Converted my 30 gallon fresh to a wannabe reef

[tpl*co]

Well, about a month ago the plan was for it to be a FOWLR, but I think it quickly started turning into a reef. The LFS told me that it was OK to use my left over HOT magnum filter on the tank. BAD IDEA! Noticed things not being as happy, the tank wasn't dirty from what I could see, but not right. Swapped it out for a Bak Pak 2R and after a day what a difference! Splash is a lot lower too (and hopefully salt creep).

Well, after purchasing a Sunpak metal halide and the protein skimmer my wallet to a hit this month . I've read that a protein skimmer, live rock, live sand and a power head is all I need in the way of filtration? (I like the idea of the junk being collected outside the water instead of just being trapped and the water circulating through it).

 

[gatotsu77]

I've read that a protein skimmer, live rock, live sand and a power head is all I need in the way of filtration? (I like the idea of the junk being collected outside the water instead of just being trapped and the water circulating through it).

To what I understand thus far, with marine tanks, the fauna present in live rock and live sand break down these "waste" components far more efficiently than freshwater does, resulting in the release of "waste" in the form of nitrogen gas. The tanks which do use mechanical filtration, must be watched very carefully, as the matter which gets caught in the media decays, and worsens the quality of the water, unless disposed of regularly. (I can't seem to articulate myself tonight.. the brain's already been shut down for the evening. Maybe someone else can step in and help better explain this? Niko?)

 

[tpl*co]

Yes, I just had the filter sleeve on my Hot Magnum and even with cleaning every week, there was some gunk on it (not a whole bunch, but enough to see when I rinsed it). With water flowing through it it was probably degrading my water quality . My anemone was not happy and retracted it's tentacles . Had to do something fast or lose him (he put up shop by the out put of the Magnum, so got directly whatever it was spitting out ). I see a definite improvement to him after just 1/2 a day and his tentacles are out and getting a green tinge bubbling again. (OK, no flaming about the anemone in my tank! It's a green bubble tip.). The colors of my livestock are looking better and happier too.

Why can't they come up with a system like this for fresh water? Cleaning a protein skimmer cup seems so much easier than tearing down a canister filter to clean!

 

[Squawkbert]

If you get a case of diatoms in the water, stirring it up & whipping out the magnum will help, otherwise, you've got a pretty normal Berlin setup going (LR, PHs, skimmer) - and that's all many find they need.

 

[tpl*co]

If you get a case of diatoms in the water, stirring it up & whipping out the magnum will help, otherwise, you've got a pretty normal Berlin setup going (LR, PHs, skimmer) - and that's all many find they need.

I have one power head in addition to the skimmer, is that enough for a tank that size? the power head is a Hydor Koralia 1 (400GPH) in addition to the protein skimmer that came with a Maxi-jet 1200.

 

[salty420]

well im glad that you've taken the step to improve things in your tank for your livestock. sounds like you've got a nice set up. how much LR do you have in the tank? you may need more flow in the tank, im not sure if that MJ in your skimmer counts 100% towards your flow... and when i started my tank i planned at first to go FO, then quickly decided FOWLR.. then went reef like 3 months later

 

[tpl*co]

well im glad that you've taken the step to improve things in your tank for your livestock. sounds like you've got a nice set up. how much LR do you have in the tank? you may need more flow in the tank, im not sure if that MJ in your skimmer counts 100% towards your flow... and when i started my tank i planned at first to go FO, then quickly decided FOWLR.. then went reef like 3 months later

LOL, I was going to go FOWLER too until I saw the clownfish and the anemone (yeah, I know I read articles on how hard they are to keep, but thinking I've come from keeping discus...). All the upgrades are to keep the anemone happy . I believe I have around 20-25 pounds of rock. I think they say to have more, but it's the really porous kind with a lot of caves and stuff, so it takes up more room than it weighs and I don't think I can get much more in. Also the volume and porosity would be good for filtration right? Since the surface area for the bacteria is what is important? I put a few zoo's in there too, well away from the anemone. Besides the anemone not looking happy with the filtration, it has stayed in one spot.

So far for fish I have:

Randall's goby
Hector's goby
lawn mower blenny
a pair of tomato clowns
6 line wrasse
a cleaner shrimp
pom pom crab
some hermit crabs and snails for clean-up

The Hector's goby and the 6 line wrasse get along great- seems they think stripes should stick together.

 

[sharkmatt]

If you're thinking of converting to reef, you're at you're limit fish wise. You're probably maxed for a 30g anyway but with a reef you're really pushing the limit. With an anemone (no flaming I promise) and corals you're gonna need some pretty serious chemical filtration which is where the hot filter may come in handy again. Anemones should really be kept in species only tanks because they generally can't compete on a allelopathic level with corals so they end up getting poisoned, especially in small volumes. The live rock is probably enough if it's good porous stuff, you need room to place rocks with corals on etc anyway. Flow wise, you need a lot more for a reef. Generally 25x or more is recommended. At the moment you're at 13-15x so you'll need another koralia 1 minimum.

Matt.

 

[tpl*co]

If you're thinking of converting to reef, you're at you're limit fish wise. You're probably maxed for a 30g anyway but with a reef you're really pushing the limit. With an anemone (no flaming I promise) and corals you're gonna need some pretty serious chemical filtration which is where the hot filter may come in handy again. Anemones should really be kept in species only tanks because they generally can't compete on a allelopathic level with corals so they end up getting poisoned, especially in small volumes. The live rock is probably enough if it's good porous stuff, you need room to place rocks with corals on etc anyway. Flow wise, you need a lot more for a reef. Generally 25x or more is recommended. At the moment you're at 13-15x so you'll need another koralia 1 minimum.

Matt.

Thanks Matt, was thinking mostly be a habitat for the anemone anyway, I just put in a few starter frags of the zoo's. The LFS said that the zoo's shouldn't be a problem, but I'm worried if they may be? I figured I was pretty much maxed out fish wise. Everybody except the clown fish are young. The clown fish are pretty territorial so no upper water swimmers would be tolerated. All the others stay near the gravel or in the rocks and are mostly off the clown fish radar. .

 

[sharkmatt]

As long as you're not packing it with corals you should be alright but just watch the zoos as they spread really quickly when given the right conditions. Those clowns can be a tad territorial lol! Good luck.