New to hobby!! HELP ME

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Updated pics i just took of corals / fish and what tank looks like now with 90 tunnels going threw it like i was suggested to do.
 
dbsalinas89 said:
http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...xtures-AquaticLife-AK01138-FILTFIT54U-vi.html this is my current light. Do i need to buy another before getting coral?
Click to expand...

Yes and no. I'm currently running a 10k and actinic t5 and my few little shrooms and zoas are all happy. To do Lps/sps you'll need more light. Personally my t5 set up is a hold me over until I get my reefbreeders. I currently as of today started running two 10k bulbs. Will see what everyone looks like tonight when I get home.
 
Congrats on the new tank and addiction. My best advice is to double check any advice given to you here. There are a few responses above that aren't really in your best interest. And others that are great. So it's really up to you to research it all =).

And as for the hob overflow the only ones I would trust if you aren't going to drill the tank is lifereef and eshopps.. Anything that relies on a pump to keep a prime is a disaster waiting to happen. I've had a eshopps running on a frag tank for 3+ years without a single problem. Never need to restart the syphon I just clean the u tube maybe once a year. But as you already know drilling is the best but seems like your past that =).

Spending money on good equipment imo is key to having a good running tank. You don't need the top shelf things but stay away from the cheap underperformed things. Especially when it comes to a skimmer and lighting. By the sound of your local fish store if I were you I would go in knowing what you want other than taking the advice of them. Trying to sell you an underperforming system right off the bat should be an eye opener to do your research before you go.. Good luck and enjoy.

Read all the stickies if you haven't already you can't go wrong doing that.
 
Ok thanks for replys! Think im gonna go with led lighting i was referred to. Gonna cost me 1600$ but no bulb replacement as often and much much more light
 
dbsalinas89 said:
Ok thanks for replys! Think im gonna go with led lighting i was referred to. Gonna cost me 1600$ but no bulb replacement as often and much much more light
Click to expand...

Why so much? The reefbreeders and ocean revive lights have rave reviews and aren't nearly as outrageous as the higher price ones. May wanna do some heavy research before you drop 1600 on lights.
 
A successful reef tank is more than expensive lights. Imo spending that much on lights while your running an aqua c skimmer and a back pack filter is pointless. You can get some great used lights(like an ATI t5 fixture) for less than half what your going to spend and put the rest in upgrading the equipment you should be . if you need to buy top tier lights and $ isn't an object I'd go with the ATI hybrid powermodule or Pacific sun Pandora after I added a sump and good skimmer to the tank

Leds in general have a learning curve that a lot actually don't overcome so I'd say start with something that's easy like t5 or halide. That's just my opinion but I tried the "value" fixture build quality was ehh (expected at the price though) and wasn't impressed I was annoyed with having to acclimate every thing that went into the tank + bleaching corals is pretty easy to do under led also. Power saving was nothing because my heaters ran 24 hours a day vs 12.

(and fwiw I'd rock a radion over a reef breeders any day =)
 
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You are taking this way too fast IMO, slow down! The tanks barely been running for 3 weeks, I left my tank totally empty for 4 months until I was happy I had it placed in the room where I wanted and had everything laid out, because I knew once that baby was running, It would be semi permanent. I'm glad I did this, initially I was going to rush and have it located in an awkward position in the room, it gave me time to think it out and plan it properly. Once it was wet, I waited almost 2 months before I even added a single cuc member. You will hear this time and time again here, be patient. Just remember the 3 R's Rush, Regret, Redo! Don't do the 3 R's.

IME, and IMO buying those lights at this stage are just unnecessary, your tank won't and can't support SPS for at least another 6 months, especially as a newcomer to the hobby, those types and for that matter any types of coral need stability, and that only comes with tank age. I made this mistake myself, 6 months into my first 29 gallon tank, I bought a nice expensive light and thought I was ready for SPS, $300 in frags later I reallized that there was plenty of other important things in the equation that I needed to solve, like minimizing Phosphate and Nitrate.

If I were you, starting out, I would save my money on the light for right now, there's plenty of starter corals that aren't as sensitive as SPS (for the love of god stay away from Xenia) that your lights can support for now, then maybe in 6-9 months time when your tank is stable and ready, and you are also ready (i.e. Have learned about corals needs and have an understanding on what they need to flourish.) then upgrade your lighting at that stage.

For now, you seriously need to consider drilling your tank and using a sump, the HOB overflow may be a good alternative but I've never used one myself. I started with a 29 gallon tank for several years. And switched last year to a 180, it was a whole new learning curve including ----> drilling glass! Like yourself, I bought a tank that later I reallized would be inadequate, it was a RR, later I realized this would make for a very noisy tank, I wanted it to be ultra quiet, thankfully a good dude username: uncleof6 was there to put me straight. I like you was hesitant to drill glass, I'm not technically advanced and was very scared (as you should be) but I drilled 4 holes in .5" glass, (took 6 hours of constant drilling) but the result is a dead silent running aquarium, supporting all kinds of corals and fish and I'm sure glad I took the extra steps in the beginning.

again IMO, if you choose to stay with the HOB filter, you will end up either getting frustrated and giving up the hobby.
Or, you will successfully kill a lot of nice coral, and then in 6 months time end up drilling the tank.

(Do not drill the glass if it is tempered, if tempered no matter what it will shatter instantly. Most likely the bottom panel is tempered, and the sides most probably are not tempered (you will need to check for sure) there are easy ways to check, just google it)

IME and IMO you would get great, quiet results from a beananimal style overflow, (this is the plumbing works that carry water from your display tank, via the drilled holes and into the sump.), google it, look for threads on here, there's videos, and website explaining this style, it is silent which some others are not as silent.

For sump, as someone has suggested, $40 will buy you a 40 gallon tank at petco, that is all you need, then have some glass cut for baffles aka dividers, then silicone in place with fish safe silicone. you can even copy my sump layout, it should be in my build thread.

I recommend looking at this thread, this talks about the drilling stages, you'll see how hesitant I was to drill, but 2 years later I'm very pleased I did. I also made sure to put down every measurement and even repeat stuff, in order to keep all the info saved for future references like this very time. This should give you a vast amount of info for bit sizes, placement of holes etc.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2252709

Here is my build thread, it should hopefully show you the sump and the dreaded drilling stages.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2250167

Also, check out Bulk reef supply, google it, very trusted website, there BRSTV segments are very helpful, they show you the steps to drill a tank. On there somewhere and even sell the tools needed.

Also check out Melevs reef, google it too, he custom made the overflow box, the box that fits inside the tank that hides the drilled holes in the back, again, you'll see this in my build thread, it also helps skim the surface of proteins that build up. <-- helpful!

Again, I'll reiterate, before you buy any more livestock, wait and don't! I'm trying to pass knowledge on down, that was given to me. Trying to help here. From my research and from what others have told me, a longer cycle will yield better long term success, if you add too quickly, it will turn into a ticking time bomb, that future dbsalinas89 will have to deal with.

3 weeks isn't a bad cycle, but just don't go adding a tonne of fish at once, I'm trying to be extra cautious here because I'm just not sure how that HOB filter will keep up.

Lot of info, but hope it helps.
 
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IUfan said:
You are taking this way too fast IMO, slow down! The tanks barely been running for 3 weeks, I left my tank totally empty for 4 months until I was happy I had it placed in the room where I wanted and had everything laid out, because I knew once that baby was running, It would be semi permanent. I'm glad I did this, initially I was going to rush and have it located in an awkward position in the room, it gave me time to think it out and plan it properly. Once it was wet, I waited almost 2 months before I even added a single cuc member. You will hear this time and time again here, be patient. Just remember the 3 R's Rush, Regret, Redo! Don't do the 3 R's.

IME, and IMO buying those lights at this stage are just unnecessary, your tank won't and can't support SPS for at least another 6 months, especially as a newcomer to the hobby, those types and for that matter any types of coral need stability, and that only comes with tank age. I made this mistake myself, 6 months into my first 29 gallon tank, I bought a nice expensive light and thought I was ready for SPS, $300 in frags later I reallized that there was plenty of other important things in the equation that I needed to solve, like minimizing Phosphate and Nitrate.

If I were you, starting out, I would save my money on the light for right now, there's plenty of starter corals that aren't as sensitive as SPS (for the love of god stay away from Xenia) that your lights can support for now, then maybe in 6-9 months time when your tank is stable and ready, and you are also ready (i.e. Have learned about corals needs and have an understanding on what they need to flourish.) then upgrade your lighting at that stage.

For now, you seriously need to consider drilling your tank and using a sump, the HOB overflow may be a good alternative but I've never used one myself. I started with a 29 gallon tank for several years. And switched last year to a 180, it was a whole new learning curve including ----> drilling glass! Like yourself, I bought a tank that later I reallized would be inadequate, it was a RR, later I realized this would make for a very noisy tank, I wanted it to be ultra quiet, thankfully a good dude username: uncleof6 was there to put me straight. I like you was hesitant to drill glass, I'm not technically advanced and was very scared (as you should be) but I drilled 4 holes in .5" glass, (took 6 hours of constant drilling) but the result is a dead silent running aquarium, supporting all kinds of corals and fish and I'm sure glad I took the extra steps in the beginning.

again IMO, if you choose to stay with the HOB filter, you will end up either getting frustrated and giving up the hobby.
Or, you will successfully kill a lot of nice coral, and then in 6 months time end up drilling the tank.

(Do not drill the glass if it is tempered, if tempered no matter what it will shatter instantly. Most likely the bottom panel is tempered, and the sides most probably are not tempered (you will need to check for sure) there are easy ways to check, just google it)

IME and IMO you would get great, quiet results from a beananimal style, google it, look for threads on here, there's videos, and website explaining this.

For sump, as someone has suggested, $40 will buy you a 40 gallon tank at petco, that is all you need, then have some glass cut for baffles aka dividers, then silicone in place with fish safe silicone. you can even copy my sump layout, it should be in my build thread.

I recommend looking at this thread, this talks about the drilling stages, you'll see how hesitant I was to drill, but 2 years later I'm very pleased I did. I also made sure to put down every measurement and even repeat stuff, in order to keep all the info saved for future references like this very time. This should give you a vast amount of info for bit sizes, placement of holes etc.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2252709

Here is my build thread, it should hopefully show you the sump and the dreaded drilling stages.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2250167

Also, check out Bulk reef supply, google it, very trusted website, there BRSTV segments are very helpful, they show you the steps to drill a tank. On there somewhere and even sell the tools needed.

Also check out Melevs reef, google it too, he custom made the overflow box, the box that fits inside the tank that hides the drilled holes in the back, again, you'll see this in my build thread, it also helps skim the surface of proteins that build up. <-- helpful!

Again, I'll reiterate, before you buy any more livestock, wait and don't! I'm trying to pass knowledge on down, that was given to me. Trying to help here. From my research and from what others have told me, a longer cycle will yield better long term success, if you add too quickly, it will turn into a ticking time bomb, that future dbsalinas89 will have to deal with.

3 weeks isn't a bad cycle, but just don't go adding a tonne of fish at once, I'm trying to be extra cautious here because I'm just not sure how that HOB filter will keep up.

Lot of info, but hope it helps.
Click to expand...

This is all great advice! I however would like to add that if you do indeed already have those lights (the t5) you can still enjoy yourself and get beginner corals such as shrooms, zoas, Gsp, any softie, most leathers. I feel as if your 1600 would be better spent on equipment overall!
 
CoralReeForrest said:
This is all great advice! I however would like to add that if you do indeed already have those lights (the t5) you can still enjoy yourself and get beginner corals such as shrooms, zoas, Gsp, any softie, most leathers. I feel as if your 1600 would be better spent on equipment overall!
Click to expand...

Absolutely, I wasn't sure if he'd changed light so was suggesting if he still had the original light that he could leave it be for now and upgrade later. Looks like he has a T5 in the pic I saw, which as you point out is a great light.

Again, the 1600 you would spend on lights, if it's really burning a hole in your pocket. Look into a controller, Neptune systems, there a sponsor on this forum, and by far the most advanced controller on the market. They can turn lights on/off at set times, monitor your PH, Temp, Conductivity (salinity) 24/7. They can control pumps, so to turn them off when you want to feed, they also have an auto feeder available now which I really lik, and a whole other variety of things that make life easier. You can also set it up to access and control things from your phone, or computer, so you can be any where in the world and check in on the tank.

Not totally necessary at this time, much more important to figure out how to incorporate a sump into the equation. But like I said, would be a better investment than lights, and should take priority.

I was thinking, one route to take, I know your hesitant to take everything apart and start over, but you could buy a 40g from petco, take rock, fish water and the HOB filter and put in the 40. Allowing you time to empty the rest of the water and drill the back. Then once you've followed all those steps, out everything back in, and continue running the HOB filter while you turn the 40 into a sump with baffles, you wouldn't have to cycle again, and that way all the current livestock will have a safe home.

Heck, you could even then take the tank to a workshop to have it drilled if you don't feel comfortable.

Just make sure it's not tempered glass whatever you do.
 
I can't emphasize this strongly enough - do not spend $1600 on Radion Pros with your current setup. There is nothing wrong with Radions, of course, but your priorities would be seriously misplaced by doing this.

Right now, you really, really need a reef-ready tank with an overflow and a sump. And in a reasonable size up to and including a 6' long 125 gallon tank, that will cost you a lot less than $1600.

You could go several routes - take the rock and fish out of your tank and put it in a rubbermaid stock tank or a brute trash can with a heater and a powerhead, and drill your tank (or get someone to drill it for you). Or (and a better solution), you could use your 90 gallon as a soft coral, mushroom and polyp tank with your existing lighting, with the addition of a hang-on-back skimmer, then purchase and setup a reef ready tank and sump for stony corals.

If you don't want two tanks, then you could purchase and setup a reef-ready tank and sump that's more appropriate for a reef tank (that would be a 40 gallon breeder, 65 gallon, 75 gallon, 120 gallon or 125 gallon size - you really want wide and relatively shallow), transfer your live rock and fish over to it, and sell the 90 gallon.

If you decide to keep the 90 gallon with a HOB skimmer as a soft coral/mushroom/polyp tank, then simply add one more of the T5 light fixtures to give you a total of 4 bulbs. That will be more than enough light for those types of animals, and you can spend the extra money that you save on an automatic top-off unit (this is an extremely important piece of equipment, particularly as a beginner - buy one), a good HOB skimmer, a digital refractometer, a RODI unit to make your top off and saltwater change water, and test kits.
 
I am considering just getting the other t5 attatchment snap on that costs 150$ but the problem is with the one i have the light just doesnt go deep enough like at the top of my rocks yea its bright but lower or near sand bed it doesnt get enough light
 
The pictures i linked is of a tank flourishing at my lfs that is only using the system i am using and no sump with amazing corals and has been doin this for 7 years
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Iufan i am going to slow it down and stop here. Im leaving offshore for 2 months so im gonna do research / let everything remain constant until i get bacj
 
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