Michelle's 37 Gallon Tank Build

Ok, ok. I'm building a saltwater tank. The last thing I remember I was shopping for cichlids when BAM!! The next thing I know I'm sitting here with a pile of salt water stuff wondering what to do next. And after much encouragement to start a new tank build thread I did! Hopefully, you all will stop by here and share with me what you did that worked and what you did that did not work. Pics coming tomorrow for now I sleep.

Materials List as of 5/26/2012:

Tank: Marineland 37 gallon with mirrored back (36 wide X 12 deep X 23 tall)

Filtration: In hood Bio-Wheel 250 gph flow rate
75 gallon rated sump (cracked and needs baffels re-glued) may return

Lights: In hood 2 full spectrum fluorescent lights

Dry goods: 15 pounds Instant Ocean Salt
8.5 oz Omega Marine Fish Food
Marine Algae Sheets & suction clips

Rock: 2 pieces Live Rock in water from salt water tank
150 lbs Dead Rock AKA Holey Rock

Pics Below:

37 gallon with mirrored back, 250 gph rated bio-wheel filtration in hood

The only downfall i see with Holey rock is its not as porous as the rock used
normally used used for live rock.
So biological filtration will not be as great with this rock.

I wouldn't use the holey rock in saltwater! You need to find more liverock or find some base rock, holey rock is for use in freshwater, it will grow you some nice green hair algae in saltwater and has no biological filtration properties to it, its do dense.

I recommended she post her tank build here since she is new to SW and apparently she has gotten some bad advice so far from Petco. They were trying to sell her "cycled water"???? and damsels to cycle the tank.

I had the exact same kind of tank for my mantis shrimp.


I agree with the above advice. Start collecting more live rock when you can. Even if you can't get it all at once adding a piece here and there will eventually add up and you can aquascape how you like and let it all cycle before adding any livestock.

Do you have the basic test kits for SW? Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates? You'll also need some way to make up saltwater or buy it from a LFS, not Petco.

Ok. I have added pics to original post. I have ordered my Saltwater Master Kit and Seachem Stability. I have bought the book "The Idiot's Guide To Saltwater Aquariums".

I guess my next step is to buy water. On second thought I've decided to make my own as I already have the Instant Ocean and RO water.....more live rock and live sand? How much of each will be needed? Where is a good source for each?

Any thoughts?

DonnieP wrote:I wouldn't use the holey rock in saltwater! You need to find more liverock or find some base rock, holey rock is for use in freshwater, it will grow you some nice green hair algae in saltwater and has no biological filtration properties to it, its do dense.

Donnie,

I didnt know about the holey rock ..........but I did notice the huge difference in weight........thanks. Looking for more live rock.

I got my rock from this guy in Florida his name is Dan and he is a good guy to buy from if you talk to him tell him donniepon sent you he has the best rock I have ever seen at a great price. I had mine flown to Shreveport so it was only out of water for a few hours. Check my build thread and I think there are pics of the rock when it arrived.heres the link.Gulf liverock

ritter678 wrote:I agree with the above advice. Start collecting more live rock when you can. Even if you can't get it all at once adding a piece here and there will eventually add up and you can aquascape how you like and let it all cycle before adding any livestock.

Do you have the basic test kits for SW? Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates? You'll also need some way to make up saltwater or buy it from a LFS, not Petco.

Hey Guys,

I have ordered my SW Master Kit, petmountain.com has them for about $15. Also ordered a bottle of Seachem Stability.

And not going to use the holey rock. Donnie gave me a link to a Florida based source for live rock. I'm going to get at least one shipment from them.

On water....I have a bag of Instant Ocean so I am going to mix some up using RO water. Mixing it in a plastic tote with air.

I am still working out my tank plans.......but I have decided that I want a peaceful tank. If I could get some type of living creatures to thrive on the rock I would like that. But since I am so new to all this I'm not sure what my options are with my current tank and lights. Any suggestions on what could thrive on my rock and look good? I am

Lights........you can see what lights came with the tank. Will I need to change them out or will those work? I am assuming they will have to be changed.

Filtration/water movement..........the tank has built in hood bio-wheel filtration with 2 powerhead type nozzles that have directional adjustments, but I am still going to add powerhead to move water a little lower in the tank, I think.

Protein skimmer........I want to get a protein skimmer. But have no idea what to look or ask for.

I hope I have chosen a good tank for my sw endeavor.

Your lighting will not be enough to support corals. MAYBE some very low light corals like mushrooms but that's about it. You can retrofit some type of lighting upgrade if you plan on keeping corals. If you plan on just keeping fish/shrimp/etc. the light will be just fine.

A power head or two would be a good addition to the tank. I used a Koralia 2 and 3 when I had that setup and was happy with the flow.

Skimmer, you're going to have to remove that hood. You can either buy a good hang on the back skimmer or set up a sump and put the skimmer down there. You can get by without a skimmer especially in a fish only set up but you'll have to do a lot of water changes.

ritter678 wrote:Your lighting will not be enough to support corals. MAYBE some very low light corals like mushrooms but that's about it. You can retrofit some type of lighting upgrade if you plan on keeping corals. If you plan on just keeping fish/shrimp/etc. the light will be just fine.

A power head or two would be a good addition to the tank. I used a Koralia 2 and 3 when I had that setup and was happy with the flow.

Skimmer, you're going to have to remove that hood. You can either buy a good hang on the back skimmer or set up a sump and put the skimmer down there. You can get by without a skimmer especially in a fish only set up but you'll have to do a lot of water changes.

Ritter,

Thank you. Thats good news. With that info I plan to just do what corals I can manage with present light. My main objective with this tank is to learn about how to manage the water quality of a saltwater tank so that fish, peppermint shrimp, and a coral or two can survive.

Should I go ahead and mix my water up and put it in the tank in a few days?? I have RO water and a large bag of Instant Ocean. I am wanting to let it mixed in a container with air for 24 hours before putting in the tank. Then plan to add sand, which I do not have yet. Not sure what sand I should get or how much. I am thinking 45 lbs of fine live sand. Thoughts?

Also thinking skimmer in a sump later. I do have a 75 gal sump. Heater there too. But thats later.

I mixed my Instant Ocean with RO water and left it in buckets with air for what will be 24 hours later this afternoon. I'm going to clean my now empty tank and fill it.

I learned that unless I change the stock lighting I will be limited to mostly just fish, which is really a good first tank for me.

I plan on buying and adding sand late today or tomorrow.

Sounds like your on the right track so far. I like the fact your not rushing things. I agree that if you wanna keep anything other than fish ur gonna need to upgrade the lighting. Myself I am not a fan of a sandy bottom. I like it bare. Sand can hold a lot of nasty stuff over time and cause amonia and nitrates to rise in your tank. Keep us posted.

Grimreefer wrote:Sounds like your on the right track so far. I like the fact your not rushing things. I agree that if you wanna keep anything other than fish ur gonna need to upgrade the lighting.

Grimreefer,

Thanks for the encouragement! I just learned today that the tank I have is really too tall for what I wanted to do. I should have bought lower/longer. But Im not despairing over it ........ too much. I am looking at this tank as a learning experience.

You could always build an island of rock, this will give you all round water circulation, and allow you to place shelves of live rock at various levels, this would meet the lighting requirements of the more fussy ones.. aka sps.
My 30G is fairly deep, the softies and the LPS seem to be fine anywhere, and the sps all live up high. Mind you, you will have to change your light bulbs for the LPS and SPS, but to be honest, I've become an Actinic addict, I just love those colours.

Yeti,

That sounds good. Could I use the same light fixture? There are only 2 T8 bulbs in it. Or would I need to get a different fixture? Do you happen to have a pic of your 30 gallon with island so I can get an idea of what you're talking about? What is Actinic?

Also......def gonna need the canister filters we talked about, but it can wait. I have come to expect crystal clear water like my cichlid tank that has the Rena XP4......I bought it from Win. Cant accept any less now.

I don't have an island, I have a wall, with a Koralia 550GPH pushing water along the back of the wall. If you look up my "darkside" build you'll see how it went. The Actinics are the blue/purples. I have 4 bulbs over the 30G, can't remember what spectrum each is.
As for the filters, they are here, we just need to sort out when you want to come and get them and the cabinet etc

I have discovered that my choice of tank is posing some challenges for me. One challenge is water flow. I broke out 3 used powerheads today only to find out that two dont work at all. The smallest on does work and I have it in the tank now. Its in the tank now but it is only temporarily. Looking for powerheads.

Another challenge is the lights. The hood has 2 T8 day bulbs. It would be nice to know I could buy 2 actinic (spelling?) bulbs, switch them, and that would work.......but then that would be too easy, huh?

The water isnt as clear as I want it but much better than it was. It has a "hazey" look. I have the hood in place with the biowheel filter and for now I have a 50 gallon rated HOB for extra filtering until I get my canister going.

My tank is dull and boring..........

"My tank is dull and boring.......... "

Only temporary ; )

If it's dull and boring the first several weeks during the cycle that means you're doing it right!!!

Sounds like your on the right track look forward to some pics.

I put the 37 gallon sw tank on a stand I had for my 45 gallon. The hole in the top was too large so I went to Lowe's and purchased two 14" X 14" floor tiles, work perfect. I have the filters running and it has cleared up the water quite well. Added a heater and temp is 79. I put two old powerheads in the tank to move the water. I need at least one Koralife to replace these. I am going to waterproof and stain the stand ........black.....I think. Minwax makes a polyurathane stain.
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I have 2 very lonely pieces of liverock.......but I'm not sure it's alive.
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This is a close-up of a creature that is on the shell of one of the snails......what is it?
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I have added 5 hermit crabs and a snail......they are alive......but boring. I am learning to curb my need for instant gratification and wait, otherwise known as patience.

Anyone know what this white stuff is on my liverock? And there are tiny spots of purple too......is it alive?
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Seriously entertaining putting my small sump under this tank and take top off for T5's or LED's.......not sure yet.

Just a note on staining the stand, you should have done that before adding the tank and water as any chemical stain and sealer you use on the stand at this point will end up in the tank from the fumes most likely killing anything alive thats there. If you must finish the stand with the tank running I would highly suggest you cover the tank very tightly and turn off any source of air to the tank until the finish has dried and you add a fan to get rid of the fumes.

Plastic food wrap and some tape would seal it off real well.

Well, I got my book today, 'The Conscientious Marine Aquarist', and already just 56 pages into it I see that this is one great source of info. So much so that I am not going forward with the 37 gallon (except to allow tank to cycle) until I get finished with quite a bit of reading. This book has it all, foundation, history, technique's, what type of tank(s) and why or why not. Every problem or enjoyment you can think of Mr. Finner, the author, has address.
So for a few days this book will be in my hand. I paid $3.99 for the book on Amazon.com It normally cost $39.99 to $59.99 but I am a member of Amazon Prime.....I guess thats why it was cheaper.
Highley recommend this book......

Did my water quality check again today:

Ammonia: 0.25
pH: 7.9
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0


Added Buffer Max to raise pH, re-tested within parameters.

I am noticing a red algae-type substance growing on the glass inside aquarium, and on top of the sand as well.

Referring to my Conscientious Marine Aquarist book for answers.

The hermit crabs and snail are still living.