Setting up reef tank, need help

lordme · 02-12-2005, 11:34 AM

I started my saltwater tank over 6 years ago and never got into live rock and corals. Like most hobbyist, my taste have changed. I set up my newest tank 3 months ago. it is a 72 Gal bow tank sitting on an Oceanic stand with an 8 inch hood. All I have in it is two power heads and an Emperor 400 BIO-Wheel. I have two 48” single tube fluorescent strip-lights, one with a regular bulb, and the other with a blue bulb. It has a profile 5500 air pump with a 12" bubble air wall. About 3 inches of medium to large crushed coral and never had any meds in tank. All chemical levels are right on. I would like to know what type of lighting and other equipment I need to set my tank up for live rock, fish and corals.

Thanks in avance
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Thanks in advance

Cosine · 02-12-2005, 12:17 PM

Hi
Welcome to TRT

Well to start off your lighting will depend on what type of corals and other critters you plan on keeping.
There is a wide varitety of lighting out there depending if you plan on
softies
or
LPS
or
SPS, clams
So check out some corals and decide what you plan on keeping then decide on the lighting!

Best advice I can say is take your time, be patient and research everything first!
good luck!

lordme · 02-12-2005, 01:01 PM

Thanks for the welcome.

Looking at putting just about anything in my tank. Mostly softies (95%). Maybe some LPS or SPS. I really need a starting point. I would also like some Anemones and some Dusters. As far as the fish, well, what ever will go in whith the type of corals I have.

Again thanks, for the reply.

alaskaknucklehead · 02-12-2005, 01:27 PM

Welcome to TRT!!

Softie's are a great place to start.
A finger leather and a few shrooms were my first corals, and still enjoy them in my tank.

Cosine · 02-12-2005, 01:33 PM

I see what you're saying you have/had fish only tanks so this is set up as a coral first tank.
well first place to look is PC, VHO, T5. These will have you covered for softies.
If you get into SPS and really bright coloured clams you'll probably want MHs. There's lots of choices for kelvin ratings and different types of bulbs, SE,DE.
If you go with halides then most people will supplement it with actinic VHO or PC bulbs.

You'll be looking at probably 2MH bulbs if you go with 250w I'd say you'll be able to keep most anything.
I know very little about lighting but hopefully this can get you started!

lordme · 02-12-2005, 01:36 PM

Everywhere I have read says to have a sand bottom. Is that necessary? I have a lot of crushed coral in it now and would suck to have to pull it out.

Anthony

Cosine · 02-12-2005, 02:01 PM

I have cc and can vouch for it not being great.
it's a detrious trap and I don't vacuum it as much as I should...
If you are going for SPS you're gonna need really good water quality.
There's lots of threads around here about substrate.
You could even consider going with a Bare Bottom tank.

Check out the think tank for info on this. You should find a huge thread on this.
My new tank I'm going with a shallow sand bed just for looks about 3/4'' to 1'' deep that I plan on vaccumming often.

tims · 02-12-2005, 06:32 PM

Welcome to TRT!
you are getting some good advice so far..
i will add if you will...
Lose the air stone. you will have a ton of salt creep! you might want to rethink the HOB filter. maybe do a DYI sump. INvest in a nice protein skimmer..( don't go cheap on this..) How much room do you have for a hood or canopy? you might want to check out some of the combo hoods that include MH and either pc or VHO...
invest in some good books if you have not and read everything you can get your hands on...
just dont rush..
i agree with cosine CC is pretty bad as a catcher of junk. unless you are willing to clean it each time you do a water change you might want to replace it now.BEFORE you do live rock. you can add about 75 lbs or so of LR to your tank. check at the LFS or on line.Depending on if it is cured or not will depend on how long our tank will have to cycle.this will be longer than a fish only tank. don't rush it...

don't be afraid to ask anything at all either..

lordme · 02-12-2005, 08:50 PM

I am not rich, by all means, but tell me what type of skimmer to get, and that will be the one I will get. I am the type of person that hates trying to figure something out myself. I would much rather learn from other peoples mistakes. Any ideas on where to get a design for a sump? Never seen one, nor know what it looks like. Tried to find it on the internet, but the wife is now giving me a hard time, she wants to watch movies...

Oh well, thanks for any and all responses.

Anthony

drsyme · 02-12-2005, 09:12 PM

I would recommend an AquaC remora skimmer. It hangs on the back of the tank.

For a sump, if your tank is not predrilled, you need to get an overflow box, this sits in the tanks, and then will drain to the sump, by gravity. Then you just need a pump to pump water back into the display tank. You can get a submersible pump, and put it in a 20 gallon long glass aquarium, for example, that will be your sump, and use flexible tubing to pump the water back up. You need to get a pump powerful enough to have good flow at about 4 or 5 feet of head.

I have to get back to the Maryland Duke game.

wharyat · 02-12-2005, 10:11 PM

How tall is your tank, this determines your mh wattage if you want to pursue this route.

drsyme · 02-12-2005, 10:36 PM

Maryland beat Duke.

We pwn them, lol.

lordme · 02-13-2005, 01:19 AM

The top of the tank sits 57 inches off the ground. So a 20Gal tank is big enough for a sump? I think I have one of those sitting around somewhere. And no my tank is not pre drilled.

lordme · 02-13-2005, 10:00 AM

I guess the place to start would to go get the AquaC remora skimmer. I surfed the internet and found a few. But in the reading of it, it said they were good for sumpless systems. Would I still need the sump? Also I noticed, that there was a regular and a pro. Would get the Pro if it ment I wouldn't have to get the sump. Guess I need to go and read up on the sump. Never heard of it before I started looking at doing this. Any suggestions for the pump, the Maxi-Jet 1200, or Dolphin DP-270? I have some power heads I used with my UG filter several years back.

tims · 02-13-2005, 10:11 AM

you dont have to do a sump if you dont want to. i am going to with my new 120. because i do not like all the junk in it and hanging off of it.
right now the diss. of the week is sumps. that will give you a good idea about it.
using your PH that you have will help. you might want to make sure the suction cups are still good, and play with the current flow once they are in the tank.