New setup - help needed...

[safish]

Hello All,
This is my first post and I will try to provide as much as information as possible before asking the question.

I have placed an order for 55G SeaClear system II with a water heater and a Venturi protein skimmer. I am planning to keep it as a fish tank and if everything works out well, may be put few corals (I hope that should be OK).

Since this is my first saltwater aquarium, I have few questions.

1. Do I need to buy anything other than what I specified for tank (not fishes)?.
2. Do I need reverse osmosis?. My house has complete water treatment system. Can I use this water?.
3. How long do I need to cycle the water before adding fish?.
4. Last question, during cycling time, how often and what quantity of water do I need to replace/refill?.

Thanks and appreciate your response.

[CollegeReefer]

A 55 gallon is a great starting tank for saltwater. Other then the heater and protein skimmer there are a few other things needed if you plan on houseing corals. You will need lights. Depending on the corals you decide to keep will help you choose which types of light you want. You will also need powerheads to move water around in the tank. The ammount of flow also depends on types of coral you plan to keep.

The biggest thing you will need for your tank is live rock. I and many others on this forum see it is a must for any saltwater tank for it offers amazing filtration and gives your tank a great look whether you go with reef or fowlr (fish only with live rock).

The live rock will put your tank through a cycle. Expect it to last around a month. Sometimes less and sometimes more depending on how much die off there is on your live rock. Once all levels are at zero you can add your CUC (clean up crew). Wait a couple of weeks for your tank to get use to the new bio load. AFter this you can add fish slowly. Typically no more then three at a time.

I didn't change water during the cycle, only at the end. I did a 20 percent water change and waited another week before adding a cuc. I however did not see any huge spikes in my parm.

My advice to you is to keep reading threads on this forum and other forums. Go get some book and read some more. And after that, if you still have some quesiton come here and we will awnser them to the best of our ability.

[Fish Muffin]

Well a 55gallon is an awsome Way to start out for Salt water. A reef would look awsome, Thats all I wanted to say CollegeReefer covered the rst, if you go any questions just PM me

[safish]

Thanks you. You guys are awesome . One question, do I necesarily have to have reverse osmosis?. Can I use my house tap water to make salt water?.

[flamingo]

It depends on what your water is personally like. You'll likely hear others (and possibly those from this forum) that will say Ro/Di is the "only way" it can be done. Personally, the water around my area isn't horrid, so it can be used straight from the tap. Some have huge issues with algae, phosphates, etc. from their water, others don't. Ro/Di is a good add-on, but it's not absolutely vital for any tank in most situations.

[Ice]

Actually it is best to use RO/DI water because using tap water straight up may contain hard chemicals (copper, etc ...) that will harm SW livestock. I'd be better safe than sorry.

[leveldrummer]

not to mention chlorine, and if you use a de-chlorinator, better watch your skimmer.

[TheOldSalt]

If you live near the coast, your tapwater may be high in silicate and/or phosphate, which will give you constant algae problems.
You say you have a water purifier, but what exactly does that mean? As much as I truly detest RO systems and their wastefulness, they're still a good way to go if you want a reef.

If you want a bunch of fish, though, then don't worry about it. You'll have a whole different set of problems which negates the need for worrying about trace minerals. In fact, I wouldn't even worry about fancy lights, live rocks, or RO/DI if I were you. I've been at this since 1972, and the best advice I can give you is to try fish-only first before even thinking about a reef. Yes, you could start a reef from day one, and people do it all the time. Those people often have a ton of hassles, though, which they could have avoided of they had only known a few things they didn't, which they would have learned if they had kept the fish before trying their reefs.

Live rock, or more precisely CURED live rock,, in sufficient quantity, will pretty much instantly cycle your tank. GETTING cured live rock is the hard part. If you want to cycle the old fashioned way, though, then know that there is no timetable for this per se. Instead, you have to conduct the tests and watch things, and when it's cycled, it's cycled. Of course, every time you add a fish you have to start a new cycle, which is one of the first things you have to learn and understand. A for replacing water during the cycling... you don't if you can avoid it. That would only take away the bacteria's food, thusly slowing down the process considerably.

Get some books, and good ones at that. Read them several times. You have a lot of very fundamental things to learn before you'll be able to understand the more complex things that people will toss at you online without even thinking about it.

Oh, one more thing: when you set up a saltwater tank, you have to set up TWO saltwater tanks. The second one is the quarantine tank. Pay attention, for this is important---> EVERY SINGLE FISH in the petshop's saltwater section is riddled with disease. These fish don't come from farms, by and large, and they're kept under less than exemplary conditions while traveling around the world on the way to your tank. They pick up a lot of nasty bugs from each other, and if you don't remove them you will fail utterly as a saltwater hobbyist. This is one of the primary differences between fresh and saltwater fishkeeping, and if you try to cut this corner you'll only get what you deserve eventually.

[safish]

Thank you all for the excellent advice. I live in San Antonio,TX and its 'hard' water. That's the reason I installed two stage Eco water refiner which softnes the water & removes 95% of dissolved solids (at least on paper). I will do the water test once I receive testing kit.

I am planning to start with fish only tank and possibily add some cured live rocks. Once I gain experience, may think of adding corals and/or reefs. Hope everything works out well.