[aquamanX]

ok. im new. im 15. i have a 20 gal freshwater tank and im done with it. i want saltwater. as of this moment, i have 270$ and its burning a hole in my pocket. how much can i get done with my money? what do i need? (not want) and some more valuable <-- spelled wrong information on what to do here. can anybody help me out?

[reefnoob1991]

I'm 16, you can go with what I did and get a 29 gallon biocube. I got mine with a stand for 320$ total. It comes with everything you need (filter, pump, lights) except a heater, thermometer, and the live stuff. I just posted a bulletin on 3 easy mods for a biocube that you can check out and see how easy it can be turned into a well established reef.

[aquamanX]

ya but dude. i have a well established freshwater tank. im not lookin for a new tank. just everything that goes in it lol.

[reefnoob1991]

Your best bet would be to turn it into a QT...with how much your going to have to spend the only option you have probably is buying a biocube...because all the equipment separate is going to run you above 400$

[aquamanX]

whats a qt? and ya ill pitch the idea to my mom. do the biocubes come and longer or just like in your pic?

[reefnoob1991]

Well...it's a cube..so its like the one in the pic lol. And QT is quarantine tank...when your fish get sick this is where they go.

[aquamanX]

i know what quarantine means lol i just didnt know the acronyms. anyway, i just called the local fish place, they have a 24 gal biocube for 299 with a wet-dry filter (which ive never heard of) built into the back. i checked on the lighting and idk how many watts i would need. anyway can i use my heater from my freshwater tank?

[Salt-lick]

I would take reefnoobs advice, he seems to know what he is doing for a young man. As such the Biocube will be a good start for saltwater hobby. I went with the 29 gallon, but went with a different stand as the one that comes with it doesnt work well for my room, instead I got an existing T.V. stand that fits perfectly in my room. So if you have something you can put it on already then there is no need to buy the stand. That will free up around 75-90 dollars more than likley if you buy the tank at your LFS they will not include the live rock or sand. For starters you need around 1 to 1.5 lbs. live sand per gallon of water, a hydrometer, 1 -1.5 live rock per gallon of water. and thats pretty much it for now until your tank cycles. By then you will have more $$ to spend on fish and coral and the like. Good luck and let us know what direction you go with it. Look around for the biocube as my store sold the 29 for 275

[reefnoob1991]

Yes you can use the heater from the FW tank, I paid 212$ for my 29 gallon biocube so...if it has a stand with it then that's a good deal. If not then keep looking around and online. There are kits you can get on nanotuners.com for lighting that are easy to install and not too heavy on the pocket. I went from 72 watts to 108 watts in my cube for 70$

[reefnoob1991]

Also, you're going to need live sand too, about 1 pound per gallon so you're going to need to free up about 250$ for extra live stock to get started.

[aquamanX]

what exactly does a hydrometer do?

[Salt-lick]

Oh yea, and you need salt, a 50 gallon bag is a good start, it should be betwen 12.00 and 17.00 I used instant ocean, but there are MANY different kinds of salt you can use.

[Salt-lick]

it measures the specific gravity of the saltwater, you want it to be in the green somewhere between 1.02 I believe help me on this one noob

[reefnoob1991]

Reef tanks need a higher specific gravity...ranging from 1.024-1.027. Hydrometers measure this. Specific gravity is how much salt there is per so much amount of water. Because the SG will be higher than regular fish only tanks...your going to need to acclimate your fish to the tank longer...unless your going to have a tank with no corals.

[Salt-lick]

A hydrometer is an instrument used for determining the specific gravity of liquids. It is usually made of glass and consists of a cylindrical stem and a bulb weighted with mercury or shot to make it float upright. The liquid is poured into a tall jar, and the hydrometer is gently lowered into the liquid until it floats freely.

The point where the surface of the liquid touches the stem of the hydrometer is noted. Hydrometers usually contain a paper scale inside the stem, so that the specific gravity (or density relative to water) can be read directly in grams per cubic centimeter.

In light liquids like kerosene, gasoline, and alcohol, the hydrometer must sink deeper to displace its weight of liquid than in heavy liquids like brine, milk, and acids. In fact, it is usual to have two separate instruments, one for heavy liquids, on which the mark 1.000 for water is near the top, and one for light liquids, on which the mark 1.000 is near the bottom of the stem.

The function of the hydrometer is based on Archimedes principle that a solid suspended in a liquid will be buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the liquid displaced. Thus, the lower the density of the substance, the lower the hydrometer will sink. Some historians credit Hypatia of Alexandria with the invention of the hydrometer although there is little evidence to support this.

[Salt-lick]

Noob,

When did you start adding your mushooms\ corals and such?

[aquamanX]

k thatnks asdfd

[reefnoob1991]

about 1 month 1 week into my tank

[Salt-lick]

What is your daily regimen for your tank?

As far as additives like Iodine calcium green and such? The only reason I ask is so I can start prepping my stuff for reef animals and corals. In your opinion besides fish, what type of invert would you start with?

[aquamanX]

ok.,.. whats an invert, and do i need to put iodine calcium green and such in my tank when i get it?

[Salt-lick]

invertebrates are animals without backbones (vertebrae) or internal skeletons, no you dont have to add anything until you start putting in inverts and such. Just get your tank up and running with saltwater (with the proper Specific gravity), live rock first then sand. And start reading as MUCH as you can. And dont be afraid to ask questions, and use the search bar uptop to find an answer that more than likley has been asked. This place is a goldmine for answers.

[reefnoob1991]

Start off my morning while the lights are turning onto actinic to dose PurpleUp so I catch my corals right when they're opening up, 10 min later I dose part A of kents nano buffer then 5 min later part b...2 times a week I dose ReefPlus to help the corals grow.

[Salt-lick]

Should I be running my Actinic lights seperatley from my daylights? If So how long each?

[reefnoob1991]

Run them 2 hours before you turn your regular lights on and leave them on with them. then 2 hours after you shut your main lights off..this mimics the sunset in the ocean and hopefully keeps them less stressed