Possibly starting first ever small FOWLR SW tank and looking for info

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Hi fellow Calgarians!

I have been doing some FW planted tank fish keeping for about a year and a half and have been seriously thinking about starting up a small 6G SW tank with a similar sized sump to get an idea about what its like to work with salt water tanks. Before anyone comments about the size of tank, I am aware that small volumes of water is very risky for a beginner but it will give me a great hands on experience without breaking the bank and I can assess whether or not I would like to continue with something bigger after messing with something smaller scale for a bit. My plans would be to add 2-3 small fish (a small clown and a goby I think) and some inverts. Eventually I might add some other easy to care for corals or something once I figure out what easy to care for means in SW.


That being said I am trying to get an idea of where to source things and also looking for information/tips from those more experienced than I am.

1) where can I source small cheap chunks of live rock and live sand in Calgary? This will save me a little bit of traveling around the city. If I bought some from a member here would I necessarily need to cycle the tank?
2) Is it ok to add both live rock and live sand to the tank at once or is it better to put the sand in after the live rock has cured? The sticky article in here didnt seem to mention if it could be done at the same time and if there was any caution needed if doing so.
3) After the live rock and sand is added, how long before I would be able to put some inverts and fish in? I am guessing it would depend on the initial source of the LR and sand and how quickly its able to drop ammonia and nitrite levels?
4) Any suggestions about creating the salt water mix and what brand of salt is a good balance between quality and price? Or is there much difference?
5) I know lighting will be a big part of keeping the SW tank, does anyone know where I can get a retrofit kit and ballasts locally to put those short power compact fluorescent tube lights in?
6) what other equipment and supplies besides the basics of tank, lights, heater, skimmer and test kit might I need?

7) Is there a reference of slang/shorthand for SW that I can read up on? Researching is kinda confusing when I dont know what such things as a cheato or pods are..
8) Any other cautionary things I might need to know ahead of time that I may not pick up from reading posts in the forum?


Thanks for any info that can be provided!

[Magma]

some slang that I have in a txt file hope it helps?

acro - Acropora, a type of SPS coral
Ca - Calcium
CaCl2 - Calcium chloride
CaCO3 - Calcium carbonate Ca(OH)2 - Calcium hydroxide
Cl - Chlorine
CO2 - Carbon dioxide
CO3 - Carbonate
Cu - Copper
CYANO - Cyanobacteria
DI - Deionisation, type of water purification
dKH - Degrees of carbonate hardness, measure of alkalinity
FO -Fish only, type of marine aquarium
FOWLR - Fish Only with Live Rock
frag(s) - Broken or cut pieces of coral which will eventually grow into a new coral
GAL - Gallon
GPH - Gallons per hour
HCO3 - Hydrogen carbonate
HO - High output fluorescent light
HOB - Hang on back
HOT - Hang On Tank
HSA - High speed aeration, type of proteins skimmer
I2 - Iodine
IO3 - Iodate
K - kelvin (mechanism for measuring spectrum of lighting)
KI - Potassium iodide
LFS - Local fish store
LPS -Large polyped Scleractinian (stony) coral
LR -Live rock
LS - Live Sand
macro - macroalgae
Mg - Magnesium
MH - Metal halide light
micro - microalgae
Na - Sodium
NaCO3 - Sodium carbonate
NaOH - Sodium hydroxide
NH3 - Ammonia
NH4 - Ammonium
NNR - Natural nitrate reduction, reef setup technique
NO - Normal output fluorescent light
NO2 - Nitrite
NO3 - Nitrate
NSW - Natural seawater
O2 - Oxygen
PC - Power compact fluorescent light
pH - Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions
PH - Powerhead, water pump
PO4 - Phosohate
pods - Non-specific types of copepods, amphipods and such.
PPM - Parts per million, equivalent to mg/l (milligrams per litre)
PVC - Poly vinyl chloride, used for piping / plumbing
PWC = partial water change
RO - Reverse osmosis, type of water purification
RO/DI - Reverse osmosis, followed by deionisation, type of water purification
SG - Specific gravity
shrooms - Mushrooms
Si -Silicon
SiO2 - Silicon dioxide
SPS - Small polyped Scleractinian (stony) coral
Sr - Strontium
SW - Saltwater / seawater
UV - Ultra violet, type of light of shorter wavelength than visible light
UVS - Ultra violet Sterilizer (a unit used by saltwater and freshwater hobbiests to 'zap' parasites and bacteria from the water)
VHO - Very high output fluorescent light
W - Watts
WC - water change
WPG - watts per gallon

[cale262]

Sounds like a nice little sumped Edge

[globaldesigns]

Firstly, welcome to Canreef and the the fun realm of salt!

Here are my thoughts to your questions:

1.) Buying from a member would save you some money. Either way, from the store or not, you will have a cycle. Depending if the rock was cycled already, you can still have a smaller cycle as their could be death during transport. If you are using new sand, then most difinately you would have a larger cycle.

2.) Adding both, will mean one cycle... If you do sand, then cycle, but then add rock, you will have some sort of a cycle again. If both are from an existing systems, then the cycle can be minimal.

3.) Once the cycle has ended, based on tests, you could add inverts right away to start cleanup.

4.) Alot of salt, alot of different prices.

5.) Look for complete fixtures, used if you want to save money. The fixture is one of the most important things. I personally recommend Metal Halide, but alot of people have great success with T5HO. Do your research here, buy depending on what you want to try and keep.

6.) Not much more, I guess people keep telling me to keep it simple, so that is what I will tell you.

7.) already posted, so no reply

8.) BEWARE!!! Very addictive Hobby, do at your own risk!!! Have fun!!!

[Doug]

Welcome to Canreef.



I,m going to move the thread to the general reef forum for you. Should get more response there.

[intarsiabox]

If you want to go PC lighting they have the screw in type 50/50 bulbs or you could go with a small LED fixture. Either one should be good for a 6g tank without overheating the water and will easily keep soft corals and zoanthids. My soft corals have always seemed to grow like weeds under PC lighting. Good luck and have fun!

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Thanks all for the welcome... I have been lurking on here for a few months and only just decided to start posting.

@Magma Thanks... that is a good start... still dont know what a cheato is but I assume its not a cheesy snack.

@cale262 Whatever gave you that idea? (Sump isnt quite done yet but should be very soon.... )

@globaldesigns Thank you for the info. Yes I can imagine the SW side is as addictive as the FW side of things has been. Sounds like there is a bit more to learn for SW though. Should be an interesting challenge.

@doug Thanks for the move. I was looking for local sources for supplies but definitely could use everyone's input to start.

@intarsiabox cale262 has it correct.. this is a Fluval Edge that I have been modifying with some info and guidance from him. I will probably go with the MR16 LED bulbs which output a decent white and will also have LED strip of blue lights. I have also got a socket that I can mount in the hood for the 50/50 bulb. Just thought I might eventually need to look for a better option in case those arent quite good enough. I have seen other examples of SW Edge tanks with the PC light mods.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

What kind of LS should I be looking for and where can I pick it up locally in Calgary? Think I need much to cover the bottom of 6G tank? Should I also think about putting some with LR in my sump and would that require lighting the sump? My sump is basically done so I am starting to look for supplies etc and still need to hunt for some small nice looking chunks of LR. I measured it out last night and I have a total water volume of approx 10G ... maybe slightly less to account for sand, rock and enough space for water to drain to in case of power failure.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by CGY_Betta_Guy

What kind of LS should I be looking for and where can I pick it up locally in Calgary? Think I need much to cover the bottom of 6G tank? Should I also think about putting some with LR in my sump and would that require lighting the sump? My sump is basically done so I am starting to look for supplies etc and still need to hunt for some small nice looking chunks of LR. I measured it out last night and I have a total water volume of approx 10G ... maybe slightly less to account for sand, rock and enough space for water to drain to in case of power failure.

you wouldnt need much sand and if you post an ad you can get some for free on here i guarantee it , you will just have to rinse it very well. you would only need around 5lbs and ideally around a 1-2" sandbed but you can go more if you like. buy a few pounds of rock right out of someones tank and transfer it home in water the less time it spends in transport or being taken out of water the less dieoff you will have and the shorter cycle you will get.
you can always add small amounts of liverock to your tank later without a cycle if there has been do dieoff cheers

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

When you say rinse it very well... does that require using salt water? and wouldnt that just get rid of any living creatures/bacteria in the sand? guessing its a stir it up in the bucket and dump the floatin stuff out situation?

I was looking at Ocean Direct and their line of Live Sand... kinda odd that it says it contains bacteria when its in a sealed bag for who knows how long... or is it similar to fresh water where they have "bacteria boosters" that are questionable on if they work or not?

Also... thinking of getting a koralia nano... any opinions on this vs a different brand of power head? Do I need a grounding probe for something this small?

My thread title is misleading now since I think the SW tank is pretty much a go once I get all my equipment
I am makin my list and hopin someone will check it twice... (and give me suggestions and guidance)
LS
LR ( depending if I find a nice looking shaped chunk or 2)
Salt
Marine Test Kit
hydrometer or refractometer
Powerhead (koralia nano seems to be popular)
grounding probe?