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setting up a maine tank

25 9:47:25

Question
We have just purchased a RESUN Dream Seawater Aquarium - DMS-400.  It has come with no instructions at all and we aren't sure how to go about setting it up and if it has what we need to keep marine fish.

It is 48L, it has 2 energy saving lights, 15W, 1blue and 1 white, it has 1 SP-980 water pump, 10W 550l/h, it has filter sponge, it has ceramic cyclinders, it has bio-balls & carbon for the filtration system. (This is all written on outside of box.  The shop sold us some Instant Ocean salt, some ocean rock and tuffa rocks, a hydrometer, and a Ph and nitrate testing kit.  

I have rinsed the coral sand and put in bottom of tank and soaked teh rocks and placed them in the tank. Now I am stuck.  I don't know if to mix water and salt in a bucket then put in or to mix whilst in tank.  Also I wanted to know if I could put in live rock and corals (if I should or not).  Will the tank be good enough for them.  We wanted to get a couple of clown fish and maybe another type of fish and have a shrimp type of thing.  Can you advise me what to do next and if the tank will accomodate what we want.  Really I need the next few steps laying out for me please.

Many Thanks for your time and help in advance.

Janet


Answer
mix the water in 5 gallon buckets and siphon the water into the tank, onto a dinner plate or something that will take the force of the water without disturbing what you have done. use a hose and a powerhead to get the water from the bucket to the tank. make sure tank is situated perfectly, once full, moving is impossible. also go to about.com, click on hobbies, then click on saltwater aquariums and follow the 101 course directions and you will be fine.