Bak-Pak 2 vs. Prizm+Emperor 280: recommendations/advice?

[loganj]

Bad idea...not really. It'll work that way. You would be far better off to go with the LR and DSB as Brian suggested though. If you use a bio filter, you'll likely have some trouble with nitrates and your maintenance will have to be more frequent. Initially on this post, I was trying to stay within the parameters you set. Since we have opened up the possibility of adding more rock now, we'll go with that. There is a way to save some $$ if you are willing to be patient. Get the 20lbs of LR and about 40 more lbs of dry base rock. You should be able to get the base rock for $1.00 lb or less. Put the base rock in first, then top it off with the LR. Don't add any livestock for a while. When you start to see some coraline growth on the base rock, you'll be ready for livestock. Waiting will also give your sand bed a chance to get established. Your amphipod and copepod population will also have a chance to get established without predation from fish. By this time, your ugly base rock will be well on it's way to being nice LR, you've saved yourself some $$, and your tank will be in much better shape to receive livestock. I've set up all my tanks this way and have had good results with it. If you do it this way, I'd go with the Aqua C skimmer. I would also get the surface skimmer with it as that will maximize DOC removal and cut down on the bubbles that are returned to the tank. Check with Marine Depot on the Aqua C...you should be able to get it for under $200 with the surface skimmer and the MJ 1200 as they still have free shipping on all orders over $150. JMHO.

 

[leafyseadragon]

Okay, new question.

If I spend the money for 30-40 pounds of live rock (no way I can afford the Remora then) for the 37 gallon tank, will the light from two 20W fluorescent lights be enough to maintain the LR? I would really hate to spend that much money on LR only to have it slowly die from insufficient light. In that case, I will probably go fish-only.

But if two lights are enough, anyone have recommendations for what to use for the two bulbs? I am more concerned with types of bulbs, 10000K vs. actinic blue vs. full spectrum vs. 50/50 than brand names.

Sorry to tack on another issue here, but I'd like to order everything at once to save on shipping...

 

[loganj]

I don't think your rock will "die" with that amount of light. You won't see much new coraline growth probably. I maintain a 75g tank that has only two 40w bulbs and the rock looks pretty good in it. You will eventually have to have more light if you want to convert to a reef though. What you can do, if you're willing to be patient, is add the 20lbs of LR now. Keep the bio load low until you can afford more rock. You can add it a piece at a time if need be. You should be able to have a couple of small fish and be OK. Just be sure that any new rock you add is either fully cured, like right out of the tanks at the LFS and kept underwater on the way home, or is dry base rock. That way you don't get the ammonia/nitrite spike from the die off on the rock. You'll need to keep close tabs on water parameters of course until you get enough rock in the tank. This isn't, as I'm sure you have noticed by now , a cheap hobby. All of us have been up late a few nights trying to figure out how to pay for that new "whatever" for our tanks. It's better to get what you want to start with, even if it takes longer, than to buy stuff that will have to be replaced later at even more cost.
The 10,000k/actinic combo seems to work well on most tanks. The 75g mentioned earlier has a Power-Glo (18000k I think) and an actinic. JMHO.

 

[leafyseadragon]

Thanks for the advice, loganj.

I have no aspirations of keeping a reef tank at the moment. I want to have FOLR, but only if 40W is a nominal amount of light for 37 gallons.

I intend to keep the bio load low, period. I learned my lesson with FW fish. All I want is one clownfish, one longnose hawkfish, and a starfish.

Buying the LR a few pieces at a time sounds fiscally sound to me!

 

[loganj]

Well, you could always upgrade the lights as you go. A couple of 65w PC's would probably do the job very well. Check out www.ahsupply.com for some good prices on PC's. Hellolights also has good prices.

 

[leafyseadragon]

Given how much I will be spending on LR, I am hoping to get by with a double strip light. Since I won't have the illumination of a PC system, could I compensate by just leaving the lights on longer?

I don't think I will ever go for a reef tank. From what I've read, RO water would be mandatory. That's where I draw the line!

One last thing. I know how much LR costs per pound at the LFS, but how big is a pound of rock? Or better yet, how much would a rock the size of my fist weigh?

 

[enjoyfish]

delete

 

[BrianH]

leafy,

You can also buy your LR online. I bought some from www.gulf-view.com. They sell Fla. aquacultured live rock. You can get 30lbs shipped to your door next day air for $133.00. Check out their website and if your intersted give the owner, Dale a call. He is a good guy who will work with you based on your needs. (rock size etc.) This way you could use this rock to "cycle" your tank. Chances are you won't experience much die off(I didn't) due to the short amount of time this rock spends out of water, but the 30lbs should be enough to handle your bioload. Just add some base rock(lace rock etc) to bring you up to the 1 - 1.5 lbs per gallon and your golden.
Be advised that this rock comes with tons of life, both good and bad. It comes completely covered in coraline algae(I have green, red, pink and the normal purple). You will also get a lot of hitchikers both good (worms, pods, feather dusters, macro algae, bivalves, sponges. star fish) and bad (possible mantis shrimp, crabs). Their website describes what precautions you should take to try and remove the bad hitchikers upon arrival. I even got a carribbean green open brain coral on my rock that has doubled in size over the last year.

Brian

 

[loganj]

I agree with Brians suggestions. As to the size of a pound of LR, it depends on the rock. Some rocks are more dense than others. The really porous rock will be larger of course. The Fla aquaculture rock is usually pretty dense rock while the Fiji rock usually seems to be more porous.

 

[leafyseadragon]

The reason I ask about LR size vs. weight is that I would like to have some idea of how much space in the 37 gallon tank 30-40 pounds of LR would take up. A half? A third? Hardly any? I see these beautiful tanks full of LR, but I assume these people are way over 1 pound/gallon.