Saltwater & Reef

Kiseki · 01-27-2005, 07:47 PM

Konichiwa!
I want to set-up a 24 gallon reef tank.I have most things planned out but I son'y have some.I don't know what type of filtration to use for the tank. I hear alot on marineland bio-wheels and they are good. But then I have also read that they are nitrate traps. I also don't know how much LR ans LS.I don't want too much or too little. I inted to use VHO lighting since I plan to have anemones and corals. I have my fish and coral species ready. Also I don't know what I should use to heat the tank. If there is anything missing please tell me what I need.Arigato Everyone!!

electrikat · 01-27-2005, 08:23 PM

If you have a really good skimmer and about 1 1/2 pounds of live rock per gallon, you will have all the filtration you need. Probably a 100w or 150w heater will do fine also. Don't forget about the clean up crew (snails and hermit crabs and stars and etc) Definitely do not get the bio wheel if you do go with an external filter.

Kiseki · 01-27-2005, 10:08 PM

Konichiwa!
Yeah I have all the invertebrate species(this has been planned for awhile now). I did some research and I want to either aquaclear,cascade or Mellenium models.HOB fiters. And I will use the 1 1/2 of live rock per gallon. But how many inches do you think I should have. I will have sandsifting stars and I think they need a deep sand-bed...is this true?Also how many pounds of LR is 1 1/2 pounds per gallon.Sorry

.Also I want to use a SeaClone 100 protein skimmer if there is anything wrong with this brand, please notify me.

RMPD109 · 01-28-2005, 11:05 AM

If you have the 1.5lbs per gallon you wont need any HOB. You should have a dsb of 4-6 inches if you want it to help in the denitrification process. You should use 36 to 48 lbs of rock in the 24 gal tank.

I use the seaclone and dont have any problems. Many here dont like it though.

Kiseki · 01-28-2005, 06:09 PM

Please accept my apologies RMPD109 and electricat, I don't really inted to rely on biological filtration alone

. I know it is needed for a good marine tank but, I want to use mechanical filtration too. So if you guys don't hate me you could please give me the "regular" LR/LS amount.S

RMPD109 · 01-28-2005, 08:48 PM

I used 1lb per gallon and am using a skimmer and HOT magnum canister filter on my 29 gallon tank. I also have a 4 inch sandbed. Any mechanical filter will need to be checked regularly as detritus will build up and lead to nitrate problems.

Kiseki · 01-31-2005, 06:08 PM

Well I checked the caculators today and my answer was 62 lbs. of live sand to get a 3 inch sand bed. Is this correct or did I imput the information wrong. I intend to have 48 lbs. of live rock. Also I want to have an refugium which is about 2 gallons of water, how much live rock/live sand should I have in there?

Kiseki · 02-04-2005, 01:06 AM

Hi,
What are the basic addictives you need for fish/inverts/algae and coral. Out there there are all these weird supplement I don't understand. I will have a protein skimmer, brand: SeaClone. I heard skimmers take away good and bad stuff in the water. So what supplements do I need for a healthy beautiful reef tank?

Salttanker · 02-05-2005, 03:04 AM

Quote:

I use the seaclone and dont have any problems. Many here dont like it though

Believe it or not, I am still using the Seaclone in my sump and it works better than HOB option. It was nice that it came with a conversion piece. I'm holding out on the new skimmer until I get my new tank.

Kiseki - Filtration is a preference. If you want to use mechanical filtration that is fine. Just remember that you will need to clean it often as it can build up Nitrates and clog from waste.
As far as corals, lr filtration would be better as the water quality needs to be higher than a FO system.
You will definitely want a skimmer.
A 3 -4" sandbed would be fine.
No real supplementation is needed, except for maybe calcium on a monitored basis. Good luck.

Mike

Kiseki · 02-05-2005, 01:06 PM

On the internet I found these:
Kent Marine Brand:
Calcium
Iodine
Coral Accel
Micro Vert
Reef Vital
Coral Vite
ChromaMax
Iron
Strontium and Molybdenum
Lugolâ€™s Solution
Other Brands:
Selcon
Garlic Extreme
Bio-Safe
Instant Ocean: Reef Crystals
Bio-Plankton
Marine Essential Elements
The descriptions on the internet said they are vital for reef tank. But I don't really know if all of them are so please tell me.

Kiseki · 02-05-2005, 02:34 PM

I have finally decided to not use a HOB filter. But I don't know if the SeaClone 100 can sucessfully clean the tank. If it can't, van anyone tell me any good brands of protein skimmers.

02-06-2005, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiseki

On the internet I found these:
Kent Marine Brand:
Calcium Only needed with scleractinians or coralline growth - otherwise water changes
Iodine Not needed - water changes
Coral Accel not needed unless keeping suspention/filter feeders
Micro Vert not needed unless keeping suspention/filter feeders
Reef Vital snake oil
Coral Vite Not needed - handled by water changes
ChromaMax Not needed - handled by water changes
Iron Not needed unless heavy macro algae growth is desired
Strontium and Molybdenum Not needed - handled by water changes
Lugolâ€™s Solution Not needed - handled by water changes
Other Brands:
Selcon Great additive to foods. Use at least weekly
Garlic Extreme Good antioxidant. Use weekly added to foods.
Bio-Safe only needed with using tap water. Non aloe products are prefered
Instant Ocean: Reef Crystals No comment
Bio-Plankton If from Liquid Life, it is an excellent product. Use weekly.
Marine Essential Elements Not needed - handled by water changes
The descriptions on the internet said they are vital for reef tank. But I don't really know if all of them are so please tell me.

Cheers
Steve

Kiseki · 02-06-2005, 03:59 PM

I don't know if any of these are filter feeders but I should have provided the list first. Well these are the corals I intend to keep:
Star Burst Polyp
Green Striped Mushroom
Carnation Tree Coral
~Anemone~
1 Rose Bulb Anemone
1 Sebae Anemone
a friend told me they can live happily on VHO lighting.I had alot of other corals I liked but they are not good with VHO and need MH.

02-07-2005, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiseki

I don't know if any of these are filter feeders but I should have provided the list first. Well these are the corals I intend to keep:
Star Burst Polyp
Green Striped Mushroom
Carnation Tree Coral
~Anemone~
1 Rose Bulb Anemone
1 Sebae Anemone

The only one in that list that might benefit directly would be the Carnation and that would depend on if it's a Dendronephthya sp. or Nephthea sp. The Dendronephthya is not photosynthetic and requires heavy feedings. They often do very poorly in captive care and the aquarium water quality usualy suffers due to their food needs.

Quote:

a friend told me they can live happily on VHO lighting.I had alot of other corals I liked but they are not good with VHO and need MH.

Your friend was correct. There are many types of soft, LPS and a few species of SPS that will do quite well under VHO lighting.

Cheers
Steve

Kiseki · 02-07-2005, 11:33 PM

Here is my updated list
~:CORAL:~
Star Burst Polyp
Green Striped Mushroom
Colony Polyp
Waving Hand Polyp
Ricordea Mushroom
Bullseye Mushroom
Green Star Polyp
Anemones are the same.I removed some because of their difficulty.

Kiseki · 02-08-2005, 12:15 AM

Also do you know any good brands of protein skimmer?

02-08-2005, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiseki

Here is my updated list
~:CORAL:~
Star Burst Polyp
Green Striped Mushroom
Colony Polyp
Waving Hand Polyp
Ricordea Mushroom
Bullseye Mushroom
Green Star Polyp
Anemones are the same.I removed some because of their difficulty.

Regular water changes are all you will need for these guys as far as elements are concerned. The food additives for the most part are a waste and will pollute the system moreso than benefiting the animals within it. I would still suggest small additions of phytoplankton once or twice a week. It helps bolster the bug population which in turn can feed the corals. Personally I prefer Liquid Lifes Bioplankton but there is also DT's, I wouldn't bother with the shelf stable stuff though.

Quote:

Also do you know any good brands of protein skimmer?

On a 24 gal tank I would opt for either a CPR BakPak II ( I have one on my 27 gal) or an Aqua C Remora, Remore Pro if you intend to upgrade in tank size some time in the future.

Cheers
Steve