Beginner 80Gal Tank

Question
Good morning!
I am getting ready to dive into the word of a Saltwater aquarium...I am going to be purchasing an 80Gal tank, i'm interested in knowing the best was to start, the only thing my wife is requesting is that it contains a Clown, i'm interested on learning what other species i can include(should include) in a beginners tank...i would love to use live rock and am thinking about adding about 80lbs...is this recommeded..also what is a recommended sand?
thanks!


Answer
Hi George,
    I'm very excited for you. 80 gal is a good size and is easier to maintain water stability than a smaller aquarium. First clean the tank with a clean water soaked sponge and wipe dry with a clean towel. Add fresh water with pump and filter running. Check for leaks. If okay add the correct amount of salt per directions. The first thing you should do is realize it may take up to four weeks before you can add fish. This is due to the natural cycle a tank will go through before being ready to accept most life forms. Before adding live rock make sure salinity, ph, and temperature are correct. The live rock you will purchase will start the cycling process. There is always some die off when moving rock from one place to another, Unless the rock is fully "cured" and you have it fully submerged in the water it came from. A clean 5 gal bucket with a lid will do the trick. I would add one good size [ 7 to 10 lbs ] piece a day until your desired amount is reached. Remember to take some water out before you add a piece of rock, as it will displace some water and your tank will overflow if full. You can then add the rock and fill to desired level. Test the water every 3 days or so for salinity, ph, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. You should definitely have a saltwater test kit. You don't need lights for the rock to cure. You do , however need the pump, filter and heater up and running. Make sure the water flow is good, the salinity is correct, and is the right temp. before adding your live rock. I would let the rock cure in the tank before introducing a substrate [e.g. live sand, about one to two  inches]. The reasoning is you want the water to completely surround the live rock. The water readings should go from ammonia present, to nitrite present, to nitrate present. The nitrate level should be low. No more than forty, although many fish only tanks run higher. If you purchase rock that is not fully cured the cycle could take up to four weeks. During the curing process after about two weeks, turn the lights on about 8 to 10 hours a day. Add two to four damsels {very resilient} and they will help cycle the tank and you will be able to at least look at a few fish and have a little satisfaction. Wait until the tank is void of any ammonia or any nitrites before adding other creatures or other types of fish. As your water evaporates do to cirulation etc. make sure you add fresh water to the tank to keep it at the proper level. The salt does not evaporate, thus you add fresh and the salinity will remain constant. Go to google and type in "saltwater aquarium fish". There will be a myriad of sites to choose from. Although I do not order fish online the companies that offer this service will describe all the various fish species and how hardy they are. Are they suitable for beginners? The clown your wife would like to have would be a great fish to have and may live symbiotically with an anemone {the "flowers" of the reef}. The clownfish is, or acquires immunity to the stings of the anenome and wiggles around in it and looks so happy. Different clownfish are suitable for different anenomes so do a little research on the clown you want first and then a type of anenome will likely be suggested. I have a little bit of a mixture in my tank. I have a tomato clown with a rittieri anenome, a humu humu [picasso trigger], a racoon butterfly, a bicolor angel, a sailfin tang, and for janitorial duties, some hermit crabs, three starfish, some other small crabs of different varieties, and few types of snails. There is an awesome site on www.about.com. Click on hobbies and games,then click on saltwater aquariums [lower left] and you will come to the site run by stan and debbie hauter. Literally everything you wanted to know and then some. Enjoy, good luck and be patient. thanks, gerry.
P.S. There are some great tips on cleaning live rock and proper ways to sey up and run.