thinking of reefing

swreasercher

swreasercher

New member
i have been planning on setting up a fowlr 220gal but am now down sizing to a 90gal with 30gal sump/fuge. the only reason i was going fowlr was cause it would have been i think to large for my first marine and reef tank. this 220gal tank has tempered glass so it cant be drilled. i will be buying the hagen osaka 90gal. it will get drilled and i was thinking of putting limousine window tint as a background. this doesn't come with a lid, should i get one made or for a reef is it better no lid ?

so i have been researching fowr for a little while about fowlr and dont know much about reef. i will have a skimmer, ro/di, sump and fuge (if still needed) but i dont know much about calcium reactors and the other stuff needed for reefing. can somone fill in the lines.
 
90g is a good size for a reef.

Basically the same for a reef,protein skimmer,sump,(optional fuge)

The only major difference will be the correct lighting,& enough flow.
 
I don't know how much limosine tint costs, but you could just paint the back of tank black with spray paint. I wouldn't use a glass canopy for the tank if that is what you meant by a lid. Usually over a reef tank the lighting is more intense and in turn you might run into a heat and gas exchange issue. If you were refering to a wood canopy than thats fine. Skimmer, ro/di, and fuge are all still good things for the tank, and are arguably more important for the reef tank than it would have been for the fish only tank. As far as calcium reactors go, they are not necessary, they are just supplemental for certain aquariums with inhabitants that use a lot of calcium to the point where it is a pain to have to dose it. The best thing to do is go to a LFS or an online store or a book (Julian Sprung's Corals book is a good read) or even just RC itself to look at different corals until you can find some that you are really interested in. When you find out which ones you like than you can posts questions about their needs and such, unless you have a good book like the one mentioned above that will fill you in on such questions. I always recommend finding one or two things you really like, and then building the aquarium around them. That way you will have the right conditions for a certain type of coral, and because you did some research you will have the rest of the tank stocked with other inhabitants that can coexist with those corals (ie don't eat them, enjoy about the same lighting, etc.). Reef tanks are best done when you take your time. Don't automatically think that you need to have certain types of corals to make the tank look "right", or that you must have a whole mess of reactors and meters and other equipment. Sure they help, but it might not be necessary. So, when you find some that you like let us know what you are thinking and then we can aid you by letting you know more about their needs and whether or not we think you are on the right track.
 
I think a 90 gallon is a good size reef to start with. I would also suggest reading a couple of good reef keeping books to get a good basic understanding of Salt Water. You might just save yourself a ton of money and frustration by investing in a good book and taking the time to read it. Then you can use a site such as this to bounce ideas off of people and see what is working for other people. I think it's a bad practice to use these web sites as a short cut or Cliff notes if you will. You will miss some important information that you will likely regret later.

Calcium reactor may not be necessary. I would start by dosing Kalk and if you find the need then upgrade to a reactor. A lid is most likely unnecessary unless you planning to keep jumpers and escape artists.

I'm not familiar with Hagen Osca tanks. I would personally get a reef ready tank as opposed to trying to retro fit.

I highly recommend a sump/fuge and a good lighting package. It need not be expensive but it needs to be functional.

I also don't think that 220 is too large. The 90 will fill up fast once you get going.

Purchase quality lighting, skimmer and return pump. Look for energy efficient equipment. The last thing you want to do is have to buy equipment twice.

I highly recommend a Quarantine/Hospital tank.
 
I actually started reefing with a 210 gallon not too long ago... probably 4-5 months... I happen to just start putting coral in... I'll post a picture later on to show you if you'd like.
 
thanks for the input everyone. this will be a slow moving, meticulously planed setup. i am unable to find RR tanks around here. i would like to keep anemone and a clam to start.
 
well what would be a good coral to start with. as stated above my interist are in sps, anemone and clams so far. what would be some good beginer coral. iv been looking them up but there are so many to choose from im kind of lost. would t5 lighting be sufficient? how much flow is needed? i think thats a good start.
 
For beginner corals, I'd try some soft corals that don't spread too much. Something like a leather coral or a Sinularia. Corals like Acropora and Montipora are touchier, so starting with some simpler animals is often a good choicem, in my opinion.

How deep is this tank from top to bottom? A good T5 setup, like the Aquactinics, is likely fine. For flow, I'd target something like 6,000 gph for stony corals like Acropora.
 
Be careful with anemones. sometimes you have to get them first because they are known for walking around. they move about the tank until the find a place that they want to settle, meanwhile they sting everything along the way and sometimes hurt corals. While this isn't true of all anemones, ones like the bubble tips have bad reputations for it. Sometimes they don't ever stop moving, sometimes they don't move at all, but it's something to consider. As far as starting corals go. If you want to go with sps, I wouldn't go with too many soft corals. Maybe some mushrooms, green star polyps and zoos to get started. Then you could look into getting some LPS, and then some of the easier to take care of sps which are usually not acropora. Make sure you have a good coral book so you can easily reference which corals are suitable for beginners. Some corals are really sensitive to changes in the water's chemistry and will not tolerate too much nutrients. By working your way into sps and clams I think you will be more successful. Also, since you are planning on going with sps and clams, and both of those rely heavily on calcium in the water. Consider a method of replenishing the calcium to your tank. Do you want to use supplements like the part A and B stuff? Do you want to do kalk? what about a reactor later on? these are all things that you should consider, even if it is something that will be down the line. Preparation is always best.
 
It may be easier to purchase a rr tank online instead of driving that distance. That is how we purchased our aquapod. It came securely wrapped and with no issues. Alot easier having it delivered right to your door. We got a 12 gallon and for that small of a tank, the box it came in was huge. Something to think about.
 
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