Poor Man's Saltwater Setup

[DeagonTheo]

Okay this is the way I have done it and I have had no deaths or any illness in over 5 months.

You can start with any size tank, but for those who would just like to give it a go, use a 2 ft tank, so you're not outlaying too much money.

Things you need

2ft tank
power head around 1000 lph
Aquaclear 300
Heater
Gravel, Sand or Crushed Coral
2 Ft Fluro
Satwater Ammonia test kit
Saltwater Nitrite test kit
Ph Test Kit
Hydrometer
Thermometer
Most of you will have most of the above, so the outlay will be minimal.

If you already have a 2 ft tank setup and want to change to Saltwater, dont worry about cleaning the gravel or filter too much, as it wont make any difference.

Now the controversial bit, just go down to the ocean, bay or mouth of a creek(where I got mine) and get enough water to fill the 2 ft tank, you can work that out.

Just pour it onto the gravel or what ever substrate. Turn on the filters, heater and test your water for Ammonia, Nitrite, Ph and Salt. Should all be 0, ph around 8 or a bit higher and Hydrometer reading 1.02 to 1.03 or thereabouts, temp around 25deg +-3.

On the 3rd day go and buy some cured live rock, around 3 kg's, do some more tests the next day levels should be going down.

If your levels are under about .4 Ammonia and .4 Nitrite and going down, you should be able to add fish.

I suggest you get a couple of Damsels, Dominoes or Humbugs as your first fish as these are pretty hardy and should stand up to these early conditions.

Check water parameters every second day for about a week, you should be looking for all 0's. Once the tank is stable you shouldnt have to do too many checks, unless you can see fish dying or the water looking murky etc.

After a couple of weeks you can add a couple more small fish or a starfish or whatever. If you can keep these alive you might want to try something larger, but just take your time.

The main secret here is Live Rock, it seems to do most of the hard work for you, like filtering and keeping Ammonia, Nitrite and best of all Nitrate down. I have done no water changes in 5 months.

Good luck.

Theo

[Savage_roo]

Hay Theo
Long time no see
I was wondering what type of fluro is best
And shouldn't the power head  have a cermic sharft and do u need the filter part on it or is it just to move round the water and add air??

Misser has been buging me for years 4 a salt water tank lol

Roo

[DeagonTheo]

I suppose the shaft should be ceramic, but I've had no problems with the metal ones.
Dont forget we're talking about people wanting to give it a bit of a go, so we dont want to go to a great expense.
Nearly everybody on here would already have most of the stuff I've mentioned, so it makes it nice and cheap.
I leave the filter in, doesnt seem to do any harm, and could be a bit beneficial.
Another little tip, if you've got an old Aquaclear and the foam has had it, throw it out and replace with Coral pieces around 10 to 30mm.
Fluros, I dont think it matters that much, as long as they throw out a reasonable amount of light. It really only matters when you start getting into some of the hard Corals and such, that you need a lot of light.
On the info I've given here you can keep a fair amount of stuff, like Anemones, Starfish, Mushrooms, Button Polyps and many other bits and pieces.
I suggest that once people get into Salt, they do a lot of research, and when buying fish,also be guided by the sales people and tell them what sort of setup you've got.
When first setting up dont get too carried away and take things slowly and you will reap the rewards.
Another reward of keeping Salties, is seeing other people's beautiful setups, I never realized there were so many fantastic setups around.
You can keep it cheap, or the sky's the limit.
Theo
PS: Now you'll be able to give into the missus and set something up. Actually, Nemo's are a pretty good startup fish too. I've got a pair of Tomato Clowns breeding in my 2 Footer.

[kj2006]

Hi Theo, sounds like your tank is going well, any chance of a pic.  What fish have you got in it now?  Hows the corals etc going?
Regards
Ken
ps. So are you hooked on salt yet??? ;)

[DeagonTheo]

Hi Ken
No not hooked on salt, just kicking off a 6 footer ha ha. I'm pulling down a 2 and 3 footer at the moment, so they dont look too crash hot, but when the 6 footer is up and running I will put up some picks.
I lost a few corals, forgot to turn on the air conditioner one particularly hot day, they dont like being boiled, but the fish had no worries.
Apart from that, the fish are going great guns, never had the algae problem that you had.
So how is your venture into fresh going.
Theo
PS: Still got the same fish, but now that I'm starting the 6 footer, I will add some more exotic types.

[DeagonTheo]

Well, setup the 6 footer last night and the Humbugs already bred this morning. The tank looks great, I'll take some pics in a couple of days.
Theo

[aquaholic99]

If you have a powerhead, Id recommend an undergravel filter too. Very small outlay for such great biological filtration. You wont need an aquaclear if you dont have one layin around. Alternatively, if you have an aquaclear but no powerhead you could hook up the aquaclear to suck through the undergravel filter.

Congrads on humbugs. Id also recommend seahorses for any beginners. They are easy to feed and fairly tough. Interesting/easy to breed too.

Winston