Eclipse tank cross over

[BirdMan]

Hey there guys, newbie here in need of some advice with my current set up. I have a 25 Eclipse System 3 three Aquarium that I'm currently wanting to convert over to saltwater. The tank used to be a planted south american freshwater community tank but I'm getting ready to move and since they tank has to be drained and essentially started over, I figured it would present the perfect oppurtunity to go ahead and make the change. I've managed many tanks before in varying sizes with everything in the freshwater realm from african cichlids to german rams. Saltwater presents a new challenge for me and since I'm an avid scuba diver and an environmental studies major, its definitely something I'd liek to try. I'm starting all over from scratch here and I would sincerely appreciate the advice on what I'll need to purchase (especially with lighting!) and what species to go with in the tank. Here's what I'm working with:

*25 gallon Aquarium with Eclipse System 3 hood and filtration system
*Interpet Triton and ZooMed FloraSun Bulbs (I'll probably need to change these)
*AA Aquatics in-tank UV Sterilizer
*Hydor Automatic Heater
*LED Moonlighting System (purely ornamental of course)

 

[dskidmore]

Well, what exactly do you want to do with the tank? Fish only? Fish only with live rock? Reef?

If you want to go reef, you should really consider a major lighting upgrade (they sell retorfit kits made just for Eclipse systems) some extra powerheads, and a skimmer.

 

[roka64]

Welcome to the SW side. Ds is right, it will all depend on what you want to do with the tank.
One suggestion, if you used copper in that FW tank, you will be limiting your inverts......

 

[BirdMan]

Thanks for the replies! Honestly, I'd really like to go with a reef setup as opposed to just fish or live rock. That being said, I'll definitely need some major improvements on lighting and filtration. Due to my limitations on size, I'm probably going to go with a nano tank setup, most likely the Aquapod with the Metal Hallide upgrade. Lets refigure everything based on that:

24 Gallon Aquapod Nano Tank
1x70w 14,000K PowerPaq HQI Metal Hallide
290 GPH Pump withg Mechanical Sponge Filter
AA Aquarium In-Tank Sterilizer w/ built in Power Head
Hydor Heater

Here's what I could sincerely use some advice on:

Filtration Media? (i.e. carbon, phosphate removers, etc)
Protein Skimmer? What would you reccomend
Species to keep in the tank? Again, reccomendations based on the size of the tank.

 

[dskidmore]

Media: live rock rubble, carbon only when needed
Protein Skimmer: I've heard good things about AquaC Remora and CPR Bak Pak for HOB skimmers. If you're going to do a sump, you have a wider selection available.
Species: Gobies are a good class to look into for small tanks, or you could go with the ever-popular clownfish pair. Aside from that, some shrimp would make interesting additions, and of course, your corals.

I don't know if I'd bother with the sterilizer. I've heard mixed things about their usefulness.

 

[roka64]

Here are some fish that are good for nanos:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=2124
I don't use the UV sterilizer either. Some like them, but I'm not sure if it's worth the money. I have heard folks suggest a skimmer for reef tanks, again I don't use one, but I have a FOWLR.

 

[BirdMan]

Thanks for the replies, thats a huge help. Roka, I had no idea that Dr. Fosters and Smith LiveAquaria even had a Nano Tank session. There's some interesting choices their that I'd definitely consider.

As far as the UV Sterilizer goes, I already have it so I might as well go ahead and use it. It seemed to make a difference in my freshwater tank, especially in the case of parasites and disease. Hard to say exactly but I have no complaints,

Alright, so elaborate on the idea of the sump for me. I'm not 100% sure on how to make that work on my individual setup but I believe I've got the concept down. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a sump is essentially a reservoir that water from the tank is pumped into then returned back to the tank. The reservoir could contain everything from live sand, bio balls, rock, etc?

 

[dskidmore]

Essentially yes, although the water going from the display to the sump is gravity driven, not pumped.

If you put live sand, etc in there, it may be best to put in a divider to keep it seperate from the pump chamber, and keep your pump clean. The major advanage to a sump is that you can place all your heating and filtration equiptment out of sight under the stand, and have easy acess to it. It adds to your total system volume, which increases the stability of the system. It isolates evaporation loss to the pump chamber, so that you don't get visible evaporation marks on your display tank.

Way more detail: http://dslinux.dyndns.org/~denise/aquarium/DIYPlumbing/futureindex.html