30 gallon saltwater tank COMING SOON

[CTSrt4]

Ok so its official im going to return all my fish and plants to my pet store im draining and taking down my tank to start my saltwater setup im planning on 20-30 lbs of live rock and maybe reef not to sure yet. also not sure on what fish or anything. im planning on having a 10-20 gallon sump located under the tank with a special pump to have the water work against gravity the lighting im using is the t-5 ho, i believe im going to add 30-40 lbs of live sand and maybe 30 gallons of actual ocean water from the ocean sold with 5 gallons a jug. this water is expensive but will be best for my tank instead of using distilled or RO i know i can use either or but id rather have just natural water. Im planning on adding a protein skimmer after the cycle in a couple weeks.and possibly a uv sterilizer.

If anyone has any tips feedback suggestions id appreciate it. I know im new to this field of sw but i have a couple books this forums and a few friends at the pet shop with a combined knowledge of 105 years. Im chosing to use my 30 only because of lack of space to hold anyhing longer and issues as im on the third floor of an apt id love a 155 gallon but its not realistic.

MORE PICS COMING SOON.....

Live Rock 20 lbs today to start when tanks ready ill add 20 lbs of live reef I had it sit in the bag with a fine bubbler to keep the water with 02





Live sand 30lbs from the Bahamas

[CTSrt4]

New Pics today

[CTSrt4]

Added live sand and live rock today also live water

[karazy]

its looking great. what do u all have on this tank?(type of skimmer,lighting, ect.) and plus IMO you should definatley get more liverock. try to get some like 1 or 2 big pieces so you have some pieces if you want to make a good base for aquascaping

[CTSrt4]

Originally Posted by karazy

its looking great. what do u all have on this tank?(type of skimmer,lighting, ect.) and plus IMO you should definatley get more liverock. try to get some like 1 or 2 big pieces so you have some pieces if you want to make a good base for aquascaping

as of right now i have only 20lbs of live rock im planning on adding another 10-20 and then 20-30 lbs of live coral for lighting i have a Coral Life t5 ho light with 10000k and a blue antiac light as well pumping 90 watts might add another strip depending on how things go water temp is constant 78 and i have one power head that does 700 gallons an hour so im good im going to get a protien skimmer in a few weeks im not planning on adding any fish or inverts for a little while i have valentines day to worry about lol shes not a fish geek


here are some more pics after 6 hours

[karazy]

no effence, but you kinda didnt think about this well/long enough IMHO. you should have bought all your equiptment before adding any live rock or sand or anyhting

[CTSrt4]

i dont NEED a protien skimmer or even a sump for that matter its just reccomended the tank is coming along great i can add a protien skimmer at any time i may be a noob at this but the people that are giving me this stuff at cost are not

[guppyart]

yes well if they were thinking they wouldn't have given you everything yet.
I have a 25g reef and wish I had done a sump at the start.
its still not that much water so you have to constantly watch it to make sure its stable.
I also didn't start with a skimmer and wish I did, I got one now but still would have made my life easier at the start.

so maybe you should also listen to the people here a bit.
granted karazy doesn't have a SW and is still learning he has been told by us about a few things.


also you just barely got the tank going you can't say its going GREAT when its just started.
if you had done your reading you would know that the rule is 1-2 pounds of rock per gallon.
I personally have 40 pounds in my 25g and it looks awsome, I got lots of larger stuff to aquascape with.
get more rock right aways cause you can't just add rock anytime you want once its going.

so maybe you should get more rock, get the equipment take some time and actually learn what this hobby is all about.

you havn't finished learning the basics on FW and your jumping into something thats alot more difficult.
I spent several months reading before even getting my stuff, I asked questions and read a ton of books.
I suggest you get this book and read it allllll 2-3 times to get it into your head.
conscientious marine aquarist
once done that ask questions and stuff don't just assume you know enough yet.

not trying to be mean here, but I do know that if you rush into it your going to crash your tank very quickly.
I am just trying to watch out for a hobby I love, I would rather see you wait and take your time then rush crash and quit.
so just saying your going full speed run into this without even thinking, thats a recipe for disaster

[flamingo]

It looks like your jumping into it at a faster pace then would be recommended, but then again, it's not a bad/horrible situation as others make it out to be. Just take it slowly of course, let it cycle, and keep reading up on it. Know what your doing first, before you take advice. Just because they "know their stuff" doesn't necessarily mean they're right.

If your going with corals in this tank, i'd definitely suggest getting a protein skimmer (coralife, remora, etc.). You won't need it for close to a month after a cycle, or longer, seeing as it would really be doing nothing...
So freaking out over not having the equipment is really worthless at this point. You won't need a sump, but again, with corals, it's something to definitely look into. It's much easier to set the sump up before starting the tank, but again, it can also be added in later on. I've never used one personally, and I doubt i'll ever find a reason why to spend the money on one. But of course, I don't keep a hundred thousand dollars worth of pretty sticks .

And to point out, there isn't really anything special about "live marine seawater." There's a brand, I think, made by catalina- that's recommended for nano tanks. Though, it's a huge waste of money for something that's really not needed. Buy RO/DI water, or shop around for a unit for your own personal use.

Good luck

[CTSrt4]

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[nvsbandit]

BALLIN!!!
love the tank. wish i had the time and effort to venture onto such things good luck and have fun with it. i cant wait to see what you stock it with.

[guppyart]

ummm we don't condone nanos, and infact there have been almost bannings over fights on nanos.
the forum and generally everyone suggests 40g or larger here.

also do we really all want to here just nice things from people of your tank.
its good for people to say what they think would make the setup better or warn you that your going to fast.

if it was all happy happy joy joy everyone would be having 1g nanos with clownfish in them without knowing it was wrong.

I could careless if your in a fish circle or something or whatever it is you think were in.

I am not raining on your parade I am just saying you jumped into this faster then most people recommend.

also you don't know any of us, your not a shrink, so don't go making statements like you did there.

the big forums actually condone alot more cruel and disgusting things, so I highly suggest you get your facts right before talking on about raining on your parade.
I care about the fish and hope you succeed but its cheaper to do it all correct the first time then crash and quit the hobby.

I wasn't trying to attack you or rain your parade if I wanted to do that I could do it and get banned.
just saying SW isn't something you just up and decide to do when your still learning basics of this wonderful hobby we all enjoy

[flamingo]

Wow, that comment really made that post I made worthwile.
Look at what you type beforehand, also.

[CTSrt4]

40LBS of cured live rock

[CTSrt4]

so its been a few weeks so i thought id add some more pics and and updates

nitrates 15ppm
ammonia 0ppm
ph 8
nitrite 0ppm
salt 1.022

[karazy]

your salt is a bit low. most like tanks at about 1.024 or 1.025

[Scuba Kid]

You're rushing things....its been a few weeks and you're already stocked? And what lighting is on this tank? Anemones require high-light tanks and clean water...Meaning you need good lights and you need to get a protein skimmer.

[karazy]

and how many chromis do you have? because it looks like 4, and thats overstocked when u include the clowns

[CTSrt4]

More new fish!!!

[Scuba Kid]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

You got a regal and a naso tang? These fish need 6 foot long tanks! They are WAY too big and active for your tank! Not to mention, its not even established enough for all of those fish! If you even have half of a brain, you'll return them and START RESEARCHING BEFORE YOU BUY!