List of questions for a saltwater tank:?

Question

Ok well I've got my tank up and running with nothing in it except for saltwater (10 gallon)

List of questions for a saltwater tank:

1. Care to explain live rock? And how much will I need?

(10 gallons)

2. I want two Ocellarius Clownfish, so do I need an anonome?

3. Can I add any fire shrimp to the tank w/o them being eaten? Cause their expensive xD.

4. I want sand in my tank, not gravel, that possible?

5. Is there a special filter for saltwater tanks?

6. Whats a protein skimmer do?

7. Has anyone ever heard of boxed saltwater? Heres a link and should I use it? http://www.petco.com/product/11884/PETCO-Real-Ocean-Water.aspx

8. Specific temperature for the tank?

9. Recommended food for my clownfish?

10. How many days should I let my tank cycle before adding fish?

11: Anything else you think I should know?

Im a novice at Saltwater tanks and I thank you all you answering my questions. Also if you could answer in a 123 format it would help me outalot =D

Answer 1

Live rock.......... hmmmmmmm...... It depends on how much space that you want to take up in your tank, live rock is basically used for hiding places and also to reduce the amount of nitrates in your tank. However, live rock also produces ammonia, but if you have Cured live rock, you shouldn't have to worry about ammonia, also it depends if your tank is fully cycled. For a 10 gallon tank, you will need some swimming space for fishes, although most people will not recommend the set up that you are planning for Ocellarius Clownfish, I believe it is possible to make it happen, people will generally give me a thumbs down, but if you know what you are doing, you can make it happen. And for clownfishes, you don't need anemone for clownfishes, anemones is also hard to take care of, it is recommended for people with experience with them. Yes, you can add fire shrimp to the tank, Clownfishes are generally peaceful, however There are aggressive clownfishes, it all depends on the behavior of the fishes when you first go to check it out at the pet store.

You want sand in your tank, you can do it, please make sure that you have an undergravel filter for your tank to help boost the filtration. You should buy either live sand or sand that contains the bacteria that is needed. Don't buy the real fine sand, buy the larger grain, but not too large, and not too fine. Aragonite sand would be just fine.

Since you have only a 10 gallon tank, you can use a 5-15 gallon Marineland Bio wheel filter, or you can use Hagen Aqua clear filters that are up to 20 gallons. You always should get a filter that filters more than your tank size, but don't get too big of a filter due to the fact that it can cause some stress to the fish, however, saltwater tanks, you will need current in your tank, so in this question, yes a 20 gallon filter or even a 30 gallon filter will be just fine. you should have an undergravel filter connected to some airstones and a pump to boost your filtration.

A protein skimmer is used for larger aquariums, however, there are filters out there that a protein skimmer is already built in to the filter. You can search online for hang on protein skimmer/filter. A protein skimmer is used to take excess wastes and rubbish and extra food out of your tank to reduce the ammount of ammonia and nitrates, however, protein skimmers are usually used for larger tanks. So in my opinion, I would suggest a surface skimmer which does the same however, it only collect particles from the top.

I heard of this boxed ocean salt, however, I would recommend "Instant Ocean" sea salt. The reason for this is because Instant Ocean sea salt contains minerals that other sea salts doesn't have. These minerals are very important to keeping fishes happy and healthy.

As for specific temperature for the tank, each species needs a certain temperature, along with live rocks and corals. They need a specific temperature so not always will live rocks be good for the fishes, it also depends on how well the fishes adjusts to the temperature of the tank.

How many days, depends on how well you care for the tank. I would recommend at least 2-4 weeks. You should be testing your water parameters, such as ph balance, ammonia balance, and nitrite and nitrate balances. Each fish adapts to certain balances of water parameters, so it's very important to research the fishes and shrimp that you plan on buying.

You will need a hydrometer and a heater and knowledge of fish diseases and how to cure and or treat them. If you don't do your research, you can make costly mistakes. invertebrates needs a certain salinity along with live rock. If you don't have it, the chances of them surviving will go down.

You need to upkeep the tank everyday. You cannot skip any days, for a healthy environment, proper care and treatments is a necessity.

Also recommended food for your clownfish, you can feed them flakes, pellets, brine shrimp or mysis, and or meaty foods. I would recommed mixing their diets to ensure a better health for these fishes. If you just stick to one food, they may not have the necessary vitamins to make them last for a long time. Spirulina flakes, Garlic enriched foods are very good for clownfishes, however, please mix their diets on a daily basis, otherwise, if they get used to the diet that you feed, they may or may not accept anything new.

Anyways, any more questions, please feel free to ask. Thanks

Answer 2

1 live rock is mostly dead coral skeliton that forms the base of the reef, it is loaded with denitrifying bacteria, as it cures all sorts of micro and macro orginims will come to life on it in your tank including tinny shrimp and brittle stars, sponges, corals, plants and coraline algae, but the most important part for you is that it will be your pitmary filter, and aquascape all in one, live rock is the missing link that moved the saltwater hoby into the homes of the masses

2 no you dont need an anonome they will do fine and even breed with out one but you'll sure as h**l want one, but you can wait till later on to get it

3-depends on what you keep in the tank with it, before you buy a fish go to bluezooaquaria.com and liveaquaria.com, they have good databases on auqaruim fish and will let you know if a particular fish will eat your crabs coral and shrimp,

4 - not only possable but prefered, buy live sand same premis as live rock, best bed you can lay down

5 - their are many but live rock will be the primary filter, if you can afford it, 1-2 lbs per gallon, you can also get a refugiom sump this will be a 3 chamber sump in mine the first chamber takes in the water feed line with a sock filter, and the protene skimmer, second chamber houses miricle mud and my plants (a safe breeding ground for my pods and myasis shrimp) third chamber houses the return pump you can fill the first or third chamber with live rock ubble for even better filtration

6 - protenes in the water are either attracted to air or repelled by air, a bubble is both so the protene skimmer draws in water mixex it with tiny bubbles and floats it to the top  taking the protenes with it, it colects in the cup at the top where you dump it down the drain,

7 - never used it, but i do my water changes with premixed water from my local store and it works just fine for me

8 - 72ºf - 82ºf

9 - flakefood is fine, i also feed frozed brine shrimp and dried krill to make sure they get a viraty, they say they will eat algea aswell but mine dont

10 - you can add fish as soon as the cycle is compleeted as little as 2 weeks but its not recomended, 4-6 months will make a huge diffrence in the long term success and well being of your tank

11 - dont cut corners, be patient, do it right from the begining and you'll have healthier happier fish in the long run,