220g bare bottom start

[Beemo]

i kicked out my fancy goldfish and converted their tank to saltwater :lol:
this is my first sw bare bottom, im dying to add sand!! i'll try and hold out, but it will be tough
i still need to get alot of stuff, skimmer, power heads etc. but at least i have the light, pc 4x65 or 95, something like that, its been locked away in my basement for so long i ferget :crazy1:
it looks horrible without a background, i ordered one last night so hopefully by next week it will show up. dang it was hard finding one over 30" tall. i got one with a blue side and a black side so if i change my mind its an easy flip
i spray painted cardboard with this pebble beach sand looking stuff and attached it to the underside of the tank. when i got under there to install it i didnt realize there were these bottom braces on the bottom of the tank, phooey :mad2: so i had to cut them to fit inside the braces.
i got like 200 lbs of rock, it doesnt seem like that much though, but i guess its good enough.
im not gonna do corals with this tank since i want a few fish that arent reef safe, angels, butterfly's etc.
its so nice and clean now..i dont wanna see diatoms!

 

[buttons buster]

How many fosh do you plan on housing?

 

[Beemo]

hmmm...my wish list is huge hehe , but i wont get everything.
these are just what im interested in...im not gonna cram all these fish in dont worry :lol:

i def want a dozen green chromis

kole tang
yellow tang
naso tang (i have him allready in my 55g waiting)
purple tang? too aggressive?
koran angel
anthias? not sure
blenny
coral beauty or flame angel or rusty angel
lamarchs angelfish i think is peaceful and can go with other angels
flame hawk
clown, saddleback, cinamon, or tomatoe clown (just one clown species)
butterfly fish, racoons etc
reef safe wrasse
pair of neon gobies
hi hat grunt (baby)
rabbitfish (two barred, spotted)
foxface
3 cardinal fish, those black and white ones i forgot the name
2 banner fish
orchid dottyback

snails, hermits, and id like cleaner shrimp but im not sure if i can mix them with butterflys

 

[Phxkeller]

Wow that is going to be sweet! Gives me hope I can get to that point soon.. Your keeping my interest going after some frustrating set backs.

I'm working on a 300G BB (1st one as well) and from what I read and understand keeping the flow high in the tank will help keep you from getting diatoms buildup. I hope this is true, I added a Closed Loop to my tank (none prior) to help keep water flowing and skim out all the "BAD STUFF". Drilling was not something I attempted on my own another reefer really lent a huge helping hand in that part of it.

 

[Beemo]

300g is gonna be nice!!
im a bit confused on flow myself, not sure where to aim the nozzle or where to place the power heads.
should i place one low to blast under the rocks???

i was planning on getting two koralia #4's, 1200 gph each

 

[Beemo]

i got the light on yay :rollface:
when taking it out of the basement i noticed it had a broken leg :eek2:
i taped it together, pray it holds up! :lol:
dont mind all the wires in the back, they will soon be covered up with a background

 

[sherm71tank]

My 2 cents take it or leave it:

You need to get a sump. You need a very good skimmer. You need lots of flow and a couple K4's isn't going to do it. Your rockwork needs to be open to allow flow through it. Don't even think about using HOB filters for a reef tank, especially a BB one. I also don't recommend using a canister filter. On the upside I think you have a good amount of rock, just needs rearranged IMO. I'm just rying to help you avert a disaster here. BB tanks rely on your filtration and don't benefit from a sand bed "cushion".

 

[Phxkeller]

I have to agree on some info above, ++ on the Skimmer. Flow is going to be the least of your worries with the tank as is. I think you will be disappointed and setting up to have very poor water quality if you plan on only using the filtration in place in the pics. Really not trying to burst any bubbles or cause you a large expense to add more stuff/equipment... Still looks ready to be a freshwater setup not salt. saltwater and Live rock wont do the trick.

I mention this because I would hate to hear you spend so much on different corals to have them die on you due to poor water quality.

Please look into more about REEF Tanks and BB tanks before you purchase corals I don't think they would survive very long (unless you plan weekly water changes, Impossible). Even try a local fish store for info on reef setups.

Just trying to help not upset or misguide you.
FK

 

[Beemo]

yeah i know about the sump part, im working on it
i just needed something to keep the water clear for now. all these things cost mega bux...this ones gonna be a slooooooow project

so two koralias arent good enough?? ahh...i just wanted two of something, you know to save on all that bulky stuff. but if four is needed i'll get four.

the rockwork looks alot different in person than the pics for some reason, it is open underneath, i can look straight through to the back in almost every location, also from looking down theres alot of holes and gaps, tunnels and swim throughs

i have a UV in there no (unplugged) should i ditch this?? or use it after cycling?

 

[Beemo]

oops and forgot to add, no im not keeping corals in this tank at all

several fish i want are not coral safe and will nibble on them

this will be a fish only system.

i have a mini reef upstairs thats been running for a few years now, one reef is good enough for me

 

[sherm71tank]

If you don't mind siphoning the bottom and doing water changes when needed then you should be fine. Just keep those lights off when you're not looking at the tank (to keep nuisance algae down) and keep an eye on your nitrates. Good luck with it! Lots of people use UV. It has to be large enough, use the right flow rate and keep it clean and change the bulb when recommended. Good luck with it!

 

[Beemo]

thnx

lights off okee dokee

is there a best way to position the power heads to try and get things blowing under and out from the rocks up into the water column??

 

[sherm71tank]

I run 4 pumps on the bottom of my 90. One in each corner. Two pointed towards the middle back and two towards the middle front. I then have one pump towards the top that points towards the overflow from across the tank.

You will probably have to experiment with different positions until you find one you like. I changed my pumps around about 6 times.

 

[Beemo]

yeah i'll have to play around with them. theres a lil bit of debri from the rocks guess that will be my testing crud :lol:
i do like the idea placing them low or on the bottom. i ordered the pumps last night, they should be here in a week or so. my background came yay...phew thank god i got tired of looking at hoses n' wires