starting a saltwater tank?

Question

How much live rock should i get for a tall 29 gallon ?
Is damsels good starting fish?
Is corals and anemone and live rock safe to touch?
how much salt do i need?
do i need a special filter for the aquarium?
special lights?
ANY RECOMDEATIONS WOULD BE NICE THANK YOU AND ALSO GOOD SITES TO OREDER FISH AND OTHERS THINGS

Answer 1

Lots of questions, so I'll take them in order:

1) This depends on the type of rock. If the origin is the Pacific, 1 lb. per gallon, if it's Atalantic or Carribean, 1.5-2 lbs per gallon. Pacific rock is more porous, so there's more surface are for the beneficial bacteria to colonize. To get the same biological filtration from Atlantic/Carribean, you need more rock.

2) Lots of stores recommend these, but I don't! Damsels (other than green chromis) are territorial, and very aggressive for their size. They will terrorize any fish you try to introduce after them. If your store won't take them back in trade, I would suggest using the chromis or another peaceful fish.

3) Corals and anemones can sting (like a bee or wasp sting). There might be bristleworms that come in your live rock that have stinging spines that can really hurt. Plus, the oils from your hands (and anything on them) can affect the water quality in your tank. It's best to use gloves, even when you clean.

4) You need to get a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the water after you mix it. It's not as easy as X cups for X gallons - the salt will compact as it absorbs humidity, so the volumes will always be slightly different. You can start with about 1/2 cup per gallon, then use the hydrometer to "fine tune" the concentration. When using the hydrometer, make sure there are no bubbles sticking to it (it will throw off your results). You want the specific gravity to measure 1.020 - 1.026 for just fish, or 1.024-1.026 if you're keeping invertebrates.

5) For only fish, no. If you want to keep corals, anemones, and the like, you can still use a regular filter, but a protein skimmer is also recommended - get a good one, not a Skilter (these try to combine a filter and skimmer and they leak terribly!).

6) You will need special lighting if you plan to keep corals and anemones - these have algae within their cells, so they need intense enough light for photosynthesis. I wouldn't suggest anything less than a compact fluorescent system, but you can also look into T-5 and metal halide systems. These don't come cheap, either!

Some websites for you (general info and ordering):
http://www.apapets.com/MarineEcosystem/whatto.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/
http://www.liveaquaria.com/
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/

Answer 2

well i think this is pretty much covered. i hate damsels, mean, ugly and agian mean fish. look into berlin and sump filtration.

rock..about 30lbs, no damsels, add a coktail shrimp and the rock will take care of the cycling. most corals are fine, if you have a cut on your hand a few can secrete toxins, but theyre fine. i dont likr touch them, they should come attached to a rock, move them with that. the biggest salt buckt you can afford, a hydromter is the only way to know how mcuh to add, and add salt to water, not water to salt. a sump filter is best, and the only one i would recommend for a reef tank, look into DIY if cash is an issue, some sump/refigiums could be done for under 100 and only take a few hours at the msot. for reef yes special lights, its hard to find a fixture for a 29, but metal halides, a 70w, a 150 is alot of light and you might want a hanging fixture, about 12" from the top is goodif you get a 150w, it will help keep the tank temp down. power compact and t-5s are good too. as a rule of thumb 4-6 watts per gallon for most soft corals, and quite a few LPS are fine under those as well.

Answer 3

Depending on the density of the rock. You should have about 3/4lbs to 1 1/4lbs of live rock per gallon of water. 30 lbs would be enough...and a good place to start. If you find that isn't enough for the aquascaping you had in mind...you can always pick up some more. But be sure to do it as early into the cycle as possible and before you add any corals or fish. Adding enough uncured live rock to a cycled tank can can start the cycle all over again.

The lowest powered lights i would recommend if you plan on owning coral are Compact Fluorescent lights. I would go for a 200+ watt fixture for a 29 gallon...and even more if you want to keep a larger variety of corals. The lights will probably be the single most expensive part of the tank (excluding actual livestock).

If you do water changes weekly and keep enough water flow in the tanks you can actually go without a filter if you have the proper amount of live rock. But as a safeguard I keep a Aquaclear hang on filter running with Chemi Pure or active carbon. Keeping up a good amount of flow in the tank is actually more important, since the live rock acts as a natural filter already.

Pick up a 50 gallon bucket of salt, you will be glad you have some extra around if anything happens. You need a hydrometer to measure the amount of salt in the water, you can get one from pretty much any fish store. The cheaper floating ones aren't very accurate but they will do for a general idea of how much salt you have in the water. Most salts say 1/2 a cup or so per gallon of water. But do not use this as a guide, always measure it with a hydrometer...and after a while you will get a better feel for how much you need.

I would not suggest damsels unless you plan on keeping them in there. They are mean and very territorial, the ones i had even moved rocks 4x their size when they didn't like where i put it. And if you ever want that little thing out of there....well lets just say it involves moving around a lot of rocks and a lot of patience. Damsels CAN survive a cycling aquarium....and i know its temping to get something in there ASAP...but be patient and you definitely won't regret it. After the tank is cycled and ready to run you will be able to get fish that are much cooler than damsels, and much friendlier with other tank mates.

I personally wear a pair of gloves when working in my saltwater tanks. You never know whats in that live rock, and it helps prevent any contamination that may come from your hands.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3871&N=2004+113166

Thats a link to the gloves...it may sound goofy but trust me..the first time you get stung by something on the back side of your live rock...it won't seem so goofy. And for $11 its a cheap investment that could potentially save you from getting sick from something in the tank or contaminating the water with your bare hands. That site is great for supplies, i order almost everything from them...good prices and they ship faster than anyone else I've ordered from.

Answer 4

In a 29 gallon tank you can put about 17 live rock in your tank.
Damsels are Great starting fish.
Yes, some corals sting you but thats VERY rare, i'd say there safe!
you need about 5 cups of salt get a salt utility to check should be at (1.022-1.024
Just get a normal filter nothing much, not alot of power from it.
Light deffinat yes! You need to look that on the internet, VERY important!
Good luck!!!!!~~~~

Answer 5

You will need patience to start it ,
it takes time to develop the proper chemistry and biological balance (good bacteria or plankton) in the salt-water aquarium. It involves levels of nitrogen, nitrites and nitrates, ammonia, water density - specific gravity of water, precise salt concentrations, temperature, etc You will need a decent thermometer and reliable heater, hydrometer, marine salt (not just table salt) because of the various kinds of salt and elements in marine salt not found in table salt, coral gravel, etc, and you have to be more careful about metallic things around the tank because they corrode very much faster if exposed to salt water and could contaminate the water with too much of that metal... You'll have to be carefull about the amount of food you put in because it could change the balance of the different kinds of micro-organisms that affect the balances of the chemicals listed above.

Answer 6

Boy, so many basic questions. I recommend you stop by the beginner mariner's forum at FishGeeks and ask your questions there as they will answer them all quickly and nicely.