First time Salt 35 gal

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Jack.Cullen

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
50
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Hi guys first post, new to the forum

I have three tanks in my room but one is empty, a 35 gal now i want to have my first go at a reef tank i want to slowly build it up and get some suitable inhabitants but i don't neccessarily need to think about possible fish yet? The final product of this tank will be mostly corals and a few fish and inverts but i want to know the type of lighting requirements and filtration requirements needed for success in the reef hobby

Now my 2nd tank is a 180 gal tropical tank with discus and other various species so I am very familiar with the bobby just looking to take the next step.

I have a canister filter that does 600 litres an hour but it's very efficent and does a very good job.
1. Do i have to upgrade?
2. Do i need powerheads?

I also have an LED lighting system but i highly doubt it'll be able to support corals

Look forward to a discussion and meeting some hobbyists like myself
 
Hi there and welcome to the salt side. There are some great articles on setting up and maintaining salt water tanks here so check them out - the one thing you will learn quickly is that there is so many different ways to do things. People's opinion will differ and that's ok - I personally wouldn't use a canister filter for a salt tank but I know others here have. Your main filtration will be live rock (you can purchase dry and it will become live overtime) and flow so yes you will need powerheads probably two. Some use mechanical filtration to assist and some use a protein skimmer. On that size tank a skimmer is not necessary but always helpful :) there are many differences between fresh and salt too - for one you should not use tap water for a successful reef and weekly water changes are your Freind. Do plenty of research before purchasing any equipment or livestock and check out how to cycle properly. It's very addictive and very rewarding if you take your time to do things right!
 
Thanks I appreciate your reply,
I was going to get a skimmer to help reduce the amount of water changes I have to do because of the nutrient build up I'll keep looking around and figure out a final cost before I start anything
 
There is no real alternative to weekly water changes! And that's the truth, you can have oversized skimmers (you should look for one rated twice the water volume anyway) and extra filtration but honestly a good oldfashioned 10% weekly water change is going to be the healthiest thing for your reef.
 
There is no real alternative to weekly water changes! And that's the truth, you can have oversized skimmers (you should look for one rated twice the water volume anyway) and extra filtration but honestly a good oldfashioned 10% weekly water change is going to be the healthiest thing for your reef.


No, there isn't - However, a protein skimmer can reduce the amount you need to change, or how often you do them.
 
No, there isn't - However, a protein skimmer can reduce the amount you need to change, or how often you do them.


That's more for large systems IMHO. I agree with bectan a weekly wc is your best friend, especially for a system this side. 5 gallons a week and you really won't even need the skimmer, but I would still highly recommend doing 10-20% week even with a skimmer, it will keep things nice and stable.
 
A lot if AA members are using the Tao led panels off eBay or amazon. They will allow you to keep any photosynthetic creature you'd like
 
Yeah they are, eBay has them if you search for 120w led reef light. They are about $160 (au) where abouts in oz are you? I am in melbourne...
 
That's more for large systems IMHO. I agree with bectan a weekly wc is your best friend, especially for a system this side. 5 gallons a week and you really won't even need the skimmer, but I would still highly recommend doing 10-20% week even with a skimmer, it will keep things nice and stable.


In general, they do reduce the amount on nutrient export in other methods. How much it is depends on any number of things.

The skimmer fact works more in a FOWLR system. Because not only do water changes rid of nutrients, you must replenish trace elements also.
 
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