need answers

[bethkira2000]

'kay all,
I went to my library today and got five books about salt tanks, including Satlwater Aquariums for Dummies. Keep your laughter to a minimum. After reading three of the books I went from knowing something to :drool:. I mean there were things in there that made me go what?????? :wall: I mean I thought I was set, but now I don't even know what I need for the basics.
I was going to get a 55g set it up with base rock, then some live rock, live sand for the substrate, lights suitable for corals eventually. No sump, but powerheads attached with filters. Two 50 watt heaters, and then of course investing in a RO/DI. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!:confused:

[Reefscape]

I personly dont see any issues with your plan, from what you have stated above..Just ensure that the percentage of live rock is higher than the base rock..

Niko

[bethkira2000]

BUt this one book said no sand, and that it had to have filter tohe gravel. And then it said so much other stuff that I went ugh.

[Reefscape]

Nah.....sand is fine, your live rock will provide filtration...look up on the net, the "Berlin Method" of filtration...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Method

Niko

[Grins]

BUt this one book said no sand, and that it had to have filter tohe gravel. And then it said so much other stuff that I went ugh.

Any way you can get a refund on the book? =) There are other ones I'd suggest over it but I also agree with Niko's feelings that your original plan was fine.

[bethkira2000]

cool so this other book with so many high tech ideas said that I absolutley need a skimmer, and a sump because my sand would hide deadly gases and there would just not be enough circulation. Oh my this book scared me.

[Reefscape]

What you have to appreciate is that is a persons experience (the book author), just the same as we each have our own..

[Grins]

I think a sump and skimmer are very useful and have them myself. But my tank wasn't going to turn my house into a nuclear site if I hadn't.

[vorlx]

Your original plan sounds pretty good. A skimmer is very nice to have and IMO is very beneficial. My sump/refugium is great but not a necessity.

[Squawkbert]

Sounds like you're starting out FOWLR w/ eventual reef aspirations. Once you decide to go w/ corals, just add the sump/skimmer/pump. If you don;t have the tank yet, consider getting a drilled tank w/ overslow - this can be capped off for the duration of the FOWLR stage, plumbed to the sump later.

Sand can be good, but it's a good idea to be certain you have something to burrow around in it a bit - prevents nasty anaerobic pockets from belching noxious gasses into your tank.

Now read up on your fish & cleaning crew before buying any of them, also check out fishless cycling methods.

Best of luck!

[bethkira2000]

Okay I am going to get a great cleaning crew with sand burrowing critters, but I can't figure out which lights I need, and what kind of filter. They say that with the rock, I should absolutley not introduce a biofilter. But then they say that if I get a mechanical filter I need to still get another filter to get what it doesn't. They also say that canister filters are the best, but that carbon is not agood idea, so what filter media would I use, bioball things, or sponges? And then if I got a skimmer do they make ones with the filters all in one?

[Grins]

Beth, I'm not a fan of the book you're reading at all. Either it is giving absolutes that don't need to be absolutes or they have done a poor job of explaining it easily to a new SW keeper.

Read the shopping list that can be found in my signature list "advice to newbies". It explains the lights a bit. Basically you want to decide what you want in the tank before deciding on the light.

Are you setting up a FO, FOWLR or Reef? That is the first step.

[bethkira2000]

I think I am going to go with T5 set up Grins, and I hate the books I got too. The only one that explains it with ease is Salt tanks for dummies. Again keep the laughter down, but it goes into options and gives examples. It also takes into consideration the things you will have or not.

[Squawkbert]

In addition to deciding what range of corals etc. you are interested in keeping before you buy lights, you'll need to (more or less) choose a filtration system. Many reefers like the Berlin method which supplements the biological filtration provided by LR's microfauna with a protein skimmer - this serves as mechanical filtration. When needed, you can add some Carbon/Zeolite etc. to the loop and provide chemical filtration, but this is generally necessary only when trying to remove meds, excess PO4 etc. UV sterilizers and Ozonizers are another component that you can add to the loop, but are (hopefully) optional.

[bethkira2000]

you know squawkbert that is exactly what I had hoped someone would say. I would optimally like to get a skimmer as a filter and leave the rocks and sand to do the rest. I just thought that htye could use a little help. The extent of the inverts in my tank are only soft corals with maybe an anemone.

[Squawkbert]

The problem w/ "help" from a canister filter is that, stuffed with the wrong stuff (bioballs & potscrubbers), they can become "nitrate factories" as they'll support the bacteria that convert NH3 to NO2 and the ones that convert NO2 to NO3, but the bacteria that convert NO3 to N2 are anaerobic - ie: they don't generally survive in canister filters.

Canisters can be stuffed w/ coarse pads to remove chunky stuff missed by skimmers, fine pads for occasional diatom removal, and they can be stuffed w/ LR rubble (day to day) or bags of carbon in the event of a "cuke nuke" or medication requiring type of event and they're useful for adding to water circulation. Except for the LR rubble, these things should all be temporary additions, used on an "as needed" basis.

So, while a canister can be a nice addition, I'd look for a good sump/skimmer before I'd look for a canister (Eheim classics offer excellent flow & gobs of room). First up, you need Anenome & soft coral friendly lighting.

Others can advise you on 10K, 14K German, Japanese MH bulbs & ballasts of appropriate wattage etc. better than I can. You may also be able to consider T-5 tubes, but, depending on the 'nem... maybe not. (reefing is not my strong suit)

[bethkira2000]

thank you squawkbert, I have given thought to the sump, be then even more questions, do I just get a sump, or do I get one with a fuge, adn make that a addad QT tank? And then I tought if the power was to go out, and living in MAine we get lots o' Nor'Easters, I thought maybe a sump with a fuge is a better idea so I don't have to get whole new bio thingys.

[gomrjoe]

Beth,

There are literally a hundred different ways to go about this, so reading through the possibilities can make your head spin at times. I personally have a 100 gallong reef tank, had it up for about two years now, prior to that I had a FOWLR 46 bow many moons ago, for about 4 years, give or take. You will always learn something new, always hear about another way to do something. SO, the best thing you can do for yourself is learn and understand the differences between the various methods of lighting, filtration, etc. and mix and match them to provide you with the best marine aquarist experience, without breaking the bank in the process.

Grins already said it, a sump/skimmer combo works well and provides some flexibility. I have that setup myself. Right now my sump is acting as a wet/dry with bio balls believe it or not. Many will tell you that a wet/dry is not suited for a reef tank, but it works well for me. I am toying with the idea of converting it to a refugium at some point, I just haven't got the guts (or the time) to do it right now.

Anyways, getting a sump gives you options, you can use it as a fuge, or as a wet/dry and convert later to a fuge. Using a fuge as an occasional QT is not a bad idea, but must be used with caution. It is great for separating fish that you need to study and observe, but probably not used as a QT for introducing new fish, as the fuge is connected to your display tank the water is shared, so any hitchiking parasites can (and will) wind up in your tank if you use this method alone.

Lighting:
Take a look at the shopping list that Grins posted, it is very useful! If starting out as a FOWLR (probably recommended for you to get your feet wet) no pun intended, then your idea for T-5's is good. You can start with T-5's and even support some basic corals with them later when you switch to reef. As your tank matures you can augment the T-5's with Metal Halide to start keeping other more light intensive corals.

Patience is the key, nothing good usually comes from rushing thins in this hobby.

Good luck and feel free to ask as many questions as you want!

[archer772]

Beth,
Lighting:
Take a look at the shopping list that Grins posted, it is very useful! If starting out as a FOWLR (probably recommended for you to get your feet wet) no pun intended, then your idea for T-5's is good. You can start with T-5's and even support some basic corals with them later when you switch to reef. As your tank matures you can augment the T-5's with Metal Halide to start keeping other more light intensive corals.

Patience is the key, nothing good usually comes from rushing thins in this hobby.

Good luck and feel free to ask as many questions as you want!


Dont under estimate T-5's when set up properly you should be able to keep anything you would want in a 55, even some of the highest light demanding corals, clams and anemone's

[bethkira2000]

seriously, that would rock I know that lighting and skimmer are two places that you not go cheap right from the get go. So in thinking what exactly are T5's?

[Reefscape]

T5 are just one of a selection of different lighting types..T5's are basically tube lighting that have a real strong output when compared to other tube lighting like T8 for example which is the usual stock lighting that comes when you buy a hood for a tank..

Attached a few images for you to see the different lighting types..Hope it helps..

T5 Fixture

35654

Metal Halide Fixture

35652

Power Compact Fixture

35653


Niko

[bethkira2000]

Thanks Niko, I priced some today holy cow are they expensive. I think fo rnow I will have to go with strip lights.