New to Marine
- Thread starter Cryp
- Start date
Welcome to MASA Cryp !
Check out the Beginners discussion forums for advice on starting a marine tank.
Question : Have you just set up the tank or did you buy an existing setup ?
Check out the Beginners discussion forums for advice on starting a marine tank.
Question : Have you just set up the tank or did you buy an existing setup ?
Cryp,
Here's the link to the thread I mentioned :
Starting a Marine Tank - Beginner Discussions
Please feel free to ask lots of questions.
BTW: can you give us some details about the tank you bought ? ( Size , lighting used , skimmer , pumps etc.)
Here's the link to the thread I mentioned :
Starting a Marine Tank - Beginner Discussions
Please feel free to ask lots of questions.
BTW: can you give us some details about the tank you bought ? ( Size , lighting used , skimmer , pumps etc.)
Mike
Retired Moderator
Firstly, you need to get some R/O water from the nearest marine fish shop (for future reference lfs = local fish shop)
The reason for this is that our tap water contains many nasties which will poison you tank.
Every day the tank will lose water due to evaporation, as only water leaves the tank this way you must top up with R/O to keep the salt level correct.
Next you need to buy some salt mix for 10% weekly water changes.
It would help if you could post up some pictures of the set up, that way we can help you enjoy the hobby rather than be a slave to it.
Finally, welcome to MASA.
The reason for this is that our tap water contains many nasties which will poison you tank.
Every day the tank will lose water due to evaporation, as only water leaves the tank this way you must top up with R/O to keep the salt level correct.
Next you need to buy some salt mix for 10% weekly water changes.
It would help if you could post up some pictures of the set up, that way we can help you enjoy the hobby rather than be a slave to it.
Finally, welcome to MASA.
MASA Admin
Moderator
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OK. So, if you bought it as an existing setup I assume that it is an established system and that the tank cycle has been completed.
Would be good to know what make of tank it is ( Boyu , Nanocube , JBJ etc.)
It is important to look at the following basics :
1. Substrate used should be fine particles of not more than 1.5mm in diameter. Playsand or Aragonite substrate works well .
2. Mechanical filtration should be by means of a skimmer , filter floss/sponges
3. Good quality Live rock . The emphasis here is really on the quality and not just the quantity. This forms your biological filtration and is vitally important.
4. Carbon and Phosphate removing compound. This completes the filtration process by addressing the chemical side of things. Carbon will furthermore "polish off" the water .
Some investments to make:
Test kit ( pH , Nitrate , Ammonia , Nitrite) to start off with
A good quality hyrdometer ( reftractometer - a bit pricy , swing-arm type , floating)
For Nano tanks , regular waterchanges of 10-15% are crucially important.
For top-up use only RO water .
That covers the basics ( hope I haven't left anything out).
hey Cryp
congrats on your first marine tank. Very exciting.
welcome to MASA i hope we can help and guide you through what can be a daunting maze at times.
post some pics lets see what you have there and where we can help
congrats on your first marine tank. Very exciting.welcome to MASA i hope we can help and guide you through what can be a daunting maze at times.
post some pics lets see what you have there and where we can help
It is a Boyu Nano Marine Tank - 58L, it has been established and was running for about a year. Basicly all I am looking for is a guide for maintaining the tank, will a test kit for tropical tank be good enough when testing the water in a marine tank?
With top up what is RO water, sorry to sound a bit doof here..
With top up what is RO water, sorry to sound a bit doof here..
Singularity
Hmmm amper!
hi and welcome cryp, you should really try and get a test kit made for marine tanks, look for the tropic marin expert kit, that has all the basic tests needed for a marine tank. RO water is Reverse osmosis water. basically pure water with no disolved solids....
Mike
Retired Moderator
No need to worry, we were all new at one time, R/O water is water that has passed through a reverse osmosis filter, basically it is pure water, with all the minerals and toxins (not toxic to us but will build up in a tank...)
With this, and specially made salt mix, we can ensure we recreate the natural environment for our marine creatures
Cryp,
RO water = reverse osmosis water. Basically water that has been put through a RO unit to purify it, and ensure that there is only water ( no minerals) that comes out.
You can either buy a RO unit or you can source water from a LFS or ask one of the members in your area to help you out.
Your tropical tank test kit will be OK for now. (depending on what the test kit consists off).
For a Nano ( I have the same Nano model as you) , here's my schedule:
Daily : Feed fish and inverts , clean glass , general observation of health of the system, top up water lost to evaporation , check temperature
Twice weekly : Clean filter floss/filter sponge , blow detritus off live rock , check salinity
Weekly : 15% Waterchange , Siphon substrate to remove detritus that may have settled , test water paramenters (Lately , I only do this bi-weekly unless I detect a problem) , check salinity.
That's more or less it in a nutshell
RO water = reverse osmosis water. Basically water that has been put through a RO unit to purify it, and ensure that there is only water ( no minerals) that comes out.
You can either buy a RO unit or you can source water from a LFS or ask one of the members in your area to help you out.
Your tropical tank test kit will be OK for now. (depending on what the test kit consists off).
For a Nano ( I have the same Nano model as you) , here's my schedule:
Daily : Feed fish and inverts , clean glass , general observation of health of the system, top up water lost to evaporation , check temperature
Twice weekly : Clean filter floss/filter sponge , blow detritus off live rock , check salinity
Weekly : 15% Waterchange , Siphon substrate to remove detritus that may have settled , test water paramenters (Lately , I only do this bi-weekly unless I detect a problem) , check salinity.
That's more or less it in a nutshell
To All, thanks for feedback and all your assistance. It is realy appreciated.
The test kit I have can tst for pH , Nitrate , Ammonia , Nitrite.
For now a can I get RO water form pet shop in the fourways area. to enable me to top up the tank and then mix up salt water for the water changes.
It looks as if I have got my work cut out for me.
The test kit I have can tst for pH , Nitrate , Ammonia , Nitrite.
For now a can I get RO water form pet shop in the fourways area. to enable me to top up the tank and then mix up salt water for the water changes.
It looks as if I have got my work cut out for me.
Sounds good Cryp,
You may also want to look at getting a Phosphate test kit or have the LFS test the water for you.
This is an incredible adventure that you are embarking on.
Good luck and enjoy !
You may also want to look at getting a Phosphate test kit or have the LFS test the water for you.
This is an incredible adventure that you are embarking on.
Good luck and enjoy !
Cryp,
Just another word of advice.
If you are getting RO from the LFS it would pay you to test the water before adding to the tank or mixing with salt. Ideally you want the TDS (total dissolved solids) to be less than 10 ppm. Also you want to avoid adding phosphates or nitrates to your system.
This may sound over analytical to you, but believe me it pays to be cautious about anything you are adding to your tank.
As you will hear from other members " Bad things happen really quickly".
This is even more true in smaller tanks such as Nano's where the water volume is affected more significantly by changes you make.
Just another word of advice.
If you are getting RO from the LFS it would pay you to test the water before adding to the tank or mixing with salt. Ideally you want the TDS (total dissolved solids) to be less than 10 ppm. Also you want to avoid adding phosphates or nitrates to your system.
This may sound over analytical to you, but believe me it pays to be cautious about anything you are adding to your tank.
As you will hear from other members " Bad things happen really quickly".
This is even more true in smaller tanks such as Nano's where the water volume is affected more significantly by changes you make.
A very WARM WELCOME to MASA Cryp! I see that our fellow members have been giving you some good advice here! Awesome man!
Congrats on you new marine tank! Good luck with it.
Please take into account that you HAVE to be diligent with water changes.... try and get into a rythm of changing at least 10% of the water volume per week - use freshly mixed salt water....
Good luck again! And enjoy your journey into marines!
Please feel free to ask as many questions, as it takes!
Congrats on you new marine tank! Good luck with it.
Please take into account that you HAVE to be diligent with water changes.... try and get into a rythm of changing at least 10% of the water volume per week - use freshly mixed salt water....
Good luck again! And enjoy your journey into marines!
Please feel free to ask as many questions, as it takes!
