Please Help Me!

P

prettypearl08

New member
I am new the reef world. Let me explain my tank first. I just purchased a 90 Gallon Wavy All Glass Aquarium w/ Tempered Glass and stand. I do not have a canopy on top or a hood. This is where I need help... What do I put on top a glass top w/ mounted lights? Or a glass top w/ light hood? I don't want to overspend because I am just starting out. I want to put live rock and sand in the tank for starters.

Someone please tell me what do I need and where can I get the most reasonable price for all of this. I am buying one thing at a time an planning before I start putting everything in the tank. What is the best but nicely priced way to provide adequate filtration, lighting and the best way to keep the water flowing.

I keep getting a million different answers and for someone working a Ph.D in law I like specific answers or something close to it.



Signed Please Help Soon.

I plan to wait about 3 months after I set it up before placing coral or invertebrates and stuff in the aquarium.....
 
You do not want a glass top. They trap in heat and diminish any surface oxygen exchange that will naturally occur with an open top tank. I would really get a hood that is about 12" tall, and this way you can put whatever lighting you would want in there. If you get retrofit kits, you can go with T-5s, Metal Halide, LED, VHO, or Power Compacts. Also, you can cut in some holes for air movement by the use of computer fans. Depending on what you'd like to keep in the tank, your lighting options may vary greatly
 
OK, in order to help you I think we need a little more information. First, I am personally wondering in you bought a RR (Reef Ready) tank, which would mean your tank is drilled and has built-in overflows. If it is, then what are you running it with? A sump, a fuge, a wet/dry? If it is not RR, then you need to figure out what you'd like.

So lets start there... is your tank RR?
 
Skip the glass top. Unlike a FW tank a SW tank needs room above the water for gas exchange to occur. A tightly sealed tank gets too hot, has pH problems and may accumulate toxic hydrogen sulfide if a sandbed goes anaerobic. It is usual practice to use eggcrate or window screening to cover the tank as it allows gasses to escape.

Lights are not mounted on the top but contained in a hood or canopy of some sort. Some people use pendant type lamps hung from the ceiling. Most hoods have ventilation fans to provide heat exchange while pendants do not need fans.

The are three main classes of lighting used on a reef tanks, fluorescent, metal halide and more recently LED. The most popular type of fluorescent is the T-5 tubes. The are always hood mounted. Metal halide is the big hitter in the lights with great power to reach deeper tanks. They can be hood mounted or in pendants. Finally, LED's are hood mounted but their is not a lot of information on how effective they are and they are expensive.

Here is an article that may help in your decision Let's Light `Em Up

Opinions given by the Waterkeeper are in no way guaranteed and no warranty is expressed or implied. Waterkeeper's articles have not been evaluated by FDA and probably will not cure reef related madness

I thought I better get that disclaimer in. :D
 
It is not RR. Right now I am working with a "blank slate" just the aquarium and the stand. The tank is empty. I just bought a house and I want the tank to be a focal point in either the living or the family room still debating. Anyway it is the 90 Gallon Wavy Aqaurium. I have yet to find a Canopy for the Aquarium finding a wavy canopy has been difficult thus far.

I may be over analyzing, but I want to make sure I know everything before I start my Reef Tank I want it to thrive and be beautiful...... I have high reef dreams.... I know it takes time and patience and I am willing. I just need to make sure the basics are in order.
 
OK, so nevermind the lights for right now then, you need to figure out how to run the tank first!

Pretty much, you have 2 choices for such a big tank: get it drilled and plumbed or have an overflow box. I'd personally get it drilled (actually, I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't). IMO overflow boxes are unsightly with all the algae they grow, and they can overflow much more easily than a sump. But it truly is a matter of personal opinion.

Either route you will need a sump or a wet/dry. Again, matter of preference as both work out well.

Once you figure the above parts out, then you can begin to plan the lighting stages.
 
Ou will find very quickly that there is no set answer in this hobby. I have seen beautiful tanks that use tap water and no skimmer and i have seen great tanks with all the most expensive equipment. I would suggest you go the middle road untill you have enough experience to see what works for you.
I agree with lady bug.When i Had a 75 I had an overflow box from lifereef.It worked very well but there always seemed to be a bubble in the sphion tube. There was also a bit more noise.Is the tempered glass on the bottom?If so then drilling is out of the question.

So the Second question for your tank is what do you want to keep? A full reef with hard corals?soft corals?Do you want a fish only?.that will decied almost everything you will need for your set up
 
if it is a full reef you will need either an overflowbox or drill your tank for a sump.
A sump is just an aquarium that you put under your stand.It is a great place to hide equipment and even a refugium.
You will also need a way to get the water froim the sump to the tank again.this is done by a return pump.I personaly love my ehime 1260.I have had it for 3 years and it runs really quietly.

you will need circulation in your tank also.how much is always up for debate and depends on what you are keeping.I personally like the hydor's
you will need a heater,thermomether.refractometer,some test kits for amonia,nitrite,nitrate,dkh,and calcium to name a few.
I would sugest a skimmer.My vote is for the euroreef.they work nicely and are fairly cheap.
 
Lighting will be one of your most important purchases.It will also depened on what you want to keep.If you only want fish then all you need really are strip lights form the hardware store. If you want corals such as softies or lps or sps then you will either need t5's or Mh's.There are pros and cons for both.T5's give you a range and mix of colors and can run cool.Mh's penetrate deeply and run hot. my preference is t5's

If you want a full reef i would suggest joining a local reef club or buying base rock and then a few pieces of nice rock to seed the base rock. I also sugest buying agronite sand.I have used childs play sand from home depot and quite frankly i did not like it too much
 
-Finding a canopy for a wavy tank is going to be a PITA. You'd probably be better off suspending the lights from the ceiling, possibly have them in nice fixtures.

Keep the top uncovered unless you plan on getting fish that are prone to jump, in which case you can get "eggcrate" from Lowes. "Eggcrate" is just a hobby name for the white plastic sheets that are used to cover flourescent light fixtures.

-As for the rock- I'd save myself the money & go with dry rock. I really like the Key Largo rock from MarcoRocks.

Same with the sand. Find a substrate you like & use it. Within a few weeks of setting up the tank the rock & sand will start accumulating bacteria, essentially making it "Live rock" & "Live sand".

-You didn't mention a RO/DI unit or skimmer.

-Are all panes on the tank tempered? If so you won't be able to drill it. Tempered glass shatters when it's drilled. If all panes are tempered you'll have to use an overflow box for your sump.
 
Okay... Thanks Guys... I am taking all this information in..... I am carefully planning I have had a freshwater aquarium for over 5 years now I am ready for something else. My twins have a 55 Gallon Aquarium with Red Ear Sliders in it and some crazy goldfish....

The bottom pane of glass is temper, but I don't wanna take any chances. I did consider having the lights suspended from the ceiling above the tank. I have not purchased an RO/DI unit or a skimmer yet. I am getting input before I go and finish buying the rest of the equipment to get this thing started.

Question: Will the lights for a reef tank be so intense that they melt the egg crate or any of the plastic on the tank?

Since my tank can't be drilled a sump is out of the question I must go with overflow boxes..
 
Try to find info on the tank you have. It might just be the front or bottom that is tempered. If the back or bottom aren't tempered you can still have it drilled.

An overflow is used to siphon water over the back glass of an aquarium to feed a sump if you don't have a drilled tank. Their biggest drawback is that if the siphon breaks your tank can overflow.

I have T5 lights over my 55g about 6" off the glass & I can put eggcrate over the tank. Metal Halides would probably be positioned about 12" off the surface & shouldn't melt it. You have to remember that it normally sits 2-3" away from regular flourescent lights.
 
Okay.. so I have finalized everything but the the lighting. The fiance is not too thrilled about me suspending the lights from the ceiling..........:mad: anyway..... What do I do now. I was looking at the Marine Glo T5 48" 54 Watt bulbs and lighting system, but I need to know how many lights I need and what type of housing system would be sufficient for my 90 Gallon Reef Tank. Keep in mind I have no canopy or hood because I have the All Glass Wavy Aquarium.

I am doing a 4 inch live sand bed... Live rock some invertebrae and coral.

Lighting advice would be great. I plan to be up and running by August hopefully before! I would love to see my tank as Reef Tank of the Month in the near or far future! :D

1 more question........ Is all Sea Salt the same or is some better than others.

Have any of you used the Sea Water by Carib Sea? Can that be mixed with water mixed with Sea Salt. I planned on using purified water to mix the Sea Salt is that the best idea? Or use tap? I just figured tap has a lot of junk in it.

So now I am down to questions on SeaSalt & Water and Aquarium Lighting!!!

I am signing off please assist! :rollface:
 
Well you could plead your case with the b/f councilor but the Marine Glo would probably suit your needs (OMG did I say suit ;)).

As to salt mixes most will do the job. Every brand will provide what you need to maintain a reef aquarium.
 
So thankfully my lighting problems have been solved.... I decided to go with Current USA Outer Orbit Fixture with 2x150W HQI & 2X130W Compact Fluorescents, 48 inch with adjustable mounting legs.

My fiance would not give in he said I should've told him I wanted a built in tank when he drew the plans for the new house. That was two years ago........ So I agreed not to suspend the lights from the ceiling in the Game Room (Not that it would matter) and decided to go with some lights mounted on top!:bum:

That should be sufficent to supply my future Soft Coral, SPS & LPS Coral....... Next Step set-up and cycling the tank!

I will keep you all posted on how well that goes!
 
You are correct, tap water isn't an option. It is full of all kinds of junk that can be detrimental to a reef tank. Buy yourself a good RO/DI unit.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15125467#post15125467 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sugar Magnolia
You are correct, tap water isn't an option. It is full of all kinds of junk that can be detrimental to a reef tank. Buy yourself a good RO/DI unit.
Click to expand...

I have already been looking at some any suggestions?
 
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