Want to start 25 gallon prop tank

[murph213]

Happy Holidays everyone! I am fairly new to sw/reef hobby.
A friend gave me a 25 gallon tank. I am considering using it to
propagate zoas. What will I need to get started? I have new ones in my 55 gallon reef although still small and not ready to frag. However I just started to glue them to small rocks to spred.
Can anyone give me advice ho how to start?
Thanks and Happy holidays!
Murph

[AndyH5512]

Other than the standard setup (lights, powerhead, skimmer), I would get:

-PVC/egg crate to make stands and holders
-Rubble to attach the frags to
-A sump in which you can place your live rock, which keeps room available in the frag tank
-A good cleaner crew

I am sure more will chime in with additional ideas and info. Good luck and have fun!

[KCZoanthid]

I'm using a medium CPR HOB refugium on my 20g high frag tank. The refugium is full of about 10lbs of rock ruble and some cheato. No skimmer.

I bought a few different sized frag racks from Mag-Racks and then just started making my own based on the same design. Had a hard time finding a local source for the magnets, but did finally get some.

Total flow through the refugium is around 200GPH and I have 2 Maxi-Jet 900 in the tank with Hydor rotating heads. Pretty simple. I do a 3g water change twice a week.

My light is a Coralife 130w PC unit. Fits on top of the tank perfectly and seams to work fine.

[Saboral]

Do you really think a skimmer is necessary on a small frag/prop tank like this? I would imagine a good mud/sandbed refugium with good flow would be plenty.

[KCZoanthid]

My unprofessional opinion is that you don't need a skimmer in a frag tank.

I don't have any fish in my frag tank, and I don't really "feed" my frag tank. I think the rock and cheato in my refugium takes care of the nitrates.

Honestly, some of out corals have zooanthelle algae inside their bodies. They WANT some nitrates to keep that algae fed. It's how they get their energy. 10ppm of nitrates makes my corals in the frag tank grow faster than the ones in my display tank which has zero nitrates.

I change a lot of water in my frag tank. 20g tank. I change 3g twice a week. Not to try and control nitrates. They are fine. I change the water so that my trace elements are always fresh and in good supply for my frags.

[sahnee]

Originally posted by KCZoanthid
I'm using a medium CPR HOB refugium on my 20g high frag tank. The refugium is full of about 10lbs of rock ruble and some cheato. No skimmer.

I bought a few different sized frag racks from Mag-Racks and then just started making my own based on the same design. Had a hard time finding a local source for the magnets, but did finally get some.

Total flow through the refugium is around 200GPH and I have 2 Maxi-Jet 900 in the tank with Hydor rotating heads. Pretty simple. I do a 3g water change twice a week.

My light is a Coralife 130w PC unit. Fits on top of the tank perfectly and seams to work fine.

I would go with a halide light for a frag tank. Better growth and coloration with a 20k. With PC's, I had a 65 gallon tank with a 4x96 watt pc fixture very stong lighting. But I switched to two 250 watt halides somce polyps that were extended retracted and everything popped with color. Just my experience.