View Full Version : Setting up first reef tank in 10 years...recommendations and advice?
jurisnipper
02/13/2002, 02:07 PM
I am setting up my first reef tank in ten years or so.
I am building a DIY hood/lighting system (see http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&postid=428927#post428927).
I am going to use a hang on the back of the tank refugium which will also hold the skimmer and the heater. I plan on using a sand bed (2-3 inches).
Any advice? What should I NOT get for the tank? What should I get for the tank?
I am going to try to make the meeting next week to meet all of you (it is about 2 miles from my house..what a great location (for me)).
Thanks for the advice.
Steve (jurisnipper)
deucejimmo
02/13/2002, 06:22 PM
jurisnipper
For all the info you want come to the meeting. I believe the best way to set up a reef tank is to start with sand ,fine sand,"sugarsand". Seeded with live rock and sand exchanges through the club or purchased "detrivore kits'. A refugium also has to be seeded. Live sand , live rock, and a good proitien skimmer are the only filtration that i use . That's not totally true because i have a refugium also. What size is your tank ? What kind of lighting will you use? What do you want to keep?
kgross
02/13/2002, 07:11 PM
Here is my suggestions. Go with 3 to 4 inches of sand, as fine as sand as you can find, like the CarribSea Aragamax, seed it with some good live sand, only put in as much rock as you want to build the type of a structure that you want. the old rules of 1.5 to 2 lbs per gallon are not needed, the sand bed can do all of the filtration. Get a good skimmer, let us know what size of a tank and we can help recomend one to you if you are interested. Do not skimp on lighting, it is hard to put to much light on the tank, and very easy to have not enough light.
That is all you need, skip all filters other than the sand/rock and a good skimmer. Make sure you have lots of water movement and go slow, if you give the tank enough time to mature you will have an easy to maintain tank that will allow you to succed very easily.
Kim
incuboy
02/15/2002, 10:34 PM
Certainly I am not as experienced, and all advice I give should be taken with a grain of sea salt...but I have had excellent success with skilter backpacks (and they are pretty inexpensive). My reef is almost entirely maintenence free, and things are flourishing. I have a LOT of lighting, the tank is relatively large, and I use the same recommended approach as was given-- a lot of sand and micro-organisms to live therein. I had my hardwood floors redone recently and the chemical fumes killed all five tanks in my house but NOT my reef. Some things suffered, but the skilters worked overtime and I believe the resiliency of having things pretty stable helped fight off the effects.
Also, if you are just getting things set up, and if I have anything in my tank you would like a portion of, feel free. I don't know that much about cutting and dividing and all that, but I have some rather large stuff and a number of interesting things.
BraveHeart
02/23/2002, 01:53 AM
Steve,
I see from one of your previous threads that you're stepping up from a 10 to a 29. Personally, I think that's a smart move -- the larger the water volume, the more stability. Add a good-sized sump and/or refugium and you can get even more stability and better water quality.
I too am a firm believer in the deep sandbed approach. I've got about 3" in my 75, but am currently working on a plan to remove some of the coarser material (Reef Sand) and build it up to 4", or so with Aragamax. I also run a 25 gal. refugium that has a 2 to 3" Aragamax bed.
I'm confused about your plan to run a skimmer in your refugium. As a general rule, skimmers require a substantial amount of water flow to operate effectively. Conversely, refugiums usually have very little turnover. I probably turn my refugium about once or twice an hour (25 - 50 gph). I'm guessing that about 100 to 200 gph moves through my skimmer which is down in my sump. I circulate at the rate of about 10+ turns an hour (1,000 to 1,200 gph) through that sump, dividing out a sufficient quantity for the skimmer input.
It sounds like you may be trying to save space by asking a little too much of a true refugium environment. If so, you may want to consider dividing your refugium into an area of high turbulance with no sand bed to facilitate your skimming activities and an area of low turbulance to farm macro-algae and bugs. I believe that Mr. G even suggested such an approach to utilize a spare wet-dry chamber at the meeting last night. Golfsuper has gone all out. He has a fancy over/under setup. His refugium actually slides back and forth on a track on the top of his sump. But, then again, not all of us have his DIY talents.:rolleyes:
You get the thing set up and splash your rock, give me a shout. I always ante-up a few "house-warming" frags to those just getting started.
Bryan
P.S. Be careful about how you finish your hood. I learned a very painful lesson in this area. Polyurathane is the only way to go.
jurisnipper
02/23/2002, 11:46 PM
Thanks for the advice. I see your point on skimming and refugiums. Maybe I'll wait on the refugium....
I have really been impressed with how the trade has changed in the last 10 years. People are SO willing to help each other out. This is great. Thanks for taking the time to reply and offer your two cents.
Steve (jurisnipper)
vBulletin® v3.8.4, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.