New tank, might go reef!

[Alyxx]

I will be getting a new tank soon! It's already paid for but I haven't seen it yet. My boyfriend bought it for me but with the car in the shop I haven't been able to go get it, or even go stare at it! It's a hex tank and it is roughly 2 feet tall, but we don't know the gallonage yet and my boyfriend didn't have anything to take measurements with. He says it is maybe 15-18 inches in diameter. So I am guessing it is roughly 30 gallons. I have mostly been leaning towards freshwater for it, but since the footprint isn't huge and a lot of the fish I like prefer longer tanks to tall ones, I have been toying with the idea of making a reef finally. It will probably come down to the cost comparison between equipment and the exact size of the tank.

Would one of the Chinese led lights be able to handle lighting a 2' tall tank? I don't want to start off with any difficult corals, but I want my options open later on without having to do too much upgrading. I would be filtering with the live rock and power head method. That's another reason I am considering going reef. The tank has no top or hood, and I'm not sure I would be happy having a HOB without being able to hide it with a hood. I might try building a canopy, but I'm not so sure I could make a nice looking one for a hex tank. I just know I would mess up the angles...

I would be starting off with RO water from my LFS. I'm already pretty adept with mixing saltwater as I have had a fish only puffer tank for a couple years now. I use tap on that one though. And yes, I have seen firsthand the kinds of algae that can come from tap in saltwater. I just don't really mind it in that tank since it's just fish. And most of it has died off since my light died and I never replaced it. Nothing photosynthetic in there, so ambient room light works just fine.

As for livestock I will make up my mind when I know how big the tank really is. I'm thinking just corals and inverts with maybe one or two nano fish. And a yellow tang (JUST KIDDING! I would never do that to a fish!)

The biggest this tank could be is about 35 gallons, so I'm pretty sure a skimmer isn't necessary, right? I might add one down the road, though.

I would start off with mostly base rock and seed it with live. Fishless cycle of course.

So. Does this sound like a workable plan? Anything you might add or change?

 

[carey]

They do have a 60g hex, I had one. I upgraded as it was a bit difficult to work on. What it would make is an AWESOME seahorse tank! They need a very tall tank and the hex's are the perfect fit.

Just a thought.

ANd yep, I believe the chinese led light would be sufficient. I have a non dimmable one over my 2 foot high 60g rimless, just make sure you get a dimmable one. Mine unfortunately bleached and burned the corals I had under it, too strong of a light. It also almost killed my bubble tip anemone, literally torched it. :-(

 

[Bectan01]

Sounds like a surprisingly sensible plan! You don't many of those around here as you are aware the stocking options are tricky on a tall tank but it sounds like you are all over that. Aquascaping will be a real challenge but I can see how interesting it could be! One of those 120w Chinese dimmable LEDs will do the job, you will just have to think about coral placement - if you had them turned up quite high I am sure thy would penetrate the bottom, you may just be limited as to what you can keep down low. Keep us updated!

 

[Alyxx]

They do have a 60g hex, I had one. I upgraded as it was a bit difficult to work on. What it would make is an AWESOME seahorse tank! They need a very tall tank and the hex's are the perfect fit.

Just a thought.

ANd yep, I believe the chinese led light would be sufficient. I have a non dimmable one over my 2 foot high 60g rimless, just make sure you get a dimmable one. Mine unfortunately bleached and burned the corals I had under it, too strong of a light. It also almost killed my bubble tip anemone, literally torched it. :-(

Looking at the dimensions of standard hex tanks it is probably a 27 or 35 based on my boyfriend's estimations of size. I wish it was a 60! It was only $35 including the stand so a 60 gallon really would have been a steal! And yeah, I was definitely planning on a dimmable light. Wouldn't want to bleach anything out, and I've heard a few people on here saying that at full power those fixtures can be overkill.

Oh man, a seahorse tank would be killer. That is definitely an option I will be doing more research on. My LFS had some seahorses in maybe a year ago and I spent ages watching them whenever I went in. Until she sold out.

Btw, it's nice seeing you back! And congratulations on the upcoming wedding!

 

[carey]

Aww thanks so much! Glad to be back. Missed the forum like crazy, sounds nuts but its true. lol

Yep, I'm not a seahorse person, I personally find them kinda creepy, but with that tank it just screams out seahorses. And the beauty of that is you can have small "happy" fish in there as well. Think tiny gobies or certain blennies. Even a firefish would leave the seahorses alone. The trick, from what I have researched is not getting any fish that will compete for food with the seahorses, small happy fish will allow them to eat in peace.

Keep us updated, would love to see how this build goes.

 

[Alyxx]

It doesn't sound crazy to me, I was off for maybe 4 or 5 months after one of the latest updates made the app difficult to use. I never used my laptop so I just stayed away until the newer update. I missed it too!

I can see how someone might find seahorses creepy. They are odd looking, although I think they are cute. I will definitely keep the option in mind. I think I might start with a reef and then consider seahorses after I have some more experience with saltwater. The salt tank I have now is super basic - it started off as a brackish tank and still pretty much runs like one. I've toyed with adding live rock and powerheads, but it works well as is, and if it ain't broke, it's usually best to not go trying to fix it. And knowing me and knowing this hobby it won't be long before I will want to upgrade... So by the time I can do that seahorses might not seem as daunting.

And of course, once I get the tank and make up my mind if it will be freshwater or a reef, there will be a build thread either way! I'm really starting to lean towards going reef, though. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. And hey, I already have 6 freshwater tanks! And there will soon be more, as I grow my betta breeding operation. So where's the harm in doing something a little different for a change?

 

[bettaowner]

You could get a pipefish rather than a sea horse or a pair of fire fish.

 

[Jev12]

I'm liking this reef idea much better than the freshwater one I must say...and I think a seahorse tank would be awesome...but anyways I hardly know anything about saltwater tanks but I think this sounds better than the fresh water one most deffinatley

 

[Alyxx]

Thanks! I think I will have better options going reef as well. There are plenty of small marine fish that kind of perch or hang out in a small territory, but most freshwater fish need more horizontal swim space. Btw I love that betta in your pic. I'm working on breeding black bettas and I would just die if I could get some with similar features.

 

[Jev12]

Yeah that's one reason why I'm not a big fan of hex tanks for freshwater fish...never even thought about it for a saltwater tank...and thanks it's not mine I just thought it looked cool...I would love to have one like it though

 

[bettaowner]

For corals, another idea I have is acanthastrea

 

[Alyxx]

Yep... I think a decision has been made. I'm going reef! So start expecting a million questions from me. I will start a build thread once I get the actual tank.

 

[gboduszek]

Those taotronics you're interested in would be plenty of light to the point sps corals would be able to grow on your sandbed with the tao's dimmed. There a lot more powerful then a lot of people think.. As for the sea horses or pipefish, if you're not too experienced in saltwater I might say go with some nano fish instead. They sometimes can be tricky for a beginner. Like stated before a firefish or even a mated pair would work well along with some sort of a shrimp goby pair. Maybe a yasha goby?

 

[Alyxx]

A shrimp and goby pair is way up on the list of stock I would like to try. And yeah, seahorses are nothing I want to try just yet but knowing this would make a good tank for them it's a good possible future use of the tank when I upgrade. Because you know we all upgrade eventually! And it's good to know those led lights will work well. By the way, can you get legs for them? I am not sure how I would hang them. Maybe put a bracket on the wall... However my walls where the tank will be are wood paneling and I can't get anchors or anything in there, so I'm unsure if it could hold the weight.

What brands and kinds of test kits should I pick up? I have the basic API ones (ph, high ph, kh, ammo, trites and trates) that all read in fresh or salt, and I have both cards for all of them. I know I will need calcium and phosphate tests, but are there any others I may need? I know to test for anything I supplement. Also, are there any meds I should have on hand? I plan on setting up a 10 gallon for quarantine / hospital.

Anything I'm forgetting? Oh, and I have both types of hydrometer (floating and swing arm) but I plan on picking up a refractometer.

 

[carey]

The only other tests kits I would recommend would be alkalinity and magnesium.

 

[Alyxx]

The only other tests kits I would recommend would be alkalinity and magnesium.

Is API good or should I go for another brand? Hehe, I would kill for all of those Hanna checkers, but I haven't won the lotto yet! I will probably pick up some new kits for the basics anyway since some are getting close to the expiration date and some are running low. If API is ok I might just buy their reef test kit, if not I will get some individual tests and a fresh or marine master kit. Already have both cards for most of the tests in there.

Also, keeping the tank topless should be fine, right? I could always get some egg crate, but I think I like the bare look better. Also I know how salt creep gets... The glass top on my fish only tank is a mess!

I can't wait to get the tank in place and to start ordering my equipment so I can start a cycle. By the way, what parameters (other than the obvious 0,0,<10-20) should I be shooting for? I know SG should be around 1.025, ph around 8.2 (did I remember this right? Thats about where my fish only tank sits) and the temp should be 80-ish, but what are the alk, calcium, and magnesium levels supposed to look like?

 

[gboduszek]

I personally don't know of any legs or anything for the lights but they are fairly easy to create a DIY way of hanging them. And as always a canopy can help a lot too. As far as your test kits go API isn't the most accurate but for cycling and basic fish and corals they should be ok to get a good idea of how your tank/reef is doing. Besides calcium most people will say thee is no need to test for any other elements like magnesium or iodine as long as you keep up with weekly PWC. I personally keep several sps and many lps and haven't test for any elements besides calcium and everything looks great and growing as they should

 

[carey]

calcium, alkalinity and magnesium are all tied together. So testing for one isn't necessarily the best, you can have fine calcium and your magnesium could be way off. This is of course for a reef tank. If you have no corals then the basics are just fine. Phosphates is nice to have as well, but if you arent having any issues with the tank and algae then it can wait.

I use salifert for my calcium, magnesium and nitrates, they are very good and accurate. I use the hanna checkers for phosphates and alkalinity. I used to use all salifert until I got the hanna ones. Wish nitrates was a hanna checker, lol, I hate that test. lol

 

[Alyxx]

Is regular salt fine, or is it better to use one of the reef mixes? I've actually forgotten what brand I have now since I got the big box and tossed the box since it had the nice individual bags inside. I want to say it's instant ocean, but I may be wrong. I only have a bag left anyway, so I will be buying more salt soon. Just wondering if there's a better brand to use for a reef vs. a FO.

 

[carey]

i usually use regular instant ocean in my fowlr and then reef crystals in my tanks with corals. Everyone will say their salt they use is the best ever but it's more trial and error to find what you like the best. I/O isnt a bad place to start