So I had a 55gallon reef a few years ago and thinking of getting back in. My wife wants a anemone/clown tank. I did well before having a bubble tip host a pair of true periculas and spontaneously dividing. Anyway, what I am looking at now is a 36 gallon bow front. My question is HOB filter or skimmer or both? Looking HOB cause tank is not drilled and no room for refugium. Recommendations for filter or skimmer or both. And of course lighting. Having been out for a little while I am very much behind on new technology. Thank you all in advance.
Thinking of getting back in.
- Thread starter KOZMOBC
- Start date
reepher315
Humble Student
Id only use a skimmer. Filters build up nitrates. Lighting your options and opinions are endless here lol.
BonsaiNut
Premium Member
I would reverse your priorities. Tanks are cheap. Your equipment will cost more than your tank.
Determine what you need to provide the optimal environment for your anemone(s). The single most important element will be lighting, followed by water movement. I would never use a HOB filter because they are notoriously failure-prone. Sumps are cheap and they dramatically improve the dissolved oxygen level of a tank. I have a strong bias toward cubes or other tanks with a lot of surface area for anemones. Even a 40 breeder would be better than a 37 bow-front.
Seriously... do it right at the beginning and you will save yourself a million heartaches. Even if you already have the 37 bow-front sell it on Craigslist and get a different tank. My personal opinion after doing this for 30+ years
I have made every mistake you can even DREAM of making x10.
Determine what you need to provide the optimal environment for your anemone(s). The single most important element will be lighting, followed by water movement. I would never use a HOB filter because they are notoriously failure-prone. Sumps are cheap and they dramatically improve the dissolved oxygen level of a tank. I have a strong bias toward cubes or other tanks with a lot of surface area for anemones. Even a 40 breeder would be better than a 37 bow-front.
Seriously... do it right at the beginning and you will save yourself a million heartaches. Even if you already have the 37 bow-front sell it on Craigslist and get a different tank. My personal opinion after doing this for 30+ years
I have made every mistake you can even DREAM of making x10.Awesome and valid points BonsaiNut. Thank you.
Still just the planning phase.
Limited by space (size/dimensions of tank) and weight of tank (on a crawl space).
So let's say tank volume of approx 40 gallons. Currently thinking about 100lbs of live rock. Personally I do not like sand still up in the air. Run just a skimmer maybe a remora idk.
Really need help on the lighting and what manufacturer is making good skimmers and power heads.
Still just the planning phase.
Limited by space (size/dimensions of tank) and weight of tank (on a crawl space).
So let's say tank volume of approx 40 gallons. Currently thinking about 100lbs of live rock. Personally I do not like sand still up in the air. Run just a skimmer maybe a remora idk.
Really need help on the lighting and what manufacturer is making good skimmers and power heads.
BonsaiNut
Premium Member
Tell us more about your space/weight limitations. Not kidding I have been through every configuration you can imagine. The beauty of anemones is that they don't need deep tanks and may in fact do BETTER in shallow tanks. Also the shallower the tank, and the greater the surface area, the less stress it will put on your flooring...
And don't forget - live rock displaces water. 100 lbs of live rock does not mean your tank weighs 100 lbs more.
And don't forget - live rock displaces water. 100 lbs of live rock does not mean your tank weighs 100 lbs more.
Tha only wall that I have available that does not have a window or a door that opens to it measures 33 inches. It is in a corner that measures out 22 inches to another door that opens the other way. This is an ideal spot and the really only choice in my house. This corner is interior in all directions and both walls are load bearing. Home was built in '53 without proper support trusses and the floors are bouncey.
Amoo
Member
I have a 125G tank sitting on a DIY steel tubular stand stand which just in steel alone weighs 250lbs. My home was a 1930s home that was moved to it's new location 12 years ago. What makes you say it doesn't have proper support trusses? If it didn't have proper support, I don't see the bank giving the okay to buy it.
I honestly don't think you will have any issues with any tank you put on that wall.
I honestly don't think you will have any issues with any tank you put on that wall.
With all do respect not really trying to get into the structual integrity of my home or how I bought it. I was looking for advise on new technology that I haven't been into for a few years. Anyone wish to get me up to speed on filtration/skimming and lighting for a tank of approx. 40 gallons and a height of 18 to 21 inches meeting the currently understood requirements for anemones would be great. I like that idea of a cube. Thank you for that suggestion. That tank too would have a filtration/skimmer requirement and a lighting requirement as well right? Not trying to be a smart *** just looking to try to stay close to topic.
Amoo
Member
The reason for the questioning about your flooring is simply because you're looking for advice on setting this tank up and still in the planning stage. If you're going to want to keep an anemone you will be much happier in the long run if you can get away with some type of sump system, even if it only adds 20-30 gallons to your system. If you decide to get a tank that is drilled it's going to be hard to help you out beyond your original questions, but that's going to be your call, I think we're all just trying to help here, besides without getting slightly off topic you may not have got that tank suggestion. The point of the above rambling is you came and asked what the current "understood" requirements for a Nem tank are. There is no hard and fast, but like Bonsai said, learn from others mistakes and do it right the first time. If you want to buy a 37 gallon bowfront, slap a HOB/skimmer on it with a dual strip T5, knock yourself out. As many are pointing out though, you may not be happy with that setup in the long run.
In regards to your specific questions, you can set the tank up here however you like. There's threads on here about skimmerless tanks, there's threads on here about ATS (Algae Turf Scrubbers), Canister filters...etc. 90% of people are going to tell you to get a sump, add a skimmer and get about 3W per gallon of light. That's about as impersonal an answer as I can give directly to your question. What kind of lighting is going to be up to you, LEDs, T5s and MHs all work and really are a matter of personal preference at this stage. Nems are a bit more forgiving about lighting then lots of SPS so read around and decide what you like.
In regards to your specific questions, you can set the tank up here however you like. There's threads on here about skimmerless tanks, there's threads on here about ATS (Algae Turf Scrubbers), Canister filters...etc. 90% of people are going to tell you to get a sump, add a skimmer and get about 3W per gallon of light. That's about as impersonal an answer as I can give directly to your question. What kind of lighting is going to be up to you, LEDs, T5s and MHs all work and really are a matter of personal preference at this stage. Nems are a bit more forgiving about lighting then lots of SPS so read around and decide what you like.
Thank you TinManx and Amoo. This is more to the point of my original question. I am not looking for impersonal recommendations. This is not my first tank. I do understand the benefits of addition water volume and increased options that a sump adds. Just asking that if one would not have that option what would experienced reefers do? I have not done an anemome tank previously and wanted more specific requirements of the little guys. Fyi my last tank was a 55 gallon mixed reef with a continuous syphon overflow and 15 gallon partitioned sump I made myself.
Amoo
Member
One of the most important things about keeping an anemone is consistent water parameters. This is the area that I feel REALLY makes them much more difficult than many corals. Regardless of what direction you decide to go I HIGHLY recommend some type of ATO. You can always just have an ATO Tank under your sumpless tank and have a tube run up the back, but of coarse this is going to mean you will need whatever sensors you use for level detection inside the tank.
In my personal opinion the most important pieces NEEDED for a successful long term system with an anemone are:
Lighting at 3w/gal minimum
ATO
Water Flow based on species
Adequate filtration
For a tank around 40 gallons if you decide to go that route I would consider a shopping list something like this:
24x24x18 Cube Pick your poison here, many companies make them
24" Reefbreeder Photon (http://reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-24/)
ATO Tank: (http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Blue-Pro...&qid=1406776146&sr=1-2&keywords=cube+aquarium)
ATO: (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+28176+28181&pcatid=28181)
Skimmer: (http://www.amazon.com/CoralVue-Tech...&sr=1-4&keywords=reef+octopus+protein+skimmer)
Powerheads: 2x (http://reefbreeders.com/shop/jebao-rw-8/)
There are cheaper and more expensive models and brands of everything I listed, but a setup like that is what I personally would consider bare minimum for a successful Nem tank. HTH
In my personal opinion the most important pieces NEEDED for a successful long term system with an anemone are:
Lighting at 3w/gal minimum
ATO
Water Flow based on species
Adequate filtration
For a tank around 40 gallons if you decide to go that route I would consider a shopping list something like this:
24x24x18 Cube Pick your poison here, many companies make them
24" Reefbreeder Photon (http://reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-24/)
ATO Tank: (http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Blue-Pro...&qid=1406776146&sr=1-2&keywords=cube+aquarium)
ATO: (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+28176+28181&pcatid=28181)
Skimmer: (http://www.amazon.com/CoralVue-Tech...&sr=1-4&keywords=reef+octopus+protein+skimmer)
Powerheads: 2x (http://reefbreeders.com/shop/jebao-rw-8/)
There are cheaper and more expensive models and brands of everything I listed, but a setup like that is what I personally would consider bare minimum for a successful Nem tank. HTH
OrionN
Moved on
I would use sand. It added a lot of stability to the tank. Are you thinking of anemone as the centerpiece with only a few LPS or SPS?
What kind of anemone? This is important to determine the sand aquascape light question.
I would get a sump also instead of HOB. Much better. Recommend 24 inches at the narrowest dimention so cube tank
IMO octopus make mice skimmer for good price. I like to use Vortech for circulation and Radion for light but they are not cheap. Mainly use Vortech for circulation and not run a lot of water through the sump. Finnex temp controler and titanium heater
What kind of anemone? This is important to determine the sand aquascape light question.
I would get a sump also instead of HOB. Much better. Recommend 24 inches at the narrowest dimention so cube tank
IMO octopus make mice skimmer for good price. I like to use Vortech for circulation and Radion for light but they are not cheap. Mainly use Vortech for circulation and not run a lot of water through the sump. Finnex temp controler and titanium heater
JasonD
Active member
I totally agree with you, if your going to have a big anemone 24inches makes the most sense. And having a Vortech as your circulation pump makes keeping a large almost too easy. I'm using the ecosmart tidal surge mode and my big carpet is loving it.
Can't say enough about Vortechs it's almost set it and forget simplicity, advanced engineering at its best
BonsaiNut
Premium Member
Is this your house? (ie you own it)? You said it was over a crawl space with "bouncy floors". Can you access the crawl space? Is it possible to double up a few joists? The walls the aquarium would be against are load-bearing. Have you checked the structural support under the floor?
