What do i need??? How Much does it cost???

[Fishfirst]

once you got it all sorted out... its not so complex, the UV Sterilizer can be in the main tank or the QT... you can get by with a biowheel filter as long as you test your nitrates in the QT tank, (thats the only problem with biowheel filters) No special lights needed for the QT... just a reg florecent works

[badfish]

hey firstfish, thanks for the quick response, so i can get by with a biowheel filter, heater, powerhead, and some sand and tank with regular hood and bulb? thats not too bad. Is it true that i should get a filter with the big tank, My LFS said i should, that way i wont have to get as much Liverock, they suggested the Penguin Biowheel Powerfilter. I guess with some liverock, remora skimmer, and a filter it should be good, especially since its my first tank.

Thanks guys.

- Jeff

[Fishfirst]

the biowheel will be a place where nitrates build up, not really a good thing for long term success (which is why it is acceptible in a temperary quarentine) Live rock is better in my experiance... all you need is the skimmer and live rock and also a powerhead or two to keep the circulation in the tank pretty high (this will make sure detritous is taken up by your protien skimmer. Other than that it sounds like a good setup!

[TheOldSalt]

The UV sterilizer is a simple device, really. Basically, it is a plastic tube surrounding a powerful ultraviolet lightbulb which is in a waterproof sleeve. The light emitted by this bulb, at a wavelength of 2357 angstroms, disrupts the DNA of anything which is exposed to it, killing it quickly. Tank water is pumped through it, fragging the microorganisms within that water.
There is a model on the market called a "turbo-twist" which increases the contact time between the water and the UV light by making the water swirl around the light in a spiral. A powerful one of these babies will save you a lot of grief.

Do not use sand or live rock in the quarantine tank. These will interfere with the medicine or be killed by it anyway.

The quarantine tank does not have to be anything complicated. I use clear plastic rubbermaid tubs instead of glass tanks.
As for the filtration, you COULD go to all the trouble of establishing a biofilter, but the truth is it would be compromised by the medicine anyway. Besides, during the course of treatment you'd be making lots of large water changes anyway between doses or treatments.
A super-simple setup that does little more than keep the water very well aerated and warm is really all you need. No special lighting needed; cheap is fine.

As for the process itself... whew! I'm afraid that would take me all night to type up. Hail Sniper once asked me to make a full series on it to make into a sticky post. I guess I'll have to do it.
Basically, you observe the fish very closely for signs of trouble, and you treat accordingly. As a professional, I assumed that every fish had every disease and treated for everything. I had to, for I could NOT allow any sick fish to get into my displays. As a home hobbyist, you can ease up quite a bit and only treat for things you see over a month or so.

If you use a UV in the main tank, you won't have to be as careful with the quarantine. Do NOT use a UV in the quarantine tank. The UV radiation produces ozone in the water as a side effect, and this oxidizes the medicine to the point of uselessness. ( or worse )

Once again, Live rock will DIE if you do not use the correct lighting. Since it's so expensive and only looks nice when it's alive, you'll probably want to keep it lively. The bulbs which typically come with a bowfront hood are not good enough. What you'll need are either VHO, Metal Halide, or the most powerful Power Compacts you can find. Your petshop guy can explain these things to you, but you'll save a bundle if you order your choice from a catalog.

[badfish]

wow thats good to know, so when you say a simple quarantine tank, you do not need a filter, just a powerhead and heater? Can the hood be used? or do i need to buy a whole new light system, like i said the one i was looking at only had room for 1 bulb. I was looking at another aquarium that had spots for 2 bulbs in the hood. Right now im just saving a lot of $$$$, cuz it is a lot more then i thought it would be. Thanks again, keep your ideas coming. Do you guys have any of your setups posted (pics, explanations of what you have, ruff estimate of how much it cost) thanks. - Jeff

[Fishfirst]

*just to clarify* the uv sterilizer in the qt tank is fine when adding new fish to your tank as long as you don't have meds in it... I personally use it on my qt in this way... As for my setup... I have a sea-clone protien skimmer (which I haven't had problems with) on my current 55 gallon which I will be upgrading to a 125 this summer because of my choice of fish. In the 55 I have sand for substraight and only about 30lbs of live rock (can't afford more at the moment) power compact lights, power head, and the following fish - Christmas Wrasse, True Percula Clown, Yellow Tang, Blue Tang, and a blue and three stripe damsel which will be housed in my 20 gallon once I get my 125 (they turned out to be too aggressive), I also have about 10 hermits and 15 turbo snails and a huge green serpant starfish (total diameter 20"!!!). In the 20 I have a some reg. florecent lights, and a powerhead with 15lbs of live rock... (in a shallow tank the live rock does fairly well under the florecent lighting i've found) I have a firefish and a royal gramma in there, which I will move into the 125 gal when I place the damsels in the 20, I also have some emerald crabs in there. All this cost me around 1000 dollars all put together... some of its used, some of its brand new...

[badfish]

Hey Fishfirst,

that sounds like a pretty sweet setup, and good luck with your 125. What kind of Compact lights do you have, Whats a good brand to buy and how much can i expect to pay for it. did you pay 1000 for both tanks and all livestock, or just to set up. Do you have a quarantine tank? This is my plan as of now, let me know what you think.

Main Aquarium
44 Gallon bow aquarium with stand, hood and light (which looks like it will need to upgraded)
Sand as substrate purchased from home depot
30 lbs of live rock from liverocks.com (20lb base rock, 10lb of keys rock)
protein skimmer (most likely a remora)
2 powerheads
1 heater
maybe UV Sterilizer (dont know how much they cost)

Quarantine Tank
10 gallon tank
1 powerhead
maybe a small filter
1 heater
Is this basically all i need?

do you know of any good places online to order parts to get an estimate of how much it costs? I was looking at liverocks.com and they seem to have good prices, around 5 bucks a pound (including shipping), beets the LFS of 8.50 (and it doesnt look half as good as the keys rock).

Thanks Again,

- Jeff[/u]

[Osiris]

If u want to save some money on skimmer, the excalibur is put to the test against the remora and is holding it's own, here is the thread with the testing going on:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ight=excalibur

It's pretty interesting thread, i have met with couple guys who just were not impressed at all with the remora, could have bad luck or something, who knows.

[Fishfirst]

yeah a 15 gallon is my quarentine tank... All-glass compact florecents (2 - 110 watts) I paid around 1000 for everything including livestock for the two aquariums...

I seeded my rock just as you are going to, and I recomend www.liveaquaria.com for price referances. (they tend to have some good deals from time to time on supplies too)

[badfish]

thanks again guys, it looks like im finally gettin an idea of what i need to do. Thanks again.

[TheOldSalt]

If you want to see what real live rock is supposed to look like, as opposed to the junk you find in most stores, go to http://www.floridaliverock.com

By the way, Florida rock doesn't have all those blasted planarians that pacific rock has.

Here's another page from the same company:

http://www.gulf-view.com/deco_a.html

I think you might like the prices, too.

[badfish]

thanks guys, i appreciate all the advice. I am currently saving a little extra bucks and hope to have at least a tank and start cycling within the next month. I then plan to pick up a proten skimmer and all the other nececities. Thanks again, i will be sure to post when i have something up and running. Thanks again.

[Fishfirst]

Awesome, what do you plan on putting in it?

[badfish]

the main thing i want are clownfish, i have always loved them. Also around 30-40 lbs of liverock, yellow tank, blenny, goby, and i also like the black and white clownfish. Pretty much begginer fish, i will probably start of with some damsels, but hopefully my LFS will let me trade them in after my tank gets stabalized, i heard that some fish stores will do it. Then in the future i will prob. try some coral. That website you told me about, www.liveaquaria.com, have you ordered fish from there before?

[Fishfirst]

As long as you cycled the tank, a clownfish is a good choice... take a look at my post "fish FOR beginners" Damsels, though hardy, become terrors of the tank... I have two and thats two too many IMO! The yellow tang you are planning on getting will do well in a forty gallon for a while... but eventually will need a bigger home. I have not ordered from Liveaquaria, but I hear they are decent... (one reason I don't do this is I like picking out the individual fish that I buy, and normally watch it for a week or two in the the LFS to make sure of its health) I more use liveaquaria for a general reference of fish, corals, and inverts.

[Osiris]

just a sidenote, damsels are a b*##$ to catch, believe me, gotta tear apart tank to get them.

[Fishfirst]

I agree the last time I had to catch a damsel it almost took me two hours of ****ing around to get it out! Smart little buggers cuz if you miss the first time, they are very wary

[badfish]

thats good to know, maybe ill set a trap