first reef tank.

[new2reef2]

Hello all, I am new to the salt water hobby but have kept freshwater fish for about 5 years keeping everything from tetras to catfish.

I am planning on picking up a 35 gallon cube tank with a sump under it. I don't know the size of the sump but it looks like a basic set up with 3 chambers. I have a few questions tho about starting it up.

I know you need approx 1-2lbs of rock/live rock for the tank. when starting up I am planning on doing some live rock and some dry rock, is there a ratio or rule of thumb that i should use. pounds of LR to pounds of dry.

nest question is dealing with the sump. is there anything as per media I must have what i was planning for now in the middle do a refugium with sand as base and some small chunks of LR. and not right away but eventually add a skimmer to it after a month or two.

thanks

 

[adambom]

You could use 50% LR as a starting point, but regardless of how much is live at the outset it will all become live eventually. You may have a faster cycle with more LR, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't make much difference.

For your second question - if you're looking for nutrient export, a skimmer is likely to be much more effective than a refugium for a tank that size. If you can afford it now I would start with the skimmer.

If you're just looking for some added biodiversity your plan sounds like a decent one, although personally I would omit the sand as it tends to trap detritus. A lot of people like to add some macroalgae and a fuge light to their refugiums as well. By harvesting the algae you can export nutrients. The algae and live rock will host copepods and amphipods which will be a good supplemental food source for fish. However, there is no right or wrong way to set up a fuge so I would encourage you to try different things and see what works for you.

 

[new2reef2]

thanks, bare bottom with live rock and some algae. what kind of skimmer would be good for a tank this size, something that is not too costly but gets the job done.

 

[reret10]

When I started my 30 gallon reef I used 30 pounds of live rock and ten pounds of dry rock in the display tank. I've since moved about 20 of those 40 pounds to the sump because i'm going for the more minimalist reef style. Honestly, its really up to you. Personally, I would start with at least 20 pounds of live rock and however much dry rock you want but I know some people who went almost 100% dry rock and had awesome reefs after a very long cycle. I would definitely start with a bunch of live rock though.
As for media and such, that can all be added later depending on your need for it. If you have a heavy bioload or you don't feel like doing a ton of water changes or you live in California like me and know that is horribly inefficient to make tons of RODI water all the time due to the drought, then you'll want to consider media and reactors and such but you don't have to worry to much now.
Just curious, what kinds of coral do you want to keep? What are you planning on doing for flow? Also, what kind of lighting are you planning on using?
One of the major tips I can give you is don't skimp out and buy cheap stuff when you start your tank since you'll totally end up replacing it. I have about 4 lighting systems, 2 skimmers and 15 random pumps and such that I got because they were cheap, then they broke and didn't learn my lesson the first 20 times. And thats all just for one 30 gallon tank!
Good luck!

 

[new2reef2]

right now for lights I am still researching, torn between a LED system or T5. for corals nothing too crazy since its my first reef il start out with softies, zoas ect. livestock since its a 30 gallon, planning on a really light one 2 clowns a goby of some sort then clean up crew. I dont have a RO system as i live in an apartment so i will be lugging water cooler jugs. For water changes that wont be to bad if i do 10 or 5 gallon change a week kust trying to figure out best route for initial start up.

 

[adambom]

One of the major tips I can give you is don't skimp out and buy cheap stuff when you start your tank since you'll totally end up replacing it.
Good luck!

This

 

[adambom]

If you've got the time, and the interest, I would highly recommend checking out the series Bulk Reef Supply has been working on about starting a new tank.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBaMLrfToJyybUT18OE3fMomFb9XU0ffC

I've been watching it from the beginning and it's phenomenal. I look forward to the new videos each week. I was going to refer you to the video about skimmers since you were asking about how to choose a skimmer, but honestly the entire series is A+. They have a bunch of videos just on lighting if you are having trouble making up your mind.

 

[new2reef2]

i have been watching soo many reef videos none stop thank god for youtube!! I picked yp the tank today. it came with a light. a 36 watt LED light white and blue lights. its decent for start but i do not think that wil be enough for growing corals. i will try and upload a picture of the sump and maybe get some insight on the best way to set it up. i also need to plumb it.