hi everyone, new guy here ...needs a few questions answered.

Bifkeki

hi, my name is George, i'm new here, been reading this site for a few months now, i can tell there's some very clever people here, so i figured it's time i joined the discussions.
i currently have a 55 litre freshwater tropical tank for around 6 months.
i wish to buy another tank for the lounge (around 450 litre), i'm leaning towards a saltwater tropical.
as much as the reef setup would be cool, i think thats out of my depth ...so i'm looking at doing a Fish Only Tropical.
i want to do this right, so i've done heaps of online research and asked many questions at the LFS.
of course, like most things, everyone has different opinions, and it can get confusing.
i really like the look of the Yellow Tang, Blue Tang and Blonde Naso Tang
my questions is .....can these particular fish survive in a fish only tank, i.e. no live rock or coral?
i don't plan to put that many fish in there, probably 1 of each.
Can i throw in a Clown Fish for good measure, or is that too dangerous for the little fella?

your help would be appreciated.
George

Frayk

Welcome George, I cant answer your question about the Tangs, but I know that saltwater tanks are NOT for beginners, not wanting to put you off or be a kill joy in any way, lots of good advice coming your way from this forum, be patient...cheers.

Bifkeki

hi Frayk, thanks for the heads up ...oh yeah i agree with you regarding beginners, so i'm keeping an open mind as to what type of aquarium to setup, i'm going to do as much research first before buying anything. thanks again.

Bob

Hi George and welcome,

I've been keeping a variety of fish since the early seventies and have successfully bred discus.

I have considered marine tanks on a few ocassions but when I look at the logistics and technical aspects I come to the conclusion that thinking about them is close enough at the minute.

Perhaps one day I'll get around to putting it on my bucket list.

Cheers,

Bob

Rainbows

I'm fairly sure the tangs would be fine without coral as long as your providing them with the proper diet with emphasise on natural algae. However I'm not sure whether they have any particular needs when it comes to grazing on live rock so more research I guess. The tangs and clown wouldn't have any problems interacting from what I know, it's more the fact that the clown will want an anemone and maybe more hiding spots in the form of coral which could cause stress in a fish only tank.

Research is the key,
Wes.

animal_expert01

Welcome Bifkeki. Sorry but if you are starting a salt water aquarium ( which as a beginner I would not recommend) you should go with something much easier to care for. For example maybe you could have a little tank with a bit of live rock, some star snails, a cleaner shrimp, some blue green chromis and possibly some fire fish would be a great marine tank for your level ( if you can afford it).

Bifkeki

thanks for your responses guys ...and yes, i've taken it all on board and decided to not setup a saltwater tank. it's the smart thing to do ...both for the safety of the fish, and my wallet.
: )

instead, i plan to move my fish from my current 55 litre freshwater tank , to a new 220 litre.

any tips on the best way to move the fish ?
i'm assuming i simply need to cycle the new tank and try to get the water qualities to closely match the water in the existing tank ?

thanks again

Bob

If the water parameters in the new tank match the parameters of the old one you should be able to move your filter media into the new filter without losing your nitrifying bacteria. I rarely cycle a new tank, I simply "seed" the new filter with media from an established tank and move in some fish. The waste produced by the fish maintain your bacterial colonies in the normal manner.

If you are not significantly increasing fish numbers in the short term it should all work well.

I would net the fish into an appropriate sized container, siphon/pump as much of the water from the old tank to the new, then add the fish, or

You might try to siphon/pump most of the water first. This generall makes it easier to catch the fish.

Cheers,

Bob

Frayk

Just how much and how hard is it to set up a, say a 300 ltr reef tank? Opposed to a freshwater 300 ltr set up um... say community tank? Lets praps we all do some research? See what we can come up with.

Heintz.G

Frayk said:

Just how much and how hard is it to set up a, say a 300 ltr reef tank? Opposed to a freshwater 300 ltr set up um... say community tank? Lets praps we all do some research? See what we can come up with.

The most expensive thing with starting and maintaing Reef tank is a decent chiller, sump, skimmer and the ongoing cost of electricity, patience, time and be prepared to fail a few times.

If the above doesn't put you off then I say go for it.

Hi and welcome George

Rainbows

As Heintz said, it's the expense that puts most people off combined with the fact that you will need to keep a closer eye on water quality and parameters etc because things can go badly quite quickly in a salt water aquarium. If you do want one I would think about it a bit more first before throwing the idea away, don't be completely put off by the task as you have to start somewhere. The fact that the tank of yours is a bit larger is a good thing, because although it might cost more money initially to setup, in the long run it will be easier to keep stable water conditions.

Bifkeki

thanks again for your help here people , i appreciate it.
ok, here's my plans ....i'll put the idea of a saltwater tank on hold for now. maybe one day, no rush really.
for now though, i did buy a new 220 litre and transferred my freshwater fish into that, they're loving their new big house.
: )

Bifkeki

Me again , I have 1 more question for you (I promise it’ll be the last one ha ha).
Ok, this new 220 litre tank I recently bought, it’s all working just fine, and the fish look happy and loving the plenty of space.
This tank comes equipped with a Trickle Filter.
What’s your thoughts on trickle filters ?
Personally, I have a feeling it’s just not enough (ofcourse I’m new to this game, so this is just my opinion).
In the back of my smaller 55 litre tank are chambers where the water was being filtered …in the first chamber I had coarse foam, the second had fine foam, the third had carbon and ceramic rings, with excellent results.
I just don’t see how this trickle filter does as much “filtering” …it’s got a layer of fine foam and some ceramic rings, but that’s pretty much it. My smaller tank had more foam, carbon and ceramic rings than this big tank.
Will it be enough to do handle the biological, mechanical and chemical filtration ?
I’ve done abit of reading on these trickle filters, apparently they’re good for biological filtration …not so much for mechanical and chemical filtration.
Am I better off getting a canister filter maybe ?

Thanks again
George

Bifkeki

PS: it's top mount trickle filter

Mooo

Welcome George .....
Keep the questions coming, tis why we are here
Trickles do ok, I would however, Ditch the carbon in it, and also add 2 air driven large sponge filter as well Or omit sponges and just go for a good canister

Heintz.G

You can also add a wave maker to help with circulation.

Frayk

Yeah trickles r ok, IMHO you cant beat a kick arse external canister, pay a bit more, and see the results. Cheers.