New 55 Gallon FO/Reef

[micaheli]

I'm not a newbie to Aquariums. Just Saltwater. I have helped my friend set-up his 46gal salt-water fish only setup and it has worked fine so far. I just got a 55gal for xmas and would like to give a reef setup a whack. The problem is my limited budget. I was wondering if anybody had any links to sites with classifieds, or such. Also, here are some questions:

1) RO, there are currently units on ebay currently for 80bucks that do 110gpd...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2367129708&category=20756
Would these be sufficient?

2) I currently have the tank, stand, Normal Output Lights, over the back mechanical filtration, and heater. Would it be wise to purchase substrate and salt to start culturing my tank now, so that when I DO add fish, it will be ready? It might take a couple weeks to afford that sort of equipment for me. is it safe to have a tank sitting with little circulation for that long? Or will this be a good way to get the rotting shrimp method out of the way? Maybe even the algae blooms as well.

3) How much should the water ultimately move when complete? Should there be a torrent? or just enough to keep all of the water moving? also, what is the main reason to keep the water circulating? I understand its importance, and that it cuts back on algae growth, but other than that and moving waste around, what is the major reason to move the water around rapidly?

4) In order for me to upgrade my lighting to halide for anemone's and such, will I need to upgrade the fixture and coil? or just the bulb? I'm not a lighting wiz. I know very little about it, but am electronically aware enough to understand it when told. :)

5) What is the best biological media to use? I always see references to bio-balls, however, these aren't 100% iinexpensive. I saw a reference to lavarock used in landscaping. For a reef setup, would somebody recommend these for use in a bio-filter?

Let me know what you think. I would like to set this up today if possible with water and salt with a shrimp tossed in for that extra special rotting effect. Let me know.

--Micah Morton
--Oregon

[MonoSebaelover]

Welcome to Aquaria Central! Okay I will try to tackle all questions:
1. I honestly have never used RO Water as it wastes TONS of water and we are in the middle of a long drought. Even if we weren't in the middle of a drought I still wouldn't use it because IMO it is just a waste of water and money. I have used straight tap water on my tanks for as longs as I have been in the hobby (7 years) and never had a problem using it. So if I were you I would just use tap water.
2. What kind of mechanical filtration do you own? You can use this for now and buy a powerhead or two to provide extra movement, buy some Southdown Sand at Home Depot and buy salt and get the cycle under way. If you can afford it, it also wouldn't hurt to buy an Emperor 400 filter, or buy a lot of live rock (~20lbs would be a good start) but it is expensive. This way you can finish your cycle and by then you might have more money to spend when needed.
3. There should be quite a bit of movement but I forget the exact amount of turnover per hour. I think it should be 2.5 times the tanks volume turned over (through filter) per hour. I may be wrong though. The reason for the rapid water circulation is because it mimics the ocean and gives the fish a lot of oxygen in the water which is needed to breathe.
4. There is a light fixture called a Metal Hallide so you buy the whole fixture when you buy one. It is not possible to upgrade a NO light to a metal halide. You will just have to buy one, and I think they cost 250 per ballast.
5. Your best biological media will come from the live sand and the live rock. This is the oceans way of doing it so it is the best way. Second best comes from the bio balls. Lava rock will work in your tank but you will need some live rock to seed the lava rock. Anyway, hope this helps and good luck.

[micaheli]

Okay, so my shopping list has changed slightly.

I found a Mag 7 pump on ebay for 50 bucks + 10 for shipping.. They seem to be 70+ retail.

I'll be making a wet-dry with drip plate and bio-balls and floss tray. Possibly a refugium.. but that might be later. Also, I will be making a skimmer from a DIY schematic. Because of my low-profile stand, I need some pointers making a 13inch skimmer work more efficiently... possibly making two.

I will also be making a plexiglass overflow like the commercial ones since I am well versed in acrylic work.

That should be enough filtration along with a 3-4 inch SOUTHDOWN/Home Depot sandbed (Assuming its available in Oregon).

As for lighting, I'm going to pick up a couple smaller MH lamps to mount inside my canopies to add some wattage before I attempt getting anemonies. Other than that.. I think I'll be good.

As for my mechanical over-the-back filter, I think I'm going to stick it on my freshwater tank and leave it there.. I believe the skimmers and wet/dry should be enough.. The over-the-back will only clutter the tank and make it ugly. I'll save the room in the tank for powerheads and current creating devices.

On a side note:
I think that powerheads are an eyesore in a reef tank. Does anybody recommend using external pumps for current rather than power heads? Atleast that way you only have to use a clean looking overflow unit and return pvc.

Let me know, Thanks!!
micah