New to the forum, need some advice!

[swanny06]

So I'm interested in started in starting a fish with live rock set up. After doing some research I went out today and picked up a 40 gallon breeder tank and stand that will hold up to 75 gallons. I'm thinking i'm going to do a shallow sand bottom, like 1" or so (unless y'all think I should go in a different direction). I'm trying to find a skimmer to get but i'm having some trouble deciding on which one to get. any recommendations? also, i'm looking at the Marineland Mangniflow Canister. will I need anything else to keep up with the water filtering? or will the skimmer and canister filter be good enough? i'm looking to put about 30-40 pounds of live rock in the tank as well if that makes a difference.

any help is appreciated!

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[swanny06]

Okay so I went with the Reef Octopus 100 skimmer. So I guess i just need help with the canister filter i was looking at. Also, what would be good LED lighting for the 40 gallon breeder? Should i also get a heater? anything else i should be looking at?

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[Jrid1997]

I'm also new but from what I've read on here you won't need a canister filter. Not 100% sure about that but that's what I've read.

 

[heathlindner25]

I'm also new but from what I've read on here you won't need a canister filter. Not 100% sure about that but that's what I've read.

Only thing you need is salt water and aragonite rocks with circulation ,everything else is optional.

 

[swanny06]

Only thing you need is salt water and aragonite rocks with circulation ,everything else is optional.

Would you recommend that I get both the skimmer and filter? Or will it not really make a difference?


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[Cliving1]

Live rock is your filter. You may or may not use a skimmer depending on what you plan to keep. Many run their tanks without. Agree with Heath, you can get by without certain things or you can spend a lot on gadgets and automation.

 

[swanny06]

Live rock is your filter. You may or may not use a skimmer depending on what you plan to keep. Many run their tanks without. Agree with Heath, you can get by without certain things or you can spend a lot on gadgets and automation.

Thanks for the reply. On top of the 30 pounds of live rocks these are the fish I plan on keeping in the tank starting out. Again if you see any issues with what I'm pairing up in the tank please let me know.

Orcellaris clown
Blue spotted puffer
Red mandarin
Yellowtail damselfish
Reidi seahorse

Also I wanted to add some bumble bee snails, a feather duster, and a pincushion urchin

 

[sde1500]

You drilling the tank and adding a sump? Lot easier to store equipment in there. As for your fish list, 100% ditch the seahorse. They are NOT for beginners and will more than likely die in your tank. They need a species specific tank, for every one person that keeps one alive in a tank with fish there are dozens that die. I'd say also no mandarin. Not for a while at least. Please read up on the fish you want there to see if you can keep them. Plenty of information out there.

As for equipment, I'd suggest taking some more time to read there as well. You're asking if you need a heater. Can you keep the tank at ~78 without one? Ditch the canister filter, if you want more mechanical filtration a simple filter sock in a sump would be fine.

 

[swanny06]

You drilling the tank and adding a sump? Lot easier to store equipment in there. As for your fish list, 100% ditch the seahorse. They are NOT for beginners and will more than likely die in your tank. They need a species specific tank, for every one person that keeps one alive in a tank with fish there are dozens that die. I'd say also no mandarin. Not for a while at least. Please read up on the fish you want there to see if you can keep them. Plenty of information out there.

As for equipment, I'd suggest taking some more time to read there as well. You're asking if you need a heater. Can you keep the tank at ~78 without one? Ditch the canister filter, if you want more mechanical filtration a simple filter sock in a sump would be fine.

I'll ditch those two fish, I appreciate it. I'll read up on the rest of them I have picked out as well.

Would you recommend running a sump and skimmer? I have read a little bit about them and they seem to help out a lot, I just wasn't sure if I needed one. As for the heater, ill grab one of those too. I just placed an order for a powerhead. So besides the sump and heater, I guess the next thing would be to figure out the correct lighting for my setup?

Thanks for the help, I'm trying to do this right the first time lol.


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[sde1500]

Since you're just doing FOWLR lighting isn't very important. Just a cheap fixture to light the tank a bit is fine. If you're going to go the sump route you'll have to get an overflow. Either drill the tank for one or do a HOB overflow. I use a HOB one but sometimes wish I drilled the tank. Also you'll need to get a return pump as well. Look for one that can do about 500gph, you want it to be able to do about 5x tank volume per hour plus account for some head loss.

 

[Elricsfate]

I'll ditch those two fish, I appreciate it. I'll read up on the rest of them I have picked out as well.

Would you recommend running a sump and skimmer? I have read a little bit about them and they seem to help out a lot, I just wasn't sure if I needed one. As for the heater, ill grab one of those too. I just placed an order for a powerhead. So besides the sump and heater, I guess the next thing would be to figure out the correct lighting for my setup?

Thanks for the help, I'm trying to do this right the first time lol.


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I'm relatively new to all of this as well. However, during the past couple of months while I have been making alterations to the house, I have been reading these forums incessantly and watching YouTube.

I would highly recommend you find BRStv, and watch the 52 Weeks of Reefing series. Like...every episode. They will discuss what is needed and what is not, what brands offer what benefits. Electricity, plumbing, setting up a sump...you name it.

You will save yourself a lot of time and money if you know what you need and why BEFORE you start ordering things. Just as an example that may or may not apply to you... Suppose you buy that heater, but you don't know how many watts it should be. Then you drill and install a sump because someone recommended it. Then you figure out the heater you really need and order it...but when it arrives it won't fit in your sump. Big waste of time and money.

Figure out what you need and why, get the measurements, wattages, flow rates, etc., all worked out. Then start with the sump if you're going to use one, and purchase the equipment you can afford, that will do the job, and will fit within the confines of the system you are building.

Bottom line IMHO is, do not add water, or fish, or anything else to your aquarium until you understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. Otherwise you'll be back on here desperately begging for solutions as to why your fish are dying...and spending a lot more money to try to fix things you overlooked. Then, a few months after that you'll be posting equipment for sale because you're getting out of the hobby.

My advice is, set a side a lot of time over the next several weeks to watch the entire video series I mentioned, as well as some of the other reefer channels on YouTube, and read these forums like you're studying for a job interview.

Your livestock and your wallet will thank you.

 

[nate16]

Seahorses in a mixed livestock tank can be pretty tough. Recommended only to keep them in species only tanks especially for beginners.

 

[swanny06]

Since you're just doing FOWLR lighting isn't very important. Just a cheap fixture to light the tank a bit is fine. If you're going to go the sump route you'll have to get an overflow. Either drill the tank for one or do a HOB overflow. I use a HOB one but sometimes wish I drilled the tank. Also you'll need to get a return pump as well. Look for one that can do about 500gph, you want it to be able to do about 5x tank volume per hour plus account for some head loss.

Okay awesome, thank you. Drilling also seems pretty unappealing to me, so if I went with a sump it would definitely HOB like you have. If I didn't go the sump route, what would be the next best thing for me to do?

 

[swanny06]

I'm relatively new to all of this as well. However, during the past couple of months while I have been making alterations to the house, I have been reading these forums incessantly and watching YouTube.



I would highly recommend you find BRStv, and watch the 52 Weeks of Reefing series. Like...every episode. They will discuss what is needed and what is not, what brands offer what benefits. Electricity, plumbing, setting up a sump...you name it.



You will save yourself a lot of time and money if you know what you need and why BEFORE you start ordering things. Just as an example that may or may not apply to you... Suppose you buy that heater, but you don't know how many watts it should be. Then you drill and install a sump because someone recommended it. Then you figure out the heater you really need and order it...but when it arrives it won't fit in your sump. Big waste of time and money.



Figure out what you need and why, get the measurements, wattages, flow rates, etc., all worked out. Then start with the sump if you're going to use one, and purchase the equipment you can afford, that will do the job, and will fit within the confines of the system you are building.



Bottom line IMHO is, do not add water, or fish, or anything else to your aquarium until you understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. Otherwise you'll be back on here desperately begging for solutions as to why your fish are dying...and spending a lot more money to try to fix things you overlooked. Then, a few months after that you'll be posting equipment for sale because you're getting out of the hobby.



My advice is, set a side a lot of time over the next several weeks to watch the entire video series I mentioned, as well as some of the other reefer channels on YouTube, and read these forums like you're studying for a job interview.



Your livestock and your wallet will thank you.

It's definitely a lot to think about, I'm definitely over a month away from putting anything inside it. First off I'd like to put the live sand and rock in there for a few weeks before any fish go in.

I'll definitely start watching that series too, I'm sure that'll clear a lot of things up

Thanks!

 

[sde1500]

Without a sump then I'd just do HOB skimmer, a powerhead for flow, and a heater. Then try and design the rockwork in a way to hide the heater as much as possible. And a light, find just a cheap light that looks nice.

 

[gone fishin]

Thanks for the reply. On top of the 30 pounds of live rocks these are the fish I plan on keeping in the tank starting out. Again if you see any issues with what I'm pairing up in the tank please let me know.

Orcellaris clown
Blue spotted puffer
Red mandarin
Yellowtail damselfish
Reidi seahorse

Also I wanted to add some bumble bee snails, a feather duster, and a pincushion urchin

I would certainly skip the seahorses. They really need a species specific tank. There are some that will disagree with me but I would also skip mandarin, they are specific eaters and IMO your tank will not be able to support them.

since you have the skimmer you can skip the canister filter.

There is a sticky at the top of the forum page called setting up look for the big red arrow. It is full of useful info. Good luck.

 

[swanny06]

Without a sump then I'd just do HOB skimmer, a powerhead for flow, and a heater. Then try and design the rockwork in a way to hide the heater as much as possible. And a light, find just a cheap light that looks nice.

so as far as filteration thats all i'll need?

I would certainly skip the seahorses. They really need a species specific tank. There are some that will disagree with me but I would also skip mandarin, they are specific eaters and IMO your tank will not be able to support them.

since you have the skimmer you can skip the canister filter.

There is a sticky at the top of the forum page called setting up look for the big red arrow. It is full of useful info. Good luck.

Yeah i'll definitely count those two out then.

I was looking at ordering the fish and live rock off liveaquaria.com. The Walt Smith's reef rock seems good, it says it's pre-cured. Has anyone gotten this from their site?

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[MuShu]

I'm also going to say no feather duster with a puffer. It will end up as an expensive snack. My puffer does not go after my snails, so you should be okay on that front.

If you like the look of the feather duster, you might look into a pulsing xenia coral, but then you'd need to upgrade your lights.

Make sure you get a good powerhead- one that is rated slightly higher than you think you need. One of the biggest issues is not enough flow, which causes areas where detritus builds up.

 

[swanny06]

I'm also going to say no feather duster with a puffer. It will end up as an expensive snack. My puffer does not go after my snails, so you should be okay on that front.

If you like the look of the feather duster, you might look into a pulsing xenia coral, but then you'd need to upgrade your lights.

Make sure you get a good powerhead- one that is rated slightly higher than you think you need. One of the biggest issues is not enough flow, which causes areas where detritus builds up.

Okay cool I'll cut out the feather duster and look at the pulsing Xenia coral. I have a good powerhead picked out, I'm just waiting to get the lighting option figured out. With the coral, what type of lighting would you use?


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[MuShu]

T-5s are good. I'm using OrbitMarine coral LEDs and my softies and LPS grow really well.