im a noob so you better run

[XxSKxX]

hey everyone im Duncan

 

i have a 30 gallon and a 15 gallon tank and im not sure what tank will be marine yet so if you think it should be one of them just say

 

so iv been floting around the idea if marine tank's ever since i saw something in a magazine about dragonets(i know im not getting these ) and after looking into them i knew i wasnt going to get some. but i still want a marine tank so i can get a firefish because i think they look epic :3

 

anyway the main issue is the price of live rock for me and after some internet time i think i found i way to make it cheaper :/ think

 

am i right that i can use like 70% dry rock and 30% live rock and it will be fine? and just take a bit longer right? :s (i really dont mind waiting because the more a wait, the more money i will have to spend on the tank )

 

so yeah any help will be appreciated

[nor_cal_nano]

hey everyone im Duncan

 

i have a 30 gallon and a 15 gallon tank and im not sure what tank will be marine yet so if you think it should be one of them just say

 

WHAT ARE THE DIMENSIONS? IS THIS A REEF TANK? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KEEP.

 

so iv been floting around the idea if marine tank's ever since i saw something in a magazine about dragonets(i know im not getting these ) and after looking into them i knew i wasnt going to get some. but i still want a marine tank so i can get a firefish because i think they look epic :3

 

FIREFISH TEND TO BE VERY SHY. HIDING A LOT OF THE TIME FROM WHAT I HEAR. THEY ARE ALSO VERY LIKELY TO JUMP SO OPEN TOP ISN'T REALLY AN OPTION

 

 

anyway the main issue is the price of live rock for me and after some internet time i think i found i way to make it cheaper :/ think

 

am i right that i can use like 70% dry rock and 30% live rock and it will be fine? and just take a bit longer right? :s (i really dont mind waiting because the more a wait, the more money i will have to spend on the tank )

 

THAT'S FINE. ITS PROBABLY EVEN MORE IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ADD LIVESTOCK SLOWLY AND GRADUALLY THOUGH...

 

so yeah any help will be appreciated

 

 

Sorry about the caps. Trying on my phone. Seemed to be the easiest way to separate the text.

[hannahs]

You can use 100% dry rock. You just have to put something into the water to start the cycle, such as "Dr. Tims One and Only."

 

Bulk Reef Supply has some really nice dry rock. Their pukani and their reef saver rock is great!

 

Dry rock is easier to create your scape too and you don't have to worry about unwanted pests getting into your tank like you do with live rock.

[Nepenthe]

hey everyone im Duncan

Hi Duncan!

 

am i right that i can use like 70% dry rock and 30% live rock and it will be fine? and just take a bit longer right? :s (i really dont mind waiting because the more a wait, the more money i will have to spend on the tank )

Yes, you're correct this is totally doable, it just takes extra time. My only thoughts are that this isn't a hobby for someone on a tight budget. I would calculate out the costs on everything that you want BEFORE taking the plunge. For example, when I started I gave myself $3,000 to play with. I have a 16 gallon tank and I haven't started stocking it, and after I buy this new light, I'll be over half way there. So, don't surprise yourself with the total costs. What kind of tank are you planning reef or FOWLR?

[seabass]

hey everyone im Duncan

 

i have a 30 gallon and a 15 gallon tank and im not sure what tank will be marine yet so if you think it should be one of them just say

The 30 will allow you more flexibility in livestock and aquascaping. I'd go with the 30 (and maybe the 15 gallon tank as a sump).

 

am i right that i can use like 70% dry rock and 30% live rock and it will be fine? and just take a bit longer right? :s (i really dont mind waiting because the more a wait, the more money i will have to spend on the tank )

Sure, you could even use a higher percentage of dry rock. Just go to a local store and pick out a nice piece of live rock to seed the tank.

 

Good luck!

 

I often let lighting decide which tank to go with (length, light coverage, cost, etc). It's one of the more expensive items too (much more than a tank). You might decide that neither tank fits your needs very well.

[XxSKxX]

"WHAT ARE THE DIMENSIONS? IS THIS A REEF TANK? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KEEP." i'll get back to you with that when i get them iv not measured them. and all i know is a firefish atm

 

"FIREFISH TEND TO BE VERY SHY. HIDING A LOT OF THE TIME FROM WHAT I HEAR. THEY ARE ALSO VERY LIKELY TO JUMP SO OPEN TOP ISN'T REALLY AN OPTION" its not open top so that's fine and i know that they are shy if im right they hide in bolt hole's between the rock and sand :3

 

"THAT'S FINE. ITS PROBABLY EVEN MORE IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ADD LIVESTOCK SLOWLY AND GRADUALLY THOUGH..." o i will be doing that dont worry :3 im a noob with marine but iv kept tropical fish for a about 2 years so i know about the general care of fish and i know not to do things like go onto a shop and just buy a fish without knowing what it needs :3

 

"You can use 100% dry rock. You just have to put something into the water to start the cycle, such as "Dr. Tims One and Only."

 

Bulk Reef Supply has some really nice dry rock. Their pukani and their reef saver rock is great!

 

Dry rock is easier to create your scape too and you don't have to worry about unwanted pests getting into your tank like you do with live rock." i might try that then because that sounds quite good :3 and that is reason 2 for not getting live rock. i really really really really really really really really really dont like mantis shrimp they just scare me

 

"Yes, you're correct this is totally doable, it just takes extra time. My only thoughts are that this isn't a hobby for someone on a tight budget. I would calculate out the costs on everything that you want BEFORE taking the plunge. For example, when I started I gave myself $3,000 to play with. I have a 16 gallon tank and I haven't started stocking it, and after I buy this new light, I'll be over half way there. So, don't surprise yourself with the total costs. What kind of tank are you planning reef or FOWLR?" i have already started planning how much thing's will cost and what i need and i have money kept aside in case something goes wrong and i need to get something. i really havnt thought about it properly yet tbh. i will decide at the time depending on how much money i have probably

[XxSKxX]

"The 30 will allow you more flexibility in livestock and aquascaping. I'd go with the 30 (and maybe the 15 gallon tank as a sump)." i think im going to go with the 30 :3 and as for the sump there isnt really room for it to go under the 30 as the stand it is on has a bit of wood in the middle making two smaller cabinets

 

"Sure, you could even use a higher percentage of dry rock. Just go to a local store and pick out a nice piece of live rock to seed the tank." and i will check it over 200 times to make sure there is no mantis shrimp :3

 

"I often let lighting decide which tank to go with (length, light coverage, cost, etc). It's one of the more expensive items too (much more than a tank). You might decide that neither tank fits your needs very well." well i know it can be set up as marine and do well as the person who we got it off of had it as marine and the tank looked amazing

[Squared]

u don't like mantis shrimp? but they are so cute!

 

what's your budget? can you get LEDs in scotland??

[XxSKxX]

they are scary :| i hate praying mantis aswell :s just because it is mixed with a shrimp doesnt make it un-scary

 

i get 10£ a week and i have 50£ saved already (just to say1£ =0.7$ or something) and yeah o.O why would we have LEDs?

[Squared]

you mean $7 a week?

 

figure out the dimensions of you tanks?

[XxSKxX]

no silly you have X it by 0.7 but you should have divided it so it would be about $14.2 plus about 70$ and things from my tropical tanks that i can use for marine (e.g. my test kit work's for both)

 

and I don't have anything to measure them with atm I am looking for a tape-measure

[Squared]

oh. sometimes math is confusing a little, or i read to fast.

 

honestly, $70 will get you will get you no where in this hobby...that can buy some rock and sand. what kind of lighting do you already own?

[XxSKxX]

lol math is confusing

 

iv also got my birthday coming up so i am getting equipment from that aswell... and im not sure of the name if the bulbs i will find out tomorrow when i find out the tank dimensions. i do know that they are the same as what the person before me was using :s not sure if thats helpfull or not.

 

btw your avater makes me smile every time i see it

[Squared]

some call it the seizure monkey

 

haha birthdays. that's were i get like 75% of my reef funds

 

IMO, the minimum amount of light you should have for any reef 10 gallons and up are at least 2 T5HOs, so yeah see what you have been using on your FW setups. chances are you will require a lighting upgrade, but really not until you get coral.

 

In the mean time, it is important that you don't have old yellow FW bulbs either, or you'll grow algea.

[XxSKxX]

15 inches going up 14 going back and 30 inches across(unless iv managed to read the tape-measure wrong )

 

lol i can understand why it would get that name

 

birthday's and Christmas for me

 

i'm 99% sure im going to have to buy new lighting but it's good i can wait till im getting coral

one of the light's is a FT2005 15w blue light the other is a tesco light bulb :s so yeah im going to have to be buying new lights

 

well one is blue and the other is just a normal bulb O.o so i should get rid of the normal one?

 

also i remember reading somewhere that Zoanthids are poisonous. is this true?

[XxSKxX]

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-AquaSun-Fluo...h/dp/B0002DIRAU

is this the light's you mean?

[Squared]

Something like that. For a two bulb, 30 inch tank i would get one of these:

 

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticLife_T5_...TFIT54U-vi.html

 

But if were you i'd save and get a 4 bulb or six bulb fixture. ATI is a nice fixture but it sounds like you're on a budget.

 

Or you can get some of these LEDs:

 

http://www.aquastyleonline.com/

 

dunno if he ships to scotland tho

 

Is it like scotland in like new england rigt?

[XxSKxX]

i'll see if they ship to scotland and if not try to find them somewhere that does

 

im going to go to my not so local FS(my LFS sold me a silver shark for a 15g tank and said it was big enough) to see what light's they have and recommend

 

Scotland in the uk above England o.o

[nibor]

US mains is not the same main voltage as the UK, be careful.

 

Shipping will cost quite a bit and you will have customs to deal with.

 

Try some of the UK suppliers like:

Charterhouse or Fastlight.

 

You can also find some good suppliers in Germany without the voltage and customs problems.

Sewatec and Aquaristic spring to mind.

 

There are also some Ebay stores selling budget equipment.

[MeepNand]

British pounds are 1.5x dollars.

10 ounds a week is $15 a week.

 

Anyway, going against the flow here, smaller tanks are easier to maintain IMO. Seeing as this is your first marine tank, 15g will be cheaper and easier. My 10 gallon tank was way easire than my 40 gallon. I took the 10 down by choice, but was forced into taking down the 40.

 

You can save a lot of money by using DIY leds.

[XxSKxX]

"US mains is not the same main voltage as the UK, be careful." i just remembered my physics teacher telling me this. i'll stick to ordering thing's from a UK site

 

"There are also some Ebay stores selling budget equipment." Ebay has everything the only thing i dont like on Ebay is bad seller's.

 

"British pounds are 1.5x dollars.

10 ounds a week is $15 a week." i checked it up and 1GBP is 1.5698 U.S. dollars so yeah you're right

 

"Anyway, going against the flow here, smaller tanks are easier to maintain IMO. Seeing as this is your first marine tank, 15g will be cheaper and easier. My 10 gallon tank was way easire than my 40 gallon. I took the 10 down by choice, but was forced into taking down the 40." now that you have said that i want to set up the 15 now set up the 15 then do the 30? idk :/

 

"You can save a lot of money by using DIY leds." how would i build these? and if i build them right would they be as effective as normal tank led's?

[Squared]

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=186982

 

start here maybe

 

if diy leds scare you could light the 15 gallon with a couple of PAR bulbs, or T5s.

[Walker]

am i right that i can use like 70% dry rock and 30% live rock and it will be fine? and just take a bit longer right? :s (i really dont mind waiting because the more a wait, the more money i will have to spend on the tank )

 

I did pretty much 97% marco/dry rocks and just added a small LR piece to seed the dry rock. I did do fishless cycling with ammonia and Microbacter7 and it took a little bit over 3 weeks to cycle. Mostly LR would probably cycle faster.

[XxSKxX]

ok there is no way im going to be able to do that

 

"if diy leds scare you could light the 15 gallon with a couple of PAR bulbs, or T5s." is there any bulb's that are like light bulb's that would light the tank or are they all the long kind? because the hood hasn't got the long type so if i were to get them i would have to replace the hood probably :/

 

"I did pretty much 97% marco/dry rocks and just added a small LR piece to seed the dry rock. I did do fishless cycling with ammonia and Microbacter7 and it took a little bit over 3 weeks to cycle. Mostly LR would probably cycle faster." im thinking about doing something like this and i have read that it clycle's faster with all LR than like 90% dry rock

[XxSKxX]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LED-lighting-Aqu...#ht_6311wt_1152 what about this? for the 15g