Starting a Reef Tank

amandap80 · 03-03-2008, 03:05 PM

Hello all. I am a newbie to saltwater, but have been doing freshwater for years. I have always wanted a reef tank, but never had the start-up funds. My boss is retiring, and willing to sell me his pimped-out freshwater setup. This system was designed to be converted into a saltwater tank. 90 gallon pre-drilled glass, 30 gallon sump, VHO lights, chiller, UV sterilizer, light timers, you name it. $800. I am psyched. It has been awhile since I have researched this hobby. I bought a supposed nice used skimmer a few years ago, and have kept it in my garage ever since. So, I have a few ideas, but need some general advice. I want a Deep sand bed, and I want live rock to keep corals. I know the type of corals I can have depend on my lighting. I am not sure about how many watts per gallon it is. I know it is decent...I know I need to start slowly.
First question: RODI water? From my freshwater troubles I know I have high phospates in my water, and live in a older house with older water lines. I am thinking a RODI unit will save me alot of problems. Thoughts? Recommendations? I am also planning to use RODI water in the freshwater aquarium, so I might need a decent-sized unit.
Second question: DSB. I read once about buying white sand and seeding it with live sand to reduce costs. Thoughts?

chrischris · 03-03-2008, 03:14 PM

well first off WELCOME TO THE REEFTANK
with those lights you might be able to keep some lower light sps and some softies
when converting fresh to salt your going to want to drain the whole tank and give it a good scrub

frankandmaura · 03-03-2008, 03:25 PM

Welcome! Sounds like you have a nice start.

One note...I have heard that you do not want to use RO/DI for fresh water...you may want to check out the freshwater forum. Something about the fish need the minerals in regular water.

Good luck and can't wait to see the system!

Oh...yeah, buy the cheap sand (dead sand) and see it with someone elses live sand. But you do not want the silica based sand. There are a lot of threads on here that talk about the sand you want...

snow_man84088 · 03-03-2008, 07:17 PM

Welcome to TRT!!!

I would highly recommend using a ro/di unit from the get go. This will prevent alot of potential problems down the road. Examples, phosphate saturated live rock, hair algae, saturated sand bed. Anyway definitely get a good quality ro/di unit. Here is the one I use and recommend.

http://www.melevsreef.com/ro_di.html

aquawolf · 03-03-2008, 08:33 PM

Welcome to TRT!

Definitely start out with the RO/DI unit for the saltwater tank. As previously stated it will help prevent many issues right from the start.

You should not use RO/DI for a freshwater tank. Freshwater fish actually need the minerals and such that are found in the water they live in. The RO/DI unit will strip out all of these needed minerals and you will not have any way to put them back in the system.

In saltwater systems the minerals are replaced by the salt mix and any supplements you may decide to add.

HTH

Mike01z · 03-03-2008, 09:31 PM

yep RODI, with VHO's you can keep mainly soft corals, eventually you might even upgrade to halides with your current vho's on the side. the bigger the skimmer the better, all kinds of mods you can do to most skimmers also to make them better.

Welcome to the hobby, it really is awesome.

Doug1 · 03-03-2008, 09:37 PM

Hi Amanda and Welcome to TRT, sounds like you got a nice setup to start off and asking questions before jumping is a great idea

By all means start off with RO/DI water and look into "cooking" your live rock, since you know you have phosphate issues, forewarned is for armed and FWIW , you can use RO'DI water in your FW tank, depending on what biotope you have in FW you can get buffers that will maintain electrolyte balance, Enjoy

amandap80 · 03-03-2008, 10:38 PM

So, I am thinking the first purchase is the RODI unit after the tank. All the plumbing stuff is confusing to me. Luckily, BF is helping

. However, I have a few new questions now. These units from PurelyH20, FilterGuys etc. come with all these connectors, fittings, valves. Some claim auto shutoff, 'top off' ready and other catch phrases. I have a general idea of what I want, but I need a bit of help buying the right bits. Does the output from the RODI unit go straight to the sump, or will the water need to be warmed? Will it only go to the sump for water replacement? I know for water changes it needs salt, so I am assuming the RODI unit would output to a clean, new trashcan for mixing with salt and heating, then pumped into the tank? If my RODI unit stays hooked up to the sump most of the time for 'auto topoff' do I need a floater device in the sump to make the RODI unit turn off? Sorry for all the questions! I know this is turning into remedial tubing class

whatevva · 03-04-2008, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Does the output from the RODI unit go straight to the sump, or will the water need to be warmed?

Warming for top off isn't necessary. Some people have a line going direct to a top-off controller (I do) but it's usually a bit more sophisticated than just a float valve.

Quote:

I know for water changes it needs salt, so I am assuming the RODI unit would output to a clean, new trashcan for mixing with salt and heating, then pumped into the tank?

Have a larger storage vessel available to make water and mix with salt for water changes.

Quote:

If my RODI unit stays hooked up to the sump most of the time for 'auto topoff' do I need a floater device in the sump to make the RODI unit turn off?

Stopping the output water from an RO/DI unit does not stop the waste water unless you have a unit, or attachment, that's designed to do that. I'd make sure you have that option added.

Loverotties · 03-04-2008, 05:58 AM

Welcome to TRT!

amandap80 · 03-04-2008, 10:46 AM

Ok, here are my specs so far, this is all a bit overwhelming.
90 gal Deep (the 48 inch long tank) predrilled RR
30 gal sump
540 watt VHO lights
UV sterilizer
Chiller with thermostat
Various pumps and powerheads

He didn't have a skimmer (since it was freshwater), so I need to look up the brand of the one I have in the garage. I am assuming it will need a pump as well?

What kind of media will I need in my sump?

OneDummHikk · 03-04-2008, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amandap80

Ok, here are my specs so far, this is all a bit overwhelming.
90 gal Deep (the 48 inch long tank) predrilled RR
30 gal sump
540 watt VHO lights
UV sterilizer
Chiller with thermostat
Various pumps and powerheads

He didn't have a skimmer (since it was freshwater), so I need to look up the brand of the one I have in the garage. I am assuming it will need a pump as well?

What kind of media will I need in my sump?

If the skimmer doesn't have a pump on it, then it will need one unless it is an inline skimmer and even they have a pump to them. Post a picture and info on the skimmer. As for the sump, what you need in it will depend on what you want to keep in the tank.

First question you should ask yourself, and the answer to that question will lead you to answers to all your other questions:

What do you want to keep in the tank?

amandap80 · 03-04-2008, 01:19 PM

Well, I know I want more than I can have

I am currently limited by my lighting, since I am buying this tank as-is, I will start out with the 540 watt VHOs.
I know I am prolly going about this backwards, but I am investing my startup money in the $800 tank setup, RODI unit, sand and live rock. Once I have completed the month cycle. I was going to go with hrady corals with low to medium light requirements.
Perhaps: The beginner mushroom and polyp pack from liveaquaria.

Package Contains
1	Button Polyp - Med or Colony Polyp - Med
1	Yellow Colony Polyp - Med
1	Hairy Mushroom Coral - Med
1	Bullseye Mushroom Coral - Med or Green Fluorescent Mushroom Coral - Med

or Soft Coral Frag Pack:
1 (assorted color) Lemon or Purple Tree Coral, 1- Neon Pineapple Tree Coral, 1- Taro Tree Coral, 1- Evergreen Starburst Polyp, and 1- Silver Branch Pumping Xenia.
Will I be mostly restricted to mushrooms and softs? Any suggestions? I am assuming for corals with high light requirements I will need to switch to halides in the future. I have always wanted clams too....(I know, wishful thinking)
I also love this one - "The Short Tentacle Plate Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral often referred to as a Disk, Mushroom, Chinaman, Fungia Plate, or Tongue Coral. It comes in a variety of colors, some very bright. They are very hardy corals that do not require intense lighting nor water flow. " However, it is semi-aggressive.
Do you mostly stick with peaceful creatures to start?

OneDummHikk · 03-04-2008, 01:53 PM

Make a complete list of everything you think you will want in the tank. Then research them and find out if they are compatible and if you need to add them in a particular order or not. It will save you a lot of time and trouble if you do.

I started my nano tank out with Zooanthids and mushrooms because they were given to me and for no other reason than that.

kimsie · 03-04-2008, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneDummHikk

Make a complete list of everything you think you will want in the tank. Then research them and find out if they are compatible and if you need to add them in a particular order or not. It will save you a lot of time and trouble if you do.

I agree - in an ideal situation this would be a perfect thing to do... However - when you're first getting into the hobby - it's nearly impossible as there's so many fish/inverts/coral - that you don't even know about! I mean even as an experienced reefer you're always discovering new things, right? This task can seem quite daunting to someone knew. Yes it can save you a lot of time and money and strive for it - but know that eventually you will make changes....

A good suggestion would be to look through the photo gallery at peoples tanks - find ones you like then ask them what's in it... That might be a good place to start. Also go looking around at lots of LFS's... see what things look cool to you. That will help you decide what you might like to have.