New Aquarium

[fredflinstone]

Hi,

I just bought a new 50 gallon aquarium. I have 50 pounds of live rock. 40 pounds of live sand. I ran the system for 3 days. Now I have some hermit crabs and a couple of damsels.

I am using Penguin 303 filters, a couple of them. I am not sure if the filters are sufficient. Can you let me know if a hang on refugium or a sump is required.

I am planning to place some Corals and some more fishs.

Thanks for your help.

 

[nano10]

[welcome]


Don't add any corals or more fish untill your cycle is complete.

What kind of lighting do you have?

I would suggest taking the boi-wheels out of the filters and addeding some macro algea and LR rubble

 

[fredflinstone]

I have already removed the bio wheels. I have normal lights. 20+20W. Can I place macro Algea in the filter or in the aquarium. Fully submerged.

 

[Pandora]

fred, you're going to have a tough time growing most corals with only 40W of NO (normal output) fluorescent light. Most reef tanks need specialty lighting, which you can read about here on this site... choices include metal halide, power compact, VHO & T5. I would consider changing your hood to a glass hood and afixing custom lights. For a low light tank, usually you are aiming for rule of thumb 3-4W/gal (much higher than yours already), a tank full of high light requiring corals such as many SPS/clams can aim for as high as 6-8 and even slightly above.

Here's 2 articles on reef lighting:
http://www.reefcorner.com/Manual/lighting.htm
http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/thielbook/thielbook12.html#12.1


You can place the macros in either spot, but it will be a lot more efficient for nutrient export in the filter (makeshift refugium), and likely to grow more beneficial critters, without getting disturbed by fish and scavengers.

 

[fredflinstone]

I am thining of getting a 48" frame with 4*55W compacts. but thats for later. I am wondering if the filter system that I have are sufficient. I see most people using hang on refugiums and sumps. How soon should I start using that?

Also this mangrove plants. Can I grow them inside the tank itself? Like fully submerged? Can they survive if fully submerged in water?

 

[Pandora]

A refugium or sump is not a requirement, there are people who use other types of filtration. But in most opinions nowadays, it is one of the most natural, efficient, and reliable methods, along with skimming. The HOB filter you have now is better for a FOWLR tank.. with corals, there's more sensitivity to nitrate. Power filters and canister filters are mechanical filters (which a refugium isnt), and do function as biological filters once established. However, they lock away a lot of the nitrates so that they are unavailable for full conversion to nitrogen gas, which is a tradeoff for large bioload fish only tanks that have no corals, but not the best for reef tanks with inverts & corals. Live rock & live sand, supplemented with nutrient transport into a refugium, can complete the nitrogen cycle.

Bottom line, I would probably eventually leave the Penquin for a FW tank. Some people take out the biowheels and convert them into mini fuges. Mangroves can be grown in refugiums (that are large enough), and no, they are not submerged, only their roots are. A refugium can be used right away, since they're basically just added on to the main circulation of the tank, and there's not much you will grow in the beginning besides macroalgaes, which will only benefit from the nutrients in an uncycled tank. BTW, you don't have to do a HOB fuge, you can also do a sump style fuge, you'll have more water volume to work with; it all depends on whether you want to deal with more hanging on the back or under your main tank. There are good articles in the recent Reefkeeping magazine (free, connected with this site), just do a search for "Sump".

 

[John Steidl]

Get a skimmer

Get a skimmer

Pandora mentioned a skimmer in passing. I will go further and suggest you add a skimmer before you add the lighting. (If funds are limited.) For a simple 50 gallon tank the AquaC Remora is a great hang-on.

 

[Fast Fred]

Just my .02cents....You don't NEED a sump, but it sure does open up a lot more options when it comes to skimmers and type/size of filtration. Just something you may want to consider before buying any more HOB equipment.

 

[dastratt]

fred,
The sump pump creates essential water circulation, though usually additional circulation is needed beyond the sump loop itself. The Penguin filters provide some water circulation so could be run even empty, but you will probably want more than just those.

 

[fish_NEMO]

Hi

not trying to be negative but isnt it mean and harmful to cycle your tank with damsels? sorry, just didnt know?