Equip List. Please look over for a newbieEDIT + PH Question

[Guest]

Thank you all for your help on the used tank thread. After hours of consideration I have decided I will buy the equip. new since I already have a nice 29 gal. with a solid stand and canopy. I know I can trust myself. I know it's small but I am on the 6th floor so I will start with a 29. I will convert it from F/W to S/W(never used meds in tank)

I want to make this order from Big Al's in the next week or two. Any advice, how about the skimmer? Enough light for good growth on the rock or eventually coral? Missing anything for startup? It all comes to around $500 give or take a few.

45 lb Fiji LR from liveaquaria.com $80 + shipping
Current USA Orbit 30" 2 x 65 Watt Power Compact Strip Light W/2 Lunar Lights $169
2 Aquaclear Powerhead #301 Our Price: $12.99 ea
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Saltwater Master Test Kit Our Price: $12.99
Via Aqua Titanium Heater 200 Watt Our Price: $19.99
Coralife Super Skimmer-Needle Wheel-65 Gallon Our Price: $74.99
Instant Ocean Hydrometer Our Price: $6.99
Instant Ocean Salt roughly $30 150 gal
Argonite Sand
1 raw shrimp


Need anything else to setup and cycle? Any advice? I may get the light and a skimmer off an AA member instead of those two items new.

 

[Devilishturtles]

$395 for 45ish lbs of LR is pretty expensive. About $9 a pound. You can definitley get it for cheaper.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2392 or
http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com/ShowProductCategory.aspx?CategoryId=5

As for the lights, a good option for soft corals, zoos, lps. No sps or clams under that lighting.


Everything else looks good to me. I used caribsea aragonite sand with no issues or complaints. You may also want to consider a refractometer. They are around $40 but are much more accurate than hydrometers which become uncalibrated very quickly.

 

[Guest]

Hey Devilshirts, Thanks for the reply. That is what it goes for in Boston. I thought about online, but I wont I have more die off than drving home from the LFS. Although, I would like to save some money so I will check it out. What about the other equip. Good to start? What do you suggest for better lighting that wont cost a ton.


EDIT: Oh my lord, that much cheaper. I will take some die off for $80 + shipping oppose to $390!! Thanks. I have been on liveaquaria 100 times but never looked for LR. Thanks

 

[cplawrence]

The comment about lighting is not a knock on what you were getting--just so you were aware of what you would be able to keep under it. I have a similar lighting setup and have been focusing on soft corals and some LPS. So far so good. It does limit you somewhat, but there is still a lot of variety.
One thing to watch out far ordering the salt and sand on-line is that you will get charged extra for the heavy items. With that charge, it can often be more affordable to pick it up locally.
If you are planning on corals, you will also want to pick up a calcium and alkalinity test kit.

EDIT: Take a look at http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18366/si1383025/cl0/

This Coralife fixture is pretty much identical to the one you have listed, but only $140.

 

[FishFrik]

I had the same wattage of light over my 29G. My green BTA thrived under that much light so IMO, you should be fine with most of the corals except for some high light SPS and clams.

You can get a small heater. 150W is all you need for a 29G.

Good choice with the skimmer. I loved my CSS. You might consider getting the one rated for 125G as i've heard that the 65G's pump is actually bigger than the 125G's. I had a 125G on my 29G with no problem.

Everything else looks good. Good luck on your first tank!

 

[Guest]

Great Advice. I will stay with that light as i was only suppose to start with a FOWLR!! We will see. I like the idea of getting the CSS rated for 125g, I will do that. Also I have a 200w on there now for the fresh and it's the stabelest temp I have ever had so maybe I will get 200w. Is there anything I need to watch for when switching F/W to S/W. Never used meds. Just a good cleaning?

 

[Devilishturtles]

The comment about lighting is not a knock on what you were getting--just so you were aware of what you would be able to keep under it. I have a similar lighting setup and have been focusing on soft corals and some LPS. So far so good. It does limit you somewhat, but there is still a lot of variety.

Ditto. I have the same fixture but the Coralife brand(without the moonlights). I keep softies, zoos, and LPS under it with no problems.

A good scrubbing is all you need to do.

 

[Guest]

I was going to order the AC powerheads today and am confused on something. I know I need 2 but do I order two that are for a 30 gallon or is that to much? Should I order 2 that are for a 20 gal.?

 

[ntswift]

You can put clams underneath those lights. You just have to be careful of which clams. Some take more light than others. You could put some SPS's under those lights as well. There just isnt that many that you can choose from. As for your powerheads there is a formula for how much flow you should have in your tank. I dont remember it off the top of my head but maybe some one on here knows what I'm talking about.

 

[john0087]

Should I order 2 that are for a 20 gal.?

Be careful about adding too many powerheads. I have a very similar set up on my 37g. 2x65w PC lighting, skimmer, et all and I just replaced my powerheards with 2 zoomed powersweep powerheads. One day I came home and the checked the temp in the middle of the day.....89F....holy moley......it took me a couple of days and probing with a probe thermometer to realize that the 2 powerheads were creating a lot of heat. it was 92F near the powerheads.

In a 29 FOWLR, you could probably get away with 10x flow, or 290gph. I am assuming that the skimmer will be a HOB. So factor in the flow of the skimmer, and you may be able to get away with one good powerhead, just place it on the opposite side of the skimmer.

HTH

John

 

[Guest]

John now I am getting more confused. Everybody has told me to have at least 2 PH. I am planning to upgrade to Reef after I get experience. You really think 2 AC for 30 gal. will be to much for the 29?

 

[john0087]

Sorry to confuse.

The rule of thumb is 10-15x flow for reefs. So for a 29g, you can have up to 450gph (15x29). Your skimmer will have some flow, maybe 200gph, not sure.

Just saying that the less pumps in the system, the easier to control the temp. If your skimmer is one one side of the tank, you can place the PH one the other side flowinf across the length of the tank. It really all depends on how you rockwork is placed.

John

 

[Guest]

So I should buy 1 instead of 2?

 

[Devilishturtles]

IMHO, I'd get two. Skimmers are rated for certain tank sizes, but IME don't really count towards the total GPH of the tank. I have two AC 30's in my 29 gallon and a skimmer rated for a 100 gallon tank, with no problems

 

[Guest]

Awesome Devilshirts, Awesome. That is all I wanted to hear was somebody with a 29 and it works. I can't wait til I am ready to go. I am going to post a step by step so I can get opinions and help other newbies.

Thanks Again

 

[Devilishturtles]

Welcome. FWIW, I have one powerhead on the right back of the glass facing along the back and one in the front left of the left side facing along the front. This creates sorta a circling motion in the tank. Alot of people push theirs in the middle to create a crashing effect. This hasn't been the best option for me and created alot of deadspots in my tank. You can experiment with what works best for you. Like john said, it depends alot on your rockwork.

 

[FishFrik]

I had a 29G for 5 months which i broke down a week ago. I had 2 PHs with a total of 320GPH flow and it wasn't even enough to prevent my tank from having a cyano outbreak :/ I suggest you get 2 maxijet powerheads then modify them with the maxi mod. Put them on an on/off timer to create random flows. That way you will have 4 currents for the price/heat of 2 PH's

Here's how the mod works: http://www.geocities.com/nivenboug/Cutmaxijets.html

HTH

 

[ntswift]

I have two maxijet 900's in my 29gal tank and my tank sits at about 82 degrees. I didnt want to go with the 1200's because I thought it maybe to much flow. I have mine pointing at eachother creating the crashing effect that Devilishturtles was talking about. So far so good. I am moving tanks now but it seemed to work well for me. I dont know the exact flow on them is though? HTH

 

[FishFrik]

FYI, The maxijet 900 creates 230GPH flow

 

[john0087]

Put them on an on/off timer to create random flows. That way you will have 4 currents for the price/heat of 2 PH's

Thats a great point about the random flow.

As far as two powerheads vs one...IMO flow is flow and the skimmer does create a current in the tank, so it could count as part of the gph, just like you would count the flow from a sump as part of your flow equation.

I was just worried that in such a small tank, 3 pumps (skimmer plus 2 PH) IMO seems like a lot. Maybe those zoomed PH just create a lot of extra heat.

John