Setting up my first Reef Tank / 30g

[werkkrew]

Hello!

This is my first post here although I have been trolling this forum pretty non-stop for about 3 days now. I have read all of the newbie threads and many of my questions were answered there already, so please dont flame me for not doing my research prior. I am simply looking for the expert advice of this forums members and hopefully I am including enough detail which this thread can become a great point of reference for people looking to start tanks of similar size to my own. I am unsure if a similar thread exists since I am not a premium member I cannot use the forum search feature so I am limited to what I have found by paging through the newbie and nano-reef forums. Sorry if the questions I ask are highly duplicate.

A little about me -

I am a computer engineer working out of the SE Pennsylvania region and I have kept freshwater aquariums for about 10 years. I am 25 years old and graduated from Drexel University in 2005 with a degree in Computer Engineeing.

My current freshwater setup is a 55 gallon new world Cichlid tank with a variety of new world Cichlids which has been thriving for quite some time now. Many of the fish in the tank are 5+ years old.

I have a very good idea of the dedication required from keeping a successful aquarium, but I also realize that the amount of effort, both in keeping a reef tank healthy, but also the financially I am to expect in undertaking this new hobby.

I have never kept a SW tank of any kind, let alone a reef tank, but my father is dismantling his 30 gallon setup and has offered it to me.

I live in a relatively small apartment but I have plenty of space to accomodate the new tank setup. I would love to go larger but seeing as how this will be my first attempt at reef keeping I do not want to be too ambitious in my attempt and I want to keep the initial financial investment low in this initial experiment to see if I am cut out for this hobby, and enjoy it as much as I expect I will.

Now onto the questions!

The proposed reef tank is a 30 gallon tank with a custom built cedar stand. The tank dimensions are 36 1/4 x 12 5/8 x 16 3/4 and the stand is about 6 inches large on all sides. I believe the size of the stand might be useful as a place to hide a sump setup, if I chose to go that route.

I have done a lot of research and I am looking for some advice as to the type of equipment I should buy at the onset to support a successful 30 gallon reef aquarium.

Here are my restrictions:

Financial - I would like to keep costs down a little bit, but I know the costs involved, and I can afford to support this impending addiction. The only reason I mention it is because I know a lot of people will suggest equipment which many will consider "optional" especially in the early stages of the tanks life. Remember, I can always add more/upgrade later. My intent here is to keep some of the initial setup costs down as I am just testing the waters, so to speak, as I have never kept a reef before.

Space - I am in a relatively small 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom apartment. My 55 gallon setup is in the living room, and the reef tank will reside in the second bedroom (my office). The space restraint is that I would like the tank stand to contain nearly all necessary componentry, with nothing exposed and ugly in my workspace. I am a little ocd when it comes to organization and without the luxury of a fish room to hide all the complex equipment I would like the components I select in this setup to be readily hidden beneath the tank.

Electrical Usage - Since I am in an apartment, I would like all of the required components to be able to run off a maximum of two electrical outlets, I cannot add outlets or upgrade my electrical service. I don't suspect this will be an issue.


Also, I intent to obtain most of the equipment from my LFS, which, I have no experience with them as far as SW/Reef supplies go. They have been very good to me for all of my freshwater needs, the quality of the fish I have gotten from them has been good. No diseases ever, and very knowledgeable personnel.

I have no problem with ordering equipment online, but I like the experience of dealing locally better. If the price difference/availability of certain items is better online, the choice is obvious.

The store I have near me is a "Big Al's Aquarium" store, which they recently renamed to "Captain Nemos Aquarium"...I don't like the new name at all but the store hasn't changed. Same management and all.

This is their website, for the curious: http://www.bigalsonline.com/ (if this is considered spam, please remove. I do not have any affiliation with them.)

Essentially, this is my plan so far -

Set up the tank and stand in the desired location this weekend - without water.

Heh. This is also where the plan ends.

First Question - Water - Seeing as how I have only a 30 gallon tank, I have not decided on much else yet, I will not be buying a RO/DI unit as it does not fit into my budget, but, I would like advice on the best way for me create my salt water mix. I know I can buy the water from the store, but I do not want to have to contiunally buy water to compensate for evap. What is the best approach for me in creating my water?

Second Question - Sand Bed - My plan is to create a deep sand bed with about 4" of sand. I think it would be cheaper for me to seed my bed using a small amount of live sand mixed with standard sand. I am not sure if the small size of my tank if it would make more sense to just buy all live sand. I think 40 to 50 lbs should create the bed I want. What advice can you guys give me on this subject?

Third Question - Live Rock - I plan to have about 50-60 lbs of live rock added to the tank. Since I am starting fresh with no livestock in the tank, can I cure the rock inside the tank? Any advice here? I have read I can do this but I am concerned about the smell in the house, but it is too cold outside to cure it outside. (<28F)

Fourth Question - Hardware - At the onset it seems I will need at least 2 powerheads of some sort to create current, and I plan to go with at least a good skimmer. Would it be wise for me to explore the world of DIY sump systems on a tank this small? I would like the benefit of the additional water capacity and the option of a refugium beneath the tank but my tank is not pre-drilled (I can drill it myself if it makes sense). Is a sump system / closed loop system overkill on a tank this size? I don't fully understand what is involved in these types of setups and if a hang on skimmer alone would be adequate. I have two spare 100W heaters which I plan to use at least one of in this setup. I might use both just for redundancy. What should my shopping list include to support this 30G tank through its lifespan? If I upgrade any of the hardware on this tank I want it to be because I move to a larger tank, not because this tank outgrows itself.

Fifth Question - Lighting - If in the long term I intend to keep all types of corals from soft to hard, I want the lighting to be adequate. The tank is not nearly as deep as many of the 29g setups I see, so I do not know if I will have to go the route of MH lighting. What would be a decent lighting setup which will support this tank? I have been looking at Coralife CF setups with moon leds which I think would be quite nice.

Essentially I am trying to put together a shopping list so I can get an idea of what my budget should look like.

My long term plan is to have a thriving reef tank with many types of coral as well as several types of reef friendly fish.

I am simply looking for the right advice which give me the best chance at success with this hobby as in my conversations with many of my friends and family, many have tried, and failed.

Thanks ahead of time, sorry to be so long winded.

[drillsar]

First Question - Water - Seeing as how I have only a 30 gallon tank, I have not decided on much else yet, I will not be buying a RO/DI unit as it does not fit into my budget, but, I would like advice on the best way for me create my salt water mix. I know I can buy the water from the store, but I do not want to have to contiunally buy water to compensate for evap. What is the best approach for me in creating my water?

You really should invest in a RO/DI unit, How do you know your LFS water will be any good, This is one of the most important thing, I would suggest to go to Air/water and ice there one of reef central supporters



Second Question - Sand Bed - My plan is to create a deep sand bed with about 4" of sand. I think it would be cheaper for me to seed my bed using a small amount of live sand mixed with standard sand. I am not sure if the small size of my tank if it would make more sense to just buy all live sand. I think 40 to 50 lbs should create the bed I want. What advice can you guys give me on this subject?

Well for a DSB you can use like 75% southdown sand and get really good live sand for rest, then buy a detivore kit from http://www.inlandaquatics.com/


As far as the Rock you can use Base Rock (30lbs) which is basically rock that is dead, I forget where you can buy these and buy some Live Rock eventually your rock will seed the base rock. You can save alot of $$$

I probably would look into going with a DIY sump, you need Flow so powerheads are critical, Lighting is a big ? it really depends on what corals your interested in.

[werkkrew]

Seeding base rock and southdown sand sounds like a good way to save some money at the onset. The Detivore kit looks pretty nice too.

I need to do more research on creating a DIY sump, I am not sure if the sum of the materials and tools I would need to create it would be much less then a pre-built system. Since I recently went through some "life changes" I dont have most of my tools anymore, nor do I have a suitable workspace to build stuff. I can probably use my dads garage though.

Also - As a correction about the water, my plan was not to buy water from my LFS, I was stating that I didn't want to do that, and was looking for alternatives to RO/DI for producing my own pure water. I have seen people using distilled water from the grocery store, and even using the cheap filter columns (which I read aren't so great but might get the job done.)

Since I am in an apartment and I don't have the ability to hook the aquarium up to a direct water source, what RO/DI options do I have? Aside from the mighty mite, most of the units are very large and expensive.

[drillsar]

I live in Apartment also, I use a faucet adapter and hook it up to my RO/DI unit. You can use distilled water but it can be costly plus Distilled water I checked it it read 6ppm on my TDS with some gallons, Only way to get pure water is using your own RO/DI unit it's a big investment at first but in long run cheaper and better tank and you will need a tds meter some come with one free

[drillsar]

ALways check the selling forums you may find some good deals especially sumps

[werkkrew]

My cousin dismantled a 220g Reef about a year ago, I heard he might have his RO/DI left over after he parted it out, Im going to get in touch with him to see if hes still got it.

[drillsar]

Check Ebay but Someone may tune in to where you buy base rock, I forgot where I bought mine, For the Live rock you can go to Live aquaria there rock isnt anything special but its cheap but for very good rock try tampa bay saltwater

[drillsar]

for a RO/DI unit you dont want the DI on top you want the DI standing up seperate, It's better, Try Air/Water and ICe or Filter Guys these guys are very good and they will tell you what filters, etc. I bought one on Ebay and I changed it totally because I found out later that not all units are the same. Typhoon are very good RO/Di units and there not badly priced.

[dsn112]

I used water from that LFS to start off my 28g tank. I was very trusting in starting this hobby. There RO water has a tds of up to 50. My water coming in to my house is only 95. You can get a basic ro/di from the filter guys and hook it up to your kitchen sink for around 150.

Also, buy your drygoods online. I have shopped for things at that Captn Nemos before I knew anything, and they are very overpriced. There are a ton of reefers in this area to help you out. I would reccommend if you want to buy drygoods locally, then make the trip to that pet place in Lancaster. Even the Hidden reef in Langhorne is better than Captn Nemos.

Good Luck, Let me know if you need more help.

Oh also if you want a thriving reef tank, lighting is super important. Go with a t5 or mh unit, Id say t5 because less heat and much lower electric usage.

[werkkrew]

Ah someone local!

Thank you very much for the advice. I could tell nemos was very overpriced but they seemed to be the only well stocked LFS.

I found another place today also I will be checking out.

[dsn112]

what place? i have been to everyone in a 50 mile radius

[werkkrew]

Crystal Clear Aquarium, and/or Coral Creations.

Crystal Clear is literally 5 minutes from my house and I didn't even know it was there.

[killagoby]

First Question - Water- DO NOT top off with salt water. When salt water evaporates the salt does not, raising your SG. I've used salt and fresh water from my LFS for years and have never had a problem. I've used distilled H2O from my local supermarket for top off as well. For smaller tanks you might not need a RO/DI unit.

Second Question - Sand Bed- I would not do a DSB in the tank. You don't have the surface area, and in time it will just trap detrus. Look at doing a RDSB in a refugium or seperate bucket. This way you can get to the sand if you have to remove it. The smaller the grain size the better and at least 4" deep.

Third Question - Live Rock- The amount of rock you chose is perfect. I have never cured LR in a tank before, but I've heard that it will take longer to cycle.

Fifth Question - Lighting- I'd do a nice T5 setup. Look into Icecap, Aquatinics, and Sunlight Supply.

[werkkrew]

Thank you for the response

Yeah, I am aware of the methods of water changes with adding salt during water changes but not to compensate for evap. My Cichlid tank is slightly brackish so I am familiar with those methods.

I would like to avoid a RO/DI unit if possible only because its a hefty initial cost, but it seems the overwhelming opinion is that its worth it.

What depth of sand would you suggest then? 1.5?

As for the life rock, I am not afraid of the time required to cycle as much as I am concerned about the potential smell it might produce.

Lights - It seems T5 makes the most sense for me right now, given some more research I have done and there are some pretty nice units I have found in my price range.


I am looking into sump/refugium design at the moment as I will likely make it my weekend project to attempt to construct one.

Will it prove better to attempt to drill the tank for this setup or are siphons ok?

[thin crust]

picture please =]

[dsn112]

Originally posted by werkkrew
Crystal Clear Aquarium, and/or Coral Creations.

Crystal Clear is literally 5 minutes from my house and I didn't even know it was there.

Where are these two? I guess I have not been to all.

[cur10u5g30rg3]

Unless you really like them don't cylce the aquarium with Damsel Fish. Use curing liverock or a table shrimp, but don't use the Damsel's. In a tank that size they will dominate and harrass any fish you add.
Only being in this hoby for a short time that is the best advice I can give from my experience.

[werkkrew]

Some sump design ideas:

Working off some concepts I found from Melev at his wonderful resource www.melevsreef.com (if you haven't seen this site yet, check it out) I have come up with two potential sump designs and wanted some feedback.

I used MS Paint since I am at work and dont have any of my normal drawing tools available.

The basis for the design is a 20G High tank I have lying around.

Dimensions are 24x16x12

I wish I had a spare 20g Long available but this should work.

Sump Idea 1:



Sump Idea 2:




I think sump 2 will be better, it is simpler and seems it would be just as effective.

[warrenm107]

I advise against this, but if you're on a budget you can start your tank with a tap water conditioner such as amquel. I got by with this method for many years. I have since gone the RO/DI route and have seen significant improvents in the growth of my corals.

Like I said this can be done, I did it. I strongly suggest however that you initially use purified water of some form. In my area there are plenty of places to buy drinking water. I found one that is RO/DI and reads 0 on the TDS meter. I'd buy a 5 gallon dispenser and fill up your 30 gallon this way. Once or twice a week fill it up for your water change and or top off water. Until you can find a RO/DI on E-bay or something.

Next thing would be a good skimmer, I'd say buy quality it saves money in the long run. But if you don't have the money, I found a Red Sea Berlin skimmer at a Flea Market for $7.00. I initially used this for quite a while-years. Fact is it's not that good, I recently upgraded to an Aqua-C Remora Pro. I put a Mag 7 on it and it skimms like crazy. A Mag 5 would probably be adequate.

As far as live sand goes, I bought a $20.00 bag worth of I can't remember what leading brand. The rest of the sand bed is just regular sand. Fine particles though, some types of fish prefer it.

Live rock. A couple of pieces of base rock for the bottom, maybe 10 pounds. At least 15 pounds of quality live rock. You will be happier with the kind of life that springs up from the quality rock, makes for a more interesting tank.

Lighting, don't avoid metal halide. You will be limiting the types of livestock you can keep later on down the road. I found metal halides with bulbs on E-bay for as little as $50.00. One metal halide 175 or 150 watt would do fine for now.