Saltwater on the Brain........

[williamsaj1210]

Well I ended up buying a Aquapod 24 for $10 at a yard sale. Figuring it wasnt much of a risk I got it and it is now sitting in my living room floor. It holds water with no leaks and the filter works as well as one fan. The blue and purple lights need replacing and I'm thinking of replacing the white one too. Now I need to replace the splash cover and install a second fan but that's all I need to get it in stock shape.
Now I'm new to saltwater as it gets but I did a lot of reading. I do want corals and fish but being the best lights without over heating this small tank. Any suggestions on lights? I'm debating LED moonlights too.
Also other then a heater, what other stuff should I mod this tank with? Do I really need a sump with such a small tank? Protien skimmers worth it?
I'm not looking into rushing this tank. I want to savor the building but I want to get it as close to perfect as I can. should I put a media filter basket in it like I've seen some on this site? What should I put in it?
I plan on putting in live rock and some sand very soon. I have a buddy who has a healthy saltwonder reef tank who will give me a bit of his sand to seed the tank. Anything I'm forgetting that I should consider? Definately tell me. I plan to post many pics of it as soon as I get the ball rolling. Thanks for helping me and read my questions that broader line rambling.

[Rnl]

Good luck with your adventure into saltwater. Well you have so many questions . Am going to share a little bit with you that i have learned cause am still new to salt water as well. Well for lighting on such a small tank i would go with one tao tronics led light figure they work well and are pretty cheap. I feel the protein skimmer is mandatory. But just my opinion. And i don't have a sump so i cant speak of it from experience . But from what i have read it does help in many different ways from doing your water changes. To adding stability to your water parameters by adding more water volume. And i guess depending on what you put in it. Sorry i can't be of more help to you.

[ChizerBunoi]

Originally Posted by williamsaj1210

The blue and purple lights need replacing and I'm thinking of replacing the white one too. Now I need to replace the splash cover and install a second fan but that's all I need to get it in stock shape.

That would be an actinic and 10K bulb. If you are searching for a new light fixture, have you considered going open top, meaning get rid of the canopy completely? Or you could retrofit your current canopy top with LED's.

Originally Posted by williamsaj1210

Now I'm new to saltwater as it gets but I did a lot of reading. I do want corals and fish but being the best lights without over heating this small tank. Any suggestions on lights? I'm debating LED moonlights too.

I would suggest that you look into LED's as they won't add heat to your tank. But do your research for the type of corals you wish you had a year from now. There is a wide variety of LEDs for all ranges. Running T5HO/PC lights will require bulb changes every 6 months. Going with a metal halide HQI will definitely heat up the tank.
[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by williamsaj1210

Also other then a heater, what other stuff should I mod this tank with? Do I really need a sump with such a small tank? Protien skimmers worth it?
I'm not looking into rushing this tank. I want to savor the building but I want to get it as close to perfect as I can. should I put a media filter basket in it like I've seen some on this site? What should I put in it?

I plan on putting in live rock and some sand very soon. I have a buddy who has a healthy saltwonder reef tank who will give me a bit of his sand to seed the tank. Anything I'm forgetting that I should consider? Definately tell me. I plan to post many pics of it as soon as I get the ball rolling. Thanks for helping me and read my questions that broader line rambling.

The benefit of a sump is for more water volume. Do you need it? No, but it will definitely help your water parameters out. You don't need a protein skimmer if you are doing regular weekly/bi-weekly water changes. But they are nice to have and I would never run a tank without one. The media basket is nice to have depending on what type of nutrient export your looking at.

Buy some high quality live rock. If you buy dry rock, cycle it properly over the next two months without live stock. If you don't do this, your most likely going to get hair algae.

Read through some journals and see other people's experiences. Nothing comes fast in this hobby. Be patient and do your research before you purchase anything for your tank. You might end up with something that you will regret. And don't forget, stock the tank slowly.

Welcome to AA and good luck!

[solo]

Great price you for tank, yes a skimmer is a +1 helps with cleaning tank. As for sump you can do a refugium or a Berlin sump, buy this book the reef aquarium volume 3 by sprung, also reading and research the Internet will help you out, cause knowledge = patience = experience this hobby is great and relaxing. What you need is time and patience, plan slow lol that what I bin doing by next year I'll have my tank setup. One more thing get a ro/di system makes purified water, regular tap water has treatment from your city and causes alage problems good luck

[Dreamsound1]

Well I have a 20 gallon saltwater tank and I'm using a oceanic nano skimmer on it and the tank is doing great

[williamsaj1210]

Thanks! I did get the skimmer and heater and am now looking onto a media basket to add some floss filter pads and bioballs. Now... another question. What's the best sand thickness for a reef tank? I know super fine sand can clog filters and get kicked up a lot but too thick is difficult for sand shifters to move in. So what's too thick and what's too fine? Ive already debated on a 2 inch deep sand bed using Aragonite by CaribSea. Anyone have good or bad things to say about this brand? Should I go with a thicker grit?

On that note.. Fiji lock rock versus Florida live rock. Which is better for your buck?