How much will it cost to start a salt water tank?

[Rscomia]

The one rated for 220g probably won't fit in a 20g sump. Where can you buy a cheap but good skimmer? Where did you get yours?

On my 55 I have a seaclone not the best of skimmers but I have done some mods to it that have helped it alot plus I dont have that much of a bio load on that tank but it does have a small footprint on my other tank I got one offline not sure what kind it is but its rated at 160 gallons and works well for me I see alot of mixed opinions about coralife skimmers and I believe they are small and fairly inexpensive also I dont believe I have read anything bad about reef octopus skimmers but know nothing about them

 

[Tomchong22]

All I can say is mr.x will always recommend the octopus skimmer.... and after seeing videos on YouTube.. I will have to second his opinion

 

[roydooms]

I will check on the octopus skimmer.

For a SW tank, is it better to have a long 55g tank or a tall 55g tank?

 

[Tomchong22]

Long I would think. For lighting purposes. It depends if you want to have a reef tank. With a tall you will need stronger lights.

 

[roydooms]

Long I would think. For lighting purposes. It depends if you want to have a reef tank. With a tall you will need stronger lights.

I want a reef tank. So I'll stick with the 55g long. Thanks.

 

[Tomchong22]

Yeah np. For lighting you could go with a 4 bulb t5 Ho fixture each individualy reflected or a 250 watt mh. Each will allow you to keep pretty much any coral. You want. Here is a pic of my 60 gal tank to show you about how bright they are. It has 6 t5 bulbs in the hood right now( 2 are out)

 

[roydooms]

I already have a dual T5 HO fixture and just thinking of getting another dual fixture to save money. That should be fine, right? Do you have a sump? Overflow?

 

[Tomchong22]

Yeah that would work. And yes I do have a sump and overflow. my sump is a ten gal. I do plan on upgrading to a 20. It's simple but gets the job done

 

[roydooms]

Yeah that would work. And yes I do have a sump and overflow. my sump is a ten gal. I do plan on upgrading to a 20. It's simple but gets the job done

What skimmer do you have? Where did you buy it? I can probably use the same one that you have. How long has your tank been running?

 

[Tomchong22]

I don't have a skimmer yet but I do plan on getting a reef octopus skimmer. I won't really need it till I start getting lots of coral growth and have my tank maxed out for fish. They are a little pricy but it will be the only skimmer you will ever buy and nothing compares to how well they do. My tank has been running for about 4 months now. I just finished cycling a month ago. It took me about 6 months of prep and researching Before I even filled the tank up. 90% of my rock I made. And 10% I bought just to help seed the tank and bring in feather dusters,worms, and coraline algae.

 

[roydooms]

I don't have a skimmer yet but I do plan on getting a reef octopus skimmer. I won't really need it till I start getting lots of coral growth and have my tank maxed out for fish. They are a little pricy but it will be the only skimmer you will ever buy and nothing compares to how well they do. My tank has been running for about 4 months now. I just finished cycling a month ago. It took me about 6 months of prep and researching Before I even filled the tank up. 90% of my rock I made. And 10% I bought just to help seed the tank and bring in feather dusters,worms, and coraline algae.

Can you teach me how to make your own rock? I read that it takes a while to cure.

 

[Tomchong22]

What you need is . Portland cement,rock salt, and crushed coral... Pea gravel... Etc, the mix is 2 part rock( your gravel or whatever 1 part cement. Mix this together then add water. Just enough so you have a dry chunky like oat meal mix. Then mix in 3 parts rock salt.. In a large tub fill it with sand to make your mold. Pour the mixture into the mold and cover with a fine layer of sand. After 48 hours remove the rocks and let air dry for another 24 hours. Take all your rocks and place them in large bins full of water . For the next 3 weeks you will need to change the water every other day. On your last week add half water and half vinegar solution to the water that the rocks will sit in. This will neutralize the lime in the cement. Rinse the rocks then let them sit in fresh water for about 2 days every three days you will want to test your ph. Once the ph of the water reaches whatever you tap water is they are safe to put in. I made about 70 lbs of base rock or about $30... Way cheaper then the $7 a lb for live rock. And plus it will all become live in time.

 

[roydooms]

What you need is . Portland cement,rock salt, and crushed coral... Pea gravel... Etc, the mix is 2 part rock( your gravel or whatever 1 part cement. Mix this together then add water. Just enough so you have a dry chunky like oat meal mix. Then mix in 3 parts rock salt.. In a large tub fill it with sand to make your mold. Pour the mixture into the mold and cover with a fine layer of sand. After 48 hours remove the rocks and let air dry for another 24 hours. Take all your rocks and place them in large bins full of water . For the next 3 weeks you will need to change the water every other day. On your last week add half water and half vinegar solution to the water that the rocks will sit in. This will neutralize the lime in the cement. Rinse the rocks then let them sit in fresh water for about 2 days every three days you will want to test your ph. Once the ph of the water reaches whatever you tap water is they are safe to put in. I made about 70 lbs of base rock or about $30... Way cheaper then the $7 a lb for live rock. And plus it will all become live in time.

Very good information. This will sure save me a lot of money!

What is the "etcetera" part? What else can I use?

How do you make a mold using sand?

What's the rock salt for?

This process will take a little over a month but will be just in time for me to complete all I need for this setup. Thanks.

 

[Tomchong22]

Well you could use any type of rock that will make your diy rocks porus. I would stick with pea gravel. It's not to big or to small and I think it looks pretty good. The salt will dissolve when you place the rocks in water thus making the rocks porus.(allows water to flow). The rocks I made were so porus I could turn a hose on full blast and the water would just go right through the rock . The more porus the better biological filtration the rocks will have. An yeah my rocks were soaking way Before I had any stuff for my tank. I would go out and buy it piece by piece. It does suck to wait but u will soon Learn that with in time it will all work out.

 

[roydooms]

Well you could use any type of rock that will make your diy rocks porus. I would stick with pea gravel. It's not to big or to small and I think it looks pretty good. The salt will dissolve when you place the rocks in water thus making the rocks porus.(allows water to flow). The rocks I made were so porus I could turn a hose on full blast and the water would just go right through the rock . The more porus the better biological filtration the rocks will have. An yeah my rocks were soaking way Before I had any stuff for my tank. I would go out and buy it piece by piece. It does suck to wait but u will soon Learn that with in time it will all work out.

Where can you buy pea gravel? Home depot? Did you also use crushed corals? Or that's just one option? I would probably start the DIY rocks tomorrow.

 

[roydooms]

I read that some people use egg crates to evenly distribute weight. Do you guys use this? Do I need to have this before placing the LR? Where can I buy this? Thanks.

 

[Hinds04]

I wouldn't bother with making your own rock (I've done it). It can take several months to cure. You can order awesome rock from reefcleaners for 2.25ish/lb and free shipping.

 

[Hinds04]

Also I'm not sure if anyone told you after the first page, but... you cannot cycle base rock alone with an ammonia source. You must introduce the benefitial bacteria as well via a single piece of live rock or the less preferred way "bacteria in a bottle".

 

[roydooms]

Also I'm not sure if anyone told you after the first page, but... you cannot cycle base rock alone with an ammonia source. You must introduce the benefitial bacteria as well via a single piece of live rock or the less preferred way "bacteria in a bottle".

I'm thinking of getting a couple pieces of LR and dose ammonia.

I'm reading your 75g thread right now. Great thread. I'm on the 17th page. What happened to the pics? Didn't see any.

 

[roydooms]

I wouldn't bother with making your own rock (I've done it). It can take several months to cure. You can order awesome rock from reefcleaners for 2.25ish/lb and free shipping.

I'll check the site. Thanks.