ho do ya set up a marine tank, easy or hard?

hi all, im thinking of trying marine cause i have to hma filter and buffer water any way so i was wondering how much harder it would be, i no i would have to swap the hma filter for a ro but apart from that, what else would be needed,

I'm glad you started this, been wondering the same myself. Hopefully one of our marine keepers are still active and will answer

lets hope so ay.

hope this help you

There are no experts although there are many who claim to be. Keeping a marine aquarium is taking a piece of the reef and placing it in your home from that day on you learn as you go. making mistakes learning from them. Its a big investment, your fish have travelled thousands of miles to get to your aquarium and they deserve the best. To keep the beautiful colours and stunning shapes needs the right food, the right conditions and the right system. Many people claim that Marine fish are difficult to keep. This is not true and hopefully this guide will show that.

There are two types of set ups one is fish only with live rock (fowlr) and a reef set up. In this guide i will shown how to set up a marine reef and all the equipment needed to do this and just how easy it is to set up a reef.
First things you will need is a tank normally bigger is better but u can have the same success in smaller tank. You can buy tank that already have all the equipment you need like jewel rio range aqua one tanks and red sea max. I have always use jewel rio tanks i think they are good tanks and the equipment they come with is good too.

Equipment
For equipment you will need are powerheads external filters or sump skimmer heaters lights

Powers heads
Power heads are used for water movement and good water movement is critical for the health of your reef aquarium, too much water movement can be unhealthy. If current is too strong in a particular area, corals will grow around that spot. While inhabitants generally adapt to water movement patterns, you must pay close attention to the growth and development of your reef system, and adjust water flow to levels under which inhabitants thrive. With proper planning and equipment, you can easily create healthy water motion within your aquarium.

External filters
A filter is an essential piece of equipment as this processes the waste from the fish and keeps the water healthy and clear. Fish only systems have more basic filtration needs whereas ‘reef’ aquaria need very complicated external filters or ‘live-rock’ filtration. Speak to our staff at Cascade for advice. Make sure you get a filter suitable for your tank, as this is the life-support system for your fish and invertebrates. I found it best to remove the filter media and use live rock rumble has this is better for the tank and will help with nitrates and nitrites.

protein skimmer
A protein skimmer is a device used mostly in saltwater aquaria to remove organic compounds from the water before they break down into nitrogenous waste. Protein skimming is the only form of filtration that physically removes organic compounds before they begin to decompose, lightening the load on the biological filter and improving the water's redox potential.
A Protein Skimmer is a very important tool in reducing the amount of dissolved organic material in the aquarium water. This material consists of protein fragments and other waste, which assemble at air/water surfaces. Protein skimming can be considered as a form of mechanical filtration, since it is a physical process of removing substances from water, without any chemical or biological action. While a mechanical or pre-filter removes particles, a Protein Skimmer removes suspended or dissolved organic waste and invisible particles from the aquarium water. The advantage of Protein Skimming lies however in the fact that waste material is continuously removed, separating it from the water flow. Efficient removal of dissolved waste helps to reduce the amount of harmful floating bacteria, reduce the yellow discoloration of your aquarium water, limit nitrate and phosphate build up, and prevent the development of slime algae

Lighting
The choice of lighting for a reef tank will have a significant impact upon coral growth and coloration. The intensity of the light depends upon the type and wattage of lighting, depth of the tank, and distance of light source from the water surface. Metal halide lighting will penetrate the water deeper than fluorescents will, Fluorescent light intensity degrades quickly as distance to the water surface increases, and therefore should be placed as close to the water surface as possible. Most people tend to go with t5’s or metal halide but now LED’s are being used as they are cheaper to run and can give out the same amount of light.

Heaters
Fish and invertebrates are cold blooded creatures, which does not give them the ability to raise or lower their body temperatures to compensate for their environment. For this reason it is up to an aquarist to provide heat in the aquarium, as well as maintain the optimal tank temperature that is suitable for them. What kind of marine animals are kept in the aquarium will help determine these factors. Therefore, it is important to research and learn all about what are going to keep, particularly when it comes to corals and other invertebrates, as most of these animals do not usually tolerate even minor fluctuations by a few degrees. It’s best to keep the temperature around 74-80 degrees Fahrenheit
any question please feel free to ask

Cheers for that Phil!
What would you say would be a good tank size for a marine newbie? Can you get away with doing nanos first time round, or does that make everything more fiddly?

go has big has u can afford too. bigger is better nano can be good to learn from from but will the less water volume things can bad quick. plus with a big tank it opens up more options with fish inverts corals.

thanks for the info mate.