[passinetti2007]

After I got the purest water for my tank ready what do I do next? I'm the ultimate newbie but I'm catching on quick, just not quick enough. I'm sure all you veterans get tired of these questions but i can't find a post that answer this one and I'm tired of looking.

I'm sure you don't just add salt crystals to the water. What exactly do I need to purchase to add to the water. I'm getting a 75 gallon tank. I'm not sure how much the sump holds. I don't know how much water I'm going to need yet.

My main concern is what to I put into the pure water to get it going and what do I need to do next?

Is there a solution I can by bulk to just put in the water that adds all the chemicals and salt or do I buy it all seperately? What do I need?

When it's all mixed up, do I have to test it before I put it in the tank. The fish store guys said to get a huge rubbermaid garbage can and house the water, but they never said if to mix the water in the can or in the tank.

So I'm assuming you mix the water then add the rocks and sand and monitor it all for a while, right?

I guess I need to get sea plants and put in the sump too, is that right? this creates the nitrates right?

Do I do this at this point or will the new mixed water kill off the plants?

I know alot of questions for one thread, but I'm clueless.

thank you for your help.

[ericwebster]

Hey Pass ..

Your right on .. there are lots of brands of salt mix, I happen to use “Instant Ocean” (see http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...e-_-Salt_Mixes)

Basically you need to mix your water but you need to do it correctly you need to get some sort of device to measure how much salt is in the water so you know if your using too much or too little (also when mixing new water for water changes you can match the old water as not to stress the fish)

The person whom told you to get a large water bucket was right .. if your not filtering your water (which you will want to do some day) you will need to de-toxify the water first (see Amquel http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...N=2004+112994). You need to remove harmful chemicals to the fish .. mix in your salt and get it to a salinity of like 1.025-1.026 – the cheapest way to measure this is with a hydrometer (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...N=2004+113761).

There are better ways of doing this (using filtered water, a refractometer) but this is an expensive hobby and you may want to take it slow .. a 75 gallon is a big one to start with and I would recommend lots of internet reading.


Looking forward -
You need to plan out your filtration and where your going to put all the different items (Heaters, Skimmers, etc) you need. Have you done any research on a sump or a wet/dry filter?

Cheers

[dalamar96]

Pass,
Eric has great information there and is dead on in what he says. There are some more ideas that I have found work out and help out a lot in setting up water for water changes. First the rubbermaid garbage can is a GREAT way to mix top off and water change water! I fill mine with RO/DI water, then have a pump head in the can to circulate the water, as well as an air stone to add agitation. AFter the water has sat agitating for 24hours I add the salt for the amount of water in the can (again checking this with a hydrometer), then I let it sit for another 24hours. After this period you should check to make sure the temp of the water is the same as the tank temp, and add some sort of Ph Buffer to get the PH up to the same as the tank (8.3 in my case). You can let the water sit agitating for 2-3 more days before the water change (there is no limit to how long it can sit with the pump and airhose in it)

This is just for water changes and top offs, for the first amount of water when yo uare first setting up the tank, just put the RO/DI water in the tank, then add salt and buffer to get the salinity and the Ph correct and once the temp, ph and salinity are correct you can add your live sand. Start running your pumps and filters (and hopefully a skimmer) at this point, let it go for a week and test the water every other day or 3rd day. Wait for your initial ammonia spike and nitrite spike to fall off, then do your first water change to get the nitrates down that have developed. Then you are ready for your first set of liverock!!

Chad

[passinetti2007]

Thanks guys I really appriciate the help and advice. I do want to go with a 75 gallon tank. The guys at my lps said they wouldn't advise anything less then a 75 gal for a first tank because anything smaller doesn't give much room for the display of rocks and sand. They said if I go with a 55 gal which is 13" wide there won't be much room to oceanscape it. Is that the right term? oceanscape? anyways with a 75 gal I'll have plenty of room to lay the rocks down and still have sand space to see my filter feeders and clams and what not. I hope I'm saying this stuff right. If not I'm really not trying to talk out of my butt here. I'm just going off of what I've heard so far.

[DEWAYNE]

I agree with the 75 gallon, that was my first tank size, and it worked out really well, you will also have alot more room for you'r decor.