TroutBum23
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2012
- Messages
- 6
Hey Everyone,
I've been lurking and learning all over again. Great site here with plenty of knowledge and even more ingenuity. I had a previous go with salt many years ago when I had a 11g reef in my office. long story longer...it ended up getting neglected and went bye bye
Fast forward to about 3.5 weeks ago when I finally decided to put some water in the 75g tank that had been sitting empty for nearly 6 years. We moved it downstairs and went to work. This was all given to me for free by a family member that has been into saltwater aquariums since he was in grade school.
This will be a FOWLR tank for now. I might want to convert to a full reef with corals down the road....I will be adding probably 30-40lbs more live rock over the next month or two.
The only things I have bought so far is a new heater rated for 200g, a Koralia evolution 1400 (will buy another), salt, 60lbs of CaribSea live sand, 20 lbs of base rock and 30 lbs of live rock, marine test kit.
I filled it with water and let it run for 2 days with filters on, added salt to get my salinity to .023, waited 2 days and added live sand, base and live rock...I then waited 2 weeks and then added 2 blue damsels as my water parameters were good.
current water parameters are AM-0, N02 -0, N03-15ppm. Salinity .023, PH 8.0... I did a 10g water change 2 days ago and N03 is still at 15ppm
My current filtration setup is 6+ years old. I'd like to get rid of the 2 hand on the back bio wheel filters if possible but I'm not sure that the sump I have would handle the load of the tank.
1. Can I get rid of these filters? These are my only form of chemical filtration. What are some newer options that would do the same thing but not with all the noise? These things are loud as can be and i also like the look of a clean tank back without a bunch of stuff hanging off the back.
2. I'm not really sure if this under cabinet system should be called a wet/dry or a sump??? It has a built in skimmer but it looks to be very dated based on the looks of all the new ones. Also from what I'v been reading, the best skimmers are the separate units? I've also noticed from reading that alot of people think bio balls are a thing of the past. Like everything, things are constantly changing.
3. I'm hoping that someone can make some suggestions on my system. Any noticeable changes I should make? I want it to be as maintenance free as possible, quiet and reliable. I don't mind spending some money to do it right.
4. I want to upgrade the lighting soon but I'm not sure if T5's are the way to go as I might want to start housing some corals down the road...10-12 months. I really like the looks of the LED but it seems like they aren't quite there yet when it comes to aquarium lighting.
I look forward to you guys and gals edumacaten me
I've been lurking and learning all over again. Great site here with plenty of knowledge and even more ingenuity. I had a previous go with salt many years ago when I had a 11g reef in my office. long story longer...it ended up getting neglected and went bye bye
Fast forward to about 3.5 weeks ago when I finally decided to put some water in the 75g tank that had been sitting empty for nearly 6 years. We moved it downstairs and went to work. This was all given to me for free by a family member that has been into saltwater aquariums since he was in grade school.
This will be a FOWLR tank for now. I might want to convert to a full reef with corals down the road....I will be adding probably 30-40lbs more live rock over the next month or two.
The only things I have bought so far is a new heater rated for 200g, a Koralia evolution 1400 (will buy another), salt, 60lbs of CaribSea live sand, 20 lbs of base rock and 30 lbs of live rock, marine test kit.
I filled it with water and let it run for 2 days with filters on, added salt to get my salinity to .023, waited 2 days and added live sand, base and live rock...I then waited 2 weeks and then added 2 blue damsels as my water parameters were good.
current water parameters are AM-0, N02 -0, N03-15ppm. Salinity .023, PH 8.0... I did a 10g water change 2 days ago and N03 is still at 15ppm
My current filtration setup is 6+ years old. I'd like to get rid of the 2 hand on the back bio wheel filters if possible but I'm not sure that the sump I have would handle the load of the tank.
1. Can I get rid of these filters? These are my only form of chemical filtration. What are some newer options that would do the same thing but not with all the noise? These things are loud as can be and i also like the look of a clean tank back without a bunch of stuff hanging off the back.
2. I'm not really sure if this under cabinet system should be called a wet/dry or a sump??? It has a built in skimmer but it looks to be very dated based on the looks of all the new ones. Also from what I'v been reading, the best skimmers are the separate units? I've also noticed from reading that alot of people think bio balls are a thing of the past. Like everything, things are constantly changing.
3. I'm hoping that someone can make some suggestions on my system. Any noticeable changes I should make? I want it to be as maintenance free as possible, quiet and reliable. I don't mind spending some money to do it right.
4. I want to upgrade the lighting soon but I'm not sure if T5's are the way to go as I might want to start housing some corals down the road...10-12 months. I really like the looks of the LED but it seems like they aren't quite there yet when it comes to aquarium lighting.
I look forward to you guys and gals edumacaten me