please help me you marine feins

[alkline]

hey guys i am looking at starting a marine tanks i just bought this all in one tank cabnit

Features:

10mm thick glass
310L capacity
Cabinet and Hoods Included, with built-in lighting and filter system
2 illuminator lights Included  2 x 30W
Filter Pump Included HQJ-900G 12W  900L/h
All electric parts and plugs are Australia Approved
Dimensions:

Tank only: 1201(L) x 558(W) x 701(H)mm

Whole Set: 1201(L) x 558(W) x 1500(H)mm

 just wondering what else i would need , i am going to be keeping some fish and live rock
i know fug all about marine i just want to do something different, if anyone could help me that would be awesom as i do need help
any web sites or that would be a great help aswell
thanks
\jamie

[Savage_roo]

This might get you started
http://user.aol.com/cebrezzie/aquarium/page10aa.htm

[Jadels]

Ok... here is a forum that can answer any question that you ever have, but i will do my best..

http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/index.php

Next, you will need power heads, the recommended turn over is 20 times your tank volume (310 x 20 = 6200l/hr)

Next a protein skimmer, you can buy cheap or expensive but any is good.

A test kit is a must, ebay has them much cheaper then the LFS (pm me if you want a contact on ebay for it).

Given you are in rockhampton, a chiller is probably your next item to purchase.
Look around on forums to try and buy some cheap live rock near you you will love the saving.

Patience is a virtue, make sure you really cycle your tank! Do lots of research so you know what your doing, marine seems to be easy to muck up if you dont do it right. A cycle can take anywhere between 4-6 weeks.
Here is a great beginners guide, the reefpedia has anything you want just search for it, and do heaps of reading
http://www.masa.asn.au/masa/component/option,com_mambowiki/Itemid,49/

Hope this helps.
Jade
(never be scared to just ask)

[Rusty1]

Jadels has answered all your questions. If you plan to have any corals those lights will have to go.

Water Turn over, lots of Live rocks and the 2 most vital things from what I have learnt.

[DeagonTheo]

I'm certainly no expert, only been keeping Marines for 1 1/2 months, but doing pretty well.

You will definately need these test kits, Ph, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate.
Substrate, sand or crushed coral or similar.
You will definately need more filter power and water flow, ie power heads. I've got nearly double your power in a two foot tank and triple your power in a 3ft tank.

If you are going for a lot of live rock, say at least 1/3 of your tank, you wont need as much filter power, but you will still need a strong water flow as the live rock will be part of your filter system.
You will need more lighting if going for Corals as well.
The best idea is to use seawater if you are close to the beach and you can collect that amount of water. If you cant, then synthetic it is.

The best way to start is,
Put in substrate, then saltwater and filter like crazy for a couple of days.

Do all your tests and keep notes, if Ammonia is .5 or less you should be able to put in your live rock, if its cured you can put it all in at once, if not put a few pieces in and test the next day, if your Ammonia is up you will have to be carefull and slow with the live rock, if it is down you should be able to put it all in.

Keep the lights on and filter like crazy keep testing the water, if after a couple of days there is no Ammonia spike and your Ammonia is .3 or less and all your other readings are low and everything is stable and the water is sparkling, put in a couple of Damsels, eg, Yellowtail, Humbugs, Dominos etc, these are very tough fish, but make sure you take at least an hour or longer to acclimatize them to your water.

Feed the fish very lightly, you dont want to upset the water chemistry at this stage. Observe the fish as much as you can, looking for any signs of stress or illness etc. If they look okay and they are eating and come up to the glass for food, everything is okay and you can add another couple of fish within a few days.

 I would recommend to stay with hardier fish such as Damsels, Chromis and Clowns for at least a couple of months and stay away from Tangs and Butterflies etc as these are much more susceptible to disease, which you dont really need in a saltwater tank in this early stage.

While you are doing all this, learn as much as you can off the net, there's an awful lot to learn in a short space of time.

Good Luck

Theo

[Jadels]

[quote:1d28e42eda="DeagonTheo"]
 put in a couple of Damsels, eg, Yellowtail, Humbugs, Dominos etc, these are very tough fish, but make sure you take at least an hour or longer to acclimatize them to your water.

[/quote:1d28e42eda]

I did this and now am stuck with a damsel i dont want!!
I would suggest buy a hardy fish that you actually want to keep such as a clown fish or similar, dont waste your time and money on fish that you dont actually want. Once the tank is cycled it shouldnt matter what fish you put in they should survive.

I think another rule is get a small quarantine tank... I have learnt this lesson.

I had my tank up and running and due to unforseen tank leaks the LFS took my tank and sold some of my Live rock..

they ordered more in, assured me it was cured, but low and behold it wasnt and it killed my star fish :( I wish i had of thrown it in quarantine and delt with the week delay, it was only a small cycle :bangsheadonwall:

[alkline]

you guys rule thanks alot for you help, i appreciate it

thankyou once again
jamie

[Rusty1]

[quote:04fb354611]Damsels, eg, Yellowtail, Humbugs, Dominos [/quote:04fb354611]

I would not be putting Damsels in except maybe the Yellowtail. They are hardy yes, but are also very agressive and are not recommended in smaller tanks. Green Chromis are a good Damsel type. Put in 1, 3 or 5 as pairs can lead to agression.

[DeagonTheo]

[quote:a882e45c44]put in a couple of Damsels, eg, Yellowtail, Humbugs, Dominos etc, [/quote:a882e45c44]
I was just trying to give an example, thats why the "eg" and "etc". I've got all the above and no real problems, much like Ciclids really, only a lot brighter.
You can put in what you like, but the end of the cycle is not the whole story, it takes time for a Marine Tank to cure and grow lots of stuff.
If you break certain rules you will run into trouble, just as in freshwater, but saltwater is more complicated and the fish less tolerant and more expensive so be carefull.
Also you will need cleaners early in the piece, once the water parameters are right, Hermit Crabs, Snails, Blennies etc.

Theo

[ashhhh]

[quote:921a5f1ce8="DeagonTheo"]

You will definately need these test kits, Ph, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate.
[/quote:921a5f1ce8]

if your keeping corals - add a COPPER test kit to that list.
Copper can (meaning possibly) leach from pipework in old homes, and is found in many fish disease treatments.
Thats one of the biggest bummer with saltys, unless you have a refugeum or other seperate tank to treat fish in for disease you have to relocate the corals elsewhere....but most of us have MTS syndrome so thats not a problem :P  and besides - you should quarantine any fish before addding to a reef setup......
The fish dont like it (copper) either, but invertabrates and corals etc are alot more sensitive to it, and they WILL die.
If you have a big collection of corals, a copper test kit is a wise investment.
Oh, and so is a good hydrometer (tests salinity), and dont think you dont need one, the fresh water evaporates and leaves the salt behind so if you do not add fresh (unsalty) water, as well as fesh (salty) water, when doing water changes, the salinity will increase and, well, you dont like too much salt on your fries do you?

ps. my favourite fishy was my little Psychedelic Fish, google the name and youll see why, great addition to any reef tank and they arent hard to come by either



 :)   :D