Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

need tips on setting up first marine tank

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peter (peter campbell)
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20 Feb 2009 22:02 #1 by peter (peter campbell)

need tips on setting up first marine tank was created by peter (peter campbell)

Hi Ive always loved tropical fish but ive always aimed towards a marine tank.
.Im not wanting a full reef tank because of the cost of them but do want LR and LS with some corals.

good size of aquarium is good to start with
so what equipment will i need
what effort and equipment is needed to keep a marine tank
what sort of budget is needed

any tips,advice or guidence greatly appreiciated.
thanks:)

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paulbohs (Paul Doyle)
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20 Feb 2009 22:11 - 20 Feb 2009 22:30 #2 by paulbohs (Paul Doyle)

Replied by paulbohs (Paul Doyle) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

where are you based. always best to get this info while looking at a tank. i'm in athboy co meath if you want to visit my tank.

On top of the tank, live rock is 20 euro a kilo list (you can get 15 -20% off this price) I paid 750 euro for 42kgs

Fish are not expensive. 8 euro for a beautiful blue chromis, 35 euro for a yellow tang, 120 euro for a flame angel fish.

marine bulbs are good enough unless you want to keep corals and then you need a metal halide light unit. protein skimmer, small ones can be picked up 2nd hand. I bought a massive 1500 V2 skimmer for under 200 euro new. live sand is about 30 euro for a 20lb bucket.

calcium and magnesium supplements will cost you about 50 euro each a year unless your tank is massive.

I also had to invest 50 in phosphate removal as i was overfeeding the frozen foods

corals are big money usually but frags can be gotten if you know people.

best of luck with this venture

Last edit: 20 Feb 2009 22:30 by paulbohs (Paul Doyle).

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peter (peter campbell)
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20 Feb 2009 22:42 #3 by peter (peter campbell)

Replied by peter (peter campbell) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

thanks for the help.

just wodering about the live rock.
can you cultivate your own live rock?
can you mix live rock with the normal white rock used in tanganyikan tanks so it will develop over months,or how long does it take?
what pet store do you use and wheres the best?i go to aquatic village

and what size tank would you advise me to start with?

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paulbohs (Paul Doyle)
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20 Feb 2009 23:00 #4 by paulbohs (Paul Doyle)

Replied by paulbohs (Paul Doyle) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

you cant cultivate your own. The only way that might work is the dead live rock they sell in kinseally at 8 euro a kilo. It will still be light and porous. all other rocks types will get covered in coraline algae but will not allow adequate water circulation. you'll end up with horrible algae growth because of dead spots and detrious build up. I use aquarium solutions in ashbourne but I also like aquatic village, seahorse ireland and petstop blanchardstown if they have stocks.

Took about 4 months for the coraline algae to start to really take over. I like big tanks but honestly with marines you can do alot with a small tank too. Best bet is to have a look at the fish you want to keep and let me know. I'll say what the minimum tank required is. I have a Betta 1300, great cheap tank (chinese made but decent towards the other chinese tanks i've tried). I would defenitely try and pick up a 2nd hand one if you can. Its expensive to keep a marine tank running. If you don't have 100 euro a month spare don't do it as you wont be able to afford salt, chemicals etc

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gerryberry (Jeff Daly)
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20 Feb 2009 23:03 #5 by gerryberry (Jeff Daly)

Replied by gerryberry (Jeff Daly) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

Do a search on the forum for the thread" one way of setting up a marine tank ". A great source of info i found useful.

GB

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Seany (Sean Phelan)
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22 Feb 2009 18:17 #6 by Seany (Sean Phelan)

Replied by Seany (Sean Phelan) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

any tips,advice or guidence greatly appreciated

As previously posted
"Do plently of research on marine fishkeeping. There are plently of good books out there to point you in the right direction. Speak to the Guys/Gals in the LFS and visit a few websites. Marinefish/Inverts as does all aquatic life, deserve to be cared for as would any pet. Armed with the knowledge required, you will enjoy your journey, with less headaches and provide a suitable habitat for your charges."

Wishing you all the best in your project. Any help you require will most definitely be available through this forum.

Kind regards

Seany

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peter (peter campbell)
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22 Feb 2009 20:52 #7 by peter (peter campbell)

Replied by peter (peter campbell) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

just wondering what do you need 100 euro a month spare for:huh:
Paulbohs said this in a previous post

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reefpaddy (paddy kelly)
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22 Feb 2009 22:27 #8 by reefpaddy (paddy kelly)

Replied by reefpaddy (paddy kelly) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

i dont personally have the time to mix saltwater and wont think about useing tap water. so i have to buy ready to go saltwater made from ro water at least once every 10 days. costs me 10euro for 25l and 5 for fresh ro water you will also need to test at least once a week thats say 50 every 3 months,chmical removal products will be unfortunitally be needed at some time and filters . there is always something you need, if you can manage 30euro a week youl be ok. if you are not aware of ro/saltwater you should get yourself seriously educated. ask as many questions you can think of. reed everything you can get your hands on.

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lampeye (lampeye)
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22 Feb 2009 22:45 #9 by lampeye (lampeye)

Replied by lampeye (lampeye) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

ive been using tap water for 2 and a half years without a problem. no nuisance algae. i age it for a week prior to use, and run carbon 24/7 on the display tank.
of course ro is better, and it might depend on your water supply, but it can be done without it,

lampeye

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reefpaddy (paddy kelly)
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22 Feb 2009 23:03 #10 by reefpaddy (paddy kelly)

Replied by reefpaddy (paddy kelly) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

hi lampeye, i did use tap water at first never left it for the week but did treat it, one day after cleaning my tank the night before i awoke to find a complete whipeout.about 20 fish all dead. checked everything including water for ammonia,nitrate,nitrite and ph everthing fairly ok. we sent the water down to a marine biologyst down in galway along with a sample of my tap water ,turned out there was a huge prob with my tap water. i think it was a clorine prob not sure though it was a good while ago.just shows you what we are drinking. as this guy s starting marine, i thought it was probably easier and safer for him to use ro, rather than mixing aerating heating and treating water. my water arrives at 24 d, so it goes strait in.

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paulbohs (Paul Doyle)
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22 Feb 2009 23:20 #11 by paulbohs (Paul Doyle)

Replied by paulbohs (Paul Doyle) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

I wouldn't chance my water without using RO but i'm chicken. I couldn't lose all my fish, it would kill my marine adventure. 100 euro is

Salt bucket (120 euro every 3-4 months)
Bio Magnesium (1.5kg @ 50 euro every 1-2 months)
Bio Calcium (1.5kg @ 50 euro every 3-4 months)
Rowaphos
Carbon
Test Kits
Foods
polyfilter

It all adds up plus you'll most likely want to add something or replace a critter that has died of old age. Maybe if I had a 100 liter tank I could get by with 30 but my tank is eating the magnesium and i'm probably changing too much water.

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reefpaddy (paddy kelly)
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22 Feb 2009 23:27 #12 by reefpaddy (paddy kelly)

Replied by reefpaddy (paddy kelly) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

i said 30 a week mate, you dont have to tell me

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lampeye (lampeye)
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23 Feb 2009 12:43 #13 by lampeye (lampeye)

Replied by lampeye (lampeye) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

We might be scaring the sh1t out of him!! the following info is not to challenge any poster but just to say that a minimalist approach can be taken.

peter wrote:

good size of aquarium is good to start with thanks:)

go for a 4 foot tank at least. you wont regret it ! rio 240 is a good choice but i'd advise taking out the filter.

peter wrote:

so what equipment will i need
what effort and equipment is needed to keep a marine tank

most important piece of equip is a 50 litre quarantine tank.
1 hour a week maintenance

paulbohs wrote:

marine bulbs are good enough unless you want to keep corals and then you need a metal halide light unit. protein skimmer, small ones can be picked up 2nd hand. I bought a massive 1500 V2 skimmer for under 200 euro new. live sand is about 30 euro for a 20lb bucket.

some corals do great with normal t8s (flouresent tubes) if placed in the top 3rd of the tank.

paulbohs wrote:

Salt bucket (120 euro every 3-4 months)
Bio Magnesium (1.5kg @ 50 euro every 1-2 months)
Bio Calcium (1.5kg @ 50 euro every 3-4 months)
Carbon

Instant ocean salt is €90 for a 25kg bucket. this makes 750 litres. on a 200l (or 240) a 10% weekly wc is fine, so once the tanks is set up you'll only need 1 and a half buckets a year.
You dont need to test for or add calcium or magnesium for a FOWLR and some easy inverts, if u do your weekly water changes the trace elements will be fine.
I order a years supply of carbon at a time. it works out at €2 a week.

Seany wrote:

"Do plently of research on marine fishkeeping. There are plently of good books out there to point you in the right direction. Speak to the Guys/Gals in the LFS and visit a few websites. Marinefish/Inverts as does all aquatic life, deserve to be cared for as would any pet. Armed with the knowledge required, you will enjoy your journey, with less headaches and provide a suitable habitat for your charges." Seany

couldnt agree more!

back to the RO question. yes its better to use the purest water possible i.e. ro. if i had any pressure in my mains tap i'd use it. however tap water can be used. i treat it with seachems prime, add salt and let age in a suitable container with a powerhead for a week.

don't worry if all the info is overwhelming . read a book or two before you do it and you'll be halfway there!
good luck!

fran

lampeye

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2poc (2poc)
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23 Feb 2009 13:40 #14 by 2poc (2poc)

Replied by 2poc (2poc) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

Have to throw in my own experience here.
I've been running a marine tank since November so early days yet.

Started off with a 16 litre tank with just live rock, mushroom corals and some inverts.

Moved the lot to a 50 litre tank in early January & added a tomato clownfish & a humbug damsel.

I use tap water for water changes & have very low watt lighting.
Filtration is by live rock only, though there's a huge amount of circulation via 3 pumps.

For me I've found there's not much difference between freshwater & marine keeping.
I screwed up & killed some tiny critters in my live rock by not pre-mixing my water properly.
Other than that its been straightforward enough.

The only difference I find is that the rate algae grows in marine conditions as opposed to freshwater is crazy....

Like I said, I haven't had much experience so far but the experience I've had has been straightforward enough. No black art involved at all.

You need deep pockets for tanks at the scale the lads are talking about but for me the only ongoing cost for the 50 litre is buying salt.

Buying the live rock was a bit of a killer too as its hard to stump up a few hundred quid for some dirty old rocks

Good luck with it!

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peter (peter campbell)
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23 Feb 2009 17:58 #15 by peter (peter campbell)

Replied by peter (peter campbell) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

to be honest i am amazed at the amount of variables but im learing quick.Im going ahead with this project near the summer as id rather wait and learn that end up eith a net full of dead fish and a empty pocket.
But please leave more posts as im taking notes.

What exactly is RO water?
Some good starter fish and corals!
thanks

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lampeye (lampeye)
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23 Feb 2009 20:02 #16 by lampeye (lampeye)

Replied by lampeye (lampeye) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

www.ro-man.com/

lampeye

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arabesque (Mick Veale)
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24 Feb 2009 00:38 #17 by arabesque (Mick Veale)

Replied by arabesque (Mick Veale) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

lampeye wrote:

www.ro-man.com/

Wow great site.. Some clever water storage solutions

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peter (peter campbell)
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09 Mar 2009 18:09 #18 by peter (peter campbell)

Replied by peter (peter campbell) on topic Re:need tips on setting up first marine tank

its earlier than i expected but i might be getting a marine tank with everything with it this weekend, and its a few months old so its nice and developed.its over 200l
im just wondering do you have any tips when buying a second hand tank and do i need to bother with magnisium and calcium when or if i get it.
in regards to the carbon i pressume your refering to the carbon in the ex-ternal filter,why would this be different to freshwater.and do i need to buy salt if i buy water from AQ.

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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

need tips on setting up first marine tank