I want to do some upgrades on the tank...

[hemmer]

Heres my set up..
45 gallon tank. 55 lbs live rock. crushed coral for substate-- wish i hadnt done that. some junky heater that needs replaced soon a bigger one i mean. small powerhead -- could use a bigger one or two.
STOCK-- i gotta fuzzy dwarf lion and a kole tang, a few nassarius snails. So i gotta do stuff that wont bother them much.

HERES WHERE I NEED ADVICE

I want to get a skimmer and ditch the filters completely and get a good 1 or 2 powerheads. Any advice what kinds? Is this even worth it?

I also could use a better heater-- one i dont have to crank out for the winter like im doing right now. (gets cold in the basement)

Wish i could switch over to live sand too but its too much work and too risky, i'll wait till i move out to college and get a larger tank.

[melosu58]

As far as the changover to sand just do it about 1/4 at a time and you`ll be OK. Many folks here have changed by doing a little at a time. As far as equipment needed read this.

Stock list and tips for maintaining your SW tank.

[Lecithin]

I use a Coralife Super skimmer for my protein skimming, it works great. It does take a bit of tweaking to get working but once its going its amazing. The AquaC Remora is also supposed to be very good.

As for a heater, because you said you tank is in the basement and you seem to have temperature swings, I would go with two 150 Watt heaters. This will give you approx 6.5 watts/gallon (which is more then most need) and should compensate for your cold conditions. Use two heaters because they will distribute the heat better over two areas and if one breaks down the other will keep your temp stable (at least for awhile).

[hemmer]

ok thanks guys.
heres what i got from my lfs.
2 penn plax 150 watt heaters -$15 each
Maxi Jet 1200- on sale for $19

ill be waitin to find a good deal on a skimmer.

[hemmer]

whoa... that maxi jet rocks my aquariums world. is there such thing as too much current flow??? I have the air valve fully closed and it still makes a lot of current (i have it aimed from one length of the tank to the other) i knew it was big for my tank but it was half off and i couldnt resist. lol.

[fijiwigi]

I too was impressed with the maxi-jets. I put 2 maxi-jet 900's in my 46gallon and the flow is great. I originally intended to put 2 hydor koralia 2's and 1 maxi-jet. the hydor koralia's seem to be the favorite there flow is much wider and moves more water but not as concentrated as the maxi-jets. The stems that hold the hydor koralia's snapped 5 min after putting them into my tank. I am getting new ones shipped from where I bought them hopefully they will be of good quality this time. The standard amount of flow is 10-20x the tanks volume per hour(skimmer not included in this #) So if you want to go filterless (Berlin method) 1.5 to 2 pounds of rock per gallon is what most do(you have 1.2). with even more flow than the maxi-jet1200(295gph on a 45=6.5x per hour tank turnover) And if you get another powerhead you can face them toward each other or toward the front center of the tank to create some chaotic current in your tank.

I got my skimmer here I searched for months and there price was unbeatable http://www.aquatictech.com/

[lando]

The first thing I would consider would be getting rid of the tang. A 45gal is simply too small to support the long-term health of this fish.

I like the idea of ditching the filters and going with LR and a skimmer. I am also a fan of maxi-jets. They do a good job for their price. I would think two 900s or even 1200s would be good.

[hemmer]

fiji thanks for that info and link! that should help.

I was actually concerned about that with the tang. I've heard mixed opinions on it though and hes about 4 inches long already. I do want to ditch the filters. If i get another 1200, where do you guys have yours mounted?? I have mine on the side at the top. Would i want one on each side facing eachother towards the top, middle, or bottom of the tank?

Oh and those heaters are working out great! I have them on really low settings and they hold a constant 78 degrees no problem.

[pph_2ppr]

when you were talking about too much flow, and how alot was good. My powerheads are moving water too fast, the sand on the bottom of the tank is moving around so there are drifts and bare spots. No matter how I angle it sand is still being moved. How do i fix this?

[roka64]

PPh, can you point the phs more toward the surface or get smaller phs? That is what I consider too much flow, especially if your sand is shifting like that.