How long to wait before adding corals

[Tomorleans]

Originally posted by mmgm
Yes absolutely...... When your tank is cycling the skimmer should be working like crazy.... Try turning on the Venturi and let some bubbles flow ini your skimmer..... Watch what happens....

In the meantime check out the Berlin sumps Melov makes..... Do a search on this website for Melov and you will see some nice designs.... I made a sump out of a 20 gallon tank.... I just silliconed the baffles in. The baffles were made from 3/16 inch acrylic I bought at HOme Depot. 3/16 inch acrylic is easy to cut with a straight edge and knife....

YOu will be surprised as to what comes out of the skimmer.....

Enjoy....

hmm I'll check that out now..

[mmgm]

The cool thing is I would suggest you design the sump as a combo sump/fuge to include a small refugium with Deep Sand Bed (DSB). Av small light onn top of the sump will allow you to grow somwe macro algae that will really enhance your water quality. For the size of your tank this would be perfect and you will have perfect water parameters with little to no effort with a refugium..... Of course I would suggest a small calcium reactor if you plan on getting serious about corals......

Have fun......

[Tomorleans]

Originally posted by mmgm
The cool thing is I would suggest you design the sump as a combo sump/fuge to include a small refugium with Deep Sand Bed (DSB). Av small light onn top of the sump will allow you to grow somwe macro algae that will really enhance your water quality. For the size of your tank this would be perfect and you will have perfect water parameters with little to no effort with a refugium..... Of course I would suggest a small calcium reactor if you plan on getting serious about corals......

Have fun......

I feel like Im at a crossroads right now. I plan on moving out of my current house within a year and Im not sure how far into this hobby i want to go. I dont wanna lose stuff during a move. So maybe I will make the current tank a FOWLR and after the move make the 30 gallon a ref/sump... hmmm

BUT, then again a buddy of mine has the same setup as I do. And his tank is going great..

[mmgm]

FOWLR is a good start...... If you plan on going reef be careful of what you put into the tank. At minimum try to get the skimmer working correctly..... YOu will need the skimmer working regardless of what you end up with.....

Bottom Line... Have fun....

Reef Central is a great place for information.....

[rhythmicfire]

It is okay to use a filter so long as you make a point to clean/change the media once or twice a week.

[mmgm]

Originally posted by rhythmicfire
It is okay to use a filter so long as you make a point to clean/change the media once or twice a week.

The thing is after a while you probaly end up slipping and not changing twice a week.... And then you have issues..... For the long run I suggest setting up your tank to keep maintenence to a minimum..... Berlin Sump with huge Protein skimmer and refugium really minimize maintenance required on a tank.

For my 850 gallon system I spend about 5 hours a week maintaining the system..... My first tank (only 90 gallons) I spent about 14 hours a week maintaining due to changing filters and manual water changes.....

In the long run I suggest make it as easy as possible to maintain.....

Just my 2 cents......

Enjoy......