Hi all, greetings from down under.
I currently have a 2 foot (18 gallon) reef tank and it's been doing well for over a year now. I've decided that its time for something bigger and better and I might even be able to get some of those amazing fish I've been eyeing off at the LFS for the past couple of years.
I've just returned from several LFS's where I have been deciding on an appropriate tank and cabinet combination. I've chosen a 48"x18"x20" tank (about 75 G / 283 L).
I was put off my purchase by the guy in the shop who told me that, yes it was a nice tank, but i'd be looking at $4500-$5000 AUD for a complete reef setup. He'd also have to either drill holes in the tank or put in a weir for the water to run out to the filtration and that would cost an additional $160 AUD!
Now, I've setup a small reef already and I'm sure that i will be able to do it much cheaper than that..
Anyway, I have a couple of questions I'd like to throw out to you all :
1. Is it possible to run a successful reef using a good canister filter and the filtration provided by live rock and the sandbed? Or is having an undertank filtration unit (not sue what it's called) with a pump for returning the water to the tank the best way?
2. I would like to use my existing 2' tank as a sump and do some filtration / heating there. Is this easy/recommended - or should I save up and buy a ready made filtration unit?
3. Would it be possible to make my own overflow / weir by cutting a section of the back wall of the tank out and attaching some sort of water return? Or should i just pay to have an internal weir installed?
I'm sure I've got many more questions in my head that just haven't found their way to the keyboard yet, but I will ask them when I think of them.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Chris
I currently have a 2 foot (18 gallon) reef tank and it's been doing well for over a year now. I've decided that its time for something bigger and better and I might even be able to get some of those amazing fish I've been eyeing off at the LFS for the past couple of years.
I've just returned from several LFS's where I have been deciding on an appropriate tank and cabinet combination. I've chosen a 48"x18"x20" tank (about 75 G / 283 L).
I was put off my purchase by the guy in the shop who told me that, yes it was a nice tank, but i'd be looking at $4500-$5000 AUD for a complete reef setup. He'd also have to either drill holes in the tank or put in a weir for the water to run out to the filtration and that would cost an additional $160 AUD!
Now, I've setup a small reef already and I'm sure that i will be able to do it much cheaper than that..
Anyway, I have a couple of questions I'd like to throw out to you all :
1. Is it possible to run a successful reef using a good canister filter and the filtration provided by live rock and the sandbed? Or is having an undertank filtration unit (not sue what it's called) with a pump for returning the water to the tank the best way?
2. I would like to use my existing 2' tank as a sump and do some filtration / heating there. Is this easy/recommended - or should I save up and buy a ready made filtration unit?
3. Would it be possible to make my own overflow / weir by cutting a section of the back wall of the tank out and attaching some sort of water return? Or should i just pay to have an internal weir installed?
I'm sure I've got many more questions in my head that just haven't found their way to the keyboard yet, but I will ask them when I think of them.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Chris
