Converting to a reef... Can I do it?

i love the koralia's i have 3 of them, but im not sure you need number 4's I might go with #3's. Most coral do not like the direct flow you get from powerheads, hence why the koralia is such a nice pump as it disperses the water well. I have found soft corals incredibly easy to keep, with very minimal flow, but then again i dont feed that tank so there is little to no detritus around. but you wont regret the koralia purchase.
 
Thanks! I'll prob go with a similiar setup. Not gonna be fun digging my powerheads out of the rockwhork though. I figured there was a reason I never saw them in reef tanks.

I was planning on starting a 120g reef tank, but decided to scrap that, because I'm enjoying all the DIY work with my 55g. Plus I may move within 2 years, and if I do, do not want to move a tank of that size. Now if I can get my supplies for that sold, I'll have money for the Koralia's and some nice lighting!!! haha.

Thanks again!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10895998#post10895998 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Aadler
i love the koralia's i have 3 of them, but im not sure you need number 4's I might go with #3's. Most coral do not like the direct flow you get from powerheads, hence why the koralia is such a nice pump as it disperses the water well. I have found soft corals incredibly easy to keep, with very minimal flow, but then again i dont feed that tank so there is little to no detritus around. but you wont regret the koralia purchase.
Click to expand...

Does anyone know what the recommended flow through the aquarium should be for a Reef Tank?

The Koralia 3 - 850gph

The Koralia 4 - 1,200gph

Any recommendations on how many, and which type I should purchase for my 55g?

As of now I was thinking of ordering 3 Koralia #3's... But I want to be sure, before I make the purchase.

Thanks
 
I would NOT put Koralia 4's in your 55. Would be more like a hurricane in your tank than a nice flow. I am planning on putting 2 Koralia 3's and 1-2 Koralia 2's in my 75g when I have the cash.
 
Thats what I was thinking would happen with the 4's, but I haven't ever kept corals, so I'm not sure how strong of a flow I will need. I want to keep a little more than softies, so I "think" I would need a stronger flow.

I think I may initially start with 2 Koralia #3's, because I also have the flow from my return lines, that I am thinking about getting a SCWD for.

Also, I'm going to try and make a DIY self priming unit for my HOB overflow U-tubes which would hook up to a smaller powerhead, in the tank and add a little flow.
 
What kind of corals are you intending to keep? As a general rule of thumb, softies don't like too much water flow. If there's a lot they can close up and just die slowly. Sps like a lot of water flow :)
I'm also in the process of converting to a reef, or planning it anyway. I did a lot of research here and other places regarding the light system, and I don't really think the watt/gallon rule is something that should be paid much heed. Watts can mean a lot of things in terms of what light is available to photosynthesis.
I say keep what you already have, and if your corals are looking stressed or angsty, upgrade then.
Good luck! :)
 
well then my softies must be special. as i have 68x turnover in my 75 gal. mixed tank and my softies still grow like crazy. but yes their are corals that don't care for much flow.

most ppl like 20x turnover min. for reef tank but the type of flow and weather their are dead spots are more important IMO
 
Ok I had some good news and bad news today...

Good news:
I found a ridiculously old amazon gift certificate worth $25 when I was cleaning out my closet that expires next week! Even better, I found out I could order my Koralias through that. I figure I'll start out with 2 #3's and work my way up from there if I need to. Hopefully they'll be here next week sometime.

Bad news:
I need to replace all my PC lights. New bulbs will cost around $120. What is the difference between T-5 and PC's???

My PC unit is 4x55watt... I found a T-5 for about the same as its gonna cost me to replace my lights but it's 4 x 54watt... Does this mean my PC is better???

I don't understand lighting at all...

little help :(
 
depends on the brand of T5's. if they only have a single reflector for all the bulbs then they are not much better then PC's now if they have a sigle reflector for each bulb then they will be almost as stong as a 250 watt MH. but alot has to do with type of reflectors and such.
 
Some small updates:

I couldn't take the noise from my HOB overflow anymore so I looked up some things, and ran to home depot and created this from 1" PVC I believe. It worked amazing. Dead silent now, a lot nicer than sleeping with earplugs. It just sits in the HOB overflow and the bottom piece extends down into the bulkhead. Pinhole/nail hole on top to vent air.

165449DIY_Silencer.jpg


165449DIY_Silencer_Top.jpg


And I installed a light and bought some macro algae for my refugium.

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Light design is off of melevsreef.com, and cost under $10 from home depot. Here's the bulb I'm using, I'm looking for the one he uses, but just bought this one cause I needed one that day. I have no idea what the kelvin rating is on it.

165449light_box.jpg



Sorry guys, I know this is the slowest conversion ever... but this is how you do it with limited funds... hahahahaha :lol:
 
New sump/fuge layout... I need more room in the sump to protect agains a flood in a power outage...

So I picked up a rubbermaid 10 or 15 gallon container, and moved my fuge to that.

Here's what it looks like:

165449Seperate_Fuge.jpg


Currently I have the water running back and forth between two powerheads, however I'm having trouble matching the flow. Any suggestions?

I'm thinking about raising the fuge up about 6 inches, putting a 1" bulkhead in and having it drain by gravity into the return section. Then to get flow to the fuge, I think I'm going to construct a simple syphon out of some 1/2" tubing.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10940862#post10940862 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty8
New sump/fuge layout... I need more room in the sump to protect agains a flood in a power outage...

So I picked up a rubbermaid 10 or 15 gallon container, and moved my fuge to that.

Here's what it looks like:

165449Seperate_Fuge.jpg


Currently I have the water running back and forth between two powerheads, however I'm having trouble matching the flow. Any suggestions?

I'm thinking about raising the fuge up about 6 inches, putting a 1" bulkhead in and having it drain by gravity into the return section. Then to get flow to the fuge, I think I'm going to construct a simple syphon out of some 1/2" tubing.
Click to expand...

good setup---raise your sump and allow gravity feed return. If the flow stops or resumes in the fuge it will just start up again eliminating the chance of overflow
 
Start off with something simple like mushrooms. Low cost and easy to maintain. From there step up to something a little more demanding.

Baby steps like any good learning student.

Just be patient and don't get ahead of yourself or your budget ;).
 
Here's what it looks like after a quick stop at Home Depot after work today...

I haven't figured out how I will get water to the fuge yet, I'm thinking of sticking a powerhead (AquaClear70) in the return section, connected by 1/2 clear tubing.

16544955g_Plumbing_Layout3.jpg
 
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