Help us have a successful first tank

[BrettD]

Thanks all for all the information in these forums, this is my first post, but I have read heaps. Keep up the great work!!!

My wife and I are setting up our first aquarium (delivered tomorrow). Here is what we have planned so far:

- 72� x 24� x 24� Glass Aquarium (180 Gallons?)
- Glass Sump (as big as can fit through the cabinet doors)
- Eheim 1260 Sump return Pump
- About 5 powerheads in the tank
- Red Sea Berlin hang on protein skimmer
- 80 kg of Live rock (I think that is 180 pounds)

Lights aren’t decided yet, but will probably be a Jebo 5’ contraption that has 3 x 150w metal halides, and 4 long tubes.

First question is this: The LFS guy claims it is a waste to fill it initially with RO water. He said to use tap water, as the chlorine will disappear in a few days. And just add the live rock after those few days. Is this OK???

Here is our battle plan for setting up the tank:
- Leave it to cycle for 2 months with just water / live rock / heater.
- Add lights and skimmer
- Add 1 –2 fish OR 1-2 pieces of coral per fortnight..

Fish we are considering are these: (any suggestions?)
- Dwarf Zebra Lion (I know it may be hard)
- Imperator (Emperor) Angel (please say it won’t eat all the coral)
- Flame Angel (will put in at the same time as the other angel)
- A pair of Maroon Clown, Gold Stripe (with a Bulb Anemone)
- Blue Tang, Indo-Pacific
- Yellow Tang, Hawaii

Thanks in advance (and sorry for the long post)

Brett D

[DaveJohnson]

G'Day!

A couple thoughts on your plans.

You can use tap water, and it's true the chlorine will dissipate, but the phosphates, nitrates, silicates, heavy metals (if any) will not. IME you will have more algae problems if you use tap rather than RO or RO/DI.

You need a much bigger/better skimmer. Check into some of the Euroreef or AquaC EV products.

Sounds like you've got a pretty decent plan otherwise. Good luck!

Cheers,
Dave Johnson (I used to live in South Yarra from 94-97 - really miss it! Karn the 'Roos!)

[marine61]

Find another LFS. It's okay to fill it with tap water to clean it and check for leaks. The permanent water should be RO.(Of course with salt added)Tap water will be safe for fish after 24 hours but you will have more algae.

Letting it cycle for two months is fine. Patience is the most important thing in setting up a tank.

Also add livestock very slowly. One fish or two if they are a pair every four weeks should be good. You could probably add every two weeks but I feel it is better to be safe than sorry. The live rock and live sand need to make bacteria to catch up to the waste.

As always this is only my opinion but it seems to be working for me.

Good Luck
nicky

[BrettD]

Thanks for the quick responses.

RE: the skimmer: "Red Sea" is pretty much most of what I see in all the LFS's. Is it a bad brand? or is the berlin hang on just too small for our tank? Would adding a second one (or a prizm pro) help?

Brett D

[ed102475]

Go with the R/O but you will need to test the PH you may need to buffer it.I use R/O and after the salt the PH is around 7.8 I think it is best to keep around 8.4 .

[Safado]

The Red Sea Berlin isn't a "bad" skimmer, it will do it's job BUT the Aquac EV series or Euro Reefs are SO MUCH better.

I used to run an RS Berlin skimmer, it was ALWAYS a pain making adjustments here and there. I now have an Aqua C EV 180 and it is terrific, pulls out 3 times more "gunk" than the Berlin skimmer and best of all, I never have to touch it! No adjustments what so ever.

It's pricey but you will be thankful you got it

[MichaelD]

Also make sure your powerheads aren't rios, too many horror stories to be worth the rish IMHO also try to find the gph of them it will be helpful in the future.

Also does your sump have baffles?
If they don't i'd look into making some because without it you'll get a good amount of Microbubbles.

I second that you need a different skimmer.
WWW.marinedepot.com has euro-reef and Aqua C EV look there
Euro-Reef and Aqua C probably make the best insump skimmers.

Angels are pretty hit or miss some can be terrors in the reef tank eating everything around and some can be model citizens. If yours is the former good luck catching them .
I just make sure to keep them well fed with a varied diet and you'll have your best shot.
I have the same problem as you I don't know if I should risk keeping a flame angel in my 75 gallon.
I'd also just fill it up with RO/Di water let it run check for leaks and if its good mix you salwater in their without the skimmer going.

Also for lights Jebos have a pretty bad reputation around here. Even though there safer now and I'm pretty sure there UL listed I look at a different light setup.
Also I'd get 3 175 watt or even better 250 watt MH with supplemental VHO or T5 atinics.
Good Luck
And Most of all

To Reef Central!!!

[Dr]

I think the rest have said it best on the skimmer selection. Look at Euro reef or Aqua C skimmers. If you are new to the hobby look at the Euro reef skimmers. "Set it and forget it" seems to be the motto.

I currently have a 29 gal FOWLR and am in the process of setting up a 75 gal and have researched for the last 6 months. The 29 gal was an impulse buy, but got me HOOKED. Salt water is my obession now.
Euro reef seems to have the best user comments. Look at the Euro reef post here on RC. I have noticed that there have been complaints that the Aqua Cs are hard to dial in at first. Form what I checked on the web as in price comparisions is the Euro reef seems to be a little less pricy than the Aqua Cs and do the same if not better job. This is my opinion only.

Also, I would re-consider your return pump. Depending on the size of the overflows (GPH that they can handle)that you will have and what type of corals you might get, you may not need to have 5 powerheads if your return pump is bigger. IMO powerheads take away for the beauty of the tank.

I envy your 180 gal and would like to see some pics when you get it set up.

[ed102475]

Same here post some pics as soon as you can.

[BrettD]

Thanks again for the suggestions, I found 1 Aussie site selling an AquaC EV-180 for $550, would this one be OK?

Here are some pics for those who asked...

The Sump: (that is one of the heaters, and one of the powerheads inside) it is 28" x 15" x 15" not including the bio-ball chamber for height.


The Stand - We are halfway through staining it at the moment:


Here is the tank:


Can't wait to get some water in it!

Brett D

[guitarfish]

As a user of an AquaC EV-120 skimmer, I'd recommend you check them out, probably a 180 for your system. See AquaC's Web

I'd recommend at least two smaller heaters, as opposed to one large one.

Do you plan on using a quarantine tank before adding new fish? I strongly recommend it. See Quarantining Your Fish

And just in case you aren't real familiar with ich, you need to be. If you don't QT new fish, you'll end up with it eventually. See ATJ's Marine Ich Reference

[chili]

I have a 180 I am designing a stand for. Our tanks will weigh a ton...literally...maybe even more. Make sure you are confident that your stand can support that weight. I am a newbie with fish and carpentry so I am just blurting this out really. All the designs I have seen for tanks like ours have 4x4s or lammed 2x4s. I think you can get around this if the sides are structurally supportive. I cant really tell from your pic. Also, with regards to the stress load against the tank itself, I have been told that the stand must be perfectly level or your asking for catastrophic problems. Sorry if you already know all this. I am building a similar system and this is my current battle. Figured I'd chime in. Good luck!

ps...how does everyone feel about a becket style skimmer as a cheaper, more effective? skimmer. for example www.myreefcreations.com

[Dr]

Nice pics. More,more. That is one big tank!

One thing about that sump bothers me. Don't get me wrong that is a nice sump! But, in my personal opion, I would get rid of the bio balls. They will become nitrate factories in the long run.

As for the skimmer looks like the 180 would be good but would consider going up one more to the 240.

[Alberio]

Is this going to be a full blown reef? If so:

Get a new LFS. He sold you the bio-ball stuff which is bad for a reef.
Also recommending tap water is just indicates he has absolutely no idea what the heck he's talking about.
No way a Berlin Hang on will handle a 180. Aqua C or Euroreef is the way to go.

I have a berlin classic (in sump). Even with major mods it's not doing a great job on my 120.


Your fish.

Emperator - yes he will eat your corals
Lion Fish - too dirty for a reef. They do grow to 8". Eventually it will start snacking on invertabrates and possibly your clowns.

Good luck

[BrettD]

I'll get some more pics up as interesting stuf happens.

That is 1 of 2 identifcal heaters (both 300w each)

This is going to be a reef tank. Can I keep the bio-balls for now (they came with the sump) and replace them slowly, say over the first year, with live rock? or something else? or does live rock need to be submerged?

We have not really thought about a quarantine tank yet...

[guitarfish]

No need for bioballs at all - why bother? If you have enough live rock, that plus the substrate will house the bacteria you need. Yes, two identical heaters, e.g. I have dual 200w (Ebo Jager) in my 75g system.

Definitely think about QT. I'd recommend a cheap 30 or 40g setup, nothing fancy. Just something to hold fish for a month.