NEW AQUARIUM! HELP!!!!!!

[lslover0127]

Hi everyone I am new to this forum. I would like to first introuce myself and my situation. My name is Derek and have just purchased my new aquarium; a 220 gallon, 96in*25in*25in aquarium which I am planning to put on a headboard that is roughly 11 feet long. It's beautiful. Any way I need some help setting it up and I would appreciate any advice you all could provide. Now first of all let me tell you want I know I am going to get. I will go purchase a protein skimmer (CPR backpak 2), a live cured Fiji Rock (50 pound), araganite sand, heaters, and finally Halide lights (400 watt). Now to talk about what I have problems with. I was talking to a freind of mine who told me I should invest in a sump but I don't know exactly where I would put one if I have the acquarium on the headboard (obviously it can't go under the bed). So what should I do: should I get a sump and work my heaters and skimmer through that or should I get a wet/dry filter system. Next I want to get a UV sterilization system, what advice do you all have on that? For my salt water tank do you all recommend a RO (reverse osmosis system)? And finanlly, my last dilemma is whether or not to try to make the cycle go faster by using Fritz Turbo Start or whether to let the cycle mature naturally giving it 2 months. Thank you all in advance for any information you might provide and please feel free to give any advice for any equiment I might have left out that would be good to include in my aquarium.
Sincerely, Derek 8)

 

[lslover0127]

 

[lslover0127]

 

[Xenos]

I suggest buying lots and lots of books. You are asking the wrong questions. How you set up your tank will be determined by what you intend to keep in it. Research, research, research. You don't just need the answers; you need to know why you arrived at that answer. You are trying to stand on the shoulders' of giants. This forum can help answer specific questions for you but it cannot answer everything. You should atleast start with a Wet/dry or sometype of filtration. Also I highly recommend books because alot of pet stores make their money taking advantage of novice aquarists.

 

[Doan]

You are gonna hate hearing this, but you do not want your headboard to be a fishtank. Sorry, your bed will constantly be getting wet. Sorry, just with feeding and testing and just all the little stuff that comes with it this is prolly not a good Idea. Also the light being on all the time while you are trying to sleep would be a distraction as well. Perhaps you could keep it across the room so when you lay in bed you can see it. That would also solve your sump problems..

But I would suggest letting it cycle naturally as a genral rule the more you try to rush things the more things go bad.. And as you will see they can go from bad to dead fish real Quick also didn't know there was a marine turbo start..mabye it's just me though..

I would reccomend and RO unit..as for UV depends on what you want in there.

just my 2 cents

Doan

 

[lslover0127]

Yeah i believe there is a marine turbo start, but I could be wrong. It is bacteria that is already cycled. It is suppose to add the necessary bacteria in your tank that is created from months of cycling naturally. It is suppose to cycle your tank in about a week. An example of one of these is the Fritz Turbo Start #900. If you look at any real fish store they should have it. But I could be misstaken about the whole thing. As the headboard thing goes, it would be sitting on top of a huge headboard not in between a huge headboard. I was thinking about getting a custom made canopy that matches the headboard but that is irrevelant I guess. Thanks for all the suggstions and keep tem coming please. I can use all the help I can get. THANKS

 

[steve-s]

Agreed with the others on the headboard idea, I don't think you will like the noise all that much. What you hear during the day with all the surrounding ambient noise will be much different than what you pick up in the dead of night. That I leave to you though.

For equip recommendations, it will primarily depend on the type of tank you want. If you stick to an FO as indicated, the wet/dry will work but you may wish just go with a standard <<sump>> instead. They can be much easier to maintain and less hassle with water quality. Since you have opted for MH lighting I would honestly go the extra and also greatly increase the amount of rock in the tank. You can stick with the original 50 lbs of LR and then augment the rest with about 200 lbs of <<base rock>>. You will have much better biologcal filtration in the long run and much less maintenace.

The skimmer you've chosen is also too small for a 220 gal tank. I would actually suggest an Aqua C EV 240, Euroreef ES8-4 or Aqua Medic Turbofloater 1000.

I would skip the "quick cycle" products. They will rarely if ever do as they claim and are more or less water in a bottle. The only one that I have heard anyone say does anything is the new SW BioSpira but I think the jury's still out on that one too. Very little anecdotal evidence as yet to support it does as claimed. Your better off with the tried a true ways of cycling with either a few raw cocktail shrimp or more LR. Both of these articles should help:

How to cycle your tank with out the use of fish
Curing Live Rock? I didn't even know it was sick!!

You may also wish to check out the other info in the <<articles>> section.

Cheers
Steve