Hello all; First, the big picture: I currently have a 46g Freshwater tank and am currently looking at getting a 72g for my first marine set-up which I plan to be fish-only. After a few years, I am then planning on converting the 72g tank to a freshwater Cichlid tank and then getting a 125g reef-ready tank and setting up a full blown reef.
Based on these plans, I would like to use equipment for a non reef-ready 72g tank that could allow me to successfully go fish-only marine initially and then to freshwater in the future. My initial thoughts were to go with a cannister-type filter, protein skimmer, standard flourescent lighting (3-30W tubes) , "dead" or fake rock, some coral skeletons or fake coral and argonite sand bed.
My general question: is this a good approach?
More specific questions:
Regarding the filter; I currently run two Eheim 2213 filters in my 46g freshwater; I was thinking two Eheim 2217 filters for the 72g set-up; will this work out ok in a fish-only marine set-up?
Can someone recommend a protein skimmer that can be put inside the tank stand which I could initially use in the 72g set-up but then also use it in the future in a 125g set-up? Are there any plumbing issues involved in interfacing a protein skimmer to a cannister filter? It seems like you see protein skimmers primarily in conjuction with wet/dry filters.
Regarding the bed, if I don't have "live" rock to do a lot of the biological filtration, I assume I will have to clean the bed as I currently do in my freshwater tank when I do my partial water changes. With gravel, this is easy with my gravel vac, but how is the equivalent done on a sand bed without vacuuming up a lot of sand? Is there crushed coral that is coarse enough that you could vacuum it like you do gravel?
Thanks!
Based on these plans, I would like to use equipment for a non reef-ready 72g tank that could allow me to successfully go fish-only marine initially and then to freshwater in the future. My initial thoughts were to go with a cannister-type filter, protein skimmer, standard flourescent lighting (3-30W tubes) , "dead" or fake rock, some coral skeletons or fake coral and argonite sand bed.
My general question: is this a good approach?
More specific questions:
Regarding the filter; I currently run two Eheim 2213 filters in my 46g freshwater; I was thinking two Eheim 2217 filters for the 72g set-up; will this work out ok in a fish-only marine set-up?
Can someone recommend a protein skimmer that can be put inside the tank stand which I could initially use in the 72g set-up but then also use it in the future in a 125g set-up? Are there any plumbing issues involved in interfacing a protein skimmer to a cannister filter? It seems like you see protein skimmers primarily in conjuction with wet/dry filters.
Regarding the bed, if I don't have "live" rock to do a lot of the biological filtration, I assume I will have to clean the bed as I currently do in my freshwater tank when I do my partial water changes. With gravel, this is easy with my gravel vac, but how is the equivalent done on a sand bed without vacuuming up a lot of sand? Is there crushed coral that is coarse enough that you could vacuum it like you do gravel?
Thanks!
