Native tank questions (New York)

[Reeftanker3295]

LOTS OF QUESTIONS :
So i think my 75 gallon will be a native tank for atleast a couple of years and may have a 55 gallon reef tank on the side and have a couple of questions. In the summer, the surface temp at its highest is around 80 in the harbor and around 73-75 out in the middle of the sound and i think around high 60s-70 for the ocean, so, based on these surface temps, what do you think the temperature of the water would be about 10-15 feet down? For the sound do you think it would be around 68 degrees or even 70? The owner of my LFS has an awsome structure of rock in his 250 gallon that isnt that much rocky but does an awsome job of keeping the tank really nice looking, and he is going to help me build this for my tank, I am planning on 50 pounds of key largo rock, dry from marco rocks just because the rock here is very dense, not porous at all so 50 pounds would only be like 2 rocks then after that 50 pounds seeding the tank with rocks to have a small hideout for the fish made from LI sound rock. For sand, do you guys think it would be safe to use sand i find in like 3 feet of water just from the top layer if its clean or no? If my tank has alot of it being reef, but most of the bottom open because the rock will be on pipes building up not out, kind of like nanogurls tank, do you think i would be able to keep 1 or 2 small flounder or fluke? When i say small i mean SMALL, like 3 inches long. For lighting, i wouldnt need any special kind of lighting, i could just use regular flourescent bulbs, correct? Would i need to have a sump with protien skimmers and things for this fish only tank or would it no be necessary? These are just some of the questions i have for now, thank you

[aquawolf]

You may be okay with the temperature since you are not going to be running any hot lighting solutions. I am not sure about the cleanliness of the sand in 3 feet of water. It may be okay, but I cannot tell you for sure. As long as you have enough sand on the bottom for them to use they will be able to get along fine under your lifted rocks.

I would definitely get a skimmer on the tank, as the fish are going to poop and you will need something to help you remove the waste between water changes.

[Reeftanker3295]

Do you think i should use a sump as well or get a hang on skimmer? Theres a river that gets about 5' high at high tide with outrageous flow (white water in some places for some reason) and only about a foot high at low tide. The sand has nothing bad that you can see and has no algal growth at all, think its clean? Also, what could i feed baby fluke or other baby fish? Brine shrimp?

[EndlessSummer]

Using sand from the beach is a little sketchy, I would wash it alot before putting it into the tank (with RO water). You don't need any crazy lighting. Maybe just a single t5 strip etc. You might just want to plan on getting a skimmer either way since you think you're going to be doing a reef tank in the future.

[Reeftanker3295]

What kind of skimmer would work for this kind of tank if i dont use a sump? Ill probably want to get a pretty good one because now im saying it will not have alot of fish but hey you know how that ends up . Planning on sea robin, oyster toadfish, 2 porgies and 2 seabass and lots of snails, barnacles, mussels, crabs, will be a pretty low maintenance tank since the fish in the tank will just be eating the crabs and mussels and things all the time. I want the tank to be as natural as it can be

[Reeftanker3295]

Bump. Anyone have suggestions on equipment or anything else?

[quader94]

an oversized skimmer because youll probably feed them alot and they could be messy eaters

[Reeftanker3295]

I dont think the food will be too bad because most of these fish will all eat the same thing, if the porgies dont eat the mussels and things whole the sea robins and oyster toadfish will be on it and eating it within seconds and then the snails and hermits will finish it off, and sea bass will swallow the baitfish whole, so not alot of waste. Which skimmer would be reccomended for a 150 gallon tank that does not require a sump? Also, since these fish are going to be right from the ocean, sound, i think im going to have like 3 or 4 powerheads all on the same side of the tank that are pretty strong that are timed so that they simulate tides, i think itd be pretty cool

[Fat Tony]

gonna have to pretty much have a sump for the size skimmer that will be neededthey really aren't that difficult to make and hook up

[Reeftanker3295]

Yea guess your right haha just dont want to drill the tank or spend money on an overflow for the sump, could i use a 30 gallon with just a section for a protein skimmer and a section for the return pump?

[Fat Tony]

Yep, that would be all that's needed... I recommend the Hurricone skimmer

[Reeftanker3295]

Is there a cheap way for an overflow? trying to keep this to as low as i can price wise

[Fat Tony]

ebay or there are a couple Eshoppes that are decent.. I owuld probably go with two overflows on a tank that large, and for the sump, a 33 long..it has the same footprint as a 55, but is only 12" tall instead of 18" which makes it ewasier to work in. You can see the sump I built out of one by following the 135 build thread link in my signature and start on page 3 of the thread.

[Reeftanker3295]

Ive read your build thread What does the extra overflow do? Ive never done something like a sump so have lots of questions. If i have 2 overflows could i have a piece of pvc that joints off so that i could just have one drain pipe and 2 overflows? Should the baffles between the return pump and skimmer be a bubble trap? What kind of return pump should i use? What would be the difference between having a hang on back skimmer and a sump skimmer, is it more efficient?

[Fat Tony]

the extra over flows ensure good surface skimming across the tank.. I would suggest not tieing them together so you can have a safety back up from a clog in one...just run botrh pipes to where they enter the sump individually... it is really a simple process. just follow my thread, it will get you there