Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
I'm sure that some of you know by now that I'm using a 30g tall as my first reef tank. I'd like to lay out my plan and list my equipment and see what you all think.
Please feel free to offer advise or criticism if you see a problem or room for improvement in my plan.
30g tall measuring 24Wide x 24Tall x 12Deep
Aqualight Deluxe Double 24" 130W Power Compact lights. One 10,500K daylight 65w and one actenic 65W.
2 -- 1w LED moonlights
3-4" bed of crushed coral that I ran through my blender to bust it up into finer sand. It's now almost identical in size to common "reef sand" that you'd buy at the LFS.
Current Fision Nano Skimmer
CPR medium refugium with CPR lighting system and stand on top.
Thats the basic setup of the tank right now.
Additional equipment that I'm not sure if I should use or not:
HOB Magnum Cannister 250GPH
200GPH powerhead
Whisper 20 HOB cartridge filter
The animals:
Non yet.
Live rock--I want a minimum 45lbs of live rock. I'd actually like to shove about 60-70 pounds of live rock in this tank, but not sureif I can put that much in there. I am planning to buy a 50lb box of "dry" lace rock from the LFS to start the "construction" of my reef. I may not use all of that immediately. I'll probably put in about 10-15 pounds of actual live rock for starters and let it mini-cycle again.
Only a few fish. A Clown and some bottom sifters. Blennies or Gobys. Maybe a Damsel. Maybe a dwarf Angel like a Lemonpeel or a Flame--not sure.
Eventually, I want a carpet anenome for my Clown. I want feather dusters and corals.
I DO think I should use the 200GPH powerhead in a corner to move water.
I am thinking about using the HOB canister. I was thinking I might fill it with activated carbon for water clarity and some filter media to support a small bacteria colony. Not really sure what to do with this canister. Paid too much for it at the LFS and just hate to chuck it under the stand and let it collect dust.
The HOB Whisper cartridge filter is REALLY close to being chucked in the trashcan. It's small. It doesn't move much water. It's ugly. Am I being stupid? Should I use EVERY cleaning filter and water-moving device I have at my disposal? Maybe take the cartridge out and just use it to move water?
I'm going to put some live rock rubble in my refugium along with a sand bed. I'm not sure what type of sand to put in there. I haven't bought any live sand yet. I could buy a 10lb or 20lb bag of live sand and put a couple inches in the fuge and the rest in the tank.
What type of plants am I going to need in the fuge? I see pics of large plants in refugiums. It looks like a wad of vines or long stemmed plant with small leaves. Not algae. Does this just grow all by itself? Will it appear out of my live rock rubble?
I know this is a TON of questions. Would REALLY appreciate any thought or suggestions. Thanks very much.
Please feel free to offer advise or criticism if you see a problem or room for improvement in my plan.
30g tall measuring 24Wide x 24Tall x 12Deep
Aqualight Deluxe Double 24" 130W Power Compact lights. One 10,500K daylight 65w and one actenic 65W.
2 -- 1w LED moonlights
3-4" bed of crushed coral that I ran through my blender to bust it up into finer sand. It's now almost identical in size to common "reef sand" that you'd buy at the LFS.
Current Fision Nano Skimmer
CPR medium refugium with CPR lighting system and stand on top.
Thats the basic setup of the tank right now.
Additional equipment that I'm not sure if I should use or not:
HOB Magnum Cannister 250GPH
200GPH powerhead
Whisper 20 HOB cartridge filter
The animals:
Non yet.
Live rock--I want a minimum 45lbs of live rock. I'd actually like to shove about 60-70 pounds of live rock in this tank, but not sureif I can put that much in there. I am planning to buy a 50lb box of "dry" lace rock from the LFS to start the "construction" of my reef. I may not use all of that immediately. I'll probably put in about 10-15 pounds of actual live rock for starters and let it mini-cycle again.
Only a few fish. A Clown and some bottom sifters. Blennies or Gobys. Maybe a Damsel. Maybe a dwarf Angel like a Lemonpeel or a Flame--not sure.
Eventually, I want a carpet anenome for my Clown. I want feather dusters and corals.
I DO think I should use the 200GPH powerhead in a corner to move water.
I am thinking about using the HOB canister. I was thinking I might fill it with activated carbon for water clarity and some filter media to support a small bacteria colony. Not really sure what to do with this canister. Paid too much for it at the LFS and just hate to chuck it under the stand and let it collect dust.
The HOB Whisper cartridge filter is REALLY close to being chucked in the trashcan. It's small. It doesn't move much water. It's ugly. Am I being stupid? Should I use EVERY cleaning filter and water-moving device I have at my disposal? Maybe take the cartridge out and just use it to move water?
I'm going to put some live rock rubble in my refugium along with a sand bed. I'm not sure what type of sand to put in there. I haven't bought any live sand yet. I could buy a 10lb or 20lb bag of live sand and put a couple inches in the fuge and the rest in the tank.
What type of plants am I going to need in the fuge? I see pics of large plants in refugiums. It looks like a wad of vines or long stemmed plant with small leaves. Not algae. Does this just grow all by itself? Will it appear out of my live rock rubble?
I know this is a TON of questions. Would REALLY appreciate any thought or suggestions. Thanks very much.