New to saltwater, and in need of help!

sebastio12 · 11/05/2009, 02:50 PM

So I'm pretty new to saltwater aquariums and I need some advice. I bought an etablished tank, but I want to take it further. Here's what I have,

29 gallon tank with...
-Hang on Filter (Marineland Emperor 280 with a bio-wheel)
- Heater (THEO UL Heater 150W)

It has...
-about 35 pounds of live rock
-about 2 inches of sand (looks more like crushed shells)
-Two Ocellaris Clownfish
-One Peppermint shrimp, one Fire shrimp, two small hermit crabs and three turbo slugs

Is the filtration for this tank adequate, I'm going to get a protein skimmer and some better lighting, and a powerhead soon. What else do I need for a healthy tank.
I might want to make it a reeftank soon, is this a good idea?

I Also, I put in two Green Chromis a couple weeks back, but both died. They seemed sick from the start. My second peppermint shrimp also died (I bought these at the local petland, not sure if it's a good place for aquariums). But my tank seems fine, I added my second clownfish two weeks ago and it's doing great, and the water tests came back normal, any ideas?

der_wille_zur_macht · 11/05/2009, 03:09 PM

Done any testing on the water? What's your water change schedule like?

In the longterm, it's really important to be specific about your goals, before we can help you decide what action to take. The tank will be OK as-is, if you stay on top of maintenance (regular water changes, and rinse/replace the media in that filter every few days) but it would be very difficult to transition to a typical mixed reef without a lot of change.

Also, IMHO, it's worth getting things stable, and solving any problems you have now, before you start acting on any ideas of expanding or changing the setup.

jenjen · 11/05/2009, 04:39 PM

I agree with der_wille - get your parameters under control and make a plan for the tank before you start adding/changing things. What are your current parameters?

Regardless of your ultimate plans for the tank, it should have a powerhead. If there's not one in there at all, I'd add one.

Caetano_Thiago · 11/05/2009, 04:51 PM

+1 do u have any test kits? IF NOT. thats is the first thing on ur list. and some jugs for water changes.

Evil Nemo · 11/05/2009, 06:01 PM

Yes. Get the tank stable, first. It gives you the time to read up on reefs. Remember many Europeans don't add anything to thier tanks until 6 months. Patience WILL pay off!

sebastio12 · 11/06/2009, 02:43 PM

The water has been tested by my lfs. All test came back normal and everything in the tank right now seems to agree

I am doing weekly water changes of about 3-5 gallons with RO water from my lfs.

My plans are to change the crushed coral for some aragonite. Then buy a protein skimmer and a powerhead, have them work on the tank for a couple weeks, then add lighting. After a couple more weeks introduce some hardy soft coral. I'm taking it pretty slow for now, already lost some money in livestock and learned my lesson.

The tank is stable now, it went through a sort of mini-cycle after I moved it to my house, but it seems to be getting through it with my livestock unscathed!

I actually had an interesting development today, I found a tiny starfish in the tank, and my fire shrimp molted for the second time in 3 weeks. I hope these are good signs.

11/05/2009, 02:50 PM	#1
sebastio12 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Pensacola, Fl Posts: 2	New to saltwater, and in need of help! So I'm pretty new to saltwater aquariums and I need some advice. I bought an etablished tank, but I want to take it further. Here's what I have, 29 gallon tank with... -Hang on Filter (Marineland Emperor 280 with a bio-wheel) - Heater (THEO UL Heater 150W) It has... -about 35 pounds of live rock -about 2 inches of sand (looks more like crushed shells) -Two Ocellaris Clownfish -One Peppermint shrimp, one Fire shrimp, two small hermit crabs and three turbo slugs Is the filtration for this tank adequate, I'm going to get a protein skimmer and some better lighting, and a powerhead soon. What else do I need for a healthy tank. I might want to make it a reeftank soon, is this a good idea? I Also, I put in two Green Chromis a couple weeks back, but both died. They seemed sick from the start. My second peppermint shrimp also died (I bought these at the local petland, not sure if it's a good place for aquariums). But my tank seems fine, I added my second clownfish two weeks ago and it's doing great, and the water tests came back normal, any ideas?

11/05/2009, 03:09 PM	#2
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	Done any testing on the water? What's your water change schedule like? In the longterm, it's really important to be specific about your goals, before we can help you decide what action to take. The tank will be OK as-is, if you stay on top of maintenance (regular water changes, and rinse/replace the media in that filter every few days) but it would be very difficult to transition to a typical mixed reef without a lot of change. Also, IMHO, it's worth getting things stable, and solving any problems you have now, before you start acting on any ideas of expanding or changing the setup. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

11/05/2009, 04:39 PM	#3
jenjen Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Langley BC, Canada Posts: 1,710	I agree with der_wille - get your parameters under control and make a plan for the tank before you start adding/changing things. What are your current parameters? Regardless of your ultimate plans for the tank, it should have a powerhead. If there's not one in there at all, I'd add one. __________________ "Challenges forge the greatness in you" Current Tank Info: 180gal softy reef (Apr '09)

11/05/2009, 04:51 PM	#4
Caetano_Thiago Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: 831 Salinas Posts: 420	+1 do u have any test kits? IF NOT. thats is the first thing on ur list. and some jugs for water changes. __________________ just keep telling myself that i only spent half of what was actually spent.. and ill be ok. Current Tank Info: 14G Oceanic BC, RapidLed Retro kit with Cree LEDS, intank media basket (middle chamber turned into fuge),Intank fishsaver, MJ900 return pump,hydor deflector, intank water director, intank fuge underwater light, jbj ato, EcoTech MP10ES

11/05/2009, 06:01 PM	#5
Evil Nemo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Northwest Posts: 84	Yes. Get the tank stable, first. It gives you the time to read up on reefs. Remember many Europeans don't add anything to thier tanks until 6 months. Patience WILL pay off!

11/06/2009, 02:43 PM	#6
sebastio12 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Pensacola, Fl Posts: 2	The water has been tested by my lfs. All test came back normal and everything in the tank right now seems to agree I am doing weekly water changes of about 3-5 gallons with RO water from my lfs. My plans are to change the crushed coral for some aragonite. Then buy a protein skimmer and a powerhead, have them work on the tank for a couple weeks, then add lighting. After a couple more weeks introduce some hardy soft coral. I'm taking it pretty slow for now, already lost some money in livestock and learned my lesson. The tank is stable now, it went through a sort of mini-cycle after I moved it to my house, but it seems to be getting through it with my livestock unscathed! I actually had an interesting development today, I found a tiny starfish in the tank, and my fire shrimp molted for the second time in 3 weeks. I hope these are good signs.