AquaRick
Aquarium Advice Addict
Looks like a good start.
Planning a reef tank ?'s
- Thread starter Bearchumjs
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
AquaRick
Aquarium Advice Addict
Are you going to be using a smaller sump for this tank?
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
AquaRick said:
Probably eventually. It's going to take a whole for me to get all the stuff to get started on saltwater. I'm going to get a few freshwater fish in the meantime so it isn't sitting in the living room empty.
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ibrahim said:
They look better now! The see-through filter I thought was black! It was so caked with algae. The black filter was barely dirty at all. I think the guy raised algae and not fish...
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
AquaRick said:
I'd say that's about right. I'm getting new glass tops because one was broken and taped together... and then I accidentally stepped on it and broke it more. Oops. The other is so covered in hard water... They sell them for $12 on amazon. I'll just get new ones. LOL!
Sniperhank
Giant Clam Addict
Don't even bother with the glass tops. Leave it open. This will give you more gas exchange and help with your ph.
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
I agree, don't even bother with the tops, you end up cleaning them weekly,better gas exchange without, less heat trapped from the lights, and light gets scattered slightly ( less going in the tank). If your worried about jumpers you can get screens for the same price or cheaper.
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
But the light says not to use over open water. In other words telling me I need the tops. Can I use them without the tops?
Sniperhank
Giant Clam Addict
What light is it? I don't see why it couldn't be used. As long as there isn't a ton of splashing there shouldn't be an issue. My T5HO has plexiglass over the bulbs. When it comes to my radions, well I'll just be hanging them so they don't get wet and salt buildup.
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sniperhank said:
I don't know exactly. On light looks like maybe a T-8? The other light has a bigger bulb. He said it was a "growing light". They both do not have any sort of plexiglass. I will go out to the garage and look at them to see what brand they are in a little bit. I have to do the dishes first.
So if the lights work and I can't make the housing look pretty, do you think it would be ok to use some spray paint? The kind you use if you wanted to repaint your grill? I'd think it would be ok and be able to withstand any heat the bulbs create... I need advice on that one for sure!
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sniperhank said:
Also since its going to be freshwater at first I don't need to worry about salt buildup yet. And there won't be as much flow as saltwater. I will need to get new lights when I start saltwater, but for now maybe they will be ok without the tops... I will go look at them in about an hour. I should be done with housework by then!
AquaRick
Aquarium Advice Addict
+1 on an open top. If you can mount your lights high enough from the water there's no need for a cover on them.
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
Here's a picture of the one light.
Any opinions on that spray paint idea? And do you still think I don't need the glass tops?
Any opinions on that spray paint idea? And do you still think I don't need the glass tops?
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
As far as the paint, I would think at least for freshwater it would be fine.
The light is a freshwater light, 40 watt T12 bulb ( normal size ) fluorescent. With this type of light on freshwater, you should use the covers, covers won't be as much of a hassle with fresh, and light won't give off too much heat, and it doesn't have a splash guard. I assumed that this was saltwater. This light would work for a saltwater setup, with covers, but a fish-only setup. This light will not be able to support live rock, or corals
The light is a freshwater light, 40 watt T12 bulb ( normal size ) fluorescent. With this type of light on freshwater, you should use the covers, covers won't be as much of a hassle with fresh, and light won't give off too much heat, and it doesn't have a splash guard. I assumed that this was saltwater. This light would work for a saltwater setup, with covers, but a fish-only setup. This light will not be able to support live rock, or corals
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
Flreefer said:
Thank you! I am going to turn this into saltwater after awhile when I get everything I need for a reef tank setup. I can see how it would have been confusing.
it's my first purchase towards a saltwater aquarium. Since I don't want it sitting around empty for months, I'm going to do a planted freshwater tank. Thank you for your advice on the paint. They guy took horrible care of the tank and the outside housing of the light is bad and no amount of scrubbing is going to make it look nice. Today's shopping list is filters, ammonia, spray paint and pool filter sand. Hooray!
Sniperhank
Giant Clam Addict
Have you looked at dr foster and smith's sand before you get pool filter? It is nice to have the ph buffer from agrigate sand and the price wasn't bad. I bought 60 lbs for my 55 for like 60 bucks.
OP
OP
Bearchumjs
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sniperhank said:
I hadn't looked yet. Alot of people over on the freshwater boards use the pool filter sand so I thought I'd just go with that. It's $12 for a 50lb bag at a local pool shop. Of course the agrigate sand would be able to be used in saltwater?
All I know is I dont want the ugly gravel that came with the tank and since I have nothing for substrate and not alot of money left for fish stuff right now, I thought the pool filter sand would be cheap and look nice. And I won't feel bad throwing it away later if I don't want to use it.
My husband wants to catch a bass and keep it in the aquarium until we get it ready for saltwater. Keeping in mind that it will grow too big but we can either eat it or release it back into the river.
Sniperhank
Giant Clam Addict
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
For fresh, pretty much anything will work for substrate, all that really matters is aesthetics and ability to clean it in some way. But for salt you would need to change to something. More suited for marine application. There are many options as far as live sand, sizes, some colors, etc., and crushed coral. Research substrates when time provides and find what you would like .
Ibrahim
Aquarium Advice Addict
TBH, I wouldn't make it planted. You can save up the money. Maybe get a few cheap fish and baserock for decor. Then you can reuse the base in your SW tank
Similar threads
