new reef for a newb year... ur opinion?

[dbreef]

ok what i have and what i am getting....

currently i am running all my stuff from my 29 gallon wannabe reef in my new 55 gallon tank and all seems fine but I am ordering the following to replace the filtration which is with links:

skimmer (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754566&cp=&sr=1&origkw=skimmer&kw=skimmer&parentPage=search&keepsr=1)

filter 1 (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753162&cp=&view=all&pg=1&searchSort=TRUE&sr=1&origkw=eheim&s=A-StorePrice-PET&kw=eheim&parentPage=search&keepsr=1)

proquatics 120 (http://www.aquahobby.com/products/e_hydor_bravo.php)

Current Usa 48 inch light (http://cgi.ebay.com/36-aquarium-light-Satellite-fixture-96-w-Sunpaq-1005_W0QQitemZ300183240238QQihZ020QQcategoryZ46314QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem)


budget tank/stand (http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pet/486941608.html)


well then a old heater that is holding temp's at 78 degrees F.
Also the tank is 55 inch.

and I plan on putting in:



Hang on reefugium for a generic Sump (http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=284)

New Heater (http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=371)

canister filter (http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=47)

Well thats what I am doing at this point any suggestions would be great right now before the new stuff comes the tank is workin great o yah my sand LOL is working great, my mono and yellow tang along with a white snail and a black snail with 2 hermit crabs are doin awesome with it any feedback would be great!!
O yah thats right 100 lbs. of kids playground sand!!
It is:

2 bags for my reef floor accented with mexican reef rock 2 fiji rocks a dead polyp frag (http://underbid.com/action/display/item/20640-1061834687/sku/651416.html)

[stevelkaneval]

i wouldnt use the canister.

[dbreef]

why?

[LaurentSeattle]

Be EXTRA careful there:

Reptile aquariums are often not designed to be entirely filled with water. They cannot stand the pressure of water!!!

[dbreef]

o the stand is just from the reptile store the tank was a former med tank i got from a extreme reef enthusiast..

what you think of the sand i am so impressed i wanna build another tank!!

[zma21]

The skimmer- they aren't worth the money in my experience
The lights- Don't go the PC route. They are extremely underpowered, and you'll be limited to low light softies in most cases.

[dbreef]

I cant afford anything more just now I am very interested in whether changing my filtration will help my tank, also has anyone ever used kids playground sand as a base??

[racksteris]

Good luck with everything, I must say this is a very expensive hobby your are getting your self in. Its better to wait and get good equipment up front. Then just buying what you can afford now, because you will upgrade and WASTE a lot of money in doing so.

[armagedon48]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11501537#post11501537 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dbreef
o the stand is just from the reptile store the tank was a former med tank i got from a extreme reef enthusiast..

what you think of the sand i am so impressed i wanna build another tank!!

if the tank was used for medication, i would be careful. it may be possible for the meds to remain on the tank and leach out over time.

canister filters are often not used. use the money to invest in a better skimmer and some more live rock. read several other tank threads both nano and large reefs and get an idea of what equipment they are useing. also keep an eye on the used equip forum for good deals. i scored a complete 175W metal halide setup for 70$.

[dbreef]

The Pictures of what I have done (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=13532476&albumId=1336294)