Setting up a new tank

[Spchampion2000]

Hello All,

I am somewhat a novice to saltwater tanks but have been involved with the cichlid front for quite a few years now and decided to make a saltwater tank. I managed to get hold of a 100 gallon tank with stand (needs work/finishing) for only 25 bucks. And i have been making a list as far as what i needed and i was wondering if there was anything i might be needing.

-1 protein skimmer deluxe for 150 gallon tank
-2 canister filters capable of up to 200 gallon tanks up to 800 gallons per hour.
-1 wave maker w/ 3 powerheads

This is just equipment.....i do intend for live rock and live sand of course but just trying to get a feel for what i will need equipment wise. Its a little tough to get a straight answer online.

 

[Guest]

Ok well first you need to decide what you actually want to keep as far as species, corals.

Generally the canister filter will cause isssues with Nitrates in a reef so I would have 1 on hand for the emergency running of carbon.

For a Reef you absolutely need IMO:

1.5-2 lbs of LR per gallon----can buy dry and seed with live to save. This is what I would do. Buying all LR is a waste and a hastle for hitchikers IMO.
Lighting-----depends on what corals?
Good Skimmer----ask first, some are good, some are not
Good Flow----For a 125 maybe 2 MJ MODS, Seio 1500's, Closed loop etc
Sand or BB
Heaters
Sump/Refigium? Highly beneficial, I rec. having tank drilled by a pro for such

There is more but these are basics.

 

[Spchampion2000]

Well i was looking at doing reef over time......

So canisters would not be good for this or could i just put no carbon in the canister?

So there is really not much filtration involved in a salt water?

 

[Guest]

canister

Canisters can lead to the buildup of nitrates. There is filtration and that is what live rock provides as well as sandbeds. Protein skimmers remove organic waste, and things such as a refigium help remove nutrients.

If you were going to go just fish no corals, the canisters would be ok but I still would not use them.

However, it is always a good idea to have carbon ready to go for many reasons in saltwater. Contamination, biological warfare between corals(especially in a mixed reef) rare mass spawnings of worms, algae....

 

[Spchampion2000]

What would you recommend as far as equipment just to start out?

 

[Guest]

equip.

Everything I mentioned 2 posts ago.

As well as things like a refractometer, test kits etc.

 

[roka64]

WELCOME TO AA!!!

Please do not cycle your tank with live animals.

Mike has given some great advice. I have a canister filter on my 55G, I only have some ceramic media in it. I haven't run carbon for months and it tends to have gunk build up in it if not properly cleaned. You can save you money for better lighting or something else. Go with the 1.5-2 Lbs of rock per gallon. I just bought 150Lbs of base rock from marcorocks.com. I will buy about 50-100Lbs of live rock, from my LFS, as I find pieces I like.
I would look into a refractometer, as Mike suggested, they tend to be more accurate.
Also, if you click on mike's "My saltwater tank thread", you will fins a lot of good stuff.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Rok!

I highly recommend Marcos rocks. Great stuff, and Marc is a great guy. He is in my reef club.

 

[melosu58]

Moving this to appropiate forum. Good Luck

 

[melosu58]

I would skip the canister. As stated earlier 1.5-2 lbs per gallon of LR and a good skimmer is all you need. If you can get a refugium that would be a bonus. Check out the articles for info on refuges

 

[stevefromga2000]

i too like marc from marcorocks.com. he has helped me out already. i say dump the canister filters and spend the money on some base rock. it sounds like you already have the plan for the live rock, now just spend the extra on base rock which will turn into live rock and then you won't need the filters.

 

[chase33]

Approximately how long will it take for the base rock to turn into live rock when 50 lbs is live and 150 is base?

 

[melosu58]

I`m thinking 4-6 weeks. Maybe a little quicker if that 50 lbs of LR was already cured.

 

[chase33]

I didn't realize it would be so quick. The difference in price means I will buy mostly Base Rock and defintely not the other way around. Thanks.

 

[melosu58]

Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Ziggy953]

I'm always picking up a bit of base rock. Whenever my LFS has some good looking dry pieces I grab them. I must have 150lbs of rock in a tub. Always planning for that next tank...bigger and better!!! I agree with what everyone has said, try and stay away from the canisters if you can. I just use a 20g and a 10g with a 75g wet/dry (no bioballs or sponge) with my skimmer for filtration. The 20g is my fuge with the others just for water volume. If you have a 100g tank and stand you should have room in the cabinet for a sump and fuge. Good luck!!!