advise for setting up tank

[wkahwkah]

Hi, I'm currently cooking the live rock as finalizing equipments
for my new 46g bow ( 36" x 12~15" x 20"). Since cooking the rock
is almost done and I needs few equipments to buy, need some advises. Currently have 50lb of live rock, 60lb of live sand, AquaC remora (I know it is not that good but can't have sump due to stand)

Need advise on lighting, phosban reactor, Ro/DI and refugium.

I want to do mixed reef tank, sps on top, zoas on bottom not sure about softies/LPS so I was thinking 250w mh would be good enough but not sure which reflector/pendents to go with since my tank is small.
For reactor, do i really need to run both carbon and phosphates?
looking at marinedepot, they have hob style multi reactor for 50dollars so I might get it and is it bad to run carbon and phosphate in one reactor?
For Ro/DI unit, I don't think I will get it for 6month or year when I can put corals in tank what Ro/DI do you guys recommanded under 200dollars? (I will be using purified water from market or lfs till I get Ro/DI)
For refugium, I have no choice but to go with cpr aquafuge. Has anyone used this unit? thinking of either medium or large ( up to 4.7g)

thanks for advise!

 

[Jim_S]

My advice would be to sell the bowfront and buy a standard tank and stand so that you can keep a sump

Good luck!!!

Jim

 

[wkahwkah]

Ya i know...

but parents bought me tank and extra money

but they only liked the bow front lol..

so Im kinda stuck with it T_T

 

[navipro1]

No only that, standard tank has flat glass, much easier to clean or scrap the algae off the glass, especially coralline algae if it starts to grow on it.

 

[Jim_S]

Yeah, BF tanks IMO can be a PITA. From cleaning to building a stand and canopy.

Tanks can absolutely be set up and run w/out a sump. It sounds like you're well on your way with equipment and LR.

I've run and set up 5 different systems. Each time I do it, I learn something new, and I take that experience and build on it for the next tank. One of the first things I learned after setting up my first tank was that my next system will at all costs be run with a sump. I just wanted to pass that little bit of experience onto you before you dove in and regretted not doing it

Cheers,

Jim

 

[wkahwkah]

thanks for advise Jim,
After long research I found that sump is almost necessary
for reef tank but parents bought tank bit ago as a gift
and now Im trying to setting up.
what kinda pendent/reflector for 250w mh do you recommend for
small tank? I was looking at lumen bright mini with xm 20k (since tank is small I don't think have 10 or 15k for optimal growth is necessary)
hopefully I can run experience from setting up this tank, so in few yrs, I can set up good system with sump and good skimmer

 

[Jim_S]

No prob

I think the lumenbright mini would be a fine choice.

There is a local who has some for sale I think. His handle is jtarmitage. He keeps very good care of his stuff, so it would be a great idea to pick one up from him.

I opted for the lumenarc mini's for my tank. Either one should work well as long as you have it up high enough to spread the light out

 

[Justin74]

Bout the reactor, never a bad idea to have one, although I wouldnt put it online till a few months after your tank has cycled. You want amonia to take place when cycling so your tank can build a good aerobic bacteria population to turn it into nitrates in turn feeding your anaerobic bacteria population to process it into nitrogen gas and be exchanged out of the tank

-Justin

 

[Underwaterparadise]

Are you running a canopy? If not you may want to consider a fixture so you can have some Actinic lighting as well. The Reef Optix from sunlight supply are nice pendants but remember the pendant must hang from your ceiling if there is no canopy.

For a Reactor honeslty the only difference in most of them is the quality of materials used and the craftsmenship. The cheap ones work as well as the expensive ones but may not be as user friendly or built as strong.

 

[wkahwkah]

tank will be open top maybe with eggcrate and
there won't be a canopy. that's why I leaned more
towards mh than t-5 set up

thanks for input guys

 

[bobbyblank]

I know Petes9797 has a 92 bowfront tank and has a sump in it. He has a nice skimmer, auto topoff, and plenty of other goodies in it as well. Maybe you could get with peter on how he got one in there. Dont know if he made mod's to his stand, but from what i remember, i dont think he did. Anyway, its worth a PM .

bobby