Hey everyone, im starting a Fish Only tank to put in my room....
I want fish only right now because Live Rock is expensive!
These are my plans:
I want a 29 gallon FO tank!
I will have a 65w PC light!
And 30lbs of dryed live rock, (with dry sand)!
also I will have a Canister filter and a power filter!
Thats all! will I be Good?
P.s; Im planning on having a few fish, and also get some Live rock later on...
New tank!
11 posts • Page 1 of 2
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puffedupseagull - Posts: 623
- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:38 am
Live rock i think is a must, it helps fight the nitrate that accumulates in the tank by helping the bacteria grow in your tank. You are aware of the cycling process yeah. The bigger the tank the easier it can be. Remember patience, and this web site will get you through. Dont hesitate to post a question, before just jumping in. As far as pc lights, not sure what they are here in aus. The dried LR should help your cause, its not a bad thing.
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fihsboy - Posts: 1837
- Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:20 pm
Well what fish are you planning on keeping. With a 29 gallon you cant keep any more than........im going to say about 3. maybe 4. (small ones) due to bioload. anything more than that and you are going to need an extravagent filter. You will probably need a protein skimmer.......that would help you more than either the canister filter or the power filter. Big filters are great............but excessive proteins can be a real problem in saltwater. You want a deep sand bed...........that will help you out a lot too. maybe 3-4 inches. at least 2 though. What fish do you want to keep though?
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EDUB1152 - Posts: 27
- Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:50 am
well two clown fish, MAYBE a yellow tank, and a few damsels!
What If I setup a wetdry sump?
and maybe get some live rock?
What If I setup a wetdry sump?
and maybe get some live rock?
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dick_headers - Posts: 424
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:59 pm
Definitely go with live rocks if you can. About 40 lbs, or maybe more. By the end of the nitrogen cycle you'll have a much more stable system.
Be very careful with dry,"beach" sand. Dry sand very high on silicates. It could be an issue when it comes to Ph. You'll probably have to use Ph buffer almost every day because the dry sand won't buffer it up, but in this case the live rock will help.
I'd certainly invest at least 20 lbs of live sand or any kin of aragonite. by the time you tank established you'll have a very steady Ph level.
If it's a FO tank you'll be fine with canister and a power filter, and maybe an extra powerhead, or 2. You will need water movement in a smaller tank, more than ever.
GOOD LUCK!!!
Be very careful with dry,"beach" sand. Dry sand very high on silicates. It could be an issue when it comes to Ph. You'll probably have to use Ph buffer almost every day because the dry sand won't buffer it up, but in this case the live rock will help.
I'd certainly invest at least 20 lbs of live sand or any kin of aragonite. by the time you tank established you'll have a very steady Ph level.
If it's a FO tank you'll be fine with canister and a power filter, and maybe an extra powerhead, or 2. You will need water movement in a smaller tank, more than ever.
GOOD LUCK!!!
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fihsboy - Posts: 1837
- Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:20 pm
A yellow tang wouldnt be too happy. You could always go with a smaller fish though. Wet dry sump would be good....but those damn bio balls are nitrate factories. I dunno why but they are. Set yourself up a nice refuge after the bio balls.......this will rid the nitrate problem before it starts. You could always go with blennys, gobies, wrasses, fish like that would be great too!
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dick_headers - Posts: 424
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:59 pm
Actually bio balls can be beneficial if you do not have any live rock/sand in your system. Bio balls aren't nitrate factor if you treat them properly.
Bio balls will help establish a new set up that doesn't have any natural source of live bacterias ( LR,LS ).
Proper maintance means rinse the bioballs in the salt water that comes from your set up. Water change is great time to do it. Let the detritus ( crap,left overs) rinse out and that's about it. Never scrab the balls hard ( you can scrab your own balls hard though..:-) cuz they can lose all the good stuff they already have.
The problem is in wet/dry system with bio balls that some of the detritus can, and will pass through the mechanical filter and will trap on the bio balls. That's when the bio balls and nitrates start to become buddys.
Most people heard that you should never touch your bio media. I am disagree with that. If you have a FO tank with no LR or LS and you'd like to keep a fire goby or a clown fish in a 90 G set up then yes, you probably don't have to pay any attention to your bio balls for about a year.
If you have a few tang, angels this and that in the same set up, you'll have to do I'd say a monthly proper bio media cleaning. ( I didn't mean water changes)
More food,more crap, more detritus, more bio mess.
On the other hand if you have all the LR and LS don't worry about keeping any bio media. Bio medias were invented for replacing nattural source of live bacterias when LR and LS weren't as easy( and cheap) to get.
Fisboy is right about refugiums...but that's another story.
Bio balls will help establish a new set up that doesn't have any natural source of live bacterias ( LR,LS ).
Proper maintance means rinse the bioballs in the salt water that comes from your set up. Water change is great time to do it. Let the detritus ( crap,left overs) rinse out and that's about it. Never scrab the balls hard ( you can scrab your own balls hard though..:-) cuz they can lose all the good stuff they already have.
The problem is in wet/dry system with bio balls that some of the detritus can, and will pass through the mechanical filter and will trap on the bio balls. That's when the bio balls and nitrates start to become buddys.
Most people heard that you should never touch your bio media. I am disagree with that. If you have a FO tank with no LR or LS and you'd like to keep a fire goby or a clown fish in a 90 G set up then yes, you probably don't have to pay any attention to your bio balls for about a year.
If you have a few tang, angels this and that in the same set up, you'll have to do I'd say a monthly proper bio media cleaning. ( I didn't mean water changes)
More food,more crap, more detritus, more bio mess.
On the other hand if you have all the LR and LS don't worry about keeping any bio media. Bio medias were invented for replacing nattural source of live bacterias when LR and LS weren't as easy( and cheap) to get.
Fisboy is right about refugiums...but that's another story.
