Hello Alabama ...

J

jcarrell

New member
Already posted in the new to the hobby section, but thought I'd say hi here as well.

I'm about to start getting ready to setup my first reef tank and I'm leaning towards a 55 gal tank. If any one has a few words of wisdom to share feel free. :)

I've already read some of the info for new-comers to the hobby and it's been really helpful, but I'm still thristing for more knowledge before I begin.
 
First up, whats up Jonathan.

Secondly, if I were starting out again, i'd defintely try to go with a 90g, specifically something that is drilled and reef ready. If you go with anything non-drilled, you will have pipes and tubes hanging over the side of the tank, and its just not that great to look at in my opinion. With a drilled tank, you can use a sump to put all of your equipment in and it also increases the volume of water you can maintain.

Watch the paper and al.com, I see good deals on used setups from time to time.
 
Thanks for the greets and thanks for the advice scott.

Where can I find more info about drilled setups using a sump ... I don't want any more equipment in tank than is absolutely necessary, but I'm still a little fuzzy as far as understanding the specifics of that type of setup.

The main reason I'm leaning towards a 55 gal is because due to space I can't go beyond 48" in length and that seems to be a pretty common legnth for the 55's. I could go almost twice as a deep as the one I'm looking at but would want to go much taller.
 
If you want to go with corals then I also suggest a different shape than the 55 Long. I think its shallow depth makes aquascaping difficult. A 75,90, or 58 oceanic tanks are all good but I dont know how big you want to go. I also agree with scothew, if you plan to buy new or used try to go with a drilled tank (RR) and i'm sure you will be much happier in the long run.
 
The absolute max legnth and with would be 48"x24" But I haven't really seen any local with that exact size ...

Could you please explain the concept of using a drilled tank with sump or at least point me in the right direction? ... I'm still trying to get a better understanding of the fundamental mechanics.
 
if 48 is the longest you can go, then go for a 75g tank. it will give you a lot more depth and room to work is the tank. A 55g tank is to narrow with all the rock that will be in the tank and you are going to want to scrape the glass to get all of the crap off of it. you should also definitly go the sump/fuge method. in the long run it will save you SOOOOoooo much money. If you get hang on the back stuff it will suck up your money and just dosent look nearly as good as everything being put in your sump. you want a good clean looking tank. Best piece of advice is get a really good skimmer. i would go with what i had on my 75g - a ASM g-3. its an awesome skimmer and fits perfectly in a 29g sump with room for a fuge and a return.
 
The AGA 120 is 48x24x24 and makes aquascaping a breeze. That extra depth is wonderful. The dual overflows work great as well. The difference in the 90 and 120 is the 6" depth (18 vs 24)

If you can swing the cost, the majority of equipment is about the same.

Good Luck!
 
I agree with alafish on that one. From a reefer perspective - and once you start you'll be one too - you really can't get a tank too big. Bigger in this hobby always seems better (to an extent). I always wished I'd started with a bigger tank, I started with a 55 and like you've already been told it's nice but at the bottom of the chain. You'll always wish you had more depth to the tank (front to back) to aquascape. This also limits the amount of things you can put into your tank. Another aspect to this hobby, IMO, is that the more water you've got the better, a margin of error if you will. The more water you've got the less is affected by heat and primarly evaporation and salinity flexuation. Basicly I'd spend the money to find a used or new for that matter decent sized tank. Like I said earlier the 55 was too small for me and the return pump for a 55 is too small for a 120 and same with the skimmer... so forth and so on. If you started with a 90 - 125 (which will fit your dimentions assuming you've got the depth 18"-24") IMO you'd be better off. Just my learning curve that's all. This hobby is all about opinion as you should know up front. Someones always reinventing the mouse trap. My 55 was a great start and without it I wouldn't be into the hobby though. I'm just going with my experiences. I still have my 55 up and going and like it, but the 58's much better due to the depth! Next onto my new 180 I just got! :-) See the progression. LOL
Billy
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6985010#post6985010 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jcarrell
Could you please explain the concept of using a drilled tank with sump or at least point me in the right direction? ... I'm still trying to get a better understanding of the fundamental mechanics.
Click to expand...
I'll give it a shot -- this may be too simplistic, but here goes....
A drilled tank basically is a tank with holes in it. On the inside of the tank, surrounding the holes, there is usually an acrylic or plastic chamber called an overflow. The top of the overflow chamber is set at the level you want water to be at in your display tank. Tank water flows into the overflow and out the hole(s) through tubing or pipe to a container/aquarium or vat under your tank. This lower tank is called a "sump." A sump usually has a smaller volume of water than your tank (usually around 25% or more). In the sump you can place heaters, a skimmer, or other devices that you don't want to be seen in your display tank. You'll also have a pump in your sump which sends water back up to your display tank. As the water is pumped back into the display, it continuously "overflows" into your overflow chamber and cycles back through the sump. You can also have an extra chamber (called a refugium) in your sump to keep macro algae or critters that would not do well in the display.
That's the gist of it :) It sounds complicated, and can be daunting when you are first starting out, but there's really not much to it.
HTH,
Mariner
 
Here's a three part article on sumps by Reefkeeping Online magazine:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/gt/index.php

2002-2003 issues of Reefkeeping Online Magazine have a number of great articles regarding reef keeping equipment/set up's (such as primers on skimmers, basic tools, calcium reactors, etc.):

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/past3.php

I just found an article on a nifty way to install baffle plates using EDPM rubber strip - actually an angel fish breeder friend of mine has been doing it with sections of a garden hose:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i1/Baffles/baffles.htm

Tomoko
 
Thanks for the info guys, after doing some more research I think I'm going to step up to a 75 gal tank to start with .. here's a question though ... how difficult would it be to use a sump on a tank that hasn't been drilled ... just asking because the difference in price (about half) is enought to make you think.
 
You can do it, but you have to use some sort of hang-on overflow box to get the water in and out of your tank. Most of these are notoriuos for breaking siphon and flooding floors with tank water.
A better option would be to drill the tank yourself. There are a few guys in our reef club up here in North Alabama who've drilled tanks and helped set up sumps for little or no charge. There ought to be someone in the B'ham area who could help you out.
Mariner
 
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