complete newbie to this, please help

B

Bandapin

New member
Ok, here's my situation... I'm wanting to start a saltwater tank, and I was planning on having a mini reef setup eventually. First I'll tell what I was planning on getting, then hopefully you helpful people can tell me the thousands of mistakes im making :)
So, I was planning on getting a All-Glass 55 gallon tank, a canister filter (http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=AP7313), a protein skimmer (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4400&rel=1), and setting up a sump with live rock in the stand the tank sits on.

Now for the questions: how is the water pulled from the display tank? I have a freshwater tank that's been running for several years now with those hang over filters which have a kind of mesh where the water is sucked in, so the fishies aren't pulled in. When I see pictures of the canister filters, its just the canister and two tubes sticking out, without any info on how the water is taken from it's source. Also, would it be a good idea to have the water thats just gone through the canister to go through a sump before going back into the tank, or should this have a route of it's own? I've seen somthing about 'overflows' and drilling in the the tank, and I'm pretty uneasy about that, could someone pleease shed some light there? Although I would eventually like to keep corals and and other nice things in the tank, I can't afford the MH lights needed for that, so I'm planning on the start to finish taking a very long time, due to a small income. For that reason, I would also like to have a lot of this planned out very well before i start buying things. I have been reading the numerous guides on About.com on saltwater tank setup. For this unorganized mess of questions and problems, that's all I can think of at the moment. Thank you very much in advance!:)
 
I can offer some suggestions. I beleive that a sump is the way to go. You will have to dose additives to your system to keep a reef in balance. A sump allows you to dose ALK and Calcium to your system with out it going directly into the tank. sumps are not hard to set up. A canister filter need weekly cleaning of the media in order to prevent organic material from decaying into Nitrates. A sump also increases the total water volume which will help with systen stability. As for lighting MH can be pricey but if you design and build your own kighting the cost comes down greatly. as for a protien skimmer a seaclone is not going to get many kind words around here. I had one and it plain and simply did not work period. You would do much better with a Remora, Coralife or an ASM. More costly models are also out there Euroreef, deltec. Look here for Lighting Kits WWW.hellolights.com
 
I';ve had a 55 set up as a reef. really fun, and did it on a single mother going to college budget!!! its within reach!

I'm scared of the whole drilling/bulkhead/plumbing thing too, so I never did that. I'm thinking that on my next big tank, I'll get one either predrilled, or I'll be making my own tank and figure out how to do it (yes, you can make REALLY big tanks, if you do the reading!!!)

ok.. so, I also don't run sumps, only had a skimmer and lots of live rock on my 55 gallon. did pretty well. http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=4288345943&mode=guest

don't skimp on anything. right now, I have a skimmer (CPR bakpak) and a canister (only carbon for now) but the canister is a fluval-which is REALLY quiet and so far I like it. I need more stuff for it

ANYWAYS. the fluval at least came with the same type of tube with the mesh at the end. the hoses go up and over the side of the tank, and the intake has the mesh with a long tube. the output I modified to point down, but you can have it also going across the top. I bought it used, so it may not COME like that, but it is options.

the skimmer: they use power heads to pump the water up into it, and if flows out through a bigger hole, all sitting on the side of the tank. other skimmers do other things, but most of them have the same pump water out/drain back in type design.
 
Now for the questions: how is the water pulled from the display tank? GRAVITY: A HOSE RUNS DOWN TO THE SUMP, AND A RETURN PUMP AT THE FAR END OF THE SUMP SHOOTS IT BACK TO THE DISPLAY TANK.
Also, would it be a good idea to have the water thats just gone through the canister to go through a sump before going back into the tank, or should this have a route of it's own? AS PER OTHER ADVICE ABOVE, SKIP THE CANNISTER, GET A SKIMMER AND A SUMP; THE SKIMMER DOES WHAT THE CANNISTER DOES [EXCEPT FILTER] BUT MUCH FASTER. I've seen somthing about 'overflows' and drilling in the the tank, and I'm pretty uneasy about that, could someone pleease shed some light there? AN OVERFLOW IS THE PLACE IN YOUR DISPLAY TANK WHERE THE WATER FALLS DOWN. THERE ARE HANG-ON OVERFLOWS. MOST COMPACT, AND THE ONE I'D GO WITH IF POSSIBLE, IS AN IN TANK OVERFLOW; THIS HAS TO BE DRILLED. Although I would eventually like to keep corals and and other nice things in the tank, I can't afford the MH lights needed for that, so I'm planning on the start to finish taking a very long time, due to a small income. WELL I KNOW. THERE ARE HIGH OUTPUT FLUORESCENTS THAT WILL LET YOU KEEP MUSHROOMS AND SOME OTHER CORALS. STARTING MODESTLY WILL LET YOU ACCUMULATE EQUIPMENT BIT BY BIT; THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE HOBBY IF YOU RUSH RIGHT OUT AND BUY BIG EQUIPMENT. ALSO CHECK THE DIY FORUM FOR SOME WAYS TO SAVE MONEY. For that reason, I would also like to have a lot of this planned out very well before i start buying things. I have been reading EXCELLENT! YOU'LL HAVE FAR FEWER PROBLEMS. HOPE THE ABOVE HELPS!
 
BUT its even more expensive to get less than you want at first, and then upgrade later ;)

either $300 now for the MH lights
or
$200 for the PC lights, then later $300 for the MH lights...
 
And there's the MH ballast: that's the rough part. We ran our aquarium for a month on actinics with two sewing lights (full spectrum) aimed into the tank from the side. It ran pretty well for its cycle and a little after, but only with inverts and mushrooms before we upgraded the lights. Can someone talk about T5 lighting? I don't understand those...
 
Ditch the canister filter. I've had a 55 reef set up for a couple years and I run a protein skimmer and a refugium. The water from your main tank will go through a continuous siphon overflow box to the sump. I've made many overflow boxes and they work great, if designed right. Light your refugium/sump (cheap floodlight), add macro, and get a pump that will cycle your tank through your refugium atleast 10-20x /hr. I use Eheim 1262 on my system and it's great.
 
Well its a dirty job but i suppose somebody has to do it--

Hi Bandapin
[welcome]
:D

See Marc's Reef for all types of info on sumps, overflows and other DIY stuff.
 
Bandapin

It is refreshing to see someone who is doing the research and learning BEFORE spending a wad of money and then asking panicky questions after they have a tank full of critters and something goes wrong!


I have noticed a trend among many on RC who feel that unless you have a deltec skimmer, or Tunze pumps, etc., that everything else is garbage and you won't have success at reefkeeping.

On an RC poll of almost 3000 MORE THAN HALF of reefers used lighting OTHER than metal halide. You would never think that from reading the regular posts. It is almost like some are ashamed to admit they don't have MH lighting
 
I'll admit that I don't use MH anymore. but I'm not keeping a reef either, only zoanthids and softies...

when I had my reef, I LOVED my MH!!!! I had my plants next to the tank, looked kinda like a jungle.
 
Everyone, you've been a great help, but I'm slightly unclear about something. These overflows, there are All-Glass tanks with this already installed, and I'm planning on special ordering one from my LFS. Now I haven't actually seen one in person myself; so do they actually have a hole(s) drilled in the bottom of the tank in that section? Thanks again for all your help!
 
AGA Says:
Can I drill holes in my aquarium for external filters?
Maybe, many of our aquariums are made with tempered glass in the bottom. Tempered glass cannot be drilled. Non-tempered glass panels may be drilled by a qualified technician. In some cases, you may special order All-Glass aquariums pre-drilled with the MegaFlow or Twin-Flow overflow systems. You could also special order, in some cases, an aquarium with non-tempered glass if you wanted to have it drilled outside of our facility. If you have an older tank that you want to drill, donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t take any chances - if you are not sure that the glass is non-tempered, do not drill it.
http://www.all-glass.com/
 
If you haven't already bought the tank, and you have room, might I recommend a 75-90 gallon. Uses mostly the same stuff and you'll appreciate the extra depth for aquascaping not to mention the extra water volume.

Mike
 
as much as I would love a 75-90 gallon, it's just way too expensive. The 55 I'm planning on is too much too, but I'm just gonna wait till I can afford it. A 29 is like $100 cheaper at least (big deal for me) and it's quite tempting to not just get that.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7102879#post7102879 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bandapin
Everyone, you've been a great help, but I'm slightly unclear about something. These overflows, there are All-Glass tanks with this already installed, and I'm planning on special ordering one from my LFS. Now I haven't actually seen one in person myself; so do they actually have a hole(s) drilled in the bottom of the tank in that section? Thanks again for all your help!
Click to expand...

If I were starting another tank right now I'd get the overflow pre-installed and get a sump right away with room for a skimmer and a way to run carbon and filter pads or sock that can change out easily (often). With its return pump you have filtration and a basic circulation loop with little visible.

With a HOT skimmer, canister, CL manifold and power heads there is a lot of manmade stuff in there. I know 'cause that's what I have :)

(I want to drill down to my basement ...)
 
Check your local classifieds daily. People move or give up the hobby and need to get rid of stuff fast and you can get some really good deals. I found a 75 gallon reef ready tank that was in excellent condition for $30 a few years ago that I used for my sump.
 
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