need some opinions on my thoughts.

[fishybuisness]

I'm thinking about going salt in my 60 gallon cichlid tank.

its not drilled but i was thinking, could i do a canister filter, with two HOB serving as refugeums and a skimmer. would i be good to operate like that? oh and probly some new lights..any thoughts? any suggestions? it's not drilled nor do i have space to have a sump btw.

 

[fishybuisness]

Anyone?

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[Macscale]

Well, I personally don't like canister filters. They are great in freshwater, but they build up a TON of nitrates in salt tanks. You can use one, but weekly cleanings are key. You can run a HOB skimmer, but you don't need a refugium. It acts as extra biological filtration.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

It's doable for sure. If it was me and I were setting up a tank like this (all hob) I would say get a good oversized skimmer (reef octopus makes some nice ones) and an aqua clear 110 with a custom media basket from inTank. I would probably also do 20-30% weekly wc's for further nutrient export. Hope this helps

 

[Stinky Pete]

It's doable for sure. If it was me and I were setting up a tank like this (all hob) I would say get a good oversized skimmer (reef octopus makes some nice ones) and an aqua clear 110 with a custom media basket from inTank. I would probably also do 20-30% weekly wc's for further nutrient export. Hope this helps

That's my exact set up for a 55 gallon reef. I didn't want to mess with an overflow box so I went without a sump. I am doing the weekly water changes and everything is going well. To me a water change is easier then cleaning a canister every week. With more benefits to the tank as well.

 

[fishybuisness]

I have the means to buy a new tank with a sump and all..but is it worth it if I already have the 60 gallon tank?

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[fishybuisness]

Doing a 20-30% water change weekly how much salt are you going threw? How much $ are.you spending.on salt.monthly?

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[BigRedsReefs10]

I go through a 5 gal bucket of Red Sea coral pro in about 3-4 months but that's on 5 tanks ~170 gallons total

 

[fishybuisness]

So what's my best option here for filtration? Should I just sell the tank and go with a drilled one? I don't know how.much coral you need to be called a reef tank but I want to have a few corals at least..another reason I ask about getting a different tank is because my tank measure 13w x 48l x 21h. I'll probly need tip top lighting to keep any coral which I'm sure I can get cheaper buying a whole tank off cl

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[BigRedsReefs10]

2 of the taotronics dimmable units would work perfect for that tank and at a little more than $200 you can't beat the price. They would allow you to keep any photosynthetic animal you want
Edit: but if you wanted to go the drilled route a sump is nice to have. Extra water volume is always a plus and hiding all the equipment will give the display tank a much cleaner look