Help Whats needed for a saltwater aquarium with coral

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obscurereef said:
I don't agree. You can make your own LED lights for really cheap, own stand, own skimmer, sump, etc. There are many who are trying to find the cheapest way to keep a reef tank and it's all in the maintenance and water quality really. Lighting is key, protein skimmers are not (but they are very helpful). Frequent water changes will keep parameters in check and it's all up to the husbandry..the equipment just helps with the upkeep. Not that I was alive, but not too long ago the technology wasn't as advanced as it is today so there were other methods to keep reefs looking great. Go with base rock instead of live and you'll save a bunch of money. Other wise you could be looking at $400-600 just on rock!

Yea I will agree a skimmer is not a necessity I just added it in since they seemed like they wanted to include one and LED lights can still cost a pretty penny for a large tank, atleast around me.

Base rock is nice but including Live rock will still help. And yes the equipment isn't the key, like you've said the husbandry and maintenance are key. Yet, the lighting is going to play a huge role in coral growth with many corals being photosynthetic and relying on the lighting to survive.

I posted up a DIY skimmer btw but it mostly works best on nano tanks. I also have a DIY sump out of a 20g long tank which saved a ton of money but still consider the cost of your return pump, plumbing, lighting, and any filtration.
 
No doubt that the lighting is the exception to my statement. Without it the corals would obviously die. LEDs are super expensive, but there are some good cheap ones around like $250 a fixture..or you could buy some 3 watt LEDs and wire them. Not much of a DIY person myself, but it would definitely save hundreds to be handy! BTW corals don't carry out the process of photosynthesis. If they did, they would be considered plants (and clams would be considered plants too), but they aren't, corals are animals. They have a symbiotic relationship with algae that grows on them so that's why they require light. Try finding a great deal on craigslist and negotiating...there are some setups I find on craigslist that are 100 gallon for $300. AndrewPistol got a 150 gallon tank stand and plumbing for $100! Look around!
 
I didn't mean coral we're photosynthetic I had just forgotten what the full zooaxel named stuff that they use inside of them was called! Lol

I forgot how to explain how they co-exist with the photosynthetic organism in them that they use to produce food works lol.

And I didn't realize they didn't already have the tank -_-

Make sure you cycle it all the way!!!
 
No worries, just wanted to let you know in case you didn't. Oh..I didn't know they had it either. Should prob. stop skimming the text...:lol:
 
obscurereef said:
No worries, just wanted to let you know in case you didn't. Oh..I didn't know they had it either. Should prob. stop skimming the text...:lol:

+1 team work bro! Lol ;)
 
Yeah! *epic high five* :D Fishfreak1, hope you can make it happen! Eheim, koralia, marineland etc. for pumps/powerheads are good. Sunlight supply, aquaticlife, etc are good for T5 HOs, etc.
I'd suggest shopping on marinedepot, bulkreefsupply, an other online stores that are more towards aquariums instead of all pets like PETCO. If you find deals on other stores go ahead, but those stores can be good references for the types of equipment, reviews, informational videos, etc.
 
I have loved my T5HO lights from Coralife. Here's a few pics of my 36" setup.
 

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Finally remembered what the lil photosynthetic guys are called in Zoanthids! Zooxanthellae!
 
Make sure the T5 you get is H.O not H.E ...if you plan to have coral
 
:lol: Nice one! I don't think there is such a thing as T5 HE..that's why I'm asking. I know there is T8 T12 T5 T5HO VHO. Something like that
 
H. O is high output. And H. O is low output. So if you plan to have coral reef make sure the T5 is high output . Some brand esp deep blue T5 has two kind
 
reef lover said:
H. O is high output. And H. O is low output. So if you plan to have coral reef make sure the T5 is high output . Some brand esp deep blue T5 has two kind

+1 (cept typo! Lol) :p
 
H. O is high output. And H. O is low output. So if you plan to have coral reef make sure the T5 is high output . Some brand esp deep blue T5 has two kind

I'm sorry, but what you said made no sense to me. You said HO for high and low output...it can't be both. But what does the HE stand for? High...what? not LO low output.
 
That's what I meant by their typo. I think they meat t5ho is high out put and t5he is low output

The HE stands for High Efficency which would be a lower output
 
Thanks for everyone's help so far what I'm thinking is
2 Teotronics LEDs for lights
DIY 100g main tank
DIY 20g sump tank
Im using the Herbie overflow method for sump
1200 gph overflow
Plumbing from bulkreefsupply.com
Reef octopus nwb150 6" pinwheel in sump protein skimmer
Brs Gfo & carbon reactor- dual
Eheim compact+ pump 3000 for the return
Live rock & live sand for the aquarium and some for the sump
Heater
Coral
Fish
Salt mix
Hydrometer
Filter sock for sump
Some maintenance equipment
Water Testing equipment
That's what I have in mind so far I'm getting most of it from bulkreef supply
Can anyone tell me what company to get the testing equipment from ? Like nutrafin by Hagen or something like that
What maintenance equipment will I need to clean the sand bottom? Also the coral how do u clean them?
Also does anyone know a company or store that sells plate glass and/or starphire glass( aka low iron glass)?
 
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