I'm Back
I'm Back
Hi. I am not necessarily new to the hobby or to RC but it has been over 10 years since I have kept a reef tank and probably even longer since I have posted. I am excited to start again and plan to take it slow; one because I have learned that slow is better and two because it takes money. The purpose of this post is to re-introduce myself and to seek advice.
The following is a list of equipment I plan to use. I plan on having a reef tank with fish and soft corals. One day, I plan on some stony ones as well - but baby steps. This post is more geared to equipment to ensure I have everything I will need. I will repost again when livestock is in question. Any suggestions or advice would be great.
Main tank:
90 gal (48" X 18" X 24") "reef ready" mounted inside a wall. Besides sand, rock, fish, coral and inverts, I plan on having a few power heads mounted to a wavemaker.
Filtration:
Plan is to use a 30 gal (36" X 12" X 22") as a refugium. I will break into 5 chambers using lexan. First chamber will be the drained water from the tank above, it will overflow into a chamber with filter socks, then to the fuge part, into a "foam" chamber and finally into chamber 5 which will house a protein skimmer and return pump. The protein skimmer I have from years ago is a Turboflotor purchased from DrFosterSmith.com. The fuge will also house a 500W heater and digital thermometer.
Water:
Again, my plan is to have a RO/DI system with an auto shut-off using a float switch and a solenoid valve. The RO/DI water will fill a Rubbermaid tub (approx 25 gallon). This tub will have an auto-top-off system with redundant float switches back to the fuge tank. It will have a small pump inside it to bring this new clean water to the fuge.
Lighting:
I plan on purchasing LED lighting. I am looking at UFO series as my LFS says they are a good bang for the buck.
Quarantine Tank:
20 gal with a simple mechanical filter and heater.
Questions: Should I have a light with this? Will a whisper type mechanical filter be adequate for a few weeks of quarantine or should I have something else?
Measurement devices:
I have purchased a refractometer, a PH meter and a phosphase meter.
Question: Any other suggestions?
General questions:
1) Any other equipment that you think I need?
2) How often should water circulated in a given day / hour? I need to size a good pump.
3) A Calcium reactor or Kalkwasser dripper?
4) Is it suggested to have a separate holding tank for salt water for water changes?
5) Could someone explain how to or what process to take in order to "clean" live rock. I have heard rinse, soak in warmer water, put in quarantine tank - looking for ideas.
Anything else that people think I am forgetting? Before I jump in, I want to have all the equipment and build from there.
Any input appreciated.
Thanks
Paul