[stp]

Yup, it's true..I am new to this forum/site!

I have a 75 gallon tank in which I previously kept African cichlids. I had to get rid of them because I moved to an apartment where I couldn't keep a tank larger than 50 gallons (which I assume is because of questionable structural integrity lol). Well, I was going to sell the tank but ended up moving again before I got a chance to sell it, and now I am able to keep it! So I have decided to turn it into a saltwater tank.

I have been doing some research to make sure that I at least have a pretty good idea what I'm doing before I get the tank up & running, and have started ordering the equipment. Here's what I have ordered so far:

1x Aquarium Pharmaceuticals RENA Filstar XP 2 Canister Filter
2x Marineland Visi-Therm Submersible Heater - 200 Watt
80 lbs Carib Sea Ocean Direct Live Pacific Black Sand

After reading some of the articles on this site, I realized that I'm going to need some additional equipment, such as a powerhead and protein skimmer. How do I determine how much water flow I need in the tank? And how do I determine what kind of protein skimmer to get?

I'm also going to order 75-100 lbs of dry base rock since it's significantly cheaper, then maybe get 12 lbs or so of live rock from my LFS to seed the base rock. I guess I will just have to wait until I get the base rock to determine if it will be enough, huh? I suppose it is a lot of personal preference as to how much live rock you need.

I definitely want to get a volatile lion fish as I have fallen in love w/ the look and behavior of them, and then I will base the rest of my selection on whether or not they are compatible w/ the lion fish. I'm also assuming I will need to base my selection of clean up crew based on whether or not they will get eaten too, right? Any suggestions on tank mates are more than welcome!

Thanks in advance for all your help & advice!

Josh

[JohnnyD44]

hello and welcome to TFK!!

we hope you enjoy your time with us!

[aunt kymmie]

Welcome to TFK, stp. Looking forward to following along with your progress.

[stp]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD44

hello and welcome to TFK!!

we hope you enjoy your time with us!

Hey Johnny, I see you're from Philly. I live in DE, about 45 mins south of South Philly. Can you recommend any good saltwater fish stores in the area? I was thinking about heading over to That Pet Place/'That Fish Place in Lancaster, PA when I'm ready to get 2 or 3 fish, after my tank cycles. I've bought cichlids there before & they had a great selection & good quality fish.

[JohnnyD44]

I have yet to get htere....maybe htis weekend, as I'm heading back home to state college. As far as the philly area, I can only recommend "Captain Nemo's". it's located in east norriton, PA...about 6 miles north of the mid-county tolls....they have a wonderful selection of everything around....it's the only place I go.

if I get to That pet place in lancaster, I'll give you an update on some of their stuff!

[stp]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD44

I have yet to get htere....maybe htis weekend, as I'm heading back home to state college. As far as the philly area, I can only recommend "Captain Nemo's". it's located in east norriton, PA...about 6 miles north of the mid-county tolls....they have a wonderful selection of everything around....it's the only place I go.

if I get to That pet place in lancaster, I'll give you an update on some of their stuff!

Wow, thanks so much Johnny! That store looks incredible. Apparently, the owner is the former president of Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc, so obviously they certainly know what they're doing at Captain Nemo's lol. Definitely will be going to check out that store. Just judging by the pictures, it looks way better than That Fish Place. TFP is pretty good, but they have all different kinds of pet supplies and therefore aren't dedicated specifically to aquariums, unlike Captain Nemo's. Thanks for the advice!

[bearwithfish]

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!! can not wait to see some pix in the saltwater section (cough, hint hint) LOL

[willow]

hello and welcome.
i hope you'll be very happy here with us.

[Byron]

Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

Byron.