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New tank advice on skimmer and equipment

6K views 24 replies 4 participants last post by  CamryDS 
#1 · (Edited)
So my dad talked me into starting a saltwater tank but luckily he's financing the whole project. Apparently it's "his" tank that I take care of :( anyways I've been reading around as well as going into various fish stores in my area. Luckily there is a small pet store that focuses solely on marine and coral that's right down the road from me. Just a bit overpriced due to it being local I'm sure and I have no problem supporting. Anyways..

Were looking at getting a 30-40 gallon tank. For this I have a 200 watt stealth pro heater. Aside from that I've looked at few skimmers and web fewer filters being that I've read they're not required? I was thinking of running a filter anyway with live rock rubble instead of any media. Does anyone have any experience with prism hob skimmers? I was just reccomended this today in a fish store a town over from me. Also just curious about the amount of live or dry rock and sand to put in as well as any advice on cycling would be appreciated. I've done some research. Just really looking for experienced replies and input now. Thanks in advance guys and gals.

EDIT: sorry but also lights!! Were hoping to also keep some nice looking basic coral. My dads sole request for this tank is he wants clown fish in it. At least two -_- anyways. Thanks again.
 
#2 ·
I just typed a long response and closed the browser by accident.... SOOOO I'll let someone else do this :)

Edit: Better yet, read someone else's build threads, or user submitted articles. If you don't know how much live rock you need, or sand, or if you're asking "cycle" questions, you definetely have some reading to do (no "cycle" in marine tanks).
 
#3 ·
Were looking at getting a 30-40 gallon tank. For this I have a 200 watt stealth pro heater. Aside from that I've looked at few skimmers and web fewer filters being that I've read they're not required? I was thinking of running a filter anyway with live rock rubble instead of any media. Does anyone have any experience with prism hob skimmers? I was just reccomended this today in a fish store a town over from me. Also just curious about the amount of live or dry rock and sand to put in as well as any advice on cycling would be appreciated.
I'm not sure what that sentence in red means. I think you had a typo. "Web fewer filters"???

It sounds like you have the basic idea down correctly. You want a protein skimmer, live/dry rock, and aragonite sand. You do not want to use any other type of filtration system on the tank. Hang on mechanical and biological filtration will only contribute to nitrate and phosphate buildup.

I have used the Prism personally. It is junk, to put it in simple terms. If it is available for FREE, you still do not want it. The same can be said for the Skilter, which is commonly offered at the LFS for small tanks.

In your situation, you want to buy the best quality skimmer that you can afford. The success of your system is tied directly to the quality of the skimmer, so do not skimp in this area. Lets assume you are going with a 38 gallon tank. Here are some skimmer suggestions of appropriate size:

My first choice for you would be the AquaC Remora. AquaC Remora Hang-On Protein Skimmer

If the cost exceeds your budget, then the Coralife SuperSkimmer will get the job done if necessary.
Coralife 65 Skimmer Coralife Super Skimmer 65

Realize, buying the more efficient skimmer will cost you more up front, but will save you money over the long run. The more efficient skimmer will reduce the money you spend on buffers and additives, reduce the amount of water changes, and contribute to an overall more stable environment.

For rock and sand I would suggest you order from 40 Pound box Key Largo Rock, <br>40 Pounds Bahamas Aragonite Sand<BR>pay shipping on rock only - KL40-40. You can get a 40 pound dry rock & 40 pound sand order for $109. Throw in about 10 pounds of live rock from the LFS and you are set.
 
#4 ·
Pasfur thank you so much for the simple and effective response. I love it, literally. I'll most definitely be getting the remora then even if I got something slightly smaller than that if that would still be ok. And the mistype "web" I meant even fewer, sorry. The dry rock and sand package won't be a problem and yeah I could go to the lfs that's right in town for live rock. They also have plenty of basic easy to maintain Coral and saltwater fish and inverts. What would you reccomend for a basic cleanup crew after the cycling was done if I wanted to maintain some coral in there o.o I've gone into the lfs and asked these things but I'd still like some more opinions if possible.
 
#5 ·
First, let me comment more on the sand. I am not sure 40 pounds is going to be enough for a 38 gallon tank, but would probably be about right in a 29 gallon. You want the sand bed to be 4'' in depth, not to exceed 6''. The key is to reach a full 4'' depth. Levels of sand below 4'' are not as effective at providing dentrification, and can actually accumulate detritus areas that cause negative impact on phosphates and alkalinity.

If you order 40 pounds from MaroRocks and it is not deep enough, then just add some more "reef grade" aragonite purchased from the LFS.

For clean up crew I believe less is more. So many people over stock the CUC only to see the animals slowly starve. I use about 1 hermit per 10 gallons and 1 snail per 15 gallons.
 
#25 ·
let me interject on this 40 lbs for 29 gallon.

the sandbed will not be over 2 inches, but well over 1 inch -- so I suggest 50 lbs of sand if possible
good ol' aragonite live sand.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Also pasfur for the remora skimmer, what pump should i get with it? the rio 800 or the maxi-jet 1200. Apparently my dad has settled on a 35 gallon bowfront. Another thing, what brand test kits do you use? I personally have liked the api liquid test kits a lot for freshwater and have read good things about the saltwater and reef ones. but i noticed i don't think either have alkalinity tests? And another thing I'm curious about is powerheads, those are something else i've looked up a bit and heard good things about the koralias.
 
#10 ·
My dad now stumbled across a 46 gallon bowfront with stand and coralife 36'' aqualight for 225. He sent him an email asking some stuff so that tank now may also be a possiblity. Sorry about the run around on tank size, 8 months ago getting him to even listen to me about my freshwater tank was like pulling teeth. now i'm trying my best to keep his saltwater project under control.
 
#11 ·
Everything I'm reading in this thread shows that you are making good decision. I use Red Sea test kits, but others use API and like then. They both offer alklalinity & calcium test kits.

I personally prefer the Maxi Jet power head, and yes, the Koralias are nice, especially for small tanks. (yes, yours classifies as "small")
 
#12 ·
Ok then that works great, I'll honestly probably check out the red sea test kits. What size and how many koralias would you reccomend? As soon as we actually have a tank were going to use i'll let you know the size as well so i can get an idea of how much rock and sand i'll be needing. Also what are your thoughts on buying pre-mixed water? i had thought about doing pre-mix to begin with just until i'm comfortable mixing my own unless you have some other reccomendation for me that would be a better option. I'm really open to anything so long as it's more efficient or better than what's on my mind thus far.
 
#13 ·
Ok i apologize for the multiple posts but it's for sure. Finallly went with dad to buy a tank today. He settled on a marineland 46 gallon bowfront. I tried to talk him into a normal shaped 56 instead, but either way i'm happy with it. Just need to find out exactly how much dry/live rock and sand to put in this thing when i decide to get going.
 
#15 ·
Ok perfect, thank you very much. I'm pretty excited to get started granted it probably still wont be for a bit until i get all the equipment etc. On the remora skimmer it gives you the option between the two pumps, i forget the names exactly i just remember one says 800 and the other is 1200. The 1200 is a whopping 5 bucks more i'm just curious what exactly I should be getting here before i order it along with a 200 watt stealth pro is what i was looking at for heating, but i'm definitely open to any other suggestions on that as well. I have one in my freshwater and i like it a lot for the past few days haha.
 
#17 ·
I ordered 65 lb of the key largo dry rock and 80 lbs of aragonite sand from marco rocks. Skimmer,powerheads, and heater have been ordered as well. I'm lacking lights but I think we've settled on Aquarium Lighting T5 Fluorescent Light Fixture: AquaticLife T5 HO and Lunar Light Fixtures for the lights however. After going over costs of buying distilled water over time compared to using an RO/DI unit etc my dad is also now looking into an RO unit but at this point I'm clueless about that. However once all this stuff gets here I'm hoping to begin the tank.
 
#20 ·
Ok so one question I've come up with when thinking about aquascaping the tank. I know i want a 4''-6'' sand bed. It just seems like that takes up a ton of space when i used a tape measurer to see how high it actually is up against the front of the glass. I'm not so worried about the loss of space as to how i just think the sand that high up against the front of the glass is going to look a bit odd. Is there any draw back to having a steep slant up after the front of the glass to give the front a bit lower end? I'm just curious cause i seem to look at other reef builds around and in the pictures some sandbeds don't seem to look nearly as high as mine did when i used that measurer.
 
#21 ·
Don't let pictures fool you! The trim around some tanks is not the same as others. One trick I have used is to take black electrical tape, wrap it across the bottom edge to make the trim appear higher, so the sand does not look so deep. Plus, I try to really stick to the 4'' depth, and not push much higher.

But no, i would discourage a slant. You will have different types of bacteria growing at different depths, as opposed to encouraging denitrifying bacteria across the entire sand bed. I wouldn't be opposed to a 3'' depth on the front glass, but you really want to get as close to a 4'' depth as possible, in my experience, to get the denitrification you are looking for.

This is something to consider on future tank projects. My original reef was a 38 gallon, which is a 29 gallon tank with an extra 4'' in height. I choose a 38 on purpose so that the height of the sand would not distract from the tank.
 
#22 ·
Yeah good idea, Thanks for the input Pasfur. I'll most likely be going with the electrical tape idea. I definitely do want the 4'' sand bed. I'll keep this all in mind in future tank buys, this is still only the second tank I've ever purchased anyway o.o Skimmer and powerheads get here this wednesday, heater friday and not too sure when the dry rock and sand will get here to be honest.
 
#23 ·
When the powerheads arrive you may as well go ahead and get the salt mixed in the tank, using the power heads for circulation. Be sure to leave plenty of room for water displacement when you add the rocks and sand.
 
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