Q's switching 92 gal from fw to sw

[nwsharksfan]

I am toying with the idea of converting my 92 gallon fw to a sw tank (pending rehoming current inhabitants). Had a couple questions. #1 - lighting. I have a LED strip light on the tank now that lights the tank up well - but I'm sure not well enough for a reef tank. I can add on the fixture I used to have on my 30 gal sw tank which has two 22" compact florescent bulbs. I'm not looking to focus on coral - maybe some mushroom coral. Will this be enough lighting for coralline algae growth?

Also, I have a black sand bed in my fw tank ... but not sure if that would look corny in a reef tank.

 

[Adamski]

I had black sand in one of my tanks and I hated it. I've seen some that looked okay but it's not for me. Are the lights you mention T5 lights? If you only want mushroom corals I'll bet they it was escalate and you'll want more!


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[nwsharksfan]

Another silly question ... I can buy 80 lbs of Carib Sea Live Fiji Pink sand for less than 80 lbs of Carib Sea dry sand ... because the one side (that doesn't sell the dry) offers free shipping. Is 100 lbs of live sand enough for a 92 gallon tank taking into consideration that an unknown percentage of that weight is water?

 

[Sniperhank]

Yeah. 1 lbs per gallon rule for rock and sand.

 

[nwsharksfan]

Last question for the day - if I used 80 lbs of base rock, would 10-15 lbs of live rock be enough to "seed" the base rock? Trying to save a little dough.

Thanks

 

[Sniperhank]

Just don't worry about it. Get all base and use that cash you're saving on something else really nice for the tank.

 

[Adamski]

I agree. I've seen people spend hundreds on live rock and then spend the next 6 months removing things from their tanks they don't want in there


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[nwsharksfan]

Pardon my ignorance - it's been about 12 years since I started my first and only saltwater tank ..... but one of the most interesting aspects of having a reef tank (to me anyway) was watching the feather duster worms and other critters hatch out of the live rock. Isn't that aspect totally lost if you don't put some live rock in your tank? ... and I assume coralline algae doesn't emerge out of a vacuum right? Maybe I was just lucky the first time, but aside from a bristle worm or two I didn't encounter any hitchhikers that caused any long term issues.

 

[nwsharksfan]

... after reviewing photos of sniperhank's tank it appears you're doing something right, so maybe I should just shut up and listen.

 

[Sniperhank]

Algae like that won't appear out of thin air, you are correct. Bacteria on the also doesn't...but you'd think it does. Just provide the ammonia source and you'll be good to go.

 

[Adamski]

It's personal preference really. I want to know exactly what is in my tank


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[nwsharksfan]

Another question. It seems sump filtration is all the rage. Currently I have an Fluval 406 canister (rated for 100 g) filter and a Filstar XP3 canister (rated for 170). Is this adequate filtration - and what makes sump filtration superior? Is the difference between the two significant enough to make it worth while to set aside $300 worth of canister filters?

 

[Sniperhank]

Canisters are frowned upon as most simply don't keep up with the maintenance to prevent them from becoming nitrate traps. The price tag that goes along with them compared to the 50 bucks it cost to build a sump out of a 20 long, including price of the tank, is a great choice. Increases the water column as well as give you a place to put all of your equipment. Canister can't really offer that.


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[Adamski]

I had a tank with a canister and one with a sump. I much prefer my sump. There's nothing hanging on or in my display tank now apart from powerheads


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