Need Help... First Time Setting up 30 gallon Reef Tank

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mightymax

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
11
hi i need help,advice,assistance to set up my 30 gallon reef tank.. im new to saltwater pls give me some advice on what equipment to get to have a nice reef tank.. but off course im on a budget.. and since im new to reef tank i just want to put the easiest to take care corals and fish... pls pls pls need help!!..
 
Do you have any particular questions? Hard to help you if we don't know what you already know. Is tank set up? Cycling? There are articles about cycling on this forum. We really need you to ask whatever you're needing help with, and we'll be happy to help. :)
 
im not cycling yet.. lets start with filtration... sump or canister??.. and what media to use..
 
If you have room for a sump, I hear its easier maintenance than canister. I don't have room for a sump I my corner cabinet, so have a Fluval 406 canister on my 55g. If you do a filter, you'll want one rated for double the size of your tank.
 
Go with a sump if possible. Many more options for you and increases your water volume. Also drill your tank if you can now before you regret not doing it later ;)
 
i really want a sump since alot of you said its better.. but like i said before im on a budget.. im going with canister since i have a extra fluval 405.. what media to use??
 
mightymax said:
i really want a sump since alot of you said its better.. but like i said before im on a budget.. im going with canister since i have a extra fluval 405.. what media to use??

In my Fluval I have the 2 egg-crate type sponges, 4 of the long white sponges, 3 baskets with biomax, 2 water polishing sponges and 3 baskets with chemipure. I don't know the set-up or how many baskets the 405 has, though. Some people take out the biomax and use rock rubble there instead, whichever you like. And you can use regular carbon instead of the chemipure, too. I rinse everything every week with my PWC and change out one of the sponges every week, alternating them, of course.
 
ok.. thanks now i have an idea for filtration.. next is lighting.. its a reef tank.. lighting is critical.. what would be the best light fixture for a 30 gallon??..
 
I have a Kessil LED on my reef. It's about $300 for the light and swan-neck holder on marinedepot.com. It'll keep any coral you want. I've heard good things about the Par 38 LED, but no experience with them. I think they're under $150, but not certain. If you search lighting for reef on this forum, there's probably all kinda of threads that will come up-this is a common topic. For reef LED, you'll need to make sure the lights are 3w each, many of them are only 1w and that's not enough for reefs.
 
ok.. thanks alot... light is done.. next is skimmer.. what kind of skimmer Should i used and since im using a canister do i need an overflow box??
 
mightymax said:
ok.. thanks alot... light is done.. next is skimmer.. what kind of skimmer Should i used and since im using a canister do i need an overflow box??

An overflow box is for a sump if you decide to go that route so its not needed for just a canister setup. For a skimmer you could go without in that size tank as long as you keep up with your weekly maintenance and don't overfeed. If you do decide to get one though (they are very helpful to have even if not needed) then find one rated for double your tank volume. A lot of the equipment you'll need can be found at bulkreefsupply.com and they offer discounts during group buys which are hosted on AA monthly.
 
Nope all personal preference and budget. Most people will do 10-25% live rock with 75-90% base rock to save money but the more live rock you use the shorter the cycle will be. Live sand is pretty much a scam in most instances, go with regular sand and it will become live on its own during the cycle process.
 
If you want zero hitchikers you can even cycle with no live rock at all but more often then not the hitch hikers are beneficial to the system ( but not always lol)
 
great tip.. thanks alot... next is live stock... can you guys help me with a list of easy to take care corals and what kind of fish i can put in it.. and how many fish i can put in a 30 gallon reef tank.. and pls english no scientific name whatsoever.. thanks in advance...
 
This is gonna be almost entirely your preference. A lot of times people consider corals easy or hard to care for depending on light requirements. Soft corals need low light lps corals need medium and sps need high light. For fish you could do 4-5 nano fish or a couple large bodied fish but the lighter you stock the tank the easier it will be to care for your corals. Try going to liveaquaria.com and browse the livestock for 30 gallon and under requirements and see what you like then give us an idea of the direction you would like to go. This site offers great info on all the specimens they carry so a great place to start.
 
ok ill check it out tonight... lets go to cycling..i know buying saltwater from the store could be expensive... how can i make saltwater straight from tap??
 
If you want to make your saltwater at home (which is cheaper and more reliable in the long run), you'll want to invest in a Reverse Osmosis DeIonizing (RODI) unit as well as a refractometer (recommended) or hydrometer and of course salt mix. The RODI unit can be plumbed into the house or you can get a portable unit you hook up whenever you need to make water.

With all but the most sensitive of freshwater fish, tapwater with a dechlorinator added is generally OK. It would generally be fine for saltwater fish, too, but there is a lot of trace compounds in tapwater that a dechlorinator does absolutely nothing for and may not be good for invertebrates including coral. It also ends up being fertilizer for algae which seems to grow WAY faster in saltwater. (Just skim the forums for people fighting hair algae or cyanobacteria, and you'll see what I mean.) The RODI strips your tapwater off all of that so you have actually pure water to start your salt mix.

The hydrometer or refractometer measure the concentration of salt in the water. (The more salt in a given body of water, the more dense it is.) To make saltwater, you take approximately 1/2 cup of salt mix per gallon of RODI, measure the specific gravity with the hydrometer or refractometer and add more salt or freshwater as necessary to adjust to a specifc gravity of 1.026.
 
do i have to mix salt mix and water in a different container or i can just mix it in the tank??
 
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