I've had some experience with freshwater, but have never done saltwater. I've talked to several fish store people and I bought a book on starting a saltwater tank, but all give conflicting opinions. My new 40g tank came with a stand and an emperor 400b and that's about it. The pet store people have told me that I could just use this filter and not need a protein skimmer, but my book just assumes that you will have a protein skimmer so it seems like it is necessary. Also, is live rock necessary?

I think my favorite marine fish are blennies so if I could just have one of these guys I'd be happy, but I would want them to be healthy and happy. Could I set up a simple tank with heater/normal hood lighting/my filter/sand substrate/dead rock? I've read that clowns and damsel fish are good for simple fish only tanks too, but I've also read that clowns need anemone homes which in turn need better lighting etc. etc. Puffers are super cute too so I was thinking maybe one of the smaller puffers like a valentini with a blenny tank mate and that's it. Well that's about it and please don't spare me if you think the fish wouldn't be happy. I'd rather just put my saltwater dreams on hold until I can afford the thousand of dollars set up than have unhappy fish. Thanks!

Alright I dont have much time to answer all your questions but I'll answer a few fore now!

1) If you want a fish only tank then normal NO florecent lights is fine.

2) You will need live rock (You can save money by having LR mixed with dead rock)

3) As for substrate, you will want either cruch coral or argonite sand (there are more but those are the main ones )

4) I dont know the emperor 400b so I cant help you there! But I have no filter on my system... Mind you I have lots of LR and a sump with a refuge...

5) You dont NEED a protein skimmer but if you dont have one you will need to do more WC (I would recommend one!)


I'll answer more of your questions a bit later! I have to go to work!



Marc

I second what Marc said. I have some Emperor 400s and think theyre great! However if you are planning on having a tank with live rock you will want to lose the carbon inserts and biowheels from the filter as they will outcompete your live rock. Basically you want your LR (live rock) to be your biofilter, not a power filter. In my tank I have two Penguins minus the wheels, and about a pound of LR per gallon. When it is working effectively, LR will be an efficient biofilter and will convert the ammonia and nitrite to nitrate, and the "dead areas" in the rock will in turn use up the nitrate. Ideally you want a reading as close to 0 as possible for nitrate.

If you are doing fish only you really can get away with just using the filter and you dont have to use the live rock. A customer I was helping today has this same setup, but his tank is still cycing after being set up for several weeks. I highly recommend using the live rock.

A protein skimmer is also a good idea but you can get by without one. For the time being my tank doesnt have one but it also has a ton of LR and a very low fish load, and I am conscientious about my water changes. If you ever plan on adding invertebrates like corals and anemones, a protein skimmer is a must.

Your fish choices should be fine in that tank. The only thing I might worry about is the puffer being a bit nippy but I dont think Valentinis are too bad in that sense. At any rate, just stock your tank slowly and carefully. Also, clownfish dont actually NEED anemones. They like them but dont have to have them. If you dont want the trouble of a live anemone (which are very difficult to keep) you can put in a fake rubber one. There is a company that makes very lifelike ones and Ive seen clowns host in them! Its so cute.

Hope this helps a bit. Welcome to the world of saltwater but be warned, its addicting!

Thank you both for the replies! We have decided that we don't really want to invest the money into a skimmer and lighting until we can get a bigger set up in a more permanent house where we can set up a nice more than fish only tank. We've decided instead to compromise and do brackish with a couple puffers and some gobies instead. This will at least give me some good hydrometer/water mixing experience and a more interesting tank. Of course the other new tank is definitely for goldies