** Questions about starting a 29gal reef tank **

[Budnik]

Well, this is my first post here.. I'm sure this won't be an "all-inclusive" post to answer the many unanswered questions I have but it will certainly help point me in the right direction.

Currently I have the following:
29 Gal Flatback Hex w/ Stand, in the process of building a cust. light hood.
2 Cord / 2 Switch PC Ballast w/ 2 - 55w bulbs (1 - 10k / 1 - Actinic)
110gpd RO/DI Unit (in shipment)

Truthfully I am confused about how to proceed any further as far as filtration / water circulation. Obviously it's a reeftank so I'll be going w/ LR and LS (I think I've pretty much ruled out a DSB though). I was told by a few individuals to use a Power Filter (Bio-Wheel or TetraTec PF300 w/ Filters in place) as well as a Protein Skimmer (SeaClone or BakPak). This equipment would hang on the tank of course as I do not have a sump or a refugium. A Hagen 402 PH would be used for water movement (I'm not sure if this will be enough however.)

On the note of a refugium, I have read a large portion of this forum and have noticed that most if not all of the reefers here have one. Do I need a refugium? Will it cut down on maintenance? Provide more stability? Can I get away with running the above for the time being and add a refugium at a later time and date?

Please advise.. I want to plan this out as carefully as possible as failure is not an option. Keep in mind that money is an object although I have acknowledged that this is an expensive hobby and have planned to spend a fair amount.

FYI - I'm planning to have a couple Clown Fish (maybe one other fish) some soft corals and an anemone or two. Any advice on the amount / type of snails, crabs and shrimp you can provide would also be welcomed.

Thanks in advance!

[adrianleewelch]

Hey ! And Welcome !!! First off I wanna say good luck and go slow, read, and then read some more, These guys on here are probably the best sorce of info that is available anywhere. sounds like its gonna be a nice setup. Its nice to see that you got a RO unit first, thats good planning, better than wishing you had it later when you have probs. Im nowhere close to the other guys here in terms of experience or knowledge, but Ill give you what I know, and what youll prolly hear from others.. You need the best skimmer you can get your hands on, dont skimp any there, others will be better able to tell you the best brands, get all of the live rock you plan on having (prolly1-1.5 lbs per gallon) all at once and let your tank cycle for a long time, I waited a month before adding anything and fed the tank lightly and had a normal photoperiod, not that thats the best way but what I did ! Be sure to invest in all of the proper test kits Salifert are considered the best, you need ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, ph, alkalinity, calcium, a good hydrometer, ect... you may need more circulation, dont want any dead spots in there, but I dont recommend any kind of power filter, If you dont clean it religiously it will become a nitrate factory as detrious breaks down inside it.. The refugium is a great idea if you have room for it, it will really help with the trites as well as stabilize ph if you do it on a reverse lighting schedule as the display tank. Also be cautious when considering an anenome, even experienced reefers have trouble with keeping em alive sometimes, they require good lighting and pristine water conditions, not to discourage you, but they deserve a good chance to live so be absolutely sure you are ready for one... Anyway Best of Luck to ya, hope to see your tank grow (post pics of your progress)

[mapster]

I would skip the power filter and use a skimmer only. I think a bakPak would do a great job on a 29g. If you were to use a power filter I would suggest running only carbon, no bio wheel. The filter would add some circulation to the tank and the carbon would polish the water. Bio wheels / filter pads build up nutrients quickly and actually end up pouring them back into your tank.

I'm not sure of the gph rating of that pump, so I cant comment. I would say 2 is better than 1. With 2 pumps you can create more random currents and still leave you with water movement in case one fails.

A refugium has many uses. Some set them up with a deep sand bed and live rock to help reduce nitrate levels. Some fill them with macro algae which is harvested regularly to help remove nutrients and cut down on algae blooms and/or feed the fish. Some use them as a safe haven for plankton to thrive and in turn create a natural food source for the tank. Other use them as a combination of all or some of the reasons above. It can also be utalized as a grow out for propagated corals or a place for a sick or injured fish to recover in peace. Most use a reverse or 24 hour photo period to help combat ph swings at night. As you can see there are many advantages to having a refuge and it's something that you should definitely research. Adding it in the beginning will be easiest but it would also be simple to add one later should you choose to do so. If set up correctly it will reduce maintenance and it will provide more stability ( I almost forgot the question)

With the right planning, patience and knowledge failure will never be an option.

HTP
MAP

p.s. read up on anemones and you will find they have a horrible survival rate in the home aquarium. They have special feeding requirements, need lots of light and a very stable enviorment.

[mapster]

Duh,

Welcome to The Reef Tank!

i think adrianleewelch and I were posting at the same time (Im a slow typer). Good info, adrian.

[salt creepette]

hello and welcome! you sound like you are off to a good start. you can definitely start out without a fuge, but could add one later. i have a bak pak and love how it skims my 55g. I also run a powerfilter but mostly just so I can run carbon. I change the cartridges frequently. get one that you can get cheap cartridges for, like a whisper or something.

On the anemones, I would bypass it for two reasons. the ones collected from the wild that make it past the 6 month mark are usually only living off of what they have stored as nutrition, and dont make it much past the 1yr mark in a home aquarium. i think the percentage of anemones that have long term survival rate is in the low single digits. plus, the clownfishes in the wild NEEEED them to survive, whereas clownfishes in our tanks dont have the need for protection from predation compared to anemonefishes in the wild. its just not fair to harvest anemones to their (the anemonefishes AND the anemones) detriment, especially when the survival rate for anemones is so slim in captivity. and ESPECIALLY when you consider that anemones really dont have a lifespan limit in the wild, i.e., they can be hundreds of years old.

ok now that I am done with that spiel, I would also recommend maxi jet powerheads. after looking closely at the other brands (hagen, zoomed), the maxijets have a more simple, logical durable design, and many people love theirs. I order mine from marinedepot.com

good luck and keep us updated every step of the way (pictures earn you BIG brownie points here!)



--Erin

[Budnik]

Thanks for all of the great information.. I certainly will reconsider anemones, I still may attempt one at some point, but not in the near-future. The BakPak protein skimmers sound like a great choice and I have been considering one for quite sometime now.

I think I'll hold off on the refugium as I do not have a built in
overflow (if/when I go with a fuge I may go with the lifereef siphon box to get the water out of the tank). It sounds like a Power Filter (w/ filters in place) is not the way to go. I do like the idea of being able to add carbon and circulate it throughout the tank via the PF though. At this point I think I'll purchase a low-end PF and add carbon to it on occasion.

I'll do a little more research on Power Heads. From everything I've looked at so far, I've found Hagen to be a good choice. However, I'll be sure and take a look at the maxi-jet Power heads.

One question I forgot to orginally ask - Do I need any supplements? I'd like to purchase the things i need upfront rather than have to run out and get them later. Additionally, are the phosphate sponges beneficial to have on hand? I've heard/seen people use them to combat algae.

Thanks again for all the help!

[alaskaknucklehead]

Welome to TRT! You found the right place for info, for sure. I am a newbie also but everyday learn more about this hobby. If you order/cure your LR it all comes at once and thats it, but if you are purchasing tanked rock from an LFS I would suggest adding it slowly. By adding tanked rock a few lbs at a time increasing bio loads gradually over time, you can create a much more stable enviorment. I would add a few lbs, test, wait, add more, test, wait, ect. The die off on the first pieces you add vrs the last will be night and day!

[salt creepette]

ooo, ooo! i just remembered a really great article you need to read. here is the link! happy reading. it will answer some of your questions about additives and cycling a tank and algae and all that other good stuff...

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/index.htm

[mapster]

The only supplement you need will be for calcium & alkalinity. 2 part solutions (ie B-Ionic) are good to raise the levels to where they need to be. Kalkwasser (for top-off water or a slow continuos drip) is great for maintaining the high levels. B-Ionic can also be used to maintain the proper levels.

Im not too up to speed on phosphate sponges but I believe most people use them to treat their source water (shouldn't be needed with ro/di water) or to combat a bad outbreak of algae. I would say hold off and only use for a emergency.

Be wary of adding a slew of chemicals to your tank, a lot of those additives will do nothing more than pollute your tank.

Frequent water changes is the best way to replenish your tanks major and minor elements.