Starting a new reef tank, any advice?

[Boydx2]

This is actually the first time that I am posting a message, so try to be gentle with me!:strooper: I am sick of going to different stores and hearing different opinions from the salesman's perspective. I really appreciate this site and all those that gove their good advice on RC. I currently have a 20vh sw tank with two common clown fish and a baby regal blue tang; I also have some crabs, snails to do my dirty work. This setup is about two years old and has had minimal casualties!!!

Its about time that I set up my new reef tank and have been taking it very slow. I have a 37 gallon tank, with about 40-45 lbs. of live sand and am getting my live rock very soon. I have done a ton of research on everything that has to do with reef tanks and have decided to use an emperor 400 with bio-wheels and a remora w/maxi jet ph, as my filter and skimmer. I have ordered my lighting (two 150w hqi's (white), and two 55w vho's (antic).

I know there is some disagreement about the effectiveness or lack thereof for the emperor 400, and even for the remora skimmer. If there are any comments about these items or anything else, please feel free to offer some advice. My biggest question that I cant seem to find a decent answer too, is about water flow. I understand the importance that good water flow has to a reef tank, but dont have a lot of cash left to spend to get anything fancy. I was going to just get some maxijets and try to strategically place them throughout the tank. Is this a proven method???

Again any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[mmancuso13]

Welcome! Your setup will work very well! The emporor and remora can do the job. Many folks prefer a sump but flow and skimming are the most important. Maximize the live rock as this will relly help in the conversion of bio-load. I used GARF grunge to jumpstart the deep sand bed (DSB) and it has really proved to be worht it. Only 10 days in and the coraline is covering my live rock.

This site is very useful for questions as well.

Good Luck!

[Stevan]

IMHO-If you haven't already bought the Emperor and the Remora DON'T.

Use the money that your spending on the Emperor to buy more Live Rock. It'll serve the same purpose and in fairly short order do a much better job as it will also rid you of Nitrates...Something the Emperor not only won't do, it will add to.

If you must go w/AquaC get the Remora Pro, and consider upgrading the pump, at least they all seem to work. My Remora is a joke.


Look at getting a SEIO or two for flow-They Rock!


Good Luck

[Boydx2]

does anybody have any experience with a timer like this. I have heard bad things about using them with ph's, as the ph's dont react well to being stopped and restarted constanly. should i maybe stick with the ph's running constantly and maybe work on their placing instead of the timing? is it also recommended that the ph's stay on at night as well?

Anymore feedback on the emperor 400 would be great as I have heard the arguments for and against them. And how exactly do they add nitrates. I am planning on having plenty of live rock and about 40-45lbs of live sand in a 37 gal tank, so is another filter besides the skimmer necessary?

Thanks for the qucik replies!!!:D

[Stevan]

Anyway...Live Rock is more beneficial to you then the Live Sand. If you're buying the bagged sand like Caribe-Sea I think get some Garf Grunge or ask a local reefer or LFS for a few cups to seed it. It's not very live as is.

Some PH's do better then others starting and stopping. The SEIO's I mentioned don't like it. Maxi-Jets like the MJ1200 couldn't care less about being stopped and started and they are cheap enought so if you won't feel terribly bad if you kill one. I run mine on a timed power strip 3 minutes on 3 off...no problems at all.

One of the things we want for our critters is random flow so I also bought a Hydor Flo nozzle for my MJ1200 it rotates the discharge 360 degrees. I have it aimed at a 90 degree angle across the constant flow of the SEIO620. Works great!


Oh, the Emperor or any other form of mechanical filtration doesn't exactly"Make" Nitrates.

All forms of mechanical filtration especially if there is a BioWheel involved enables Nitrates to be produced by trapping crappage which allows it to basically rot in your tank. This rotting ultimately is the basis for your Nitrates. Fish are more tolerant then corals and inverts to Nitrates.

So basically for the widest variety of livestock you want zero Nitrates.

This process is called "The Cycle" you will constantly be hearing about.

[Boydx2]

so what size setup do you have? I have a 37 gal 30x12x 24, i think. Do you think one SEIO620 and maybe 2 maxijets will do the trick? also, where do you find the hydor flow nozzles i have never heard of them and cant seem to find any.

As far as the live sand is concerned, I have 30 lbs of actual live fiji (white) sand from a thriving reef setup and a 20lb bag of the dry stuff to mix in with it. So should I maybe start with the emperor and eventually move away from it and rely on the skimmer and live rock?

[Gawain1974]

Well, with the Emperor, it's basically your choice. I used a canister filter on my reef for 3+ years. If you do use the Emperor, just be sure to keep the mechanical material cleaned periodically and diligently, otherwise it could lead to a nitrate build-up, and that is what we want to avoid.

As the old saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat, and the same applies to reefkeeping. There are many opinions out there, and different methods work best for different people. The trick is learning as much as possible for the method you are using, as well as its weakness so you know how to compensate for it. For example, I didn't have a sump on my system at first and I used a canister filter for carbon. That method worked great for me, but I also knew that the mechanical filters in the canister could cause nitrate problems, so I had to be very diligent in my maintenance routine.
Good luck and enjoy the hobby!

[tankslave]

Ok, here's how that emperor or any other device that has any wet-dry section is known as a "nitrate factory." simply, they break down amonia to nitrate and stop there. Amonia to nitrate oxidation needs oxygen, and wet drys are good at that. But you don't want nitrate, you want Nitrogen gas. In order for the nitrate to be processed to nitrogen, it has to find its way into those small crevices in your liverock or sandbed where there is little oxygen available. In those little crevices there are anerobic bacteria which will reduce nitrate to nitrogen gas, which will then bubble out of your tank. Live rock is perfectly capable of completing the whole nitrogen cycle, from amonia to nitrogen gas, since the two types of bacteria ( the ones that oxidize amonia to nitrate, and the ones that reduce nitrate to nitrogen) are in close proximity to each other. With a wet dry, that nitrate has to go back into the main water before it comes in contact with an anerobic bacterial colony. That is why wet-drys (including the emperor) are very bad for reef tanks. Nitrate is just fine for a fish-only tank which has low lighting. But for a reef with powerfull lighting, you want to keep the nitrate as low as possible (which will still be relativly high compared to natural sea water along a reef), or you will have a never ending algae problem, and your corals won't do all that well either.

[Stevan]

I currently have an Oceanic 30 gallon Cube. I have a SEIO620 but should have gone w/the 820, and an MJ1200 as primary flow however there is also a skimmer and an Eheim Cannister Filter running my media also running which stirs up the water even more.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11363&Ntt=hydor&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004+22788

That's the Hydor. It looks alittle large in my tank because it's just a 20x20x20 box basically.

Your sand seems fine and you can certainly start w/the filter. As the live rock (More is better) 1.5-2 pounds per gallon is the norm. Once the rocks start working you can pull the filter. Just remember all this happens slowly or you can crash your tank. Check if you can use your Emperor to run carbon and stuff...It's very handy and for me necessary as I have no sump.

[puffer21]

do everything very slow and pe peint that is the key

[Boydx2]

I really do appreciate all the great responses. Yeah I think the key is to definetly be patient. I have taken everything slow so far with my first sw tank and continue the same path with my 2nd.

Keep the comments coming, the only way I learn is if experienced people give their wisdom and knowledge. :rollface:

[fromtheocean]

HI. You can also look into a DIY HOB fuge. There are some good posts out there with hobbiest using the aqua-clear filter. Determine the size you need and you can run your carbon or phosban in a sock in their too. The possabilties are end less as long as the final result is there. Best of luck and keep reading