Hi All, Setting up 100 G SaltWater Tank!

[e_murray]

Been doing fresh water since I was a kid. I decided to get into something more challenging! SW! YeaY! Been doing A LOT of reading on this.. and
I have tons of Questions!

I bought this complete tank off craigslist for $300 bucks! Holy cow I couldn't believe it was so cheap!

Parts list: Ice Caps reef lighting (no MH) just the florescent bulbs, ProClear 200 wet/dry pro sump w/magdrive 9.5 return pump. Has builtin protein skimmer that didnt have a motor so I have no Idea what size to put on there. If anyone knows that info would be appreciated. It measures 4x18tall thats including the collector cup on top. Over flow box, Heater, etc. Sand, Rock (dead, but will come back to life, so I read)

Gonna go shopping for the rest..

Any Idea on the PSK ?

[e_murray]

Sorry, Should have put this in another section of the forum.. Wasn't paying attention

[eatsomepopcorn]

Looks like a sweet deal. Do you need any specific advice other than where to get parts and size of pump?

[e_murray]

Oh I am sure I will need lots of advice once I get going...

For now I have to make a road trip to the saltwater store closest one is 1.5 hours away... I just want to look at all the stuff in person.

Yeah, I need to know what size pump to get for my protein skimmer.. after looking at them online I am wondering if I shouldn't just buy a new one and be done with it!

[Just.A.Bit.Salty]

Looks like you got lucky with the tank fitting snug in between the fireplace and the wall lol

[e_murray]

HAHA yes! I had to saw off the baseboard to get it to slide in there!

[Nicksdc]

Is the skimmer built into the sump? You should probably find out the brand so you can go by the manufacture recommendations. Otherwise I'd throw in a 300-500 gph pump and go from there.

[the_fish_man]

This is just me but i would replace the sump with a refugium.

[e_murray]

Yeah the manuf was no help. I emailed them and they said they would find out and now they wont answer my emails.. boo poor customer service

I would love to do a fuge, but I have not read up on that yet. I have seen lots of very cool pics. That will take the place of my bio balls? Do I just use live rock? Im guessing I will need lighting for that in my cabinet?

What size and how many power heads should I get? I am prob going shopping Monday.

[Nicksdc]

Fuges are great. The eat up all the nutrients produced by food and fish. You could probably use your sump as a fuge. All you really need is a spot for the macro algea (chaeto) to grow in your sump, so it doesn't go back into the tank. Throw the chaeto in your sump, get yourself a ecosmart bulb from home depot and a light fixture to plug it in, and walla. When using lighting for a fuge, make sure you stay in the 6500k range, plants grow best with that. You can use live rock, people suggest around 1.5 pounds per gallon. It all really just depends how porous the rock is. If it's very porous, I'd say 1lb per gallon. If it's not, 1.5lbs per gallon. It all comes down to preference I guess.

edit: what kind of live stock do you plan on?

[mandy2936]

Following

[e_murray]

Hmm... Sounds cool... So... I read the QT tank is a must and I totally agree, however with this being a brand new tank, do I still need to do this since there is no other fish at this time? I plan to cycle it with a couple of shrimp from the grocery store.

anybody ever used the "Dr. Tims One and Only" supposed to cycle in 24 hrs?
Its in the Dr. Foster and Smith magazine..

[Nicksdc]

You probably don't need a qt right now, but later down the road it would be good. Another way to speed cycle a tank is with live rock and live sand, and some fish stores sell salt water from established tanks.

[e_murray]

Not sure yet.. I def want a Yellow Tang and a Blue Tang, heck I like all the tangs! and a peppermint shrimp.

Any suggestions?

[e_murray]

One of my friends told me that There was some bacteria you can buy that will bring your rock and sand to life? Is this true? Might be cheaper then buying it, as I already have it, its just not live anymore.