Newbie - Am I missing anything

Question
QUESTION: Hi! I will be starting up my first saltwater aquarium - fish only. Have had a 10gallon freshwater in the past.
I purchased a 55gallon a few years back but have never set it up because was unsure of exactly what I wanted.

My "plan" is to only have a few fish 1 Clown, 2 Damsels and maybe a hermit crab. Have a few questions about my set up. I will be using live sand as substrate.

Filteration - Aquaclear 500
- Is this too big for my set up? I purchased it a while back and just now realized it says for 100gallon tanks on the box.

Protein Skimmer - Seaclone 100
- Would I position this at the opposite end of the power filter mentioned above? I do realize it is on the lower end of skimmers but hope it will do the trick.

Power Heads - I don't have any yet. Would one or more be neccessary/recommended.

Heater - I currently have one 300W heater. Will that be enough?

Thanks so much. Sorry for all the questions. I just want to make sure I have a handle on all the main components.
Amy



ANSWER: Hello Amy and welcome to my world of marine fishes...

You have some great questions, and I will try to address them in order..

1.  The aquaclear 500 is rated at UP TO 100gallons.  so yes, it will be ok for your system... (the rating is a bit higher then printed, but since your tank is half that size you are more then covered.  Please keep in mind that saltwater does not use/need 'filters' like freshwater tanks do.. the sponges in that filter will need cleaning every two weeks, and probably need to be replaced eery month.. so stock up on filter pads... (btw: you dont really need thefilter pads. you can run anything in that filter, carbon, phospate remover, and most other stuff.. just put it into a media bag, (thin material that lets water flow thru), and place the bags into the filter so water is flowing thru it)

2. the protien skimmer is fine.  nothing special but it will work, (for two reasons).. first off if you dont have corals, then you really dont need a skimmer. in fact i know several folk who have lots of corals and they still dont have a skimmer...

3.  Power heads are good to have.  they keep the water moving so you dont get piles of detritus, and gives the fish some excersize as they play in the current...

4.  that heater is probably TOO much heater for your tank.. if for some reason it gets stuck in the on position, it will cook whatever is in your tank QUICKER then a lower wattage version...If you live in a warm area and or it dont get too cool, then you can probably get away with 50-100 watts.

Ther are a ton of other things to know and share, but I will wait for you to come up with whatever questions you...

good luck, and please keep me posted on your progress


b


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much! Everything made perfect sense. Maybe I'll pick up a lower watt heater to be safe. I was also curious about rocks...
I plan on using live sand, can I use beach rocks in the tank? I have found mixed answers whether that is safe or not. The ones I have were collected about 4yrs ago and in the basement ever since. Is there a safe way to make sure nothing dangerous is on/in them?
I will most likely be back with more questions ;)
Thanks again...I'll keep you posted on where I'm at with the set up.

Amy

Answer
well amy, if you are going to be a regular questioner/participant you should log onto my new forum at www.thelittleocean.com

You can post questions and chat 'live' with other reefers, and get more information and feedback from different perspectives, since i usually look at it MY WAY. hehehehe

as for the rocks, I would first suggest that you dont do that in the future... if everyone were to take rocks/crittes from beaches and parks, then those that follow you will not be able to see things the way you did...

Also, there maybe some crittes that may not survive in a captive system, or in the temperatures and conditions you have in your tank, and they would die.. there may also be some invasive species that will harm your tank and the environment if they got loose...

But, since this happend many years ago, and watever is done is done, i would say, you can use the rocks.  just clean them well. I would suggest blasting them with a garden hose, and then soaking them in some old tank water for a few weeks... use a small powerhead to keep the water circulating, and maybe a heater to make sure they dont get too cold, then after a period of time, you can introducee the rocks to your system.. i would add them slowly.. one a week?

I would also watch the ammonia levels, and nitrite levels.. to make sure you dont create too much disturbance in your 'biological filtration'

anyways, i hope that answers this question.

Please check out the new forum. and please understand it is new, and not lots and lots of folks yet, just a few GREAT folks so far... you can be one of themmm

hehehe