Best way to set up your Aquarium in Just 4 Hours..Continue.. Part 3 final

So now you have your Marine salt water ready.

First thing is first; If you have an existing all Marine fish only Aquarium already set up and running with great water quality you can even skip this next step. That's if you are making your existing Aquarium in to a Reef Aquarium?

Anyhow it will still help to place mesh socks that are used for filtration (you'll need about 3 to 5 mesh socks) and fill them up 50/50 of one portion being live sand and the other half new sand. I really recommend you buy fine sand, it's worked the best on helping to seed it with already existing Live Sand.
Let these full Sand mesh socks sit in you already established Aquarium for about a month. You're asking why so long? Well I'm just trying to go about it the cheapest most affordable way to get a new Marine Aquarium set up. Of coarse you can always spend the $3 to $5 a pound for live sand from your Local Tropical Fish store and save you some time but not your money.

FAST FORWARD>>
So now you have your mesh socks ready to go filled which have seeded your new sand. Take them out and pour all the sand into your new Aquarium in all corners of your new aquarium. Next pour the new left over sand which you had bought for the seeding process all around the bottom. Remember your doing this before you actually have poured the Marine (salt) water.
Checking the salinity and temp of the mix of Marine water you have made. If you have left it in a usable condition (correct temp and salinity). Go ahead and place a simi deep bowl in the center (so you won't disturb the sand bed too much of coarse). Now pour the Salt water in to the bowl and fill the tank about half way. Remember you're salt water will be at a temp of 72' to no more than 78'F. With a salinity between 1.019-1.023 the lowest being the best.

Now when everything has settled down, meaning the Sand the salt water has kicked up has subsided. You can do one of two things. Hopefully you have had a moderate amount of base rock from your other Aquarium. If not you can sometime look in your local paper for someone who is selling a lot of Base rock that was in their Tank and or even Live rock (But!! Remember you must Cure Live Rock either way, unless it's from your old Marine Aquarium)

Once you've decided on how or what means you're going to acquire your Live or Base Rock, you're going to need about 20% base rock and the Rest 80% Live Rock on the ratio of Pound per gallon. So if you have a 100 gallon Marine Aquarium you'll put in 20 lbs of base rock and 80 lbs of Live Rock (this is a rough estimated weight. It doesn't have to be perfect just close). Now It's better to put in all Live Rock but this Ratio you'll be fine. I've tried different ratios and this was what worked for me. You can start with less Rock in total, I know it's expensive. But you'll have to cut down on anything you might want to put in the Marine Aquarium at this time then.

Now you have the Base Rock and or all Love Rock in Great!! Now top of the water from you old aquarium and start moving things from your old to you new marine Aquarium, that's if you're not going to leave the other one up. If you do just take out enough to do a water change, but instead of bumping the salt water out put it in your new Aquarium.

If you're not going to leave the old set up do start to take The remaining sand bed out, if you used fine sand save about three mesh socks full (the one's that we're used earlier to seed the tank). Only do this if you're planning to set up a natural filtration system call Refugium of Plenum. <<<---- Links to more info. on these if you want to know what they are.

You're almost done!!

So you've added you're Live Rock now and the temp is great together with the salinity. Now you will have to monitor your water quality for a about four hours. Why well sometime you get temp and Salinity changes when everything is in place, so just in case have a little extra fresh water (RO water) and some Marine water handy. Once all parimeters are set you're good to go. Start adding live fish (not over doing it though!!) and some hardy corals that can handle new Marine Aquaria. I would say don't add more than 5 specimens to begin with. Make sure your Themometer is set properly and your Protien skimmer is working and adjusted, When adjusted properly this thing will help your tank sail smoothly.

Yes I know it seems like alot of work. And reading this and getting things done you'll probably take a bit longer. Remember this is for a Moderate to Experienced Marine Hobbiest. But it doesn't hurt if you are a beginner with some one else with experience to help you out.

So Please if you have tried this type of set up let me know how it went and what you learned.

Thank and I'llbe posting again soon.

Good luck,

TONEFISH

Best way to set up your Aquarium in Just 4 Hours..Continue.. part 2

So on my last post I was telling you how I met this guy who gave me the ultimate advise on how to setup a Marine Aquarium in just four hours (scroll down a few posts to read from beginning).
Well as he was explaining on what he did, I just couldn't believe how simple and frustrating it was for me. After all this time and money spent on books with titles like; Fish tank basics, Marine Aquarium setup made easy, 123 Aquariums fresh or saltwater (Marine) and luckily I didn't spend money on this book because it hadn't come out yet.. Aquariums for Dummies!!

Anyhow, so here are the basics for getting your Marine Aquarium setup:

You need all the basic elements of coarse. This means;

1. Aquarium (what ever size you would like)
Note: If setting up a Marine (salt water) Aquarium and are going to someday in the near future place invert and corals in it. I highly recommend you go with a 50 gal and above. It helps with water quality. Example: takes longer for temp variances, pollutant build up, etc.

2. 2 Aquarium Heaters and 2 thermometers
3. Lighting (you need proper lighting for a Marine setup if your going to hold corals etc.)
4. Protein skimmer (same as above, helps water quality)
5. Water tester kit (usually it's cheaper to buy the kit for the specific type of water fresh or salt)
6. Marine salt mix and "New" 10 to 25 gal trash can (depends on how big your tank is. I'll get to this detail later on)
7. power heads (makes mixing Marine salt easier)
8. Salinity gauge (checks the salt density)
Patience

Now remember it's a bit pricey to start out this way but the results are incredible. Like I've said, I've set up a few big Marine Aquarium tanks and a few small Nano tanks for my friend and they are all pretty healthy (oh coarse with proper care and monitoring).

So first thing you are going to do is fill up your plastic trash can with water. RO (Reverse Osmosis) is preferred and is the most suitable for aquaria. You can get this water from your local water seller, you find them all over the place now days. Or if you already have a RO unit in your home, that's even better as long as you have kept the maintanace up on it.

Now you filled up the can with the proper water about a little more than half way (you'll need the extra room later you'll see), place the Aquarium heater in the can and set get the temp to 72' to no more than 78' with the thermometer. Place a power head to help mix the water and salt mix which you must pour in slowly, usually two 8 oz cups at a time. Now check the salinity keep pouring and mixing until the salinity gauge reads about 1.019 STOP there. Let the water mix for a long while. You'll see that the salinity will jump, because the salt mix will dissolve properly.


After all is reading correctly (salinity and temp) your ready for the next step which I'll post later on today.

to be continued.....

New addition to My Reef Aquarium Setup

I just got this Coral Beauty from my local supplier. My Reef Aquarium SetUp has been just florishing and I'm in the process of adding like I've said a few more Corals. I mostly have hardy corals and working on getting harder to keep corals etc.


I've said before I've had this Reef Aquarium SetUp three years and even though I started with an established Seeded base (50% water, 70% base rock, 100% sand and crushed coral) taken from my established samller Reef Aquarium SetUp in which I took apart. I've had some crazy cycles even though this is an established Reef System. First it went through a green algae, then bubble algae, then a red algae and then a purple algae. I went from 14 hour lighting cycle to 11 hour daylight/astinic with a lunar light strip at night. Keeping the bottom Refugium lit three hours after the main Show Reef Aquarium SetUp lighting timer shuts down.
Here is a picture of my Refugium:

This is a small 25 gallon Refugium.

It's not much but man has it really help out the show

Reef Aquarium ever since I've installed it.

Brought down my Nitrate levels to 0% and my
Phosphate levels Down to 0% also. This Refugium
together with my protien skimmer has done the
trick to my other algae problems.

I'll post soon....

Best way to set up your Aquarium in Just 4 Hours.. Part 1

Note:This is for the Moderate Aqaurist who have some knowledge of keeping a Marine/Reef Aquarium

After so many years of spending money on Aquariums I finally had had it. I've had everything from a 10 gallon fresh water Aquarium to a Marine shark tank. One day I happen to stop buy a local Marine Aquarium shop, when I saw a young pimpled faced kid. I noticed that he was setting up a Salt water Marine Aquarium, I think at the time the Nano Cube was barely getting attention back then. So I asked this kid what are you doing? He simply answered, "Finishing up this Reef Tank. I then proceeded to ask him when did you set it up a few months ago? He said, "No". And chuckeled. Then how long ago did you set it up? He then proceeded to say the few words that would change my "Pet Shop" mentallity. " I set it up about 4 and a half hours ago". I was so shocked that I sort of yelled out.. "WHAT!!...HOW??"

I'll tell you how on my next post.. I've run out of time and well have to attend my little Babies.. Yes my Aquariums!! Will post really soon in a few hours so Please stay tuned..

Later,

TONE

Five steps to success with Saltwater Coral Reef Aquariums

by: Chris Knowlton

Do you dream of watching the natural beauty of the undersea reef life while sitting in your living room?
Whether your goal is a nano reef tank or a 150 gallon aquarium with an ecosystem of coral and saltwater fish, the following five steps will lead you on your way to success.
1) Commit! Decide you are going to spend the $$ it takes to make a proper go of it. At a minimum, most tanks, (from 10 gal to 55 gal) take between $250 and $500 to get going. Can you do it cheaper? Yes, but usually not your first one. You have to know what you are doing and understand how things can and will go wrong before you can choose less expensive husbandry options and/or equipment. Save up if you have to, but count on that first tank being expensive.
Realize that this is not a short term commitment. And as much fun as it is to collect the coolest coral fragments out there and show them off to your friends, there WILL come a time when you are hauling all of those same 'frags' out of the tank and into temporary storage when your six year old cracks the side of the display tank with a pool ball or some other calamity occurs.
2) Study! Spend time on the internet, in books and watching nature shows on reefs BEFORE you get your animals. Understand the animals that you are going to keep and how they interact with each other. If you count on the LFS (Local Fish Store) or your buddy down the road to keep you out of trouble and don't do your homework.. You will fail. That is the one guarantee in this hobby. DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
The only way around this is to be able to afford to pay someone else to set-up and maintain your tank.
3) Mingle! (see 2 above) There are plenty of reef-keeping societies out there with lots of experience to help you along your way and teach you what you need to know. As long as you are doing your own homework, they are usually happy to help!
4) Keep an open mind! There is not just one way to keep a reef tank - no matter how loudly people on the various bulletin boards and forums out there might shout that there is. 5) Share! It is amazing how much help people are willing to give when they realize that you are offering a particularly nice specimen that they have always wanted. Equipment that they didn't even remember they had may magically appear or they might be willing to share a very nice piece of their own reef frag with you.
Trading frags not only is a great way to increase your variety, but it helps maintain genetic strains of corals (frags are also known as 'clones') that might otherwise die out in a single tank struck by the calamity mentioned in 1 above.

How To Properly Introduce New Fish Into Your Aquarium

by: Nathan Miller

There are two areas of introducing new fish into an aquarium that you must be aware of:
1. Fish Quarantine
Fish quarantine is one big, singular factor that must be observed strictly before you can be sure that your new fish is of good health and not an apostle of doom for the other inmates. Most new fishkeepers don’t take consider this very important factor.
For the benefit of intending aquarists, quarantine in the fish world refers to the physical and chemical treatment of new fishes (either imported or caught from the wild) to rid them of disease and restlessness before introduction into a new environment,
A small quarantine tank (30x20x25cm) is advisable for any serious aquarist. The alternative is to be sure that your pet shop has a functional quarantine section to cater for bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.
This is a sure guarantee against fish deaths. The unfortunate thing with most shops in the country is the lack of space and inadequate expertise to build and administer the prophylaxis procedure on new fish, as the procedure is sure to last at least nigh days! To the average aqua-investor, this is an unnecessary tie down of capital and you know what that means.
Admittedly, the expense incurred on quarantine by way of chemical purchase e.g. copper sulphate, wescodyne, malachite green, teremycin etc) is high. This is more or less reflected on the final sales price of the fish, which is slightly higher in our shop. But, this would pay you off in the long run, as it is unlikely that you will complain of fish deaths any longer.
I am quite sure, some fish farmers reading this column would be more concerned about the application of this procedure to solve their farm problems especially those with hatcheries or those who stock with post fry and fingerlings.
2. Feeding New Fish
When you just introduce a new fish to aquarium tank it’s necessary to feed the fish. Though this will not be instant because no matter how carefully you add the fish to your aquarium tank they will look very unhappy for a while.
Thus it’s necessary that you turn the flights out, and leave them overnight to get used to their new home first before thinking of feeding them. Then feed fish with aquarium fish food with fish flakes the next day, this will make the fish feel at home.
If you already have an established tank, it is advisable to quarantine new fish before adding them to an existing populated, and the cheapest way to do this is to purchase a plastic tank which will need no gravel or plants.
This can be used solely for quarantine and as a hospital tank.
Leave the fish in this tank for about three days during which any disease harbored by the fish would be evident for which it can be treated using available chemicals from your dealer. The fish can then be introduced into the tank in the same way as before.
When you add new fish to an established community, there will probably be a certain amount of harassment of the new arrivals by the original fish. Try to divert their attention by giving them a good feed when the fish are introduced.

Tropical fish: Tank basics

Here is a great article with some basic tips on How to start your new fish hobby


Tropical Fish : Tank Basics by: John Mallon

Aquarium fish are like pets and you have to know what you're doing and this article will cover one of the basics : what to look for when buying tropical fish, this article will cover the tank. Look for a tank that is big enough to store the tropical fish you want (keep note that some fish need bigger tanks as they need more place, so do your homework !) I'd suggest to go for a bigger tank because having some extra room for your tropical fish always a good idea. When you're in the store make sure to take some extra equipment with you cause you'll need it. I suggest getting the following equipment for your tank:
1. Heater
The heater is the most important part of a tropical tank. For most tropical fish, 25C is a good average. 4 watts per gallon is ok, but each heater will state the size aquaria it accommodate for. For the larger aquaria, it is often best to have two smaller heaters for a couple of reasons, one because should one break, u still have one to keep your tank going until u can replace it, and two should you have 1 big heater, and the thermostat got stuck on, it would raise the temperature of the tank far more and in less time than a smaller one would. All heaters now have a built in thermostat which turns the heater on and off when needed to keep the tank at a stable temperature, the heater should never be un-plugged.
2. Filter.
Best to check if the filter fits your tank. this is very important !.The size of the filter depends upon 3 factors :
- The tank size
- Number of aquarium fish
- Plants planted in the tank
There are lots of different types of filters available : internal filters, external filters, gravel filters and box filters (I advise to skip this one cause they only work for small tanks).
3. Gravel
The gravel is mainly for aesthetic purposes, but it also is vital if you are keeping live plants as they need a substrate of some sort to anchor them selves down with.
If you have a planted tank, then 2-3inches of gravel is advised, but if u have an unplanted tank, then u may use ½ - 2inches of gravel.
The gravel also holds some of the bacteria in the tank, and if the tank has an under gravel filter, then the gravel will contain nearly all of the bacteria in the tank.
These last 3 points are the basic equipment parts you’ll need to keep your fish healthy in your new tank. In my following articles I will cover the fish themselves and their basics.