Newbie

[Katie19882010]

Ok so when I get may tank going what can I get to put in it until it has cycled long enough for fish ?

 

[Bectan01]

Raw shrimp! Put it in pantyhose so its easier to get out after remember to test throughout so you can see the rise of ammonia, then nitrite then finally nitrate...

 

[Katie19882010]

Ok I will do that ..... Is there any kind of reef life i can put in there before I do fish ? And how soon can I put them in ?

 

[Bectan01]

It's best to wait, that's the hardest part - looking at a tank full of rocks for 4-5 weeks! But worth the wait for sure, not worth risking a dead fish early in the game. You ready to start the cycle? How is the set up going?

 

[Katie19882010]

No I'm taking it very slow I don want to kill anything I haven't even started setting it up to cycle I'm going to e buying the stuff to start the set up soon (just have the tank at the moment) .... I was told by my lfs to use a HOB instead of the sump ... Do I need the to set a tank up underneath for those like I would a sump ?

 

[Katie19882010]

I'm doing all my research before getting everything running so I don't screw it up lol



Also what light is best for a reef/fish tanks ?

 

[Bectan01]

No a Hob is exactly as the name suggests, it hangs on the back of your tank. I am not a big fan of these but perhaps someone else can chime in with advice on how to use it/what to run in it. Without a sump you will need a skimmer for sure on that size tank so you will also need a HOB style too. Try and get one rated for twice your tank volume if you can. This is one of the main benefits of a sump - it's a place to put all your equipment so you don't need to look at it on the display! You will end up with heaters, skimmer, hob filter and a couple of powerheads and of course lighting!
That depends on what you want to keep, for fish only it doesn't really matter, for reef that's a different story and you can drop a lot of cash here. LEDs are recommended, don't do what I did, go cheap and first buy T8 (thinking I would only have fowler) then a couple of months later upgrade to 4x t5 HO, then a few months after that upgrade to LED. Wasted money!

 

[Katie19882010]

Great thanks for the info! The sump stuff really confuses me I have read a lot about them and also I don't want to drill my tank :0/ ..... I do want to have both reef and fish so I'll be getting an LED light is there one you prefer over others ?

 

[Bectan01]

The taotronics LEDs are popular, you would need three for your tank. They are dimmable, check them out on eBay. Understand you are confused by the sump - I would be too! I do regret not doing a sump when I started so just trying to get you off on the right step check out some other people's 75's on here and see what they are doing and what works for them. That's the best way to do it I think, get someone's personal experience first hand.

 

[JesseMessykinn]

I had a HOB Filter on my 55 at first, and personally Its a waste of money for a Reef tank. A Sump is going to cost you alot more then a HOB but long term, after buying filter pads over then next year or two you may of had your sump paid for IMO. Id go sump, it looks confusing but it isnt. It Helps alot more then it will hurt, Beside you can get a Overflow box and wont be drilling any tanks at all. People my talk bad about overflow boxes but im 100% Confident in my CPR overflow w/ tom's aqua lifter pump. Ive never had a problem with the prime failing, and I turn my overflow off 4-5 times a week for feeding. So if the power goes out the only way you will flood is in some how you aqualifter pump fails. Just keep it clean and you wont have to worry. I Havent lost a ounce of sleep over worry of floods since I got the CPR Overflow.

 

[TommyP]

I have a 55g reef now I started just around November. I want to say that I was trying to save as much money as I could have in the beginning and just make sure you do everything right the first time. I would highly recommend a sump. I had an emperor 400 hob filter on my 55 and it was noisy and took up a lot of room in my tank. I took it out and ended up making a sump. It's still not done 100% correctly, but that's why I'm writing to you now lol. The fish that I added too soon, the hob I spent money on all the money I could of saved by being more patient and researching a lot. I have an overflow box as well and a return pump. I use a tank divider in my sump because it's a small 10g. The reason i have a 10 in there is bc now that the tank has been up for a couple months before I did this, I wasnt able to move it to fit a bigger tank under the stand. Set that up first. Have a full layout of what you want to do and then begin the process. I am buying the 120w dimmables for my tank. If you're doing a 75g, we need 2 fixtures. It's on ebay for $288 shipped. They're made in the US. I spent around $120 for the 4 bulb t5 that works well, but no growth. Plus the $ i'm going to have to spend to change the bulbs soon. Get the LEDs upfront - it's a money saver. Sorry for the long read - I'm bored at work and just trying to help!

 

[Katie19882010]

Thank ! It's ok that it's long lol I need all the help I can get !!!!! So if I do a sump there is a way to work around drilling my tank ?

 

[JesseMessykinn]

There sure is, right now my sump is baffless. Its a Temp setup but it hold my Skimmer and heaters.

 

[TommyP]

Yes. I did not drill my tank. I was too scared lol. I got the eshopps 800 overflow box off ebay. Then I got a pump from my buddy that I stuck in my tank and it returns the water back up to the DT. Depending on the pump, you may have to dial it back so it doesn't drain the sump too quickly but it's better than having it overflow. I went to the hardware store and bought all the hardware and plastic clear tubes for the drain and the return line. Works good I just need to re-do my sump bc right now it's just a 10g no baffles or anything just open 10g tank w/ filter sock/ small breeder basket w/ chaeto and grape culerpa, i threw my 2 biowheels from my old hob in there, then i have one of those tank dividers and the other side of the tank just has the return. It's kind of ghetto rigged right now, but I didn't know how to make baffles and didn't want to spend the $ on a pre-made sump. But it's easy if you have the time and money.