new guy

[Brian Winningham]

Hello I am in the process of building a new tank I have 75 gallion saltwater tank that Ibought a wet/dry filter a protin skimmer a wave maker live sand and the light has 3 sets of lights on it i am new to saltwater I have 55 freshwater tank that i love and have always wanted to have saltwater tank and dont knowwhat to do next i bought to live rock from petco and a podwer blue tang needless to say they said it would ok to buy him so i did I need help some please help me

[hobogato]

if you are saying you just set up your tank, take the tang back to the store and tell them you need a refund because your tank isnt ready.

[Mr Cob]

You'll need to read some more before purchasing any additional livestock. Definitely take the tang back. This isn't to offend you in any way or to dampen your spirits...it's just to help you. Start with doing a google search on how to setup a saltwater aquarium and check this out too: http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterAquariumSetup.htm

Welcome to MAAST.

[marshall.read]

+1 for returning the tang. you've made a good first step by checking out maast, read up on everything you can, wetwebmedia.com is also a good source for most all things related to saltwater. good luck.

[Kristy]

Hi Brian,

Welcome to MAAST! I see you are in Arkansas. Do you know anyone in your area with a tank that could at least take the tang for the night, so you can return it to Petco tomorrow? If you just set up your tank today, it is way too new and I am not sure the tang will survive even tonight, much less the long term.

It is not clear if you just set up the tank today or not.... If you have not done so, do an internet search on saltwater tanks and read on new set ups. New saltwater tanks need to cycle for a few weeks, before slowly adding anything. Tangs can be delicate, but almost anything you put in now would probably die, regardless what it is. I am sorry if this is too much noobie information, but from your post you appear to be seeking info and I hope this helps.

As I said, Welcome to MAAST. There are a good group of people on here and a lot of good information. Don't get discouraged, we have only been doing this a couple of years now and we still have lots to learn. Enjoy the hobby, it is very different from freshwater, but it can be very frustrating, enjoyable, and addicting also.

-Mike (& Kristy)

I see Rob and others beat me to the internet reading... :)

[Brian Winningham]

what did first was bought a 75gal tank protin skimmer and filter and a heater and wave maker 2weeks later i bought distilled water from wal mart and added salt 2weeks after that i added 60lbs of live sand and 25lbs of crushed coral then 1 week later bought the tang and 2 live rocks i was going on what Petco told me to do and following there every step I am sorry to say I joined a little to let the powder blue tang passed away 24hrs later after getting him and of course i was mad petco wouldnt do anything about it or even help me with figureing out what went wrong now i have all this and dont know where to go from here

[hobogato]

read as much as possible, wetwebmedia.com is a good place to start. be patient and take it slow. sounds like you got some good equipment, but you need to get some live rock. i would suggest about 75 pounds.

test your water periodically. you should see an ammonia spike first, so that is what you should test for first. after that, while ammonia decreases, nitrite will rise. once it tops out and starts to drop, you will see nitrate rise. once your tank has zero ammonia and nitrite and nitrates are low, you are ready to start adding livestock slowly. your tank cycle is not over however, you will still likely see different algal blooms for a couple of months at least. dont add any coral for at least 5 or 6 months.

[Gilbert]

i agree with hobogato, you should invest in live rock the more the better. just wondering what are your plans for the tank? do you want to keep coral if so what kind (hard or soft)? just some things to think about before buying more equipment.
IMO i would ask questions here instead of going to petco, specially if you need recommendation on lighting or other stuff.

[greatwhite@AlamoAquatics]

welcome to maast dude .. this is a good place to get info .. reading as much as possible is also good, internet, and used book stores are cool too.. best thing to do is take it slow dont rush anything ,its hard i know even for me and ive been doing this for five year...well good luck and dont get discouraged this is a awesome hobby just be patient and everything will work out.. cya

[Brian Winningham]

as for the light goes I have one I bought it when I bought everything else and its a Odyssea Compact Fluorescent Duel Lighting 48" long 260w it has 2 cf65w True Actinic 2 cf65w 12000K Daylight and 4 Blue Moon led lights

[Brian Winningham]

after several hours of reading I have come to the point of no return I think my saltwater days are over I have one marine life store near me and have found that they are not any help to me at this point so I think its best for me to sale what I have before I get more in dept with this salt water tank its not as easy to do as thought it would be I stick with my 55 gal freshwater tank that I have had for 10 yrs I know everything to do to it I might try saltwater later but for now i dont think its for me

[SABOB]

Sorry to hear you are returning to Freshwater.After 25 years of freshwater I moved to salt.Many mistakes and 5 years later I still don't have all the answers and have thought of returning to freshwater ( seems easier ) but everytime I look at my 55 gallon salt tank and beautiful colored fish and corals,I stick it out.