Does Anyone have a saltwater aquarium ? | FerrariChat
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Does Anyone have a saltwater aquarium ?

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by PerryJ, Mar 20, 2005.

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  1. PerryJ

    PerryJ Formula 3

    Jun 5, 2003
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    #1 PerryJ, Mar 20, 2005
    I'm in the process of setting up a saltwater aquarium, anyone else have one ?
     
  2. SRT Mike

    SRT Mike Two Time F1 World Champ

    Oct 31, 2003
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    #2 SRT Mike, Mar 20, 2005
    I have a few of em... whaddya wanna know?
     
  3. PerryJ

    PerryJ Formula 3

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    #3 PerryJ, Mar 20, 2005
    Here is what I have done so far, and all I had to go on is the local shops :(

    My wife and I wanted to get a SW tank to have a couple of clownfish and maybe a few others. I have had a few freshwater aquariums before, but we are divers and have always loved saltwater species, so we deceided to make the jump to saltwater.

    We bought the Marineland Instant Ocean 29gal kit. (eclipse3, and Bio-wheel)

    We layered play sand (from Lowes) about 1.5" thick, set temp to 79 and added instant ocean salt, and after mixing, we treated with AMM-EX.

    Let run for 2 days. Then today added Bio-Spira and ran another hour.

    Then added 5 lbs of live kaileni rock and 2 lbs of live fancy branch rock.

    (I have 11lbs of base rock that's curing and will add tomorrow)

    Then added 2 blue and green chromis.

    after three hours feed them a little brine shrimp (which they ate with great gusto)

    The local shop said to run it this way for a week, then add crabs and snails, run another week and then add the 2 clowns.
    They said if the Bio-Spira was a good batch plus the live rock and biowheel, we should have no problems.

    Does this all sound right ? Anything else we should/should not do ?

    What about water changes, how much/how often ?

    How often should I be checking the amm/nitr levels ?
     
  4. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

    Oct 13, 2001
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    #4 Mark(study), Mar 21, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  5. PerryJ

    PerryJ Formula 3

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    #5 PerryJ, Mar 21, 2005
    thanks for posting those are AWESOME !


    What about getting a wood grain stand and painting it ?
     
  6. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

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    #6 Mark(study), Mar 21, 2005
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  7. cal355

    cal355 Formula Junior

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    #7 cal355, Mar 21, 2005
    I have been in the SW hobby since 1985.Presently have a 240g fish only tank and a 50g reef tank.Your setup sounds good except the sand.Instead of play sand,Live sand would work better in providing a better biological filtration.And to give the nitrogen process a boost in the amount of nitrobacter bacteria that helps breakdown the waste from your living animals.Also the live sand provides living quaters for many of the copepods and worms in the live rocks.Eventually the sand will become "live sand".But real live sand has crushed coral and actually come from the ocean which helps stabilizes the ph during the nitrogen cycle.If you haven't done so already,add a couple of powerheads with a wave timer to circulate the water.Good luck! It's a fun hobby.But like Ferrari's,it can get expensive.
     
  8. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
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    Sep 30, 2003
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    #8 thecarreaper, Mar 21, 2005
    very cool thread..... there was one thread before the crash that had pics of octopi and other rare salt water animals that some of the members here had. perhaps they will share more pics.
     
  9. PerryJ

    PerryJ Formula 3

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    #9 PerryJ, Mar 21, 2005
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  10. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

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    #10 Mark(study), Mar 21, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  11. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

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    #11 Mark(study), Mar 21, 2005
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  12. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

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    #12 Mark(study), Mar 21, 2005
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  13. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

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    #13 Mark(study), Mar 21, 2005
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  14. ilo

    ilo Karting

    Jul 27, 2004
    119
    #14 ilo, Mar 21, 2005
    For the extra points:

    That is a Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) usually found in the indian ocean, if I correctly recall it is present in australia too. Very venomous.

    In post #12 the last one yellow is a butterflyfish
     
  15. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

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    #15 Mark(study), Mar 21, 2005
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  16. PerryJ

    PerryJ Formula 3

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    #16 PerryJ, Mar 21, 2005
    Mark,
    Chromis are a damsel, they just are peaceful, so they will go with clowns.

    REALLY neat fish from the front 1/4 view they look bright blue but as it swims by it changes to bright green.

    My favorites are angelfish (especially the Queen !)
    If all goes well I wanna move up to a 75-100 next year ;)

    Then bring on the angels and tangs !

    I would also like a snowflake eel.


    Those pics are AMAZING, now I'm truly inspired !!!!
     
  17. Greg G

    Greg G F1 Rookie

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    #17 Greg G, Mar 21, 2005
  18. cal355

    cal355 Formula Junior

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    #18 cal355, Mar 21, 2005
    An important piece of equipment for a reef setup is a protein skimmer.This will remove most fatty acids and reduce the bio load.This will lower the nitrate level which is harmful to corals,anenomes,shrimps,crabs,etc.Also lighting is very important for healthy coral growth.You can retrofit Powercompacts to the eclipse hoods to provide a better light spectrum.
     
  19. PerryJ

    PerryJ Formula 3

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    #19 PerryJ, Mar 22, 2005
    can I add a protein skimmer to the Eclipse hood ?
     
  20. PerryJ

    PerryJ Formula 3

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    #20 PerryJ, Mar 22, 2005
    Come on Mark you gotta get harder than that......

    Blue Ringed octopus
    Striped Pyjama Squid
    and a
    Striped Octopus (usually found in the Soloman Islands)
     
  21. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

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    #21 Mark(study), Mar 22, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I've run 30 gallons without protein skimmers....

    I keep 3-4 small fish without skimmer
    Maybe 5-6 small fish with skimmer


    I've seen guys at reef central cut the hood and hook-up a Aqua C Remora skimmer (thought of as the best small hang-on-back skimmer)

    You'd have to do some searching and reading .....but I'd start with a small fish load and worry about the skimmer as a project for later when you want to add more fish, or do fewer water changes.

    http://reefcentral.com/forums/index.php?
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  22. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

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    #22 Mark(study), Mar 22, 2005
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