new reef tank advice

[ONJ]

Ok...I have narrowed down some pieces of equipment to set up my new 55
gallon reef tank.

The things I do know I need and will be getting are:

60 to 70lbs live rock
Precision Marine HOT-1 protein skimmer
2 Hydor Koralia circulating units
Proper lighting level for corals and maybe one anemone

Now for the part I don't know. I was considering a canister
filter...someone advised against that.

I thought about a refugium, but my only reason for doing so would be algae
control, but I don't know if I want to mess with all of that.

So besides the live rock, the skimmer, lighting and calcium based sand...is
there anything else?

Would someone recommend a canister filter? Is a refugium a must?

Or will the things I have settled on so far do the trick?

[Peter Pan]

You should have a 4 deep sand bed with your life rock placed on top.The LR
will go though a cycle where your ammonia levels will spike, this is normal.
Keep the water circulating and wait until your Ammonia and Nitrites are zero
before you add any fish/ corals to your tank. (This may take several weeks).
A canister filter is fine just make sure its big enough for your tank. You
want a filter that will turn the water at least 3X the tank size. (50 gal
tank you want a filtration of 150 GPH minimal) A refugium is nice but is
not essential at first.
Before you begin, get a book and read up on a reef tank so you dont make too
many mistakes and kill your stock.
"ONJ" <o...@onj.onj> wrote in message
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[Susan]

I have a 46 gallon reef/fish tank with a Fluval canister filter that seems
to do fine. You have to keep up with filter maintence though and keep the
filter cleaned frequently.

Susan :)
"Peter Pan" <Pe...@neverland.net> wrote in message
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[Wayne Sallee]

If you put a few rocks on top of the sand that won't
be a problem, but if you start stacking the rock on
top of the sand, that's not a good thing. Instead
put base rock on the glass, and put sand around
that, and then stack the live rock on top of the
base rock. Otherwise you will have avalanches when
things start digging under the rocks.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets
Wa...@WaynesPets.com

[Wayne Sallee]

I don't recommend a canister filter, but they are
not the end of the world, and they are easy to
remove should you later decide that you don't like
it. Some people like canister filters, but I have
never liked them.

Another advantage of a sump, is that you are able to
put all of you equipment down in the sump, so that
when you look in your reef tank, all you see is the
reef, and nothing else.

But, no you dont' have to have a sump, but for any
large system, it just makes sense to have a sump.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets
Wa...@WaynesPets.com

[ONJ]

"Wayne Sallee" <Wa...@WayneSallee.com> wrote in message
news:NX51i.5996$296...@newsread4.news.pas.earthlink.net...

>I don't recommend a canister filter, but they are not the end of the world,
>and they are easy to remove should you later decide that you don't like it.
>Some people like canister filters, but I have never liked them.
>
> Another advantage of a sump, is that you are able to put all of you
> equipment down in the sump, so that when you look in your reef tank, all
> you see is the reef, and nothing else.
>
> But, no you dont' have to have a sump, but for any large system, it just
> makes sense to have a sump.
>
> Wayne Sallee
> Wayne's Pets
> Wa...@WaynesPets.com

Well other than getting the equipment out of the way...why else would I go
with a sump?

My plan is a hang on Precision Marine HOT-1 skimmer, live rock, live sand,
hydor koralia #2 circulators(one at first...maybe two)...and that is it.

[ONJ]

Ok...let me put it this way...because of the research I have been doing, I
like a particular brand of counter current venturi type skimmer that is HO,
but it can be modified to stand alone under the tank cabinet.
That I know I will purchase alone with Hydor Koralia circulator(s).

So, if I get a sump for whatever reason, what purpose will it serve for me.
What would I do with it?
I do have a 15 gallon tank I could use I guess.

"Wayne Sallee" <Wa...@WayneSallee.com> wrote in message
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[George Patterson]

ONJ wrote:

> Well other than getting the equipment out of the way...why else would I go
> with a sump?

One other reason is that it increases the effective size of the system.

George Patterson
If you torture the data long enough, eventually it will confess
to anything.

[KurtG]

ONJ wrote:
> So, if I get a sump for whatever reason, what purpose will it serve for me.
> What would I do with it?
> I do have a 15 gallon tank I could use I guess.

Try it without and see how it goes.

I think the advantages are:

1) Place to hide all the equipment.
2) Usually have a Surface skimmer - prevent an oily film from collecting
on surface of tank.
3) Wet/Dry setup with bio balls or similar.
4) coarse filtration on the return
5) Increase effective volume.
6) Possible refugium partition.

I think sumps got started because of the wet/dry filter systems. These
need space for water to dribble over the bioballs which is inherently a
gravity type system. To prevent floods, it was engineered as under the
tank with enough volume to avoid overflow if the return pump turns off
(power failures, etc.). You could also do this above the tank with a
single pump, or even a two pump system if you don't mind the risk of a
flood if the return pump stops and the other keeps going.

I had a wet/dry filter until I ditched the bioballs (too much nitrates),
but I still use a sump for all my heaters, skimmer, reactors, etc and to
create flow from the return pump. I also have some coarse filter
material in the return that catches loose hair algae and uneaten Nori.

Is it required? Not at all.

--Kurt

[Wayne Sallee]

The larger the tank, the more practical a sump is,
and the smaller the tank, the less practical a sump
is. Now imagine if you owned a public aquarium sized
tank. I bet you would have a sump then :-)

A 55 gallon tank is not very big, but it is what I
would consider just big enough for a sump, any
smaller, and I would not go with a sump. Since you
already have a tank, I bet it's not predriled with a
built in overflow. If it were with an overflow, I'd
say put a sump down there, but since it's probably
just a plain tank you might want to go with a
canister filter for now, since you like them.

But if you ever upgrade to a bigger tank, then be
sure and get a tank with a built in overflow, and a
sump.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets
Wa...@WaynesPets.com

[Wayne Sallee]

Depending on your stand, you might not even be able
to get a 15 gallon tank under it. 55 gallon tanks
are so narrow.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets
Wa...@WaynesPets.com

[ONJ]

Well...I am taking a good look at the sumps now...but I don't want to drill
any holes in my tank.

Is there a sump setup or website you can refer me to that possibly does
sumps without drilling?

"Wayne Sallee" <Wa...@WayneSallee.com> wrote in message

news:FhO2i.10602$Ut6....@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...

[KurtG]

ONJ wrote:
> Well...I am taking a good look at the sumps now...but I don't want to drill
> any holes in my tank.
>
> Is there a sump setup or website you can refer me to that possibly does
> sumps without drilling?

You can use an overflow box and a return.

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=CR1511
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=FT0011

I have this on one of my tanks. It works fine. If you keep it clean,
it's not unsightly, but it's really ugly if you allow algae to grow on it.

I just got a 29 gallon that I plan to drill. Wish me luck. :-)

--Kurt