Considering NPS

[m758b033]

Hello all,

I am new to reef keeping and have been deciding on what corals I want for my tank. I have a 50 gallon tall tank with some LR and a clownfish right now. The reason I am considering NPS corals is because the tank is really deep(30") and I don't have the money for a fancy MH light system.
My main question right now is would LEDs be good for this tank. They aren't recommended for tanks deeper than 20" so I figured they would be perfect for NPS corals in the bottom of the tank.
Also, what would be some good starter NPS corals?
Thanks ahead of time.

 

[wireefman]

since these are non light requiring corals (for the most part) leds are just fine... the lighting we use is more for our personal viewing pleasure as well as photography... please tell us about your set up... skimmer and other filtrateion as wellas your plans for feeding? im not sure how much reaserch you have put into this, but these corals while dont require light, they do require a constant food supply.. imo you will need to invest in a high quality skimmer as well as some sort of constant dosing mechanism... many people here use a modified mini fridge for frozen foods and a auto feeder for the dry foods... aslo water flow, with a tank that size i would think 2 mp20's should give you a respectable flow, mp40's would be nicer....
aslo what do you plan on running for mechanical filtration besides a skimmer?

 

[m758b033]

What about a hydor koralia evolution 1400 or maybe two 750s? The NPS wont be introduced for a while since the tank is still maturing. I want to do it right. I still pondering on mechanical filtration but I am thinking of a Super Reef Octopus LX1000s Hang-on Protein Skimmer for a skimmer. It also contains some mechanical filtration but I want more than that. Perhaps a sump of some sort? 40 gallon? If I do a sump then I am going to look into a different skimmer. Any recommendations for either?

 

[wireefman]

the best advice im going to give you is to read the 3 stickys at the top of the page as well as the dual ada build thread as well as the cadlights build thread...

what is required for these tanks may suprise you......

 

[stormrider27]

Does anyone have a link to cadlights build thread? Tried search but not nothing came up.

 

[wireefman]

Does anyone have a link to cadlights build thread? Tried search but not nothing came up.

its mikes build...
i just said cadlights because i knew that was the tank he used and names it in his title... but here it is if you havent seen it

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1773991

 

[m758b033]

Well I have started to read the threads you suggested, however, the server keeps overloading :sad2:

With the new knowledge, I am going to hold off until august or so to add the NPS at the earliest. That way I can buy a bigger skimmer, a 40 gallon sump and either the mp40s or the evolutions. Not sure on the pumps just yet. Do you think it would be best to start with a Dendrophyllia sp.(super sun coral) and similar species? I want to start with a beginner NPS to learn the ropes.

 

[wireefman]

dendro and sun corals are a great place to start, i didnt mean to burst your bubble, but you said you wanted to set this up right so i wanted you to understand just what it took to run an nps tank

 

[m758b033]

And I respect experienced hobbyist that do so. I've kept freshwater for many years and am sickened by chain petstores who sell people non compatible fish, fish to big for a tank, and bad equipment.

Any who. I have been browsing the sponsors section and looking at supplies for the tank. I have been looking at the Medium Octopus Reef Sump for to meet my filtration needs. I wouldn't mind buying in bulk so I could have 2. One for the DT and one for keeping media for a hospital or quarantine tank.

As for the pumps would a standard pump be better than a wavemaker? I have looked into some of the tunze products and have only ever heard good things about them. Particularly the nano wavebox, it puts off enough current for my narrow tank, and would allow me to carry it over to a bigger tank, whenever that happens.

I may hold off on getting the skimmer for a while. I don't know if one would be entirely neccessary for a 50 gallon tank with base rock, 20 pounds of LR, and a clownfish. I would likely get it when I get the sumps. That way I can start it all at once. I was thinking a nice seaclone... just kidding :lolspin: No, I am looking at the Reef Octopus Extreme in sump protein skimmer. It is rated for 200 gallons which would work wonders on a 50 gallon. Once again, the size would allow for me to upgrade to a bigger tank later.

I haven't been to my LFS in a while so I am not sure if they sell them or not. I know I am not ready for the coral just yet, but I figure I may as well start asking around there and get a price range.

I believe that is everything for now. If I have any other question I will ask for sure. Any thoughts or suggestions?