Marine Aquarium anyone?

StonedPenguin

StonedPenguin

StonedPenguin

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Hi there,

I've been wanting an Aquarium for years and have decided to make 2012 the year to begin, I've decided on Marine over tropical and freshwater.

Do we have many on OcUK with Marine tanks?

I realise I need to research a lot and then some more (My brains already hurting after 3 days reading!)

The Plan is:

250-400L Marine tank with a handful of Fish (Clownfish, Tangs), Some Invertebrates (Starfish) and a couple of marine cleaners (1x Cleaner Wrasse 1x Cleaner Shrimp)

I also want a few Corals in there, Not too many just a few.

Can anyone see any immediate problems with 'social' issues or anything?

I know I should probably go to the appropriate forum for questions like this but I'm sure within OcUK's vast members there are some Marine tanker's :D

Thanks. :) , Happy new year!
 
Have you owned/maintained any sort of fish tank before? If not I'd seriously reconsider jumping in with a marine tank.

Be prepared to dedicate a huge amount of time and cash to run it.
 
Hi GSXRMovistar. No I havn't mate, I've read that it requires a lot of Researching, Time and the cost can be high but I'm willing to commit to that.

Generally speaking, If needs be I will have a few hours spare everyday for maintaining the tank so time isnt an issue, I figure the initial cost is high setting up but once thats done the ongoing costs seem reasonable (unless im missing something)

Cheers for the advice :D
 
Would love to have a Marine Aquarium, but for me it needs a lot of work and time to keep the fish and tank healthy, just don't have the time.:(


I would read, read and read before you take the plunge.
 
i wouldnt have more than 1 tang in 250l tank, as they needs lot of food and poop LOADS so you'll have imbalance water parameters due small volume of water.

you look after water, rest will looks after itself.

it's very important to have correct equipment to have good water, RO unit is a must
 
Thanks for info Wesley, I was looking at 250L as a min but hoping for 400-450L ideally as I read the bigger the tank is, The easier it is to control (things go wrong slower etc)

I already have a RO unit under my sink so I'll see what EC readings its giving as its fairly old, pH out of the tap is 7.4-7.6.

Most of the Tanks I'm seeing (Jewel brand im looking at) come with T5 lighting tubes, I've read that MH is better and to buy equipment that can handle a reef only enviroment first time round? Even though I'm starting with a Fish only tank. The better equip will save me buying twice apparently.


I think i'll go to the library tomorrow and get some books, Does anyone know of any decent ones?

cheers
 
I would build the tank up very slowly, and avoid starfish for the time being.. You would really have to put a plan of all the stock you plan on putting in for anybody to be able to have a guess at any social issues.. Make a budget and then double it, Marine aquariums cost a lot and you always end up spending more by cutting corners budget wise.

and good luck!

- I owned a 125l marine tank a couple of years back, it crashed after a couple of years due to unknown reasons and slight negligence, I don't regret having it, I learned a lot and hope to set one up in the future, but I do regret not being more proactive when the tank started going downhill.. I cared a lot about the tank but in the end I didn't have the luck, knowledge, money or time for it to last.
 
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firstly, a 450L tank is going to cost a lot.

i have a 125L tank and setting that up has cost me around about £1000 before putting water in. my tank is an all in one thing which was £500. a 400L tank will cost around £200 with no cabinet.

heres a quick list of what you will need.

tank - custom made would be better than something like a jewul as they are based on tropical. have a look here http://www.ndaquatics.co.uk/

sump - a smaller tank to go underneath to add water volume, filtation and house all your equipment.

Skimmer - something like this bubble magus nac protein skimmer for a 400L tank

heater - jager 250w aquarium heater 2 smaller are better than 1 big one incase it fails and boils your fish.

coral sand - 1" covarage will be enough. Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade Sand (40lb) depending on the size you go for 1 or 2 should do you. i used a 15lb bag in my 20' cube.


if you want a reef then you need live rock which is around £10 per kilo and you will need 1KG per 5L of water. this is your biological filtration.


powerheads - 2-3 dotted around the tank will create good flow, you need around 40 times the tanks volume to cover all coral types.

salt - a 22kg tub will keep you going for 12 months, H2Ocean Natural Reef Salt is good stuff.

T5 lighting will be ok for most coral but some needs stronger light so either metal halide or LED. it would also future proof you. LED uses way less power than metal halide.

test kits NH4 NO2 NO3 PH minimum, salifert are a good brand to go with.

Refractometer - i suggest the d-d refractometer

TDS meter for checking the RO water, you need 0 TDS water ideally but 1-2TDS is acceptable.

RO water - you already have this covered.

if you go with a sump you will also need piping to plumb it in, a return pump and get your tank drilled. with a tank so big i would reccomend it as its much easier to install in now than when your tank is full of fish and water.

this would be the minimum you need to get a tank running.

join a few of the main fish forums for advice. its much better than going to a shop who are also out to make a sale.

as you get more into the hobby you will realise things like star fish are best not kept or not until your tank is very mature(3-4 years).

get the biggest tank you can afford/have space for, fish like tangs need 4ft tanks minimum as they are very active swimmers and need good space.
 
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If you want a marine tank then simply nothing else will do. However as said, you need to do a lot of research before plunging in at the deep end (no pun intended). I'll outline a few pointers first, which will hopefully aid you in your research and decisions; without specifying which equipment to go for, because this is all part of your own research. Its more rewarding and beneficial to you to read what other keepers are using, seeing their results and reading reviews rather than taking 1 persons word for gospel.

From your first post it sounds like you have the right idea, but ask yourself, do you have enough commitment? Marine fish require more time and patience than most pets. Regarding your stock; everyone loves tangs, but they need at least 4ft of open space to be happy and at their best. Certain species of starfish will be fine in the tank after a few months.

Firstly, read read read! I recommend joining http://www.ultimatereef.net/ and getting as much advice as possible. The people on their really know their stuff and they have an excellent sub forum where you can post your questions to the New Member Help Team, who effectively will mentor you through every step of the way, all in confidence, but remember; theres no such thing as a stupid question, especially when you're dealing with the potential life and death of your livestock.

250-400L is a good size to start because the bigger the tank, the easier the maintenance. Be warned that the bigger the tank, the higher the costs (pretty obvious). Going for this size its preferential to have a sump installed below the tank. It will make maintenance so much easier you will never want to go for another tank without a sump. All the wires, tubes, pumps etc can be hidden away, and it makes it a lot easier to dose your tank with chemicals when adding them via the sump.

With your research make sure you do a full budget with all prices based on brand new equipment. Buy the best you can afford. Don't base your budget on second hand goods. Whilst it can be a bonus to pick up cheap items off forums, when starting out for the first time you should really be using brand new equipment. If you find you cannot afford something straight away, then save up until you can before setting the tank up.

Find out who your local fish suppliers are, paying them visits and decide which ones you prefer; have a look at what they stock, how much they charge etc. You may find some are great to deal with, willing to help and enjoy a chat, whilst others can be a lot less friendly and helpful. I have certainly found this with several of the shops in my area.

You will need liverock in your tank if you want to keep cleaner shrimp and corals. LR can be very expensive from the shops. Its good to buy used from tanks being broken down as you can half your costs. Have a look on ultimatereef. This is the only part of a tank that I recommend a beginner buys second hand.

You need to be fully prepared to maintain the tank 7 days a week. The first 6-8 weeks are the most crucial because this is when the tank will be cycling and you need to pay very close attention to the chemical balance before adding anything. So if you plan on going away on weekends frequently within this time it may not be the best idea for you to go for a marine tank. Any disruption to the cycle , or spikes in the chemical balance can completely ruin a tank overnight and is really disheartening to people new to marine tanks.

Hope this helps :)
 
Regarding lighting. T5's will be adequate for really basic coral depending on the depth of your tank/where you place the corals. We struggled massively with corals under T5 lights in a tank that was nearly 2ft deep. If you want to keep any serious corals then halides are the way forward.

Our basic 500litre setup cost us around £3000. It then cost us around £25 a month in electricity nevermind anything else so be prepared for high costs. We used the Berlin method which is live rock & power heads with a skimmer and external filter purely to keep carbon in. Don't go for filters containing lots of sponges etc because they tend to hold dirt and contaminate the water.

The one thing that stuck with us through our fish keeping experience was that we were told that what we were keeping was a tank of water. That's your focus, the fish/inverts are just for decoration.

Also tangs are grazers and often have a fetish for corals so keep that in mind. They also like a lot of room to swim so try to buy a tank with as much length as possible if you intend to keep these. Gorgeous fish though and fascinating to watch.

As with the poster above, I would also recommend taking a look at the forums on UltimateReef.
 
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I have a succesful nano reef 50l tank with a couple of common clowns, had it up and running for about 4 years.

Couple of things, always use RO water, try and get some coral sand/water from an established tank to start yours off.

And no Tangs or Damsels! Keep it small to start, it can be an expensive learning curve.
 
I entered the hobby back in May last year and started out with a Fluval Roma 240 with a 60 litre sump. I purchased everything second hand bar a few small items here and there. I got the tank, cabinet, halides (twin 250watt), sump, all pumps and powerheads for £400. I would not advocate anyone paying the overinflated prices most LFS think they can charge unwitting customers. ALWAYS go second hand for the tank, I have seen custom built tanks which cost £900 sell 12 months later for £100. I reckon my setup would have cost between £1500-£1800 if I had purchased new from my LFS.
 
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Make sure you research first, its a lot of hard work and costs a fortune. The reef will live as long as you do, make sure you take this into account as its a life long commitment. :)
 
Thanks for the very good informative posts utajoker, panthro, Minxy and others, It's very much appreciated! I've joined MarineFishUK boards and theyve been very helpful. I'll take a look at UltimateReef too, Thanks :)

The ND Aquatics shop was the very thing I was looking for, I dont think I have the confidence to drill/mod the Tank myself so these doing bigger marine tanks with included sump's and the offer of drilling bigger holes for me is brilliant.

After looking there range I have singled out this, 60 X 24 X 24 495L tank with a 39" x 18" x 17" Slum and cabinet. (It's £800, I had an overall budget of £12-1500 but I am prepared to spend more an a bigger tank and better equip as Tangs are a must have for me and family :) Would this size tank suffice for Tangs to be happy?)

If I was to call ND Aquatics, Once I've established which Skimmer and return pump I was using, Do you think they'd drill it out for me so it all fits on arrival? (I'm not lazy, Just not confident :( )

When you say the bigger the tank the higher the running costs, Is that the running cost of running more heaters/light or the running costs of more chems, or both?

Thanks again for the useful info everyone, I'm gonna get on the laptop this week and spend a lot of time reading.

I'll report back to this thread on progress. All being well, It'll be up and running by Summer :D

Keep all these tips coming, Thankyou! :)


e2a: Wohoo I need to hold back on the smileys :D oops!
 
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As panthro said, join ultimatereef.com, it's a great forum, and they have a great for sale section too.
 
StonedPenguin said:
Thanks for the very good informative posts utajoker, panthro, Minxy and others, It's very much appreciated! I've joined MarineFishUK boards and theyve been very helpful. I'll take a look at UltimateReef too, Thanks :)

The ND Aquatics shop was the very thing I was looking for, I dont think I have the confidence to drill/mod the Tank myself so these doing bigger marine tanks with included sump's and the offer of drilling bigger holes for me is brilliant.

After looking there range I have singled out this, 60 X 24 X 24 495L tank with a 39" x 18" x 17" Slum and cabinet. (It's £800, I had an overall budget of £12-1500 but I am prepared to spend more an a bigger tank and better equip as Tangs are a must have for me and family :) Would this size tank suffice for Tangs to be happy?)

If I was to call ND Aquatics, Once I've established which Skimmer and return pump I was using, Do you think they'd drill it out for me so it all fits on arrival? (I'm not lazy, Just not confident :( )

When you say the bigger the tank the higher the running costs, Is that the running cost of running more heaters/light or the running costs of more chems, or both?

Thanks again for the useful info everyone, I'm gonna get on the laptop this week and spend a lot of time reading.

I'll report back to this thread on progress. All being well, It'll be up and running by Summer :D

Keep all these tips coming, Thankyou! :)


e2a: Wohoo I need to hold back on the smileys :D oops!
Click to expand...


im a member of marinefish uk also and they were great helping me get set up.

ND aquatics shoud drill the tank for you and can most likley make you a sump to match.

different tangs require different sizes of tanks, a yellow tang will be ok in a 4ft minimum tank but something like a regal tang will need 5 ft minimum.

bigger tanks cost more to run because you have to change more water every water change and use a bit more electricity in heating, lighting etc.

the biggest thing is the salt and water though.
 
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