How is this setup/plan for my 72 gallon?

[I Lick Salt]

My equipment thus far:

Tank - 72g bowfront w/ stand
Filtration - Emperor 400 biowheel & AquaC Remora w. MJ1200
Heater - some 300W freshwater heater for the time being
Sand - CaribSea Aragamax Sugar-Sized Sand 30 lb x 3 = 90lb (not in tank yet)
Lighting - basic fluorescent


Plans:

1. Buy some PVC and place base rock on it
2. Add live rock from liverocks.com
3. Add substrate
4. let cycle for a few weeks
5. add fish

Questions:

1. Is my equipment adequate? i.e. filtration and lighting
2. The heater that I bought for the tank when it was freshwater is only rated for freshwater. Can i still use it?
3. How many pounds of live and base rock do i need?
4. Are my plans in the correct chronological order?
5. How do I hook up the AquaC?
5. How much longer until my bank account shows $0.00?

 

[scuba_steve]

i would ditch the emperor ! aqua-c good ! spend the money on a sump/fuge set up instead of the hang-on filter
a heater is a heater dont matter fresh or salt !

for plans i would !! add sand water and start a cycle ! then add the lr ! imo this will help some life on the rock from being added to a new harsh tank !!
add as much rock you can afford or like the look after added
How do I hook up the AquaC? depends on if ya bought the hang on model or sump style !
How much longer until my bank account shows $0.00? all ready does just doent show it yet loloololol

 

[blorkiemom]

Howdy and welcome to AA!

I'm new, too, but I can make a few suggestions . . .

Most folks here will encourage you to ditch the biowheel, as they have a rep for causing nitrate problems. You might want to do some research on the sand issue--with 90 lbs in a 72 you will get about 2 inches, I guesstimate (there's a calculator around here that will give you a more accurate estimate) and some people think that 2-3" of sand is asking for trouble--that 1 or less or over 4 is the way to go. Lots of argument about that, though, so it's worth looking into.

Heaters are heaters--SW, FW, no problem.

Rule of thumb: 1 1/2-2 lbs LR per gallon. How you split the live/base thing is personal preference; I'm going with all LR in my 75 to get maximum benefit as quickly as possible. The base rock will become "live" sooner or later--it just means it will take your system longer to ramp up.

The lighting you might want to think about. If you are going FOWLR, NO is fine. But if you want to keep corals or anything else reefy, the NOs won't be enough. And everyone on here says if you don't have the reef bug yet, you will. I know I started with a vision of just fish and now I'm picturing something really different . . . .

Oh, sump. Are you thinking about a sump? Lots of things you can do with that kind of setup.

HTH!

 

[I Lick Salt]

Wow...very helpful so far!! I will probably just get live rock then instead of base rock to start with. Also, should i just take the biowheel out of the Emperor and let it filter? I don't want to get rid of it, only because I spent money on it and it now has sentinmental and emotional value to me.

Another question...so when I buy "live rock", this is not a "reef"? If I just keep live rock and let it grow will my lighting be adequate? How does one start a "reef" tank then?

 

[blorkiemom]

Don't worry about that Emperor coming in handy, 'cause it will make a great filter for yout QT tank--I've got a Penguin minus biowheel running on mine right now! With a good skimmer, lots of LR, and maybe a sump/fuge, there's no need for mechical filtration. (Coming from FW where filtration is all-important, this has been a very difficult concept for me to grasp.)

When people talk "reef," they usually mean a tank with corals and inverts as well as fish. FOWLR means just fish and LR (though often inverts, too.) What do you want to see this tank grow into? If you really think through the end product, you'll save yourself a lot of heartache and $$ along the way.

Keep asking questions--you'll get to the limits of my newbie knowledge very soon but there are lots of smart and experienced people here to help you all the way!

 

[I Lick Salt]

That's true, I can always use the Emperor on my QT tank. Hmm here's a stupid question I have...what about an air bubbler and pump? Do saltwater tanks require these like the freshwater tanks, or does my skimmer take care of adding oxygen to the water?

 

[TygGer]

I didnt see mention of water flow. Depending on what you're planning on keeping, you'll need approx. 10x water flow.

 

[blorkiemom]

No airstone needed! The skimmer will add some oxygen and a couple of powerheads that ripple the surface should do the rest. As far as I know!

 

[Juster]

No need for a air bubbler. Just use the skimmer and a powerhead pointed at the surface. This will give you enough gas exchange.

I know it has been said before but you really need to think about what you want your tank to be. If you do some planning now it will save you a lot of money. One of the biggest mistakes is improper lighting. People try to save some money at startup only to find out that the fish or coral they have dreamed of needs more.

Good luck and make sure you post some pics.

 

[seaham358]

Why the PVC?? IMO you do not need this. The LR will be just fine resting on the glass. 2-3" SB is fine its the DSB 4+ that people talk about.
What you need to do is read, read and read some more ask questions, then go out and buy what you need. I know guys who have a basement full of crap that they bought over the years after listening to the LFS tell them "your gonna need one of those" $$$.
LR and Sand I run approx. 1 lb per gallon and it has worked out well for me. It will depend on the look you want for your tank also how much you get.
If you already have the lights then your fine to start, But you will need to decide if you want corals and/or anemones you will need to upgrade them. For a fish only tank you will be fine with fluorescent, you may want to change the bulb to a marine type to get the colors to stand out on the fish.