New hobbyist. Please advise.

[CFR777]

Hi guys!

I'm setting up my nano reef and I thought I could get some help from you guys.
Just got a 40 gallon bow front tank. I know it's for freshwater, but I thought I could modify it to suit my needs. Ideally, I'd like to have some soft and hard corals, 3-4 small fish and the necessary clean up crew.

I'm about to order the following stuff:

• dry rock and some live rock
• Carib Sea Special Grade sand
• API Saltwater & Reef test kits (pH, kH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, Calcium and Phosphate)
• 2 Hydor Nano 1600
• 1 external canister filter
• sea salt
• Seachem Purigen
• Fluval Carbon

Please bear in mind I want to keep it as simple as possible. I know that the rock and the sand is the biological filter of the aquarium. So I thought that an external canister with poly-filter, Seachem Purigen and Fluval Carbon could provide the mechanical and chemical filtration.

I have a lot of questions, but here are the most important.

1) Do I have to clean, cook or bathe the dry rock in muriatic acid before I place it in my tank?

2) I'm planning to get rid of the canopy but I don't know what kind of lights I should buy. A friend of mine gave me 3 sets of Arcadia T5 leads sometime ago and I was thinking I could fit 3-4 Arcadia LED T5 tubes. I suppose I'll also need a controller.
Or I could buy a decent LED light and forget the diy work. I don't want to break the bank though. What's my options?

3) Do I have to buy a RO/DI filter? I mean, the tank is only 40 gallons. Wouldn't it be less of a hassle if I just get the RO water from the lfs?

4) Is there anything else I should buy?

Thank you for bearing with me.

 

[schatzi]

Hi, my thoughts on your questions....

Hi guys!

I'm setting up my nano reef and I thought I could get some help from you guys.
Just got a 40 gallon bow front tank. I know it's for freshwater, but I thought I could modify it to suit my needs. Ideally, I'd like to have some soft and hard corals, 3-4 small fish and the necessary clean up crew.

I'm about to order the following stuff:

• dry rock and some live rock
• Carib Sea Special Grade sand
• API Saltwater & Reef test kits (pH, kH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, Calcium and Phosphate)
• 2 Hydor Nano 1600
• 1 external canister filter
• sea salt
• Seachem Purigen
• Fluval Carbon

Please bear in mind I want to keep it as simple as possible. I know that the rock and the sand is the biological filter of the aquarium. So I thought that an external canister with poly-filter, Seachem Purigen and Fluval Carbon could provide the mechanical and chemical filtration.

I have a lot of questions, but here are the most important.

1) Do I have to clean, cook or bathe the dry rock in muriatic acid before I place it in my tank?

If you buy the rock from a vendor it should be good to go. You don't need much live rock to start with, it's expensive and could bring in something you don't want, like bubble algae. The dry rock will become live.



2) I'm planning to get rid of the canopy but I don't know what kind of lights I should buy. A friend of mine gave me 3 sets of Arcadia T5 leads sometime ago and I was thinking I could fit 3-4 Arcadia LED T5 tubes. I suppose I'll also need a controller.
Or I could buy a decent LED light and forget the diy work. I don't want to break the bank though. What's my options?

An open top if you don't replace the canopy with a cover of some kind is an opportunity for a fish to jump out, so keep that in mind. if you're in it for the long haul get LEDS, less expensive to run and maintain but usually more expensive up front. Also depends on what type of corals you want. I have a couple SPS under LEDS and it's great. I bought a diy kit from rapid led.


3) Do I have to buy a RO/DI filter? I mean, the tank is only 40 gallons. Wouldn't it be less of a hassle if I just get the RO water from the lfs?

If you have the room for an RO/DI unit, and again, in this for the long haul, having your own system is the way to go. Far cheaper and more convenient in the long run. Just need space for it somewhere and a canister of some kind to hold the water you make.


4) Is there anything else I should buy?

Better test kits if you want to keep hard corals. Red Sea is my preferred.
Canister filters are less preferred than a sump. Even a 10 or 20 gallon below the Display will help, you can grow some chaeto and help with nutrient export.

Thank you for bearing with me.

 

[CFR777]

Thank you for replying schatzi!

After a long search I found this LED light with this controller and this receiver.

Zetlight Lancia : ZP4000
arrow4.gif Length: 742mm
arrow4.gif Power: 28w
arrow4.gif Replaces T5 lamps: 35w
arrow4.gif Replaces T8 lamps: 25w
Aquarium dimensions (when using supplied brackets)
arrow4.gif Minimum Aquarium Length: 75cm
arrow4.gif Maximum Aquarium Length: 95cm
arrow4.gif Lumens: 2100LM
arrow4.gif White Colour temperature: 12000K (48 LED's)
arrow4.gif Blue wavelength: 455-465nm (28 LED's)
arrow4.gif Royal Blue wavelength: 450-455nm (8 LED's)

Do you think it's going to be ok?

My other option is to go DIY with this kit.

Any thoughts?
Cheers!

 

[texdoc77]

Hi guys!

I'm setting up my nano reef and I thought I could get some help from you guys.
Just got a 40 gallon bow front tank. I know it's for freshwater, but I thought I could modify it to suit my needs. Ideally, I'd like to have some soft and hard corals, 3-4 small fish and the necessary clean up crew.

I'm about to order the following stuff:

• dry rock and some live rock
• Carib Sea Special Grade sand
• API Saltwater & Reef test kits (pH, kH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, Calcium and Phosphate)
• 2 Hydor Nano 1600
• 1 external canister filter
• sea salt
• Seachem Purigen
• Fluval Carbon

Please bear in mind I want to keep it as simple as possible. I know that the rock and the sand is the biological filter of the aquarium. So I thought that an external canister with poly-filter, Seachem Purigen and Fluval Carbon could provide the mechanical and chemical filtration.

I have a lot of questions, but here are the most important.

1) Do I have to clean, cook or bathe the dry rock in muriatic acid before I place it in my tank?

2) I'm planning to get rid of the canopy but I don't know what kind of lights I should buy. A friend of mine gave me 3 sets of Arcadia T5 leads sometime ago and I was thinking I could fit 3-4 Arcadia LED T5 tubes. I suppose I'll also need a controller.
Or I could buy a decent LED light and forget the diy work. I don't want to break the bank though. What's my options?

3) Do I have to buy a RO/DI filter? I mean, the tank is only 40 gallons. Wouldn't it be less of a hassle if I just get the RO water from the lfs?

4) Is there anything else I should buy?

Thank you for bearing with me.

Couple of things:

1. Do you want it simple or easy? Easy isn't simple and simple isn't easy. What I mean is when I think of simple I think of fewer parts and less complexity to the system, however, that means you will be cleaning the tank and changing the water more often and things like that. You don't get it both ways. The more complex a set up, usually, the easier it is in the long run and vice versa. Honestly if you're looking for simple, you'll get frustrated fast in this hobby.

2. Your questions are good ones, but very simple and have been answered ad nauseam here. This is a good forum and TONS of great people, but they do expect you to do your research which means reading the beginner guides and doing a quick search of any question you might have. For example your rock question; there are many many threads with how to handle all the types of rock you might use and how to cure it.

Hope this helps

SC

 

[Jon0807]

Personally, I would not go with the canister filter. They are a pain to clean, and you'll have to do it fairly regularly. A HOB like the Aqua Clear 70 along with a skimmer attachment might be a better option.

As for lighting, I've had this http://a.co/dEP5Vn8 for a few months now and it works great for my 36g bow front.

I used to lug 5 gallon buckets of RO water from the grocery store back home and it became old pretty fast. It's so much more convenient to have your own system and IMO it's worth the price.

 

[CStrickland]

I think you're generally on the right track. Just a few suggestions.
- API makes two sets of kits, you should buy the other one. I think it's called reef master? Their phos test is garbage, it can't read low enough to tell you anything useful, but it's still a cost-saver to buy for the alk, ca, and nitrate. During the cycle you'll want to know ammonia, the seachem badges are great for ammo http://www.seachem.com/ammonia-alert.php and theyre like $5. You can pick up a nitrite test, or a pack of strips that tell you ammonia and alk etc for that, as you won't need it after the first month.

 

[CStrickland]

Sea salt, just to be clear, you need to buy tank salt, not like table salt.

If you are going to buy the rodi from the lfs, get yourself a tds meter like this http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/tds-3-handheld-tds-meter-hm-digital.html so you can be sure they are selling you pure water. They usually don't. I have a spectrapure 90 gpd refurbished rodi that I like very much.

I think a good hang on protein skimmer would be a much better choice than the purigen, carbon, etc. option but I don't know which models are recommended

 

[OldReefGuy]

just curious why you would think a bow front is for freshwater?

 

[Grimreaperz]

Drill it for you overflows and returns etc.....I got a 36g BF and in the excitement just set it up wishing I drilled it first! Find out if the glass is tempered or not and if not drill it!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

 

[CFR777]

Couple of things:

1. Do you want it simple or easy? Easy isn't simple and simple isn't easy. What I mean is when I think of simple I think of fewer parts and less complexity to the system, however, that means you will be cleaning the tank and changing the water more often and things like that. You don't get it both ways. The more complex a set up, usually, the easier it is in the long run and vice versa. Honestly if you're looking for simple, you'll get frustrated fast in this hobby.

Hi texdoc77. I'd like to keep it simple. At least for now. I'm aware that this means more work to be done, but I don't mind. I used to have a planted tropical and it was part of the joy for me to change water and clean it.

2. Your questions are good ones, but very simple and have been answered ad nauseam here. This is a good forum and TONS of great people, but they do expect you to do your research which means reading the beginner guides and doing a quick search of any question you might have. For example your rock question; there are many many threads with how to handle all the types of rock you might use and how to cure it.

You have a point there! However, sometimes the more you read, the more you're getting confused. That's what happened to me. I've ordered 20 lbs of Pukani dry rock. I've read that all I have to do is clean it from any debris/dead matter and just put it in the aquarium. Since it's cycling, I don't have to cure the rock or acid bathe it. I would have a problem though, if I put the rock in an established tank without cleaning it properly. Am I on the right track?

Hope this helps

Yes and thank you!

SC

Personally, I would not go with the canister filter. They are a pain to clean, and you'll have to do it fairly regularly. A HOB like the Aqua Clear 70 along with a skimmer attachment might be a better option.

Hi John0807! I reckon it's an advantage that the intake and outflow of a canister are separate. You can place them wherever you want and that helps the flow of the water. Some people say that a canisters are much quieter than HOBs. I'm not sure about that though. I believe that the main concern of many marine aquarists is that a canister is a potential nitrate factory. Yes, if you use bioballs, ceramic media, etc. That's why I chose to use Seachem Purigen instead. Since both HOB and canisters are serving the same purpose, the mechanical and chemical filtration of the tank, I think that at the end of the day it's a matter of taste, right?

As for lighting, I've had this http://a.co/dEP5Vn8 for a few months now and it works great for my 36g bow front.

That's interesting! Thanks!

I used to lug 5 gallon buckets of RO water from the grocery store back home and it became old pretty fast. It's so much more convenient to have your own system and IMO it's worth the price.

I guess I'm going to start with getting my water from my lfs and see how it goes. There's a chance I get bored of the trips and eventually buy a RO/DI system.

I think you're generally on the right track. Just a few suggestions.
- API makes two sets of kits, you should buy the other one. I think it's called reef master? Their phos test is garbage, it can't read low enough to tell you anything useful, but it's still a cost-saver to buy for the alk, ca, and nitrate. During the cycle you'll want to know ammonia, the seachem badges are great for ammo http://www.seachem.com/ammonia-alert.php and theyre like $5. You can pick up a nitrite test, or a pack of strips that tell you ammonia and alk etc for that, as you won't need it after the first month.

Hi CStrickland! Yes, I've read that many aquarists are not happy with API test. So I've ordered Salifert's Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate tests to start with and after cycling I'm going to get Calcium, Magnesium and Alkalinity.

Sea salt, just to be clear, you need to buy tank salt, not like table salt.

OMG! I bought 20 lbs of fine table salt!:eek1:
Just kidding.

If you are going to buy the rodi from the lfs, get yourself a tds meter like this http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/tds-3-...m-digital.html so you can be sure they are selling you pure water. They usually don't. I have a spectrapure 90 gpd refurbished rodi that I like very much.

Yeah, I've read that some lfs are not that responsible, so I've already purchased one of these meters.

I think a good hang on protein skimmer would be a much better choice than the purigen, carbon, etc. option but I don't know which models are recommended

I've noticed that many hobbyists run their reef tanks without a skimmer. Different paths can lead to the same goal, right?

just curious why you would think a bow front is for freshwater?

Hey OldReefGuy! I wasn't referring to the shape of the tank. I was talking about it's initial purpose. It's obvious that it was built to be a freshwater aquarium as you can see here.

Drill it for you overflows and returns etc.....I got a 36g BF and in the excitement just set it up wishing I drilled it first! Find out if the glass is tempered or not and if not drill it!

I'm not comfortable with the idea. Maybe when I set up my 150 gallon.

Any thoughts on my post about the lights?
Do you think it would be ok to start cycling with the stock lights (2x18w compact fluorescent daylight) and install the LED lights later down the line?

Thanks for your input guys! I really appreciate it.

 

[Flaring Afro]

I'd suggest not using any live rock at all. You don't need any, just like you don't need wood from the river in freshwater. It provides no benefit over dry rock functionally if you get a good clean up crew. You just get nasty hitchhikers that are a nightmare to deal with. The reason you might want live is to have a ton of little creatures to look for in the tank but I wouldn't suggest it for someone new or that wants things easy.

I also highly suggest drilling it for a sump. It again makes things much easier. Google beananimal overflow for the plumbing.

Bulk reef supply has RO/DI filters for fairly cheap and I wouldn't be surprised if they had some kind of Thanksgiving or Black Friday sale. It's not just about the cost in the long run, it's about the inconvenience of needing to drive out and lug buckets of water around every single water change.

 

[ColoReefer970]

I would spend a few extra bucks for not API test kits..(if I had to pick 1 package on a deserted island, Id pick the red Sea combo pack)

 

[nibor75]

I guess you are in the UK?

+1 for picking up a handheld TDS meter to check your pure water (essential whether toy buy an RODI or not).

For an RODI, something like this would do:
http://www.osmotics.co.uk/products/Ultra%252dPure-4-Stage-75-Gallon-Per-Day-RO-System.html

As you are in Europe, you can pick up Salifert test kits way less expensive than in the US. This is about the only thing you will find less expensive in Europe..... The API ammonia and phosphate tests are basically useless, the ammonia test often gives a false positive at the bottom the scale and the phosphate test is nowhere near sensitive enough.

+1 for giving the canister filter a miss. It will need cleaning out every couple minutes of days. Look at adding a sump if you can. It will give you somewhere to put your heaters, a skimmer, extra filtration...... plus the extra water in the system is always welcome. If you really cannot have a sump, a simple internal power filter is good for running occasional mechanical/chemical filtration.

Take your time choosing lighting. You don't need anything for the first few weeks and that will give you the time to decide what you really want.

Some of the German online stores a pretty good and will happily ship to the UK.l and you won't get hit with customs charges (at least for the next few months LOL).

http://sewatec.de
http://aquaristic.net

 

[nibor75]

Fixed link. For some reason, I can't edit all the typos.
https://www.aquaristic.net

 

[disc1]

I'd suggest not using any live rock at all. You don't need any, just like you don't need wood from the river in freshwater. It provides no benefit over dry rock functionally if you get a good clean up crew. You just get nasty hitchhikers that are a nightmare to deal with. The reason you might want live is to have a ton of little creatures to look for in the tank but I wouldn't suggest it for someone new or that wants things easy.

More often you get the beneficial type of hitchhikers that you just can't get any other way. Occasionally you get a bad guy but for the most part they are easy to deal with. The "nightmares" are few and far between.

 

[CFR777]

Yes I live in the UK.

I've already ordered:

• 20 lbs of dry Pukani rock
• 20 lbs of Caribsea Arag-alive special grade sand
• Salifert Nitrite, Nitrate and Ammonia tests
• 16lbs of Instant Ocean reef salt
• 2 oz of Dr Tims Ammonia Chloride
• D-D Solutions Aquascape epoxy

I'm going to cycle it using ammonia. It takes longer, I know, but that's how I did it with my freshwater and it worked perfectly.

As for the sump, I know that a sump has many advantages over a canister filter. However, I'd rather have a closed system for now. I'm not saying that I won't add a sump in the future. I just want to keep it simple until I learn the ropes.

Thanks for the links nibor75!

Back to reading about lights and coral requirements. :reading:

 

[Rython]

My understanding is that even for a closed system (without a sump), a hang-on back protein skimmer (like a Reef Octopus Classic 1000), is generally more effective and simpler to clean than a canister filter.

I have been researching a similar build for my nephew, and that seems to be the general consensus of people doing 40 gallon breeder builds.

 

[CFR777]

My understanding is that even for a closed system (without a sump), a hang-on back protein skimmer (like a Reef Octopus Classic 1000), is generally more effective and simpler to clean than a canister filter.

I have been researching a similar build for my nephew, and that seems to be the general consensus of people doing 40 gallon breeder builds.

From what I've read a protein skimmer is used to remove excess nutrients from the water. I think I'm going to try the natural method of filtration, which consists of only liverock and livesand and the nutrient export is provided by frequent partial water changes of 10-15% about every week.

Back to my reading... :reading:

 

[Rython]

From what I've read a protein skimmer is used to remove excess nutrients from the water. I think I'm going to try the natural method of filtration, which consists of only liverock and livesand and the nutrient export is provided by frequent partial water changes of 10-15% about every week.

Back to my reading... :reading:

What's natural about a canister filter?

 

[Flaring Afro]

More often you get the beneficial type of hitchhikers that you just can't get any other way. Occasionally you get a bad guy but for the most part they are easy to deal with. The "nightmares" are few and far between.

People have hitchhiking algae all the time. That's one of the most frequent reasons why people give up on the hobby, along with disease from overstocking and/or not QTing.

You can get small snails that do just as good of a job as the worms etc that you have in the rock. People who go the 100% dry route don't have any problems with stability and their tanks don't need any more water changes.