starting tank from scratch please help!
- Thread starter keeganpsp
- Start date
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
Yep, aragonite helps in PH buffering as well as it works in breaking down (very slowly) and releasing the calcium carbonate back into your system which is very beneficial for your tank.
I agree as well that an ATO is a great investment. If you're handy you can make your own for pennies. I made one that cost less than $50 and it has been working for a year with 0 problems. Check out my build thread, especially this page.
I agree as well that an ATO is a great investment. If you're handy you can make your own for pennies. I made one that cost less than $50 and it has been working for a year with 0 problems. Check out my build thread, especially this page.
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
As far as the sump goes, as long as you can house all your equipment and it meets your needs. Ie. You have to have enough reserves to allow for a power outage. When the power goes out some of the water in the display tank is going to settle in the sump. So you have to make sure your sump can handle that. A 40 gallon sump for a 55 gallon tank is an awesome setup because now you will have more water volume which will aid in tank stability.
Is 40 gallons necessary? Absolutely not, a normal size sump for a 55 is usually 20 gallons or so (going back to the top about meeting your needs). But if you can set a 40 under the tank then I say,”Go for it!”
Just to put things into perspective, my 125 has a 30 gallon sump/fuge and it works really well.
Is 40 gallons necessary? Absolutely not, a normal size sump for a 55 is usually 20 gallons or so (going back to the top about meeting your needs). But if you can set a 40 under the tank then I say,”Go for it!”
Just to put things into perspective, my 125 has a 30 gallon sump/fuge and it works really well.
jefathome
New member
There is no "set" way to do it but... here is what I would do.
#1 Are you mixing your own water or buying pre-mixed? I assume mixing it yourself.
#2 You do NOT need a sump, but in the long run you will wish you had one. You can add that later though (siphon hang-on overflow) or if you want a drilled tank, do that now. No way to drill it later on with stuff in it.
SO...
Tank Setup:
Set up the tank on the stand where you want it.
Add your freshwater
Add your salt
Turn on some sort of pump to mix it all up (and a heater)
Wait 24 hrs
Add the rocks that will be on the bottom of your "pile"
Add sand (if you add sand and THEN rocks, when the sand shifts your rocks will fall)
Wait till the tank is sorta clear (maybe a few days?) then add the rest of your rocks
Cycle
Add some sort of "organics" to the tank... like a few pinches of fish food/day, or one raw table shrimp (not per day. just once), or even pee in the tank a little... ultimately you want amonia that will convert into Nitrites, and then from nitrites to nitrates.
You CAN do partial water changes during the cycle without harming stuff.
After 3-5 weeks you should get NO Nitrites or amonia readings... then your tank is ready for your first livestock addition. Take it slow from there though.
jefathome
New member
thanks goodness that was one of my main concerns, i had no idea if i needed to go out and buy this massive *** 125 gal. sump fuge for a 50 gal thank, and thank you sister that perspective put everything into place for me in a major way, i think after seeing the way you had build your sump (which looks very nice btw) im gonna go out and purchase the materials i need to get it together and have everything running perfectly, but i do believe that i am going to go ahead and build a 40 gal sump just in case i decide to upgrade in the future
first and foremost thank you for all the help and giving it to me step by step.
i do plan on buying a RO/DI and mixing my own water because the LFS sells the pre-mixed saltwater for $1 a gal. and with all the water changes that is def going to take alot of change out of my wallet, but they do sell freshwater for .25c a gal. so i may end up getting that and mixing it myself until i purchase my ro/di.
thanks for the step by step from everyone, that is what mainly had me confused the whole time.
and yeah a friend warned me about putting in my sand and then rocks because of the sand shifts but he also told me about using egg crates or something like that to put underneath the rocks just in case they slide.
now i do plan on having a sump and all just because it would save me the money on having to buy it later but ill just have to give it some more thought and all, im going to have a legitimate live sand bed, and i was planning on having a mix with some sand from a local reefer or at least thats what someone had recommended that i do and it sounded like a pretty good idea.
ahahahahahah i had planned on putting some fish food in there to help the water cycle faster and all but i never even thought of dropping a single shrimp in there or even peeing in my own reef tank lol, but thank you so much for all the advice and the helpful links.
also if anyone could point me in the right direction on how to setup my sump tank that would be very VERY helpful because even after looking for days and days and still can;t find out how to properly set it up, thanks in advance
samuel rama
New member
please help! and need advice
please help! and need advice
hello! am sam from india ... i had a dream of building a reef tank .. but i have no idea how to go about it .. i would like to start with 50 gallon tank. but i donno what kind of protein skimmer to buy and what should be the capacity of it .. i have learned i should buy a over flow box , is it true ? and with out reef n coral.. can i start only dry rock n a pair of fish.. initially
please help! and need advice
hello! am sam from india ... i had a dream of building a reef tank .. but i have no idea how to go about it .. i would like to start with 50 gallon tank. but i donno what kind of protein skimmer to buy and what should be the capacity of it .. i have learned i should buy a over flow box , is it true ? and with out reef n coral.. can i start only dry rock n a pair of fish.. initially
powderblue1
New member
This is a 55 in my photo and this is how I did it:
After a day of running the system clear make a 50% water change with RODI water (you DEFINITELY need a set up for this hobby) and Reef Crystals mixed at 1.023 salinity (YOU WILL NEED A REFRACTROMETER TO MEASURE THE SALINITY).
Then immediately introduce 50 - 100 blue legged hermits, and 2 sand sifting stars (many will tell you that sand sifting stars will not go in a tank this early, but if the rock and sand is live and you feed the tank, it will be fine) to the tank.
After 3-days introduce a few damsels or clowns (ocellaris) to the tank.
After another 3-days do a 30% water change.
You will need 2 or 3 36 - 48-inch True-Lumen 12000k/actinic light bars on a timer, or 1 and a 36" rampable LED Orbit Marine light and a wave-maker or 2 at opposite ends of the tank (I only have one on the opposite side from the return and it does fine.
At this point you should do 30% weekly water changes for one month and then 25% for the next month and lastly 25% bi-monthly to maintain alk and Ca paranmeters.
You should also add 4-6 Mexican turbos and start adding soft corals to the tank. You can also add a couple more fish (SLOWLY) throughout.
Buy Hanna Checkers for ALK and Ca as well as a good pH test kit, or Pinpoint or Buluelab pH meter if you have the bucks at this time to watch and maintain your parameters [120 - 180 ppm ALK, 420 - 460 Ca, and a pH of 8.1 - 8.3] and start reading about dosing you tank. You will not have to dose CaCO3 and Calcium much at first, but as you add corals and your coraline becomes thicker you will need to more and more between water changes.
This is a rewarding hobby if done correctly. Good Luck and let me know how it goes!:bounce1:
- Purchase a sump that fits in the cabinet (17-20 gal._
- You will need a Mag5 or Mag 7 pump for a return.
- If the tank is not drilled then you will need an overflow box. I use a 1200 GPH with two siphon tubes, but I only use one.
- Plumb 1" pVC for the inlet from the overflow box to the sump.
- Use 3/4" pvc or black tubing for the return pump.
- I use 2 needle wheel skimmers rated at 65-gallons each and a 25-watt Aqua UV sterilizer.
- I [place a bag of Chemi-Pure Elite against the return pump intake in the sump.
After a day of running the system clear make a 50% water change with RODI water (you DEFINITELY need a set up for this hobby) and Reef Crystals mixed at 1.023 salinity (YOU WILL NEED A REFRACTROMETER TO MEASURE THE SALINITY).
Then immediately introduce 50 - 100 blue legged hermits, and 2 sand sifting stars (many will tell you that sand sifting stars will not go in a tank this early, but if the rock and sand is live and you feed the tank, it will be fine) to the tank.
After 3-days introduce a few damsels or clowns (ocellaris) to the tank.
After another 3-days do a 30% water change.
You will need 2 or 3 36 - 48-inch True-Lumen 12000k/actinic light bars on a timer, or 1 and a 36" rampable LED Orbit Marine light and a wave-maker or 2 at opposite ends of the tank (I only have one on the opposite side from the return and it does fine.
At this point you should do 30% weekly water changes for one month and then 25% for the next month and lastly 25% bi-monthly to maintain alk and Ca paranmeters.
You should also add 4-6 Mexican turbos and start adding soft corals to the tank. You can also add a couple more fish (SLOWLY) throughout.
Buy Hanna Checkers for ALK and Ca as well as a good pH test kit, or Pinpoint or Buluelab pH meter if you have the bucks at this time to watch and maintain your parameters [120 - 180 ppm ALK, 420 - 460 Ca, and a pH of 8.1 - 8.3] and start reading about dosing you tank. You will not have to dose CaCO3 and Calcium much at first, but as you add corals and your coraline becomes thicker you will need to more and more between water changes.
This is a rewarding hobby if done correctly. Good Luck and let me know how it goes!:bounce1:
Last edited:
