looking for advice

staticx · 11/01/2006, 10:53 AM

Okay so im new to the saltwater world and jsut have a few questions.
1. Can I have live rocks with coral and anemonies without haveing to have a huge reef type aquarium?
2. can I have a reef aquarium with fics or just the reef ?
3. what are good things for a newbie to begin with ?
4. I always see the term fowlr i know what it means but im confused does that mean you cant have a aquarium incorporating everything

Travis L. Stevens · 11/01/2006, 11:07 AM

1) Doing that would make the aquarium considered a "Reef"

2)

Was that supposed to be "fish" and not "fics"? You can have a tank with just fish. It's called a Fish Only (FO) tank. Or, if you have live rock, it's called a Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR)
3) Reef Central. Seriously, your are in for a lot of research before you can build the tank that you want. If you start building now without knowing what you want, you will encounter lots of problems in the future.
4) See #2. There are mainly three types of marine aquariums Fish Only (FO), Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR), and a Reef tank. A Reef tank doesn't necessarily have to have fish, but does need to have corals and coral like invertebrates.

Here is some good reading for you. Go use the restroom, grab some drinks and snacks, and get ready for lots of reading.

Want to Start a Marine Aquarium?: A Step by Step Guide
Please look here before posting: Read All the links in this thread.

That should get you started.

Travis L. Stevens · 11/01/2006, 11:10 AM

Oh! And...

To Reef Central

laurentb · 11/01/2006, 11:26 AM

wellcome to reef central, is a good place to be start. ask as much questions as you can. we will be more than happy to help you. i'll tell you, salt water aquarium can be very expensive so you want to avoid mistakes. first, decide what you want as a long term plan. then get the equipment that follow this plan. you don't need much if you want a fish only tank. but specific equipment will be required depending on what you want to keep. read about water parameter for what you want to keep, lighting requirement, flow rate, filtration, etc. conclusion: to not waste money, do lot of homework first. goog luck.

staticx · 11/01/2006, 11:44 AM

Thanks for all the help so far i was just trying to get a understanding of some definitions.
I would like a reef tank in the long run and just wanted to know if you can have fish in a reef tank probly a stupid question I feel real dumb right now. Oh well, So what I think i will do is get a reef ready aquarium and start it as a fish only tank and then work my way up as i become more familiar with the system and learn more. then maybe add some live rock and then make the jump to a reef system does this sound like a good idea or?? feeel freee to tell me im stupid

Travis L. Stevens · 11/01/2006, 11:57 AM

It's good and bad. If you plan on having Live Rock, your best bet is to get it all at once at first. Unless you have cured live rock, then you will have a Nitrogen Cycle happen in your tank everytime you put rock in it. When the tank cycles, ammonia will build up and possibly kill any life that you already have established in your tank. So, if you want to take it really slow, but still want to start with a few fish, then start with a FOWLR.

Oh, and yes you can have fish in a reef. Not very many people have coral only tanks. You just need to make sure that your choice in fish won't damage or eat anything that you plan on keeping in the future.

cilyjr · 11/01/2006, 12:00 PM

you should check out travis' thread at the top of this forum...it is a work in progress and will give you a lot of info. it will help you

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=912378

laurentb · 11/01/2006, 12:10 PM

you're not stupid. we were all beginers too. but, yes. you can have fish in a reef tank. Just make sure, they're reef safe. some fish tend to knock rocks and corals down. (ask your LFS (local fish store)). live rocks and a protein skimmer are the first thing to think about. live rock is important as it plays the role of biological filter. check with a test kit your PH, liverocks when introduce lower the PH. maintain it with a PH buffer at 8.3

Travis L. Stevens · 11/01/2006, 12:18 PM

Actually, read up on what water parameters are, what additives/buffers do, and know how to correct any potential problems. Low pH from cycling rocks is caused by the CO2 release from the bacterial blooms. Adding pH buffer will only throw off your water chemistry.

staticx · 11/02/2006, 05:07 AM

Well thank you all once again that clears it up alot for me. Okay so im off to get the tank today its a 220 gal ill throw some pics up. And then i will have a ton of questions when i get it started

11/01/2006, 10:53 AM	#1
staticx Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: oregon Posts: 825	looking for advice Okay so im new to the saltwater world and jsut have a few questions. 1. Can I have live rocks with coral and anemonies without haveing to have a huge reef type aquarium? 2. can I have a reef aquarium with fics or just the reef ? 3. what are good things for a newbie to begin with ? 4. I always see the term fowlr i know what it means but im confused does that mean you cant have a aquarium incorporating everything

11/01/2006, 11:10 AM	#3
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	Oh! And... *To Reef Central* __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

11/01/2006, 11:57 AM	#6
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	It's good and bad. If you plan on having Live Rock, your best bet is to get it all at once at first. Unless you have cured live rock, then you will have a Nitrogen Cycle happen in your tank everytime you put rock in it. When the tank cycles, ammonia will build up and possibly kill any life that you already have established in your tank. So, if you want to take it really slow, but still want to start with a few fish, then start with a FOWLR. Oh, and yes you can have fish in a reef. Not very many people have coral only tanks. You just need to make sure that your choice in fish won't damage or eat anything that you plan on keeping in the future. __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

11/01/2006, 12:00 PM	#7
cilyjr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 1,683	you should check out travis' thread at the top of this forum...it is a work in progress and will give you a lot of info. it will help you http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=912378 __________________ Cls Current Tank Info: 180 inwall, 75 sump, 20lfrag, 3x lumen max elite w/250w radium 20k, recirc modded asm g-3, aqua controller apex,2x rw-20, 350lbs LR

11/01/2006, 12:18 PM	#9
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	Actually, read up on what water parameters are, what additives/buffers do, and know how to correct any potential problems. Low pH from cycling rocks is caused by the CO2 release from the bacterial blooms. Adding pH buffer will only throw off your water chemistry. __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

11/01/2006, 11:07 AM	#2
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	1) Doing that would make the aquarium considered a "Reef" 2) Was that supposed to be "fish" and not "fics"? You can have a tank with just fish. It's called a Fish Only (FO) tank. Or, if you have live rock, it's called a Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) 3) Reef Central. Seriously, your are in for a lot of research before you can build the tank that you want. If you start building now without knowing what you want, you will encounter lots of problems in the future. 4) See #2. There are mainly three types of marine aquariums Fish Only (FO), Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR), and a Reef tank. A Reef tank doesn't necessarily have to have fish, but does need to have corals and coral like invertebrates. Here is some good reading for you. Go use the restroom, grab some drinks and snacks, and get ready for lots of reading. Want to Start a Marine Aquarium?: A Step by Step Guide Please look here before posting: Read All the links in this thread. That should get you started. __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

11/01/2006, 11:26 AM	#4
laurentb Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Fort Worth TEXAS Posts: 127	wellcome to reef central, is a good place to be start. ask as much questions as you can. we will be more than happy to help you. i'll tell you, salt water aquarium can be very expensive so you want to avoid mistakes. first, decide what you want as a long term plan. then get the equipment that follow this plan. you don't need much if you want a fish only tank. but specific equipment will be required depending on what you want to keep. read about water parameter for what you want to keep, lighting requirement, flow rate, filtration, etc. conclusion: to not waste money, do lot of homework first. goog luck.

11/01/2006, 11:44 AM	#5
staticx Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: oregon Posts: 825	Thanks for all the help so far i was just trying to get a understanding of some definitions. I would like a reef tank in the long run and just wanted to know if you can have fish in a reef tank probly a stupid question I feel real dumb right now. Oh well, So what I think i will do is get a reef ready aquarium and start it as a fish only tank and then work my way up as i become more familiar with the system and learn more. then maybe add some live rock and then make the jump to a reef system does this sound like a good idea or?? feeel freee to tell me im stupid

11/01/2006, 12:10 PM	#8
laurentb Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Fort Worth TEXAS Posts: 127	you're not stupid. we were all beginers too. but, yes. you can have fish in a reef tank. Just make sure, they're reef safe. some fish tend to knock rocks and corals down. (ask your LFS (local fish store)). live rocks and a protein skimmer are the first thing to think about. live rock is important as it plays the role of biological filter. check with a test kit your PH, liverocks when introduce lower the PH. maintain it with a PH buffer at 8.3

11/02/2006, 05:07 AM	#10
staticx Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: oregon Posts: 825	Well thank you all once again that clears it up alot for me. Okay so im off to get the tank today its a 220 gal ill throw some pics up. And then i will have a ton of questions when i get it started