My new 40 gallon.

[thominil]

Hydor makes a great product, yes, a set of powerheads from them will put a significant dent in your $250, but they are more than worth it. Ask your mom to search for "Hydor Koralia 1" on eBay, they are part of the older line-up before Hydor re-branded all of the models. The 1's put off about 400gph IIRC and two of them, in combination with your filter, should give you about all of the water movement you should need if you decide you want a reef, otherwise one should do the trick.

I recommend you get a light fixture actually meant for use in aquaria. I would worry about that light falling into the water, or salt creep corroding the contacts causing the fixture to short. If you plan on getting coral, look into FishNeedIt.com light fixtures, they are cheap and work great, otherwise any old fixture will work, just make sure it's safe for aquaria.

Welcome to AA, you aren't the only teen around here.

 

[Lane1223]

Hydor makes a great product, yes, a set of powerheads from them will put a significant dent in your $250, but they are more than worth it. Ask your mom to search for "Hydor Koralia 2" on eBay, they are part of the older line-up before Hydor re-branded all of the models. The 2's put off about 400gph IIRC and two of them, in combination with your filter, should give you about all of the water movement you should need if you decide you want a reef, otherwise one should do the trick.

I recommend you get a light fixture actually meant for use in aquaria. I would worry about that light falling into the water, or salt creep corroding the contacts causing the fixture to short. If you plan on getting coral, look into FishNeedIt.com light fixtures, they are cheap and work great, otherwise any old fixture will work, just make sure it's safe for aquaria.

Welcome to AA, you aren't the only teen around here.

Hahaha thanks. and I don't think I'm going to intentionally get coral but if I find some and it starts to grow, then I will most deff upgrade. And Thanks for the advice about the power heads. Do I need a protein skimmer? I don't want to buy if it's not a necessity, ya know? :/

 

[thominil]

Without coral, you really don't need a skimmer. Even if you had coral, I would say you could scrape by on weekly water changes as long as you didn't slack off.

 

[jsmith]

Cheapest place I found mine as on amazon

 

[dskidmore]

I'm going to the store later. What do you recommend that I get?

Get a new test kit. If the ammonia result seems to be incorrect, you need to retest with a fresh kit.

 

[Lane1223]

Get a new test kit. If the ammonia result seems to be incorrect, you need to retest with a fresh kit.

I bought a new test kit. And a 300 watt heater. Is that good?

 

[Lane1223]

Cheapest place I found mine as on amazon

Really? Can you give me an approximation of how much?

 

[Lane1223]

Without coral, you really don't need a skimmer. Even if you had coral, I would say you could scrape by on weekly water changes as long as you didn't slack off.

Ok. Cool. If and when it's necessary, I'll look for one then but all the ones around here at my lfs are at least $150.

 

[Grizz]

It took 3 days for the water in my 90g to clear take the cartriges out of your HOB (save them for after the cycle) and put some poly-fill in there it will filter the silt out of your water and you can rinse and reuse
I dont run a skimmer on my tank BUT i do a 25g PWC every sunday my trates never get over .5
I have a Potters Angle, Royal gramma, a clown and two gobies and 1/2 doz. SPS coral Test your water then ask the LFS to test the same water this will give you a base line to follow or show if your kit is outa wack Good luck
you might want to look at this
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydor-Koralia-E...559?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4153d051a7

 

[Lane1223]

It took 3 days for the water in my 90g to clear take the cartriges out of your HOB (save them for after the cycle) and put some poly-fill in there it will filter the silt out of your water and you can rinse and reuse
I dont run a skimmer on my tank BUT i do a 25g PWC every sunday my trates never get over .5
I have a Potters Angle, Royal gramma, a clown and two gobies and 1/2 doz. SPS coral Test your water then ask the LFS to test the same water this will give you a base line to follow or show if your kit is outa wack Good luck
you might want to look at this
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydor-Koralia-Evolution-750-GPH-Circulation-Pump-NIB-/280579035559?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4153d051a7

Thanks so much for the info. I'm deff gonna look into the eBay PH. And yeah. I'm just a little impatient. Compared to 18 hours ago the water is 110% better. Here is what it looks like now after like 34 hours of filtration. I don't have any poly-fil, any other suggestions?

 

[jsmith]

Thanks so much for the info. I'm deff gonna look into the eBay PH. And yeah. I'm just a little impatient. Compared to 18 hours ago the water is 110% better. Here is what it looks like now after like 34 hours of filtration. I don't have any poly-fil, any other suggestions?

I bought a 850.gph for 27 buck right after I got one from lfs that was a 700 or 750 for 60.00

 

[Lane1223]

I bought a 850.gph for 27 buck right after I got one from lfs that was a 700 or 750 for 60.00

eBay?

 

[Grizz]

you can get the poli-fill at craft stores or an old stuffed toy or some pillows it's cheap like 3-4 bucks for a good size bag i got mine at W-mart 2 yrs ago and still have some.

 

[Lane1223]

you can get the poli-fill at craft stores or an old stuffed toy or some pillows it's cheap like 3-4 bucks for a good size bag i got mine at W-mart 2 yrs ago and still have some.

Cool! I have some actually! We had to make pillows in the 8th grade and I still have what's left over. Just put some in there? Or a lot?

 

[jsmith]

eBay?

Amazon

 

[Lane1223]

Amazon

Cool. Thanks.

 

[ReefPhan_Harpua]

Ok!! Thanks for the advice. My moms a HUGE eBayer so she can find me a good for a good price. (I'm 16, btw.) so how long should it take for my sand to settle and should I leave the filter running?

That's a great idea. I remember the first time I put my sand in my tank how cloudy it was. It felt like it took months for it to settle I was so impatient. It does finally settle after 2-3 days though. Age doesn't matter in this hobby, sir...Just keep asking questions and "bumbling" along as I like to call it.

 

[Lane1223]

That's a great idea. I remember the first time I put my sand in my tank how cloudy it was. It felt like it took months for it to settle I was so impatient. It does finally settle after 2-3 days though. Age doesn't matter in this hobby, sir...Just keep asking questions and "bumbling" along as I like to call it.

Hahaha. Thanks. Do you mind if I private message you? I have a few question.

 

[ReefPhan_Harpua]

Hahaha. Thanks. Do you mind if I private message you? I have a few question.

That's fine. I will help in any way I can.

 

[kaiofcanada]

Congrats on your new set up. I have tank envy.