I have turned to the salty side

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jwh0818

jwh0818

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Sep 26, 2011
Messages
5,563
Location
Harlingen, TX
Well, after reading, reading, reading, reading, counting money, reading, learning, asking too many questions, and reading some more, I decided to join the salty side.

Tank of choice: 20g L (love the footprint)

Ill be going with live rock and I definitely plan on doing corals (coral illiterate still) and I need lighting help for sure. Ill be doing L.E.D. lighting but, whats a decently cheap light for this?

Filtration will be an AC50 and live rock of course. What media in the AC50?

Circulation: ill be using x2 koralia nano 425s

Heating? Do I need heat?


So I say, come all and tell me your secrets! I havent thought of stock yet but that time will come for sure!
 
Looks like your going in the right direction. Take a look at Acan Lighting something for every budget.
 
For the AC50... I suggest Purigen, carbon or Chemipure (if doing corals) and poly-fill.

I suggest the poly-fill because it is ultra cheap and you can just toss and replace it every couple/few days. You don't want to use a reusable mechanical filter media as, no matter how often you clean it, it will still have crap trapped in it and will contribute greatly to nutrient issues.

Heating?... Depends on where you live and how wildly the temperature fluctuates. Here in Florida I know plenty of people with successful reef tanks that don't use a heater. I also know plenty of people that do. Since this is your first salt tank I suggest going with a heater just to keep fluctuations in check.
 
Following in case I ever get drawn into the salty side. Great info so far.

Any suggestions regarding RODI?
 
Fresh2o said:
...
Any suggestions regarding RODI?
Click to expand...
They are all basically the same. If you get one just do your research and find one with the features you want at the best price.
I suggest two TDS meters on it though, one for incoming water and one for outgoing. This will help you know how well the filters are performing and when to change them.
If you plan on using it for drinking water you will need a DI bypass as you DO NOT want to drink DI water (RO water is fine to drink).
You should also know the water pressure your house line supplies. Low water pressure results in a possible huge amount of waste water out of the filter unit (possibly as bad as 3-4 gallons of water wasted for every gallon of RO/DI produced, or worse). If your water pressure is too low then you will need a pump to push water through the filter.
 
I have the same light on my 24 nano. 100% adjustable/controllable. It makes my Coral Pop.
 
You can get better for around the same price.
Check their FAQ... They say that the 600 and 800 models use '"3 watt" bulbs' but they only drive them at 1 watt, the 101 model uses '"1 watt" bulbs' but they only drive them at 0.25 watts. They fail to mention what is used on the 300 model. What this means is they are using highly inferior diodes and have a heat dissipation issue.
Look into the eBay knockoff fixtures (someone will post links shortly), you will get much more bang for your buck and they cost the same as the one you linked.
 
blert said:
You can get better for around the same price.
Check their FAQ... They say that the 600 and 800 models use '"3 watt" bulbs' but they only drive them at 1 watt, the 101 model uses '"1 watt" bulbs' but they only drive them at 0.25 watts. They fail to mention what is used on the 300 model. What this means is they are using highly inferior diodes and have a heat dissipation issue.
Look into the eBay knockoff fixtures (someone will post links shortly), you will get much more bang for your buck and they cost the same as the one you linked.
Click to expand...

Sweet thanks bud! Someone send me that ebay link
 
jwh0818 said:
Sweet thanks bud! Someone send me that ebay link
Click to expand...

Search eBay for "LED reef lighting". Look at the 120 watt fixtures. You will be surprised by the price! Sure, they still only run the 3 watt BridgeLux diodes at 2 watts but that is the trade off for using BridgeLux diodes instead of the more efficient, and more expensive, CREE diodes. These fixtures are proven to work.
Very important!... Get a dimmable unit!
Don't be worried about the fixtures that use all the red and green LEDs. They are not needed and they use too many of them in one fixture anyway.
 
That's one of them. Looks like that auction has ended though. The fixtures go by many names and are sold by many different retailers.
 
Everyone I have ever heard of, or seen, that has tried the black sand in a reef tank hated it. Enough so that they remove it and replace it with the regular white stuff very quickly.
I will PM you a link to a website that has a killer deal on sand.
 
How is this.

Skimmer $74.99 - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4392+4400&pcatid=4400

Sand $32.95 - http://www.theculturedreef.com/aragonite.htm

Rock $63.00 - http://www.reefcleaners.org/index.p...category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=58

Salt $52.99 - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4685+4856&pcatid=4856

Koralias $27.99 x2 - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4588+23591&pcatid=23591

Light $117.93 - http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?sbk=1&nav=SEARCH&itemId=300960289478

SW reef M.T.K. $21.99 - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4345+17340+15473&pcatid=15473

SW M.T.K. $18.99 - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4452&rel=1


How is this? This is the major stuff ill be using so, ideas? I already know to get the test kits.
 
Honestly?... The skimmer is a piece of crap. Sorry, but it is true. A complete waste of money. If you are looking to save money here look into BubbleMagus skimmers.

Everything else looks great. :)
 
blert said:
Honestly?... The skimmer is a piece of crap. Sorry, but it is true. A complete waste of money. If you are looking to save money here look into BubbleMagus skimmers.

Everything else looks great. :)
Click to expand...

Got a link bud?
 
jwh0818 said:
Got a link bud?
Click to expand...

http://www.marinedepot.com/Bubble_M...kimmers-Bubble_Magus-4W05002-FIPSHONW-vi.html

Check out these too...
http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/protein-skimmers/hang-on-the-back/octopus-hang-on-skimmers
ReefOctopus makes a good product. Search around for prices, I posted this link because it has a big selection of HOB skimmers.

Here's one that is not a terrible skimmer but they can be a bear to adjust...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00244DHPA
I have one of these (in sump model) on my QT. It works pretty well on a smaller tank.

BTW, I may be banned shortly so, if I don't get to reply to something you ask me I am not ignoring you. :)
 
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