Do I have everything I need for my tank?

Question

I have a 55 Gal tank with salt water. I have had it going for about 1 week. I have 1 tank hung Millenium 3000 280 GPH wet/dry filter, 1 Canister filter with the water jet attachment 115 GPH, both with carbon filters, and 1 under gravel filter system with no carbon carbon filter attached to a pump. I have crushed coral in the tank. The specific gravity is at 1.027-1.028. The tempture is right around 78- 79 degrees I have the PH undercontrol i think, I have 1 live rock and some bio media from the pet store the guy gave me. I have 4 Damsels and 1 Black Molly. This is my frist saltwater tank and I feel like the 2 small petstores in my town are jerkin me around tryin to get me to buy stuff and they both give me different awnsers to the same questions. Could someone tell me if what i have is ok for a start to my saltwater experiance??

Answer 1

Your specific gravity is a little high, unless you're keeping wild-caught Red Sea fish. You could bring this down to 1.024-1.026 for a reef tank, and as low as 1.020 for a fish only.

Your temperature is fine, and the pH should be over 8.0 for fish, although 8.2-8.4 is ideal.

As far as filters, you want the combined output to total around 10 times the volume of your tank per hour (a little more is okay). It's hard to overfilter your water, but there comes a point when more filtration just adds more current, and this can make swimming difficult for the fish.

You might want to get a glass cover for the tank to prevent "jumpers" from getting out of the tank. it also save your lights from corrosion and being splashed from the saltwater.

If you're planning to use the fish to cycle, I'd lose the damsels unless they're a green reef chromis. Damsels are hardy, but they're also aggressive - once they've been in the tank long enough to set up a territory, they'll terrorize any fish you try to add later. So unless you have a deal with one of the stores to trade them in once the tank has cycled, I'd get rid of them altogether (and you certainly don't need 4 unless they're very small) and just pick up another molly.

I would also suggest using more live rock, or even dry reef rock in the tank. Marine fish like to feel they have a safe place from predators, and the more caves and hiding spots you provide, the more the fish will be out swimming around. Even the dry rock will become "live rock" as it's colonized by bacteria.

The undergravel filter isn't absolutely necessary, but if you use one, I would recommend using a reversible powerhead to run it. If used with just an airstone or traditional powerhead (one that pulls water down through the substrate and up through the tube) debris accumulates under the plate, and areas can build up where there's no water flow - if these become anaerobic from lack of oxygen, hydrogen sulfide gas pockets can form, and these are bad news for anything living in the tank if they're released. The only way to prevent this is to pull up the plate a few times a year to clean under it (and this is a pain). A reversable powerhead, when used in the reverse setting, pulls the water down the tube, and blows it (along with any debris in the substrate) up, so the fillter can remove it. You have many fewer problems, and get the same amount of benefit from using the substrate as an additional biological filter.

You should also have 1-2 heaters with a combined wattage of 5 watts per gallon of tank volume, a hydrometer (for mixing the saltwater), a thermometer, and a few buckets for mixing saltwater for water changes. A siphon, algae scraper, and gloves for cleaning, and a water testing kit (unless your stores test your water for you). At some point, you may also want to add a protein skimmer, as this will remove dissolved organic particles in the water so they don't contribute to the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in your tank.

These links will give you some good information about keeping saltwater: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16 but I'd also recommend getting a good saltwater reference book for yourself. Books don't "go down", especially if the electric goes out, and can give you unbiased advice from someone not trying to sell you a product. These are two I've used and liked:
The New Marine Aquarium – Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist – Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5

Good luck with your tank!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

It's more than I had to start with. Generally speaking, if your live rock will live in a tank, then anything will. The creatures on the rock are MUCH more sensitive than the molly or the damsels.

Answer 4

way more