another newbie and a micro-reef

[twflys]

I've been kicking the idea around for quite some time, and have succeded in keeping Chiclid tanks in the past. But, like most I've always had the passion for a reef tank...... now that time has finally come.

I won an auction on ebay for a 12 gallon eclipse with the standard setup, except... they already retro-fitted a power compact sealife (quad bulb-27 watts) with external ballast. The unit should arrive in about a week and plan to get busy with it..... I'm excited to say the least!

First order of buisiness, is buying a brand new bulb, and a master test kit..... please keep in mind that i know very little about keeping a reef (otherwise i wouldn't be here, right?). I think the lighting will be sufficient, but I've read that I should nix the bio-wheel and replace with an additional cartridge (something about too much nitrate from the bio-wheel). I also plan on adding a power head to the tank to help with water movement. I know that water changes should be frequent.

So, where do I go from here? I have no idea which bulb would be best for my tank, 5000k, 6700k, 7000k, actinic? I'm a little lost, but I wouldn't mind my tank having that nice blue ocean tint to it. Is there anyway to simulate dusk/dawn with my current lights? I also plan on putting the light on a timer, how long should the intervals be for lighting? How much live rock, crushed coral, live sand..... etc should i use? Also wondering about the live sand itself, I've used a syphon (sp?) for cleaning, but wouldn't this just suck up all the sand? Can I add live rock right away, or should I wait, what is a hearty fish for breaking it in? How many fish, inverts, corals should i keep in a tank this size? What are some good ones? ANY input, thoughts, and opinions is appreciated!

Well, your answers to most of these questions should keep me busy enough for a while, and I'm sure I'll have plenty more later. First time visitor to the site, and you guys really seem to be my best source. Thought I would go ahead and stay ahead of the game..... I plan on taking photo's as the tank matures and keeping you guys updated all along........

More later,
twflys

 

[fishfreek]

Welcome to the wonderful world of saltwater.

First off if your lights have 1 bulb there is no way to simulate dusk/dawn unless you put some bulb outside the tank. As far as the kevlin rating on the bulb look for something that is rated "50/50". This type of bulb is usually 1/2 actinic and 1/2 10K or 7500K. Usually the higher the kelvin rating the more blue the light. True actinic bulbs do not have an equivilent kelvin rating.

On a 12 gal tank I would do water changes once a week. Maybe 2-3 gal weekly. ALso note you need to keep up with daily top offs of fresh water to keep the saliinty stable.

Yes if you want corals you should ditch the biowheel. As for filtration I like the most natural method possible. That would be a DSB (deep sand bed) and LR (live rock). A DSB is 3-4" of sand in the bottom of the tank. You get full nitrogen removal from a DSB as it will convert ammonia to nitrite and then nitrite to nitrate and then nitrate to nitrogen gas. This gas will then exit the tank via small bubbles.

I would shoot for 15-20lbs of LR if possible in your tank. It will depend on how dense the rock is.

Note the number of fish you can have is VERY limited. I would stick with 1 small fish. Or if you did not want fish you could do an invert tank with a coral banded shrimp or some fire shrimp.

Read Read Read Read and Read some more. your doing a good thing by joining a web community to get first hand knowlege from those who have come before you. But a good book or two can not be replaced as a source for instant info.

 

[99RedSi]

You're also gonna need an RO/DI water setup or you can buy the water from your local grocery store...

That's one thing keeping me away from reefs. It just seems like a ton of work and I'm strapped for time already .

 

[BrianH]

99RedSi,

My current 50 gal reef takes much less maintenance time than my old 65gal planted tank. Filtering your water through an RO/DI unit does not take any manual act other than running the water through the filter. For a water change, just throw some salt mix in a container with RO/DI water, put in a powerhead, let it sit for about 24 hrs, heat the water before the changes and change the water. No gravel vacumming necessary. Also please remember that you do not have any mechanical filters to change/clean. My planted tank used to eat up about 2-3 hrs per week with water changes(larger volume) , plant trimmings and filter cleaning. JMHO
Brian

 

[99RedSi]

Originally posted by BrianH
99RedSi,

My current 50 gal reef takes much less maintenance time than my old 65gal planted tank. Filtering your water through an RO/DI unit does not take any manual act other than running the water through the filter. For a water change, just throw some salt mix in a container with RO/DI water, put in a powerhead, let it sit for about 24 hrs, heat the water before the changes and change the water. No gravel vacumming necessary. Also please remember that you do not have any mechanical filters to change/clean. My planted tank used to eat up about 2-3 hrs per week with water changes(larger volume) , plant trimmings and filter cleaning. JMHO
Brian

How do you get the actual new water from the container into the tank? Big buckets??

Thanks for the info. Your post was quite helpful. I'm still trying to decide whether or not it's worth getting into SW. It's now about the time & money more than just the time. How much has it cost you to fully setup your 50 gallon reef? I may not do a reef, though, right away. Though I have 110w PC lighting already from my old planted tank days.

Do you have any pics of your ENTIRE setup (container included!)?

Thanks bro for your help!

 

[BrianH]

99RedSi,

Check my signature for some pics of my set up. They're not the best, but it will give you an idea. SW water changes are usually much smaller than FW. You usually only change 10% at a time, unless there is a problem. So for me, thats 1 5gal bucket from home depot. I use a powerhead to pump the water back into my tank from the bucket, but thats because I'm running sumpless. If I had a sump, the whole water change would take place there.
My reef set up cost about $1,200. That includes a new tank and custom stand & canopy that were about $350. I'm also including my RO/DI which was $150 (before shipping) on ebay.
I used mostly southdown sand about $20. 30lbs gulf-view LR & 10lbs live sand was about $150. 20 lbs LR from local reefer for $60. prizm skimmer for $70, 4 powerheads about $70, titanium heater about $30 and 4 x 96 watt CF lighting $about $350.
You can save some money by buying either used items, I bought a 2 x 96 custom sealife retro kit for $100 on Reefcentral.com, and trying to find a local reefer selling LR or LS. This may take longer, but it gives you time to learn and will save you some money.

Brian

 

[99RedSi]

Couple questions:

1) Do you recommend a sump or not? I know it's probably *better* but is it necessary for anything? I guess I still don't understand sumpless vs. sump on a SW tank.

2) Where is your heater located?

3) Why are you using an Eheim cannister? I thought with a sumpless SW aquarium that using DSB + LR was the only filtration needed. Is it worth the extra cost/maintenance time for an external cannister filter?

4) Do you have PVC piping connected to the bucket/powerhead to pump the water back into the tank? Do you have a pic of this setup?

Thanks !

 

[BrianH]

99 RedSi
Couple questions:

1) Do you recommend a sump or not? I know it's probably *better* but is it necessary for anything? I guess I still don't understand sumpless vs. sump on a SW tank.

2) Where is your heater located?

3) Why are you using an Eheim cannister? I thought with a sumpless SW aquarium that using DSB + LR was the only filtration needed. Is it worth the extra cost/maintenance time for an external cannister filter?

4) Do you have PVC piping connected to the bucket/powerhead to pump the water back into the tank? Do you have a pic of this setup?

1) I would recommend a sump for extra water volume, ease of maintenance and equipment hiding.
2) I have a titanium heater located in the back of my tank mounted horozontally near the substrate. I like the titanium because I do not fear electrical shock as much as glass when totally submerged. Also, the heater control/thermometer is located on the power plug.
3)The eheim was leftover from my planted tank. It is loaded with LR so basicly it is an expensive powerhead that holds an additional 5 - 10 lbs of LR. I also sometimes use it for carbon. Since it only contains LR, there is no need for "normal maintenance" in a FW way.
4)No pics, sorry. I just use a cap 1200 powerhead with a piece of normal garden hose attached to the output. You can get pretty much any diameter hose from home depot. Just make sure you have a powerhead with enough head pressure to pump the water up to your tank.

Brian

 

[OrionGirl]

Just a funny...We went through and 'rebuilt' the reef side of 180-gallon system yesterday. Took about 4 hours, not a big thing.

Even with that, the SW stuff is still less maintenance than my FW stuff...Planted 40/20/5(x 2). Costs more, but way less maintenance.

I think if we had a small SW system, it's maintenance would be greater, just to achieve stability.

 

[99RedSi]

Originally posted by OrionGirl
Just a funny...We went through and 'rebuilt' the reef side of 180-gallon system yesterday. Took about 4 hours, not a big thing.

Even with that, the SW stuff is still less maintenance than my FW stuff...Planted 40/20/5(x 2). Costs more, but way less maintenance.

I think if we had a small SW system, it's maintenance would be greater, just to achieve stability.

How about a *non-planted* SW tank? Is that more maintanence or less than a SW system - reef and FOWLR.

Thanks for the info, everyone!