Novice - Planning Help

[camiller27]

I am new to the Saltwater World. I have a lot of questions before just jumping into this hobby. I have had many freshwater tanks in the past. I currently have a 20 gal. tank for my 3-stripped mud turtle and I am setting up a 10 gal. tank for my fiancée (she loves those dwarf puffers). Now I want to start planning for a future reef tank and I have more than enough questions to be answered. I plan on getting either a 55 gal. or 75 gal. tank with a 10 gal. tank converted to a Sump/Refugium. I know I want live sand, live rock and coral. I plan on cycling the tank for a while before introducing to many critters.
Question #1:
I understand that I don't have to stock the aquarium entirely with live rock and live sand and that I can use "œdead" rock and sand and it will eventually become live rock and live sand. How does this process work?
Question #2:
I plan on using a Protein Skimmer in the first stage of my Sump. What do you look for in a Protein Skimmer?
Question #3:
Here are a few Critters that caught my eye: Orange Shoulder Tang, Powder Grey Tang, Diamond Goby, Blue Mandarin Dragonet, Blue Fin Damsel, Blackmouth Damsel, 4-Stripe Damsel, Blue Devil Damsel, Green Chromis, Misbar Percula Clownfish, Pajama Cardinal, Lantern Bass, Diadema Dottyback, Lyretail Anthias, Chocolate Chip Starfish, Peppermint Shrimp, Nassarius Snail, Caribbean Feather Duster, Emerald Crab, Zebra Reef Hermit Crab. What insight can you give me on any of these guys and what do you recommend I stock in my aquarium?
Question #4
How much water flow should I have in a tank like this?
Question #5
I like the new LED's they have been coming out with lately what should I consider when selecting a light source for this setup?
Question #6
I know there is a lot that I missed in this post so please add anything else that you feel is important that I may need to consider?

Thank you for the help!

 

[thegrun]

1. You are correct, bacteria will turn dead rock into live rock, but dead (dry) rock will not have any worms, pods, featherdusters, etc. on it like live rock does. On the other hand dry rock will not have any pests either.
2. Use a good named brand skimmer. Ask here on the forum for suggestions. The least exoensive skimmer available ir rarely a good buy, there are a lot of bad skimmers on the market.
3. Look on the Live Aquaria website for good fish information: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15+1536
A 75 gallon tank will not be large enough for the tang, they need a 180 gallon tank minimum.
4. If you keep soft corals for your 75 gallon tank you would want about 2250 GPH total flow (return pump and powerheads conbined), for SPS corals at least 3000 GPH.
5. Look for any of the quality makers when it comes to LEDs. AquaIlluminations, Kessle, MaxSpec...

 

[RocketEngineer]

First off, stay away from a 55g as the dimensions are not condusive to a saltwater setup the tank is too narrow for the height. The 75g is a good first tank size but you would do better with a larger sump. When it comes to a refugium most folks try to do too much with it and it becomes a mess. I use mine for one purpose (growing algae) and it is set up specifically for that. I don't try to grow pods or have a deep sand bed in it, I do that other places in the system.

1) The organisms living on the live rock breed and take up residence in the dead rock. I recommend buying a small quantity of quality LR (nano starter kits work good) to add with any dry rock. After that it is a matter of keeping the water quality up and PATIENCE.
2)Ease of maintenance. Almost all of the features are hype and there is a lot of common features with wide swings in prices. Considering it is mostly an acrylic tube, a pump, and a place to collect the gunk, going high end isn't always an indicator of quality.
3) The list is large and includes fishes that would require several hundred gallons to keep successfully. Research the needs of each as some of them are incompatible with each other and with corals. Personally I would stay away from the damsels and leave the tangs for once you get a handle on the hobby. The misbar percula clowns are expensive because they look nice, otherwise they are just tank raised clowns which isn't a bad place to start.
4) Flow is tricky and varies from tank to tank. Most folks recommend 5X turnover per hour between the sump and the display (~400gph AFTER plumbing and height loss) and upwards of 40X within the display (~3000gph for a 75g tank). Don't aim for a specific number, go for turbulent flow from 3-4 sources such as the sump return plus 2 or 3 powerheads pointed at the glass, each other, and/or the surface. The point is to keep detritus in suspension until it gets to the sump where it can be removed during water changes.
5) For a first tank I recommend staying away from LEDs. A decent T5 fixture can be purchased used especially for a 75g setup. Once you have the husbandry of the tank under control, then you may want to upgrade the lights to LED. Do plenty of research, not all LEDs are created equal and at the moment it seems to be hit or miss.
6) READ READ READ. There is a lot of information out there and as many opinions as members. Take everything with a grain of salt and watch your system. Nobody has all the answers and every setup is unique. Find someone's system you like, figure out what works for them, and then determine if copying them will provide the best environment for the critters you want to keep. Don't rush, small changes. Murphy will get you so be prepared.

HTH,

 

[camiller27]

Thank you guys for the insight

 

[camiller27]

I want to do a sump/refugium I see a lot of settups with the protein skimmer be for the refugium. Is this a good idea? I would think in order to have a thriving refugium you would want that to be the first and largest stage in order to have more tank water volume and to make sure the refugium gets as many nitrates as possible

 

[RocketEngineer]

The protein skimmer will remove certain chemicals from the water (mostly proteins/oils) and some larger detritus. The algae in the refugium use the nutrients the skimmer can't remove. The larger detritus tends to settle in the first section of the sump and accumulates over time if not removed during water changes. If you place the refugium first, this detritus ends up under the rocks and algae where you can't get to it without disturbing everything.

I like having the return pump in the middle because it allows the refugium to be almost as tall as the sump. My refugium is fed from the return pump and the drain from my bucket RDSB and even after several years shows very little detritus under the rocks.

 

[Scubaken]

Research your stock list, a tank That small with a damsel in, can only mean misery for anything else, I would steer clear of any damsels unless you are 90+ gallons.