Hello everyone!
Well I'm making the jump from FW to SW. A friend of mine had a bunch of equipment sitting in his house that he wanted to get rid of so I went over today and picked it all up and came home and went through what was there.
Since this is my first tank I want to keep it pretty simplistic. I do want to run a sump setup. He gave me a 20g breeder but it doesn't look like it's going to fit under the tank. I do have some acrylic experience so I'm throwing around the idea of making my own sump. How man gallons of water would you recommend the sump to hold for a 55g?
Here's a list of the equipment I received as well. I wasn't planning on using any of the hang on the back filters but I figured I'd post what I have incase you guys would have any ideas on using them in some way.
(2) marineland HOT canister filters (1 with bio wheel)
(2) Askoll 201 Powerhead (which seems to now be called Aquaclear?)
(1) Askoll AC5000 powerhead (this thing is massive but I couldn't find any info on it
(1) Rio 2500 return pump (I found that it's rated for 375gph with 6' height, not sure how well that will work with my setup?)
Any of these usable? I didn't see much use of powerheads in FOWLR tank setups. Are they mainly used in reef setups?
I'm planning on using aragonite and trying to find dry rock (not sure what it's called when it's not "live") to save some on cost. I'm not in a huge rush to get it going. My LFS was recommending to set the tank up for a 1 day or 2 to get the salinity correct and the temp right then to put (2) damsels in the tank to start the cycling. They have a LOT of saltwater experience but it seems against the norm on the forum so I'm curious your thoughts on that.
I read a lot about putting shrimp in the tank to start the cycle. How does that work? What shrimp are recommended?
Well I guess that's it for now. My question is going to be lighting as I don't think there was anything included. I'm hoping I can make my own. I do a lot of plastic work where I work so I'm thinking I can get some light fixtures and make a plastic case for them.
Thanks in advance for the help!
Nick
Well I'm making the jump from FW to SW. A friend of mine had a bunch of equipment sitting in his house that he wanted to get rid of so I went over today and picked it all up and came home and went through what was there.
Since this is my first tank I want to keep it pretty simplistic. I do want to run a sump setup. He gave me a 20g breeder but it doesn't look like it's going to fit under the tank. I do have some acrylic experience so I'm throwing around the idea of making my own sump. How man gallons of water would you recommend the sump to hold for a 55g?
Here's a list of the equipment I received as well. I wasn't planning on using any of the hang on the back filters but I figured I'd post what I have incase you guys would have any ideas on using them in some way.
(2) marineland HOT canister filters (1 with bio wheel)
(2) Askoll 201 Powerhead (which seems to now be called Aquaclear?)
(1) Askoll AC5000 powerhead (this thing is massive but I couldn't find any info on it
(1) Rio 2500 return pump (I found that it's rated for 375gph with 6' height, not sure how well that will work with my setup?)
Any of these usable? I didn't see much use of powerheads in FOWLR tank setups. Are they mainly used in reef setups?
I'm planning on using aragonite and trying to find dry rock (not sure what it's called when it's not "live") to save some on cost. I'm not in a huge rush to get it going. My LFS was recommending to set the tank up for a 1 day or 2 to get the salinity correct and the temp right then to put (2) damsels in the tank to start the cycling. They have a LOT of saltwater experience but it seems against the norm on the forum so I'm curious your thoughts on that.
I read a lot about putting shrimp in the tank to start the cycle. How does that work? What shrimp are recommended?
Well I guess that's it for now. My question is going to be lighting as I don't think there was anything included. I'm hoping I can make my own. I do a lot of plastic work where I work so I'm thinking I can get some light fixtures and make a plastic case for them.
Thanks in advance for the help!
Nick