @ abt 80 bucks frm Petmart). Wif regards to the "too much LR prob"... You can DIY ur very own LR Stacker... Quite fun... As for ur sand, 1 10kg packet shld b enuff for a "alrite" DSB. Light wise, I'm DIY-ing mine currently. Oh, if you hve the time but not the $, go borrow books frm library... There tis "The Q&A Manual of The Marine Aquarium by Nick Dakin"... Shld ans most of you qns... Anithing you PM me or wat loh

Enjoy tis hobby!

[newdamsel]

I agree with dodo on the price range.. since you have not started off... try your very best to have another 2ft sump (Which is another tank linked to your current one). If you DIY, the amount of money spent is about the same as buying a canister filter BUT you'll increase water volume by double, increase space for housing of equipment. Do a search on sump and you'll get plentiful of info~!

[kentkent]

thank you all so much for the advise you had given me

meanwhile i bought the salt and sand for my tank. i going to get a

canister filter and skimmer from Petshopboys aquarium next week saving

up some money, meanwhile i will read up more on the aquarium needs,

the shops at hong leong gave me lotsa of advice too. plus can someone

show me a canister filter for 2 ft tanks??? thanks a million this forum is so

beginner friendly!.

[dodo]

kentkent,

wea is Petshopboys? at Far East Plaza? if tis is the case, better dun go there. if you know wea is hong leong...y not buy from there....I believe Henry(Hong Leong) can give u a better price

[kentkent]

yup dodo petshopboys is at far east i find the boss of the shop quite

friendly. yup henry gave me lotsa of advice. anyway where can i get

a good and cheap canister filter n a protein skimmer?? i think i need that

before i can start my water running right?

Regards

Kent

[dodo]

u can try Petmart...wea u live?

if u are comfortable with Petshopboys...by all means go ahead...but I personally dun go there...been there once and notice they are not specialised in marine

y du u go back HL(Henry)...since he gave you so much advises

if you have transport...try Pasir Ris lor...can get real cheap stuff there...esp Macro protein skimmer...but they may not carry good canister filter

[Gold Monkey]

Sorry. But what's petshopboys?

[Creetin]

Dodo, for canister filter u should try Petmart at Serangoon, its beside Rainbow and the canisters are very good priced. For protein skimmer you could probably look for there too - can try Orca (not sure they have or not, but normally sells at about $20-22). The Orca can be quite big so if u dun like it, u can go for the Sanders one which is slimmer. Sealife at Balestier has Sanders skimmer but they cost more than the Orca. As these are counter current skimmers, u would need an airpump (with 2 airholes) to run it. I tink some of the guys also mention last time that the airpump must be powerful one. I got my 4-way ocean free air pump from Petmart, only $20, cheap cheap...

[TanGo]

try an ehiem 2215, which I am using for my 2ft Will be slightly more expensive but it's gonna be worth it.. Right now, the most important thing is to be PATIENT! dunn rush into things.. Placement of tank at home also need consideration.. Because it will affect the tank temperature unless you choose to have a chiller..

[Achilles Tang]

Sorry. But what's petshopboys?

My favourite europop band!!!!

[Achilles Tang]

I would like to highlight that Petshopboys know nothing about marine fishkeeping.

I have heard so many horror stories about the advice they give and their lack of knowledge.

You are better off going to a specialized marine LFS (in some ways).

[Gold Monkey]

Oh!! petshopboys Ok.

[CKS]

If its only fishes u want.. go for berlin style filter setup

For 2ft tank .. ORCA protein skimmer + 7-10kg of liverock + good circulation is good enough

probably cheaper than buying canister filter...

thats how i started .. works well

get a overflow tank + sump if u intend to convert to reef tank in future.

[kentkent]

erm CKS can u enlighten me what is a berlin style filter setup??

[Tanzy]

erm CKS can u enlighten me what is a berlin style filter setup??

No bioballs, protein skimmer, no substrate bare bottom tank with a lot of liverock.

[dodo]

Dodo, for canister filter u should try Petmart at Serangoon, its beside Rainbow and the canisters are very good priced.

thks...but i am not the one looking for a canister filter...

kent2...as wat i said..petmart sells things reasonably cheap...so i guess u better make your way down to petmart to get some of the things u wan

Someone suggested Eheim 2215...y not u jus try tat...i am not familiar wif canister filter...gave tat up a year ago...so i lost touch wif canister filter

[kentkent]

hi guys thanks for the all the advice you had given me once again.

I have a question i would only go down to Petmart on next monday to

get the canister n skimmer. so can i put my salt, water n sand plus good

bacteria in the tank first and let is cycle by my overhead filter first n

remove the overhead filter after i get my canister filter (plus i did some reading on Eheim2215 canister filter if i get thaat must i still buy a skimmer???)

P.S. Henry (hong leong) ask to put in thin piece of sea food into the

tank with all my bacteria solution, saltwater n sand should i do in one week

later after the water have cycle ???

[CKS]

never had canister filter b 4.. i dont see why u could not run both skimmer & canister together... skimmer will aid in mechanical filtration

but whats your budget for the canister filter?

i would prob get liverock & stuff with that much of $

[onghm]

i would only go down to Petmart on next monday to

get the canister n skimmer.

Juz to let u know Petmart is closed on Mondays

[kentkent]

never had canister filter b 4.. i dont see why u could not run both skimmer & canister together... skimmer will aid in mechanical filtration

but whats your budget for the canister filter?

i would prob get liverock & stuff with that much of $

erm i guess i getting the Eheim 2215 i think i should be able to set aside

$100 for the cansiter. but now there seems to be a lackage of live rock rite.

HL uncle told me if i can't get live rock than i should get some easy to handle corals as most of them are attached to some rocks.

[Tanzy]

The corals won't do too well in an uncycled tank. That is pretty crap advise and I think he is just trying to push sales.