Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:40 pm Post subject: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
Well long story short - I suffered a huge loss - lost all fish and plants. I had gone on official tour for 3 weeks and so set up all timers and feeders before I left. There was a electrical maintenance in my flat when I was gone and somehow the electrician forgot to plug the fuse back for my section. Lights , filter all failed to work without power and when I came back, it was just bones and a foul black colored tank. 1.5 years of plant growth and cichlids all gone now.
Well it took me two days to recover from the shock and now I am a bit confused whether to resume the planted tank or shift to marine tank, since I will have to start from scratch both ways.
I have a canister filter(aquasonic 1800L/H) and a 4lx2hx1.5d ft tank)
4xT5HO lights with superior reflectors.
Can someone who has experience setting up marine aquariums let me know what elese I would have to purchase.
To add, I did go to the LFS ysterday to enquire what they got over there. Some key points which he told me:
He is a good guy whom I know for quite sometime. Might be some of the points are wrong but he too is learning to keep his marine aquariums.
1. The water can go unchanged for 6-7 months provided I have good filteration.
2. Anemone can be kept with adequate lighting.
3. Clown fish can get along easily as they are bred locally.
4. Wild caught have 50-50% chance of surviving the first wek and if they do, they live long.
5. The fish food he offered costed 15x/- and said the fishes would eat them. No need of algae or phytoplankton.
6. I did not need a sump. Just need to modify the filter media in the existing canister.
7. He used sea water directly and so did not need to wait for 45 days prior to adding fish.
8. Easier to maintain as they dont need WC.
Someone please let me know if these are correct.
Some doubts from my side:
1. Sea water option is not viable . So will I need to but test kits and stuff to add redsea salt? Can someone PM the cost of the salt or atleast mask the last few digits so that I get to know the range.(that will determine whether I should go for it or not)
2. Let me know any non-fish tank mates I can start with(Corals, live rock, anemone, ......)
Joined: Dec 06, 2008 Posts: 234 Location: Trivandrum
Status: Offline
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:20 pm Post subject: Re: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
Stick to the planted tank. Do not switch over because your tank crashed. Marine tanks need lots more investment in terms of sump, skimmer, wave makers, salt, test kits and maybe a chiller too. If you go through a power failure again the loss on a marine tank could be worse. So address the power issue and make it fail safe and get somebody to keep an eye on your tank atleast twice a week.
Read up on marine aquariums before you start. The sticky posts on the forums under marine subject at IAH would help you get your basic info right. Start correctly and then small issues along the way can be corrected. But read and start correct or your marine tank is bound to crash.
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
Thanks for the reply, but could you be more precise...
1. Regarding WC, might be he is wrong but what is the recomended period?As I said, he too just satrted the tanks and I am sure whatever he told me is out of ignorance and not that he wanted to sell it off to me.
2. Do I need to add any trace minerals to the tank? How costly are they?
3. What happens to the existing minerals in the water used to mix the salt? Is it OK to mix normal tap water with redsea salt?
4. Glass tank, canister filter, 4 ft T5 HO lights, sea salt - What else do I need to start with?
5. Could you please detail more on the sump.... What's wrong with canisters being used in marine aquariums? Though I have read and seen people using sumps for marine aquariums, I did visit the govt run marine aquarium in Thiruvananthapuram. They had canister filters for all the tanks. Might be sump is the best. But has someone successfully used canisters for marine aquariums? Just haven't got the space for that..... Please don't tell me this hobby is not fo rme if I haven't got space for the sump...
6. Do I need a UV in my canister? I can buy a new canister filter if required....
7. Finally, my glass tank(4ftx2ftx1.5ft) is 12mm thick. Can it withstand the salt water pressure?
Joined: Jun 23, 2012 Posts: 192 Location: Agartala, Tripura
Status: Offline
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject: Re: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
You have an internet connection, start reading about keeping marine aquariums in various sites! READ! READ! READ! Keep on reading unless you get the hang of it!
Joined: May 16, 2011 Posts: 1060 Location: mumbai (south)
Status: Offline
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:25 pm Post subject: Re: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
Never buy wild caught..... never use canister, as they are a factory for nitrates.... sump is best for any marine tank... If u going for FOWLR, would be best not to add fishes for 1month, then u can start with chromis, then after a month of testing and checking everything, add clowns. i had a sumpless tank for more than 2yrs, now i have 1 with sump, and im very happy. i do 5% WC every week as its a reef buy u can do a 20% every month (for FOWLR).... buy a ammonia, nitrite and nitrate kit (salifert kits).. and dont start your tank before buying a refractometer (DO NOT buy any hydrometer)...... Any lighting is fine, but would suggest going for LED. buy a good skimmer.... keep 20-30 times flow minimum in your tank.....
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:57 pm Post subject: Re: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
Thanks Veeral. That was useful. When people say that the cost is huge, I was comparing the price with my current planted tank.
Planted tank costs:
1. Big EB for the 9hr 220W T5Ho lights. - 60 units a month + 5k for T5HO
2. Substrate - 3k
3. Co2 kit and replacements - 3k and monthly
Isn't that quite comparable to a FOWLR tank cost? Veeral or anyone else, do you mind if you could Pm me the cost of test kits and refractometer. Would be best if I could get costs of wavemaker, test kits, refractometer, sump, salt, protein skimmer. I live in Chennai by the way.
I do not intend to keep a reef. A fish alone with live rock and anemone is what I am looking for. By the way, how do I feed the anemone?
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:18 pm Post subject: Re: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
Every Single Question You have rasied here has already Been answered in this forum Itself. IMHO Suggest you read the Posts under Marines Forum rather than Hoping for Personalized answers to each of your questions..
Well long story short - I suffered a huge loss - lost all fish and plants. I had gone on official tour for 3 weeks and so set up all timers and feeders before I left. There was a electrical maintenance in my flat when I was gone and somehow the electrician forgot to plug the fuse back for my section. Lights , filter all failed to work without power and when I came back, it was just bones and a foul black colored tank. 1.5 years of plant growth and cichlids all gone now.
Well it took me two days to recover from the shock and now I am a bit confused whether to resume the planted tank or shift to marine tank, since I will have to start from scratch both ways.
I have a canister filter(aquasonic 1800L/H) and a 4lx2hx1.5d ft tank)
4xT5HO lights with superior reflectors.
Can someone who has experience setting up marine aquariums let me know what elese I would have to purchase.
To add, I did go to the LFS ysterday to enquire what they got over there. Some key points which he told me:
He is a good guy whom I know for quite sometime. Might be some of the points are wrong but he too is learning to keep his marine aquariums.
1. The water can go unchanged for 6-7 months provided I have good filteration.
2. Anemone can be kept with adequate lighting.
3. Clown fish can get along easily as they are bred locally.
4. Wild caught have 50-50% chance of surviving the first wek and if they do, they live long.
5. The fish food he offered costed 15x/- and said the fishes would eat them. No need of algae or phytoplankton.
6. I did not need a sump. Just need to modify the filter media in the existing canister.
7. He used sea water directly and so did not need to wait for 45 days prior to adding fish.
8. Easier to maintain as they dont need WC.
Someone please let me know if these are correct.
Some doubts from my side:
1. Sea water option is not viable . So will I need to but test kits and stuff to add redsea salt? Can someone PM the cost of the salt or atleast mask the last few digits so that I get to know the range.(that will determine whether I should go for it or not)
2. Let me know any non-fish tank mates I can start with(Corals, live rock, anemone, ......)
Let me start by saying that a marine tank is about 10x the cost of a planted tank.. For a tank of yours, you will need to spend about 50k or more initially.
Don't use the canister if you have the space for a sump.
I would suggest you go for simple Fish Only setup, and if possible make some Diy rocks. Do not bother much with corals or inverts for now.
With Regards to your LFS advice.
Note: Most LFS have very limited knowledge where marine is concerned. Don't follow their advice blindly, do some research online.
1. The water can go unchanged for 6-7 months provided I have good filteration. - Can be done, with good filteration and proper knowledge, but its better to do water changes every month than risking the health of your fish
2. Anemone can be kept with adequate lighting. - Yes, but you can try it only after a couple of months or so once everything in your tank is doing fine and you have done enough of research.
3. Clown fish can get along easily as they are bred locally. - Didn't understand the statement, A. ocellaris is the only commonly available tank bred fish.
4. Wild caught have 50-50% chance of surviving the first wek and if they do, they live long. - Nope, you need a stable tank and provide a proper environment for them to live long.
5. The fish food he offered costed 15x/- and said the fishes would eat them. No need of algae or phytoplankton. - They can be a fed a on diet of good quality pellets and/or noori.
Note: Not all fish will eat pellets readily. Some eat after a while, others dont.
6. I did not need a sump. Just need to modify the filter media in the existing canister. - Make a sump, dont use the canister filter.
7. He used sea water directly and so did not need to wait for 45 days prior to adding fish. - Read up on the Nitrogen Cycle.
8. Easier to maintain as they dont need WC. Its a lot more work than any planted tank.
If your looking for a setup, that doesn't cost you much and is easier to maintain, stick with a planted tank.
Joined: Dec 06, 2008 Posts: 234 Location: Trivandrum
Status: Offline
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:35 pm Post subject: Re: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
Regarding water change - I have been using water collected from the sea for my aquarium FOWLER which i had been maintaining over a year and which subsequently went out of maintenance and is now being revived. I have been effecting 25% water changes only every 2 months and the tank has remained stable. I guess using sea water has some advantages over using water mixed with salts!!!!
My experience is limited and so i guess you should go by the advice of experts.
Well long story short - I suffered a huge loss - lost all fish and plants. I had gone on official tour for 3 weeks and so set up all timers and feeders before I left. There was a electrical maintenance in my flat when I was gone and somehow the electrician forgot to plug the fuse back for my section. Lights , filter all failed to work without power and when I came back, it was just bones and a foul black colored tank. 1.5 years of plant growth and cichlids all gone now.
Well it took me two days to recover from the shock and now I am a bit confused whether to resume the planted tank or shift to marine tank, since I will have to start from scratch both ways.
I have a canister filter(aquasonic 1800L/H) and a 4lx2hx1.5d ft tank)
4xT5HO lights with superior reflectors.
Can someone who has experience setting up marine aquariums let me know what elese I would have to purchase.
To add, I did go to the LFS ysterday to enquire what they got over there. Some key points which he told me:
He is a good guy whom I know for quite sometime. Might be some of the points are wrong but he too is learning to keep his marine aquariums.
1. The water can go unchanged for 6-7 months provided I have good filteration.
2. Anemone can be kept with adequate lighting.
3. Clown fish can get along easily as they are bred locally.
4. Wild caught have 50-50% chance of surviving the first wek and if they do, they live long.
5. The fish food he offered costed 15x/- and said the fishes would eat them. No need of algae or phytoplankton.
6. I did not need a sump. Just need to modify the filter media in the existing canister.
7. He used sea water directly and so did not need to wait for 45 days prior to adding fish.
8. Easier to maintain as they dont need WC.
Someone please let me know if these are correct.
Some doubts from my side:
1. Sea water option is not viable . So will I need to but test kits and stuff to add redsea salt? Can someone PM the cost of the salt or atleast mask the last few digits so that I get to know the range.(that will determine whether I should go for it or not)
2. Let me know any non-fish tank mates I can start with(Corals, live rock, anemone, ......)
Let me start by saying that a marine tank is about 10x the cost of a planted tank.. For a tank of yours, you will need to spend about 50k or more initially.
Don't use the canister if you have the space for a sump.
I would suggest you go for simple Fish Only setup, and if possible make some Diy rocks. Do not bother much with corals or inverts for now.
With Regards to your LFS advice.
Note: Most LFS have very limited knowledge where marine is concerned. Don't follow their advice blindly, do some research online.
1. The water can go unchanged for 6-7 months provided I have good filteration. - Can be done, with good filteration and proper knowledge, but its better to do water changes every month than risking the health of your fish
2. Anemone can be kept with adequate lighting. - Yes, but you can try it only after a couple of months or so once everything in your tank is doing fine and you have done enough of research.
3. Clown fish can get along easily as they are bred locally. - Didn't understand the statement, A. ocellaris is the only commonly available tank bred fish.
4. Wild caught have 50-50% chance of surviving the first wek and if they do, they live long. - Nope, you need a stable tank and provide a proper environment for them to live long.
5. The fish food he offered costed 15x/- and said the fishes would eat them. No need of algae or phytoplankton. - They can be a fed a on diet of good quality pellets and/or noori.
Note: Not all fish will eat pellets readily. Some eat after a while, others dont.
6. I did not need a sump. Just need to modify the filter media in the existing canister. - Make a sump, dont use the canister filter.
7. He used sea water directly and so did not need to wait for 45 days prior to adding fish. - Read up on the Nitrogen Cycle.
8. Easier to maintain as they dont need WC. Its a lot more work than any planted tank.
If your looking for a setup, that doesn't cost you much and is easier to maintain, stick with a planted tank.
GatorX don't you tire your fingers typing it again and again.
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:04 pm Post subject: Re: Lost all fish - Thinking to setup a marine
Quote:
GatorX don't you tire your fingers typing it again and again
Thanks Gatorx. I appretiate your typing it again. I haven't gone through marine posts as I never thought of owning one, having invested so much on the planted stuff and all the good growth I had these years. But now, its a decision whether to start the planted again or jump into the marine world. Anyways I am planning to hold everything for a month before deciding. Just need to figue out if the maintenance and costs will be OK for me. 50k is a defenite NO for me, but if it is a FOWLR tank, I guess I could bring down the price a bit.
Another question which I missed out earlier. Can I have the FOWLER tank without chiller? I read corals and other delicate tank mates require it. I could arrange fans to lower the temp. But is that sufficient for the fishes?
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