starting a 29 gal sw

[Sarahs]

Just wondering a few stores in the lowermainland, that has reasonable prices, etc, and good educated information, I plan on going to J&L aquatics, and big al's. I'm ready to start buying the peices to put together and input is great.
I'm going to do a FOWLR to start, I plan on having mushrooms/softcorls/ployps down the road...... any input to the following things im going to buy?

Coralife 30" Lunar Aqualight Fixture http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/l-pc.php?product_ID=pc-ll30652
Aqua C Remora Protien Skimmer
20-25 lbs of LR
sand
1heater
1 hydormeter
salt (obviously)
power heads (how many??)
I already have the 29 gal tank.
any input is great!!
Sarah

[Shelley]

Hi Sarah.. congrats on venturing into the marine world.::D: I know just how you feel.. if can be pretty confusing at the beginning.
I think most of us have started with the same lighting you are thinking about.. and most of us have one sitting in the box in the closet. Trust me.. spend a little more at the beginning and get MH. Your going to switch to it anyways.. so its cheaper in the long run to get good lighting from the get go.

The remora is an awesome HOB skimmer. I run one myself in my 33 gallon. You will be happy with it.

I think you need more rock. I would advise 1 1/2 pound per gallon. You can always buy more rock later, but make sure its well cured as new rock can and will cause an ammonia spike which will start your tank cycling again.

Hydrometers suck! They are not accurate. One of the most important basics is keeping your SG constant. Spend the $$ and get a refractometer. You will thank me later.

A glass heater will work ok.. but remember you have a LOT of rock in there.. and a broken glass heater and saltwater dont mix well. The current can kill everything in your tank. Buy a titanium heater.

powerheads.. hmm in my 33 I have 2 maxijet 900.. one in each back corner. In my 50 I have 2 maxijet 900... one in each back corner.. and a tunze on a wavemaker in the front corner.

You didnt mention a sump.. so I am assuming you are going sumpless.. which will work just fine.

The skimmer and rock are your filter. Lots of rock and a good skimmer are mega. I also run the biggest Aquaclear on my 33.. just to polish the water. The sponges on it are nitrate traps.. which is NOT a good thing in marine tanks. The sponges have to be taken out and cleaned really well 1-2 times a week. HTH Shelley

[Katalyst]

Hey Sara,

Good luck with your tank can't wait to see some pictures! I have several coralife lamps specifically the one you are getting and couldn't be happier with it!

Don't forget to post some photo's!

[Sarahs]

okay, my question is. J& L Aquatics sells uncured rock for 4.59/lb... locally I can get cured rock for 7.99 lb whats my best bet?....... if i was to get 35 -40 lbs.. will that be sufice? As far as curing the rock before putting it in the tank.. what to do? Or clean the rock, and then put it in the tank, and cycle/cure at the same time? I've been told that way is possible so the die off is the amonia/nitrite source... any input to that?
Sarah

(ps thanks for replying so fast!!)

[Shelley]

When you are starting a brand new tank it makes little differance if the rock is cured or not. If you get uncured rock it is a good idea to scrape off any obviously dead plants and sponges.. but dont like wash it off under fresh water.. you dont want to kill any of the "liveness". Also always wear gloves when dealing with live rock.. bristle worms and fire worms pack a heck of a sting. Oh and do be aware that uncured rock has a bit LOL of a stink to it.. dont be inviting guests over for the first 3-4 days after you put it in your tank.:twitcy:

[thegrandpoohbah]

The Pet Zoo in Langley currently has a sale on Tonga rock. I think it ranges from $4.50 - $5 per pound depending on if you want branching rock or shelf rock.

The Pet Zoo
#107 - 20151 Fraser Hwy
604-530-3538

[nathan u]

When you are starting a brand new tank it makes little differance if the rock is cured or not. If you get uncured rock it is a good idea to scrape off any obviously dead plants and sponges.. but dont like wash it off under fresh water.. you dont want to kill any of the "liveness". Also always wear gloves when dealing with live rock.. bristle worms and fire worms pack a heck of a sting. Oh and do be aware that uncured rock has a bit LOL of a stink to it.. dont be inviting guests over for the first 3-4 days after you put it in your tank.:twitcy:
let alone crabs,, and mantis shrimp:wideeyed: .
good luck it might be confusing,, but its so worth it,, just wait till you get the LR into your tank,, you will be sitting for hours hopeing to see something move:laugh:

[Shelley]

let alone crabs,, and mantis shrimp:wideeyed: .
good luck it might be confusing,, but its so worth it,, just wait till you get the LR into your tank,, you will be sitting for hours hopeing to see something move:laugh:

LOL I have one hitch-hiker crab thats been there for 6 months now.. he hasnt hurt anything yet. My husband gets "stabby" now and then and trys to shish kabob it, but its a fast little bugger.


And YES to the sitting in front the new tank looking for signs of life.For the first 2 days We watched a little stick that somehow came in on the sand..we even named him.. stickie... then one day we saw a little bug.. oh man was I jazzed! :smile:

[CACAdmin]

Wow! This is awesome info! I'm not yet ready for a sw setup but the info here will definitely be a resource for me if I eventually find the space and get up the courage to do so.

[Sarahs]

thanks all for ur input.... I was/amtrying to stay around $500 to start.... doesnt look like thatis enough!! oh well time to start saving some more! or downsize? to a 20 gal? Pets mart sells a tank thats a 20" long.. but shallow.. would that be okay?
sarah

[nathan u]

the problem is ,, smaller tanks don't save you unless you know how to do NO lighting. so smaller doesn't mean cheaper,, its generally means the same cost or more, and smaller is tougher
my 25g cost me 554$ after setup,, I got fully cured rock from a local reefer, along with a 2x96w coralife fixture.
the rock was never exposed to air so I had almost no cycle,, but then remeber coral costs money a lot of money,, along with the upkeep,, reverse osmosis water, salt,food, its not a cheap hobby.
but smaller isn't always better

[Sarahs]

LOL and I thought FW was bad enough. maybe i'll hold off for awhile!
Sarah

[Shelley]

I was told once to expect to spend around 50$ a gallon to set up a nice reef tank. And from my experiance thats on the low side.:eek:

[mixixe]

50 x 5 gallongs... is 250 dollars... i definately spent more than that. hmmm much much more.

The more live rock the better. I used uncured live rock but i also got lots of cool macro algae and some cupcorals from that.

My tank was small so I bought live sand from the fish stores tank so it helped cycle my tank alot faster.

I have upgrade on lighting 3 x and today i was this close to purchasing MH lighting for my nano..but i decided to let the credit card clear out first... :wideeyed: the advice I should have given myself was to buy the best lighting I could afford, because in the end, i spend more on upgrades. However you want a fish only tank right? you may not need nice lighting.

[Sarahs]

eventually i wouldnt mind keeping some soft corals...... mushrooms, plolyps etc.. i was told the coralife that im looking at would do.
Sarah

[Osprey]

Don't go smaller... systems smaller than 30g are either very expensive, or very short-lived, as a general rule. It's much more difficult to look after a smaller system.
If you're certain you're not going to want high-light corals, than go ahead with the fluorescent fixture. Just keep in mind the extra cost of upgrading if you change your mind! Also make sure you plan on compatible corals... softies can get nasty in the chemical warfare division, especially mushrooms and leathers.
Some good reading on different systems, livestock, etc on www.wetwebmedia.com (http://www.wetwebmedia.com). Also make sure you grab some good books, either from the library or amazon. I recommend Robert Fenner, Anthony Calfo and Eric Borneman.
Buy rock that you like the look of, whether cured or uncured. If you can, try to get some 'worm rock'... I have a piece, and I can stare at all the different species of fan worms for hours on end. Great stuff.
Probably in a smaller system, you'll want to stick to a shallow sand bed... around 3/4 of an inch.
Have you decided your stock list for fish yet?

[Sarahs]

http://vancouver.craigslist.org/for/344733599.html is this a good deal?? is the light okay for softies? i dont mind a lil more maintence ,, im a stay at home mom :)
Sarah

[mixixe]

i think that kit has a 2- 27 watt sunpaq bulbs. I think 27 watts is two different wave lengths of actinic (450nm/420nm). The other 27 watts is 10000K/6500k combo. I use sun paq bulbs and I have 36 watts over a 5 gallon tank, with the same light ratio. It's a nice looking kit but more lighting would probably be nicer. However it's probably enough for softies.

[fishykisses]

www.canreef.com (http://www.canreef.com) is a sw forum and when i did sw i got everything for really cheap from someone tearing down their 220g...check it out, you can find smokin' deals

[mixixe]

yes. canreef.com is a good forum for finding cheap stuff and learning salt water. Also check out www.nano-reef.com (http://www.nano-reef.com) to learn more about smaller systems. Just another thing about the lighting, it may be good for some softies but not for all. Good lighting is the most important thing you can do for your sw tank if you want to keep some corals

[Sarahs]

thanks everyone for all the help! Hidden Reef.. who's my LFS, has been great about helping me out. I have the tank up and running, adding my live rock in a few days.
So lets keep our fingers crossed :)
Sarah

[CACAdmin]

Best of luck! And don't forget to post pics so we can enjoy! :yes: