Please help me set up new saltwater tank.

[thang45]

I have a front bow 45gal Discus tank and would like to convert it to saltwater tank with corals.

I currently have a Eheim 2217 filter and a heater. Please recommend if the equipments below are needed or recommend if I should get something else. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

List of stuff to buy recommended by the sale associate at BigAls:

1. 50lbs live rock
2. Instant Ocean 160 Gallon Salt Mix Bucket
3. Three Hydors, Koralia Nano, Hydor Koralia 2, and Hydor Koralia 3
4. Seachem Reef Complete 500 ml
5. Coralife Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series-36" (2X96W) with 2- 3/4W Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps
6. I currently have the Living Sea Hydrometer Plus-Thermometer-(8") 20Cm, do I need to buy Instant Ocean Hydrometer?
7. Do I need to change my filter?
8. Do I need a skimmer?
9. Do I need UV light?
10. Do I a sump?
11. The keep a healthy saltwater tank with corals, what else do I need to buy?

Thank you

[Fishworm]

you do need a skimmer. that's one of the most importiant parts. dont go cheap like I did, you'll will end up having to replace it later with a good one. I have a 75 gallon reef tank and I also went with the 96 watt power lighting. it kinda limits the types of corals you can have. most of the stony corals need much higher intensity lights like metal halide. most people recommend that you do not use a cannister filter. most types of filters produce too much nitrates. high nitrates are really bad in a reef. you will end up with algae covering everything.

what I did with my 75 gallon reef is use an old 55 gallon tank as a sump and a refugium. the bacteria in your live rock acts as your filter as long as you keep good flow around it. a refugium is added to hold some kind of macroalgae like chaeto. the algae removes phosphates and nitrates from the water as it grows. then you just trim it every once in a while. no other kind of filter other than a protein skimmer is needed.


I would highly recommend you head over to reef central ( http://www.reefcentral.com ) and read the posts over there. they have tons of knowledge and they can help you much better than I can.

[Ed13]

1. 50lbs live rock- The number is not fix. Get as much as you like, it'll be usefull when rockscaping. Fiji is the standby, but, Totoka and Kaeleni are my favorites.
2. Instant Ocean 160 Gallon Salt Mix Bucket- It's a really good salt. I preffer Tropic marin or Seachem. Oceanic is also very good.
3. Three Hydors, Koralia Nano, Hydor Koralia 2, and Hydor Koralia 3- Flow is dependent on the inhabitants. Hydors are the best low cost pumps. There are better like Tunze or Vortechs, but are pricier. You may get by with return pump though, it'll depend of the inhabitants as well as you're setup.
4. Seachem Reef Complete 500 ml- While I like Seachem products, you don't really need it. Later on get what you need, by testing water parameters with relation to the inhabitants.
5. Coralife Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series-36" (2X96W) with 2- 3/4W Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps- As far as I'm concerned its t5, MH or both. For me its a matter of efficiency. PC can't really compare to them. A single MH pendant or a couple of T5 with outperform PC using less watts while putting out better quality light.
6. I currently have the Living Sea Hydrometer Plus-Thermometer-(8") 20Cm, do I need to buy Instant Ocean Hydrometer?- A floating hydrometer is more accurate than a swing arm one. A refractometer is more accurate than a hydrometer. Or you can always use TDS to calculate salt levels
7. Do I need to change my filter?- Prob. You could run it with a canister, powerheads and hang on skimmer. But its not necessarily the best.
8. Do I need a skimmer?- Maybe. With low bioload, large frequent water changes, you'll pull it off. However, considering how life goes as well the urge "to add one more". DO get it. Which one, will depend on budget and set up(whether you have a sump or not)
9. Do I need UV light?- Need, no. BUT, its useful. Get it if you want it.
10. Do I a sump?- Need, no. But, its very useful. It will add total volume(diluting pollutants), help regulate temp, hiding spot for equipment(see point 8 and 9). It can also double up as refugium, frag tank etc.
11. The keep a healthy saltwater tank with corals, what else do I need to buy?- Not much, prob calcium, magnesium, alk supplements

HTH

[thang45]

you do need a skimmer. that's one of the most importiant parts. dont go cheap like I did, you'll will end up having to replace it later with a good one. I have a 75 gallon reef tank and I also went with the 96 watt power lighting. it kinda limits the types of corals you can have. most of the stony corals need much higher intensity lights like metal halide. most people recommend that you do not use a cannister filter. most types of filters produce too much nitrates. high nitrates are really bad in a reef. you will end up with algae covering everything.

what I did with my 75 gallon reef is use an old 55 gallon tank as a sump and a refugium. the bacteria in your live rock acts as your filter as long as you keep good flow around it. a refugium is added to hold some kind of macroalgae like chaeto. the algae removes phosphates and nitrates from the water as it grows. then you just trim it every once in a while. no other kind of filter other than a protein skimmer is needed.


I would highly recommend you head over to reef central ( http://www.reefcentral.com ) and read the posts over there. they have tons of knowledge and they can help you much better than I can.

I understand what you are saying and I totally agree. That’s why I want to buy the right equipments the first time.
Thank you for the website.

1. 50lbs live rock- The number is not fix. Get as much as you like, it'll be usefull when rockscaping. Fiji is the standby, but, Totoka and Kaeleni are my favorites.
2. Instant Ocean 160 Gallon Salt Mix Bucket- It's a really good salt. I preffer Tropic marin or Seachem. Oceanic is also very good.
3. Three Hydors, Koralia Nano, Hydor Koralia 2, and Hydor Koralia 3- Flow is dependent on the inhabitants. Hydors are the best low cost pumps. There are better like Tunze or Vortechs, but are pricier. You may get by with return pump though, it'll depend of the inhabitants as well as you're setup.
4. Seachem Reef Complete 500 ml- While I like Seachem products, you don't really need it. Later on get what you need, by testing water parameters with relation to the inhabitants.
5. Coralife Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series-36" (2X96W) with 2- 3/4W Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps- As far as I'm concerned its t5, MH or both. For me its a matter of efficiency. PC can't really compare to them. A single MH pendant or a couple of T5 with outperform PC using less watts while putting out better quality light.
6. I currently have the Living Sea Hydrometer Plus-Thermometer-(8") 20Cm, do I need to buy Instant Ocean Hydrometer?- A floating hydrometer is more accurate than a swing arm one. A refractometer is more accurate than a hydrometer. Or you can always use TDS to calculate salt levels
7. Do I need to change my filter?- Prob. You could run it with a canister, powerheads and hang on skimmer. But its not necessarily the best.
8. Do I need a skimmer?- Maybe. With low bioload, large frequent water changes, you'll pull it off. However, considering how life goes as well the urge "to add one more". DO get it. Which one, will depend on budget and set up(whether you have a sump or not)
9. Do I need UV light?- Need, no. BUT, its useful. Get it if you want it.
10. Do I a sump?- Need, no. But, its very useful. It will add total volume(diluting pollutants), help regulate temp, hiding spot for equipment(see point 8 and 9). It can also double up as refugium, frag tank etc.
11. The keep a healthy saltwater tank with corals, what else do I need to buy?- Not much, prob calcium, magnesium, alk supplements

HTH

Hi Ed,
I will buy a sump. Can you recommend a sump and skimmer for my 45gal?
I guess the Coralife Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series is not good enough for me. Should I go with Coralife Aqualight Pro 36" HQI, is this overkill?

[Ed13]

Hi Ed,
I will buy a sump. Can you recommend a sump and skimmer for my 45gal?
I guess the Coralife Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series is not good enough for me. Should I go with Coralife Aqualight Pro 36" HQI, is this overkill?

Sorry, I can't reccomend sumps since I only DIY or mod a glass tank to fit my needs
As far as skimmers, do you'll need to do your own research on them. There are many feautures to consider like the type (in sump, external, recirculating, needle wheel, etc) and budget and space.
Some I would consider are(not that I've necessarily used them)

Under $300 dollars
The Reef Octopus Needle wheel NW-110 or higher
Reef Octopus MSX 160 or higher
Reef Octopus Recirculating DNW 110 or higher
or the ASM mini G or the ASM G-1

High end- Under $500
Euro reef RC-80
ATI Bubble Master 160

The Ferraris of the skimmer world- UNDER $1000
Bubble king mini 160
ATB small

As you can see there are many that will work, some have different performances and feautures, and of course price.

I've seen and handled some of the Aqualight Pro's. They are quite good so I can't say anything bad about them, other than PRICE.
If you are set on these or get a good deal, go for it. I would give it more thought on light though. Like I said earlier I go for efficiency, which is why PCs always lose. A 150 watt MH alone puts out more light than 192 watts of PC, It's not that it isn't good for you it's that you can do better. But you'll need to figure out what you need to keep your animals happy. You are on track though!

HTH

[thang45]

Sorry, I can't reccomend sumps since I only DIY or mod a glass tank to fit my needs
As far as skimmers, do you'll need to do your own research on them. There are many feautures to consider like the type (in sump, external, recirculating, needle wheel, etc) and budget and space.
Some I would consider are(not that I've necessarily used them)

Under $300 dollars
The Reef Octopus Needle wheel NW-110 or higher
Reef Octopus MSX 160 or higher
Reef Octopus Recirculating DNW 110 or higher
or the ASM mini G or the ASM G-1

High end- Under $500
Euro reef RC-80
ATI Bubble Master 160

The Ferraris of the skimmer world- UNDER $1000
Bubble king mini 160
ATB small

As you can see there are many that will work, some have different performances and feautures, and of course price.

I've seen and handled some of the Aqualight Pro's. They are quite good so I can't say anything bad about them, other than PRICE.
If you are set on these or get a good deal, go for it. I would give it more thought on light though. Like I said earlier I go for efficiency, which is why PCs always lose. A 150 watt MH alone puts out more light than 192 watts of PC, It's not that it isn't good for you it's that you can do better. But you'll need to figure out what you need to keep your animals happy. You are on track though!

HTH

Thanks Ed.
BTW, I saw DIY on YouTube and I want to do the same. I have a 20gal tank, do you think a skimmer can fit into this tank or it is too small for a sump?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxnugJGiT3o

It is difficult for me to give extra though on the light because I don’t know how much I need. I think hard corals require more light that is why I think I might need the Aqualight Pro's. the light will cost me $750 CAD.

[Ed13]

Thanks Ed.
BTW, I saw DIY on YouTube and I want to do the same. I have a 20gal tank, do you think a skimmer can fit into this tank or it is too small for a sump?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxnugJGiT3o

It is difficult for me to give extra though on the light because I don’t know how much I need. I think hard corals require more light that is why I think I might need the Aqualight Pro's. the light will cost me $750 CAD.

Nice find on that video. But I recommend that you go for glass baffles instead of acrylic. Also the middle piece of glass doesn't need to be all the way up, just a few inches higher than the lower ones.
A 20g sounds right, the bigger the better but it will certainly work. Depending on the space needed for the skimmer you might not have enough room to create a refugium chamber, if its important to you.

I hear you on the light, not to mention that I'm guessing you prob are in the same position as me since it's kinda hard to get good equipment locally other than the Coralife stuff. It is a great looking and so far dependable light system, it's just that it's as expensive as top end light fixtures while not necessarily outperforming them. But it will work.
I think that if your unclear as to what you need go for more light. Hard corals and clams need lots of light.

Try to check out as many similar tanks as possible to get an idea.

[thang45]

Nice find on that video. But I recommend that you go for glass baffles instead of acrylic. Also the middle piece of glass doesn't need to be all the way up, just a few inches higher than the lower ones.
A 20g sounds right, the bigger the better but it will certainly work. Depending on the space needed for the skimmer you might not have enough room to create a refugium chamber, if its important to you.

I hear you on the light, not to mention that I'm guessing you prob are in the same position as me since it's kinda hard to get good equipment locally other than the Coralife stuff. It is a great looking and so far dependable light system, it's just that it's as expensive as top end light fixtures while not necessarily outperforming them. But it will work.
I think that if your unclear as to what you need go for more light. Hard corals and clams need lots of light.

Try to check out as many similar tanks as possible to get an idea.

I will pick your brain later on this week when I'm ready to make the sump.

BTW, are currently living in Puerto Rico? I just came back from 7 days cruise in the Caribbean. I love all the islands and I saw lots of nice corals that’s why want a saltwater tank.