Might make the jump. Questions

[fish wrangler]

My parents bout me a 75 gallon tank, oak stand, glass tops, and a Fluval 406 canister for my graduation. I can't decide if I want to go FOWLR or a high tech planted. My dad has experience with saltwater both fowlr and reef so he is pushing me to go salty.

My questions are:

1. Do I need an RO/DI filter for fowlr or is straight dechlorinated tap ok?
1b. What RO/DI unit would be a good middle of the road unit?
2. Is number 5 Hawaiian Puca shell gravel a good substrate?
3. Would a Fluval marine LED work for this since I'm not doing coral?
3b. If I wanted could I use this light for really low light corals?
4. Should I return the canister and get a trickle filter?

Thanks


Michael

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[coralbandit]

Hey congrats on the 75 for graduation!
Quick answers and then we/others can ask /add more.
1.You do not need ro/di for fowlr. I would use (and do use) ro for my folwr(no di for them!)
2.I have not used so won't comment.
3.Lighting maters not one bit if you don't keep photosynthetic life.
3b. this light will not work for much of anything in marine IMO.
4.YES,YES,YES!
I tried to answer as unbiased as possible.I run sumps on my freshwater tanks also though!
My son is 25 and if he wanted a marine tank his old man could probably help him out also!
Your going to go to college soon and leaving tank in the livingroom ?
Let the old man help you out and throw him a bone at the same time(get what I'm saying?)
Go fowlr.
My 120 has a miniautus grouper,snowflake moray eel and a lion fish.

 

[fish wrangler]

Thanks! I decided to make the jump and go salty.

Since I have the fluval could I run that to start, and if I decide I want to continue down the salt path upgrade to a sump?

What light does everyone use on the fowlr tanks?

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[carey]

It's a better idea to have the tank drilled now before you have water and rock in it. If you were to upgrade in the future you would have to empty the tank completely to drill it. :-(
A sump really isnt that complicated, believe it or not. An old 20g tank would be a fine sump and is very cheap and the drilling can be done by you very easily, if you are too scared to try it you can get a lfs to do it for a couple bucks.

i agree about the fluval light, while it would be perfectly fine for fish only, if you decide to get any corals it will be sorely lacking unfortunately.

This is why it always seems saltwater is harder but if you go about it in a detailed and precise way the first time it can be quite easy.

I wouldnt worry about ro/di water either, BUT I would test your water first and see whats what before you make that decision. Excessive phosphates can cause algae and if you do go with coral in the future it will be a pain to get those phosphates out, which means excessive water changes. lol

Good luck!

 

[fish wrangler]

Thanks! My dad said if I went with a sump to use a hang in back overflow. Would with work instead of drilling it?

I know my tap doesn't have any nitrates but I haven't tested it for phosphates yet.

I made a build thread for this tank to try and consolide the Q&A. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=336601

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[carey]

A hang on overflow will work but it is safer and more secure to have it drilled. I had a hang on overflow on my 125g and now that i went with drilled tanks I would NEVER use a hang on again. They can lose suction, they can cause the tank to overflow so many variables. With it being drilled only a certain amount of water could ever leak out. Just a better more permanent way to go. My biggest regret with my 125g was not having it drilled. As a side note, I am a girl who is not at all handy and I found the sump to be really scary BUT it turns out it is easy and better overall. who knew! lol

Not only are phosphates a potential issue in tap water but undissolved solids. My water comes in at 250 tds (total dissolved solids) and comes out the ro/di with zero. Its; scary but we actually dont know whats in our own drinking water. lol

 

[fish wrangler]

How would one go about drilling the tank? A drill and a hole saw? I'm worried that I won't like salt and then I'm left with a drilled tank and also it removes the lifetime warranty the tank has.

What are the advantages to using a sump over a canister besides media quantity?

Since the fluval led is almost $150 what would be a cheaper alternative for just fish? Looking for LED preferably.

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[Sniperhank]

A CPR overflow can give the peace of mind if fearful of loss of siphon as an aqualifter can be hooked up to it. I'm on my second one of these and still love them...though I'd have drilled it I could.

 

[carey]

I also ran the cpr overflow with the aqualifter pump on the 125g I had and never had any issues with it. Though I did have to replace the pump several times. :-( If in doubt drillit, if you absolutely cannot drill get the cpr overflow. A couple extra bucks but well worth it if you are going in that direction.

 

[coralbandit]

I would drill if you (or dad) are confident enough;
Many videos on you who or whatever but if you are going salty then you should learn about BRS(bulk reef supply)
How to Drill and Aquarium and install an Internal Overflow - Bulk Reef Supply

I have used CPR overflows with the Toms aqualifter(still use one on my 29).
Get one of the largest overflows if that is route chosen.
The overflow is the main limit to amount of flow a system can handle.
If your flow is low it will not be a problem,but if you want more flow then the overflow can handle... then disaster.
Reef octopus also makes decent overflows.
The advantage of a sump over a canister is not even comparable.
Much more room for media if you choose and the ability to hide things like heaters,reactors,refugiums,protien skimmers(<THIS!).
You will want a protein skimmer and the better ones run in sump not HOB,but this may be next topic after filter and lights!
Hope you and your dad enjoy.

 

[fish wrangler]

And here I thought I had to just live with a devils advocate and now you guys/gals are playing it too! Jk I really appreciate the advice. I will look into the cpr overflow and aqualift pump later when I have more time.

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[Brookster123]

It's an older tank right? Drill that bad boy. Ebay sells the hole saws cheap. I've read 2 accounts of hob over flow failure in the last week. Anything worth doing...

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[fish wrangler]

It's an older tank right? Drill that bad boy. Ebay sells the hole saws cheap. I've read 2 accounts of hob over flow failure in the last week. Anything worth doing...

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Nope brand spanking new.

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[Brookster123]

Nope brand spanking new.

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Oh, though I saw wood grain trim in that pic but it may as well been cardboard.. either way.. drill if possible.

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[fish wrangler]

It does have wood grain trim but its brand new. The wood trim matches almost everything else in the room.

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[Brookster123]

It does have wood grain trim but its brand new. The wood trim matches almost everything else in the room.

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:tugs collar: wood grain is cool

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[fish wrangler]

It looks better than the black trim and stand i have.

Lfs is getting a wet/dry sump in on Friday so I'll return the fluval then.

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[Toffee]

I used Lifereef or reeflife, forgot the name of a hob. It claims that it never fails and it doesn't require any additional pumps.

So far so good, I even tested it multiple times over the course of year to mimic any fails I can predict for my tank. It uses gravity to draw water out of your tank. You should check it out. Its a bit pricey and always on back order. Check out some YouTube videos on it.

Bottonline is anything could fail, u just need to plan ahead in case of a failure.


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[fish wrangler]

Thanks I will look into those.

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[coralbandit]

There certainly are no fail systems!
This is why drilling has been suggested.

BeanAnimal's Bar and Grill - Silent and Fail-Safe Overflow System


Coast-to-Coast Overflow | Melev's Reef


Carey really nailed it saying drill now or it is too late!
Practice on other glass.
The BRS link I offered sells drill bits and matching bulkheads for less guess work.
I have used reef octopus and cpr(along with the real old school tube overflows in the 1980's!).
I'll never run a DT tank that is not drilled again!
I have ;180 with 2 overflows,2@120 with 2 overflows each,and a 75 with 1 overflow.
Sumps make life simple,not more complicated.
Drilled tanks make them effortless almost.
I have flooded every HOB overflow I have owned at least once!