ellisz
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well We have decided to get a 75 gal glass tank with a built in over flow. The local pet store has them for $235. We have a base we can use and we bought a wet/dry system minus pumps today.
At this point we have to decide on lighting, substrate and pumps.
lighting:
I have seen the standard 48" strip light which are pretty cheap. Most places don't recommend them for salt water. I saw a light on ebay that looked promising: JB 48" (55wx4) Power Compact lighting. SIZE: 48"L x 6.5"W x 2.25"H
This light can be had for $80 and comes with a 2 10000K and 2 Actinic bulbs. Is this OK or do we even need this much more fish only(maybe LR)?
Pumps:
We are looking at using a MAG 7 for the main pump and adding a skimmer and pump later. We are trying to keep cost down as well. Seems like most of the recommended skimmers are $150+
Would the mag 7 be enough for a main pump and supply current to the tank? I have seen some tanks that don't use power heads since the flow of the main pump is so great.
Substrate:
Seems as if this is a big debate. I went to a Salt Water only fish store today which I was shocked to find. He recommended a DSB. I do like the sand look but the multi-layer/color substrate is not really appealing. The stuff I read about using certain play sand and seeding with live sand sounds easy enough but I think 3" would be all we would want. Is this acceptable for a filtration mechanism? We have some crushed coral that is well cycled and algae grows like crazy on it. Is using this promoting the cause?
At some of the stores it amazes me to see sumps with nothing in them and all the filtration being done in the tank minus a skimmer. These are of course reef tanks. The sump we bought has bio balls but does have a separate chamber off of that.
Having live rock would be nice too for decor as well as filtration but we can't afford 100+ lbs of rock. Base rock appears to be an option but not sure what can be used as base rock right now.
Any suggestions or tips at this point? We really want good filtration and the *look* of a nice salt water tank.
If you made it this far, Thanks!
I have been reading these forums alot lately and have learned a lot of different methods but some threads leave you hanging
At this point we have to decide on lighting, substrate and pumps.
lighting:
I have seen the standard 48" strip light which are pretty cheap. Most places don't recommend them for salt water. I saw a light on ebay that looked promising: JB 48" (55wx4) Power Compact lighting. SIZE: 48"L x 6.5"W x 2.25"H
This light can be had for $80 and comes with a 2 10000K and 2 Actinic bulbs. Is this OK or do we even need this much more fish only(maybe LR)?
Pumps:
We are looking at using a MAG 7 for the main pump and adding a skimmer and pump later. We are trying to keep cost down as well. Seems like most of the recommended skimmers are $150+
Would the mag 7 be enough for a main pump and supply current to the tank? I have seen some tanks that don't use power heads since the flow of the main pump is so great.
Substrate:
Seems as if this is a big debate. I went to a Salt Water only fish store today which I was shocked to find. He recommended a DSB. I do like the sand look but the multi-layer/color substrate is not really appealing. The stuff I read about using certain play sand and seeding with live sand sounds easy enough but I think 3" would be all we would want. Is this acceptable for a filtration mechanism? We have some crushed coral that is well cycled and algae grows like crazy on it. Is using this promoting the cause?
At some of the stores it amazes me to see sumps with nothing in them and all the filtration being done in the tank minus a skimmer. These are of course reef tanks. The sump we bought has bio balls but does have a separate chamber off of that.
Having live rock would be nice too for decor as well as filtration but we can't afford 100+ lbs of rock. Base rock appears to be an option but not sure what can be used as base rock right now.
Any suggestions or tips at this point? We really want good filtration and the *look* of a nice salt water tank.
If you made it this far, Thanks!
I have been reading these forums alot lately and have learned a lot of different methods but some threads leave you hanging