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07-02-2013, 02:03 PM
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#1
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 264
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Going from FOWLR to my first reef tank? lots of questions!
Almost a year ago I set up my first ever SW tank. 50gal FOWLR. I now have the desire to set up a nano reef but know nothing about keeping coral.
I would ideally be using a spare 20gal tank that I have lying around the house. Actually it's this exact kit that I have http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0035H...dir_mdp_mobile
So I would be replacing that filter with a AC50 most likely. And I have that light fixture with a colormax bulb in it. But I have a feeling that its far from sufficient.
Ideally I'd like my stock list to be
2 ocellaris clowns
1 bicolor dotty back
1 goby of some sort
2 snails
And maybe a fire shrimp
Is this too much?
What are the different kinds of coral? And which are the easiest to keep for beginners?
And what kind of lighting would I need for them?
Aside from lighting are there any other parameters I need to be concerned with? With my 50gal I am only mindful of ammonia, NO2, NO3, chlorine/chloramine, and SG.
Which reminds me that I do not use RO water. I use tap water treated with prime. Is that a problem for a reef?
Thanks!
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07-02-2013, 02:26 PM
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#2
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 593
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well the light is very far from what yoy will need to keep corals. whats your budget for a light. the stock sounds good. andyour corals will be based on the light you choose
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07-02-2013, 02:36 PM
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#3
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 264
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Hmm. I really don't know what kind of budget would be reasonable. If possible, lets say $100 or less? I hear people raving about LEDs all the time. Are there different types of LED? I ask because I work at Petsmart and we have a small variety of them which would be great because I get a discount. We have marine and LEDs I believe. Are those useful?
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07-02-2013, 02:40 PM
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#4
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 593
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yes leds would be best but leds that can support a reef are ver expensive. if 100 dollars is the light budget i would suggest the zoomed aquasun. the light is 90 dollars and it fits 2 bulbs and each bulb is 15 dollars.
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07-02-2013, 02:59 PM
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#5
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Pensacola, Fl
Posts: 538
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For a budget around $100 the Taotronics led units would be best you can get them for $129 shipped
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07-02-2013, 03:06 PM
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#6
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 593
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actualy that is true but for a 55 gallon i think you would need 2 of them
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07-02-2013, 03:25 PM
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#7
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 417
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07-02-2013, 03:42 PM
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#8
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Pensacola, Fl
Posts: 538
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Zoas are an easy coral but they do require med-high light
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07-02-2013, 03:57 PM
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#9
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 593
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try leathers or cult corals or mushrooms to start.
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07-03-2013, 12:45 AM
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#10
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 264
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To clarify this would be a 20 gallon high tank. Not a 50. If I was to take the plunge on LEDs, what specs am I looking for?
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07-03-2013, 12:49 AM
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#11
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 593
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ok then one would be ok. i just orderd one for my 29 gallon. so what ither equipment do you have so far?
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07-03-2013, 02:34 AM
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#12
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: San Diego
Posts: 2,301
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Congrats! You're joining the dark..uhm..I mean the reef side. I remember posting on your thread when you were starting out. I can't believe it's been a year already. Anyway, I've seen used LEDs w/ no brand names go for $90 on my local reef forum. Maybe you have a forum for you area that you can find some deals. Otherwise $130 is going to be the "damage". These are the ones recommended by lots of reefers on here and elsewhere. They're also dimmable which is really handy. I have something similar that works fine.
New Dimmable 120W Aquarium Coral Reef Fish Tank White Blue LED Light Black US | eBay
As far as corals, the easiest corals are mushrooms, xenia, and green star polyps. It's pretty hard to kill them. They can take over so maybe putting them on their own rock to grow would be best. It's really easy to trim back xenia though if it overgrew. Duncans are hardy and grow fast when fed. Zoas are pretty hardy too. A torch coral was one of my first corals and it's always done well. As long as you have stable, ideal conditions, and sufficient lighting, the corals will most likely do well.
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“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
- Winston Churchill
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07-05-2013, 01:52 PM
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#13
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 264
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Yes obscurereef, I remember you helping me immensely when I set up my big tank last year. Thank you again.
Just to clarify, if going LED, how many watts would I need for a 20gal high?
And would it be possible to keep a flame angel in this tank?
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07-05-2013, 02:01 PM
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#14
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 264
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Or other than LEDs, what are my options?
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07-05-2013, 04:39 PM
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#15
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Aquarium Advice Addict



Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Posts: 8,400
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First, don't use tap water on a reef. That will cause problems down the road.
Your stocking list looks fine. 20 is a bit small for a flame.
You will need a good light or pair of lights to grow any corals. We suggest LED. But all LEDs are not equal. Several threads here discuss this continuously. For softies, 30-40 watts of LEDs on a 20 gallon would probably do. Double it for hard corals.
You need a set of good tests to monitor water quality and several pumps to have a lot of flow.
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07-07-2013, 07:31 PM
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#16
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 264
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ok, so i've been looking at lights and i found a 24" T5 dual HO fixture. it supports 2x 24W bulbs. is this strong enough?
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07-07-2013, 08:10 PM
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#17
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 264
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edit: i also found a quad fixture which would equal to 96W instead of 48W. i assume this is much better? what kind of corals could i keep with each of these?
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07-07-2013, 08:26 PM
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#18
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Aquarium Advice Addict

Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Deltona, Florida
Posts: 20,966
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I think the leds might be overkill to be honest. I have a taotronics unit over my 60g which is 2 feet deep.
i also use Aquatraders - Guaranteed Best Prices on Aquarium Lightings + Free Shipping! light units. For that tank I believe you can get a 4 bulb t5 system with timer for around $100. I think the 24" model is only $89 on ebay as well.
You could always get the adjustable led's but then theres the issue of how to mount them over the tank. You cant just drop the fixture on a glass cover, I have mine hanging over my 60g with two large bars attached to the back of the stand. Also, with a sw tank you would want to skip the glass tops as well to aid in the gas exchange.
I have tried every single lighting setup and still fallback to t5's alot, they can be a tad more expensive over the long run as you have to replace bulbs every year or so and they cost a bit more to run electricity wise. You can't beat the shimmer you get from led's tho, but I'm thinking it';s a personal preference
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180g- Mostly BIG fish and some coral. ~80g Nuvo- My coral tank with "happy fish"~ 90g- FOWLR Not the not happy type of fish~ 125g- Freshwater Malawi Cichlids ~10g- Nuvo- The refugees from the Ich of '18
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07-07-2013, 09:10 PM
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#19
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Aquarium Advice Addict



Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Posts: 8,400
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Carey! I though aliens got you...
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07-07-2013, 09:35 PM
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#20
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Aquarium Advice Addict

Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Deltona, Florida
Posts: 20,966
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Lol Almost Greg, the wedding bug! been immersed 24/7 in wedding details.
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180g- Mostly BIG fish and some coral. ~80g Nuvo- My coral tank with "happy fish"~ 90g- FOWLR Not the not happy type of fish~ 125g- Freshwater Malawi Cichlids ~10g- Nuvo- The refugees from the Ich of '18
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