Wet Dry Filters, Skimmers, and perfect water params?

[SeeDemTails]

My first question is:

I decided to set up my 55 gal as a reef, and I am getting an Orbit 4x65 watt 24 hr light.

I want to get as big of a filter as possible, as I might get a bigger tank one day, same goes for the skimmer. There are so many different brands of skimmers and WD filter out there I am not sure which are the most efficient? I see some have skimmers built in....are these better?

Anyway which models or skimmers and or WD filters would you reccomend for a 55, keeping in mind I want to oversize.

Also, probably a stupid question, but what are "Perfect" water params considered to be....I have asked three people and got three different answers....and you guys seem much smarter on the topic, so I figured I would ask you guys!

 

[Brenden]

The model of skimmer etc is going to depend on the tank you plan to eventually put it on. I know it is a 55 now but are you going up to a 125 etc?

what are "Perfect" water params

NH3-0
NO2-0
N03-0 but under 10ppm is safe for coral. 20ppm or less for fish.
CA 350-450 NSW is around 400
ALK 3-5 Meg/l
PO4-0

 

[SeeDemTails]

I probably wont go bigger than a 125gal eventually.

Also, I want to set up a 10 gal QT under my stand for the 55. I want to add fish very slowly, after the tank has been cycled and been running with LR only for a month or two, and I want to QT each fish before I put him in the tank, even the first one.

I planned on running a 10gal tank with a skilter 250 and a limewood airstone to improve skimming, and some live sand and a small peice of rock to help seed the tank and give the fish soemthing to hide behind. I would do a small water change once a week, removing two gals from the 10 gal QT and throwing it away, taking two gals from my 55 and replacing it, so the fish get used to my water, and the tank will always be getting new water. I will be replacing the water in my 55 with ro/di.

Would this be a smart way to add my fish?....Water is much more stable without fish in the tank right?.....should I add corals before I add fish?

Sorry for all the Q's but I wanna make sure I do it right from the beggining!

 

[melosu58]

IMO fish should be first and then after established for a while then go for it with the corals.

 

[tecwzrd]

I didn’t see any mention of live rock. You are going to need lr if planning for corals and 1.5+ lbs of lr per gal along with a quality skimmer and good water movement (20 times tank turn over) will provide all the biological filtration your tank will need.

Using wet/dry or canisters for mechanical filtration isn’t necessary but if used have to be cleaned weekly or more to keep waste from accumulating and causing your no3 to rise.

A 10-20 gal refugium under the tank or a HOB refugium would be more beneficial in keeping a healthy tank.

Using lr/ls along with a good clean up crew ie: 1 red/blue leg hermit and a mix of 1 Nassarius or Cerith snails for about every 3-5 gal of water will keep your sand bed and lr free of excess waste.

Water is more stable without fish and some of the beginner corals could be tried after a couple of months before adding fish but as melosu58 said it’s generally easier to start with fish and let your tank mature before adding corals.

If adding fish at a later date make sure you add very slowly so your tank has time to build up the supporting bacteria or else you could have another mini cycle.

Either way make sure you do a fishless cycle using either raw shrimp or live rock with die-off.

Brenden’s water parameters are on the mark with the exception of what steve-s recommended to me regarding ca. Also a ph of 8.0-8.2, sg of 1.023-1.025, and temp between 76-82 is recommended with all being as stable as possible and not fluctuating.

CA 350-450 NSW is around 400

Ca levels above 415-420 ppm can actual damage scleractinians, more commonly hobbyist dubbed "SPS". It causes the coral to deposit Ca much faster and in doing so forces the coral to grow tissue at a much faster rate. This causes the coral a rather large amount of stress and leaves it weakened. More often that not the coral will be easily susceptible to disease, necrosis, allelopathy and other environmental factors.

For skimmers for a 55 gal (in order of greater performance to lesser)
AquaC Remora Pro (HOB)
Kent Marine Nautilus TE Skimmer (sump)
Coralife super skimmer (HOB or sump)
Bak Pak Skimmer (hob)

I would avoid the filters with the built in skimmers personally, especially if wanting a larger tank in the future. Buying a skimmer that is rated for 200+ gal will work fine on a 55 gal and leave room for upgrades in the future.

 

[SeeDemTails]

I like the AquaC Remora Pro, it looks like it will work the best.

Sorry I didnt mention but I will be filling the tank with LR as soon as it is set up.

Now as far as a refugium goes, I am a little confused as to what it does?

Does it simply add volume to the tank? Or does it add filtration?...Do you put LR in it?

Can I set one up using a 10 gal glass tank? Can I fit this as well as another 10 gal QT tank under my 55 gal standard cabinet?

 

[tecwzrd]

Now as far as a refugium goes, I am a little confused as to what it does?

See Refugiums, aka fuges or refuge

Two 10 gal should fit in a standard 55 gal cabinet.