30 gal "Reeflite"

Biertrinker

Biertrinker

Reefing newb
B/C I don't have the money or time for a full reef right now, I have decided to set up a fish tank and limit my inverts to tubeworms and ultra low light corals if any. Here is my proposal- I am hoping ya'll wouldn't mind looking over to see if I am missing anything.

30 gal long tank
11lbs live rock
I don't know how much substrate I need- any suggestions?

Penguin Biowheel - 200 (the new ones cover the biowheel to cut down on evaporation)
Powerhead - MaxiJet 400? It cycles 106 gph.
Will this provide enough circulation for the rock?

I plan on having 5 blue-green chromis. The tank will probably be overstocked, esp w/out a pump, but I am pretty diligent about water changes.

For clean up crew I will have the usuals, snails, crabs.

I have left out lighting b/c I will end up using old lights from my planted freshwater tanks. More than likely I will upgrade the lighting this summer before I purchase more rock.

Again, my two big questions are whether the circulation is appropriate for the LR, and how much substrate to use, as I have read many differing opinions on the topic.

Thanks for the help.
 
On the substrate I would go about 3 to 4 inches deep, so you will get some nnr. Dont use the bio wheel they cause more nitrates in the tank. I also would put 2 power heads for more circulation, and possibaly stronger ones. The cromis might kill each other when they get bigger, then again they might be fine, just depends on the fish.
 
Oh ya. With out the higher circulation algae will have a better chance to get a good foot hold on your tank. And I might be wrong on the light but I think any light will be good for the rock. When I started I just used the original strip light and coraline started growing good. Well good luck and keep us posted.
 
Bobby- thanks for the advice.

I felt the biowheel/nitrite situation wouldn't be a problem b/c of frequent water changes. This of course is coming from freshwater exprience. The more I think about having to constantly mix saltwater, the more I am reconsidering my proposed filtration.

How much LR do you think I need before I can rely on LR and Skimmer as my sole filtration?
 
Water changes won't help the biowheel out as far as nitrates go, you have to be diligent about regularly cleaning the biowheel and its parts regularly. I had a canister filter and even though I thoroughly cleaned it weekly, when I removed it my nitrates dropped by 10. And that's the only thing that I changed with my tank...

I would suggest at least 30 to 60 lbs of live rock. In my 55 gallon tank I have 100 lbs and I think I could use quite a bit more. 1 to 2 lbs per gallon is a good way to go.

You don't necessarily need a second powerhead (although it's not a bad idea). You want enough circulation in your tank so that there aren't any "dead spots" behind rocks where detritus and old food will build up.

I think the chromis would be a good choice for fish for your tank. They like to swim a lot and weave in and out of rocks. Five of them would look pretty cool schooling together (I have three)...
 
I run 2 emperor 400s on my 30gal. Then I got 4 powerheads,and I know im gonna get chewed for this one,but im running a seaclone 125.
My nitrates usually run 0.5.I change 3 gallon of water a week and the only real problem i've had so far ( knock on wood ) is had a pretty good war with cyno when I first upgraded to pc lights.
 
Hmm. How about I forgo the LR, pick up 50 lbs of reef rock instead. Stick w/ suggestions to use a large powerfilter sans biowheel plus a powerhead for circulation.

A few months later, would I be able to seed the reef rock safely w/ cured LR if I already have fish in the tank? By this summer I would add a skimmer- thinking the AquaC Remora.

Thanks again for all the great advice.
 
Yes you will be able to seed with cured live rock. The aqua c from what I hear is one of the best hob skimmers you can get, so it sounds good to me. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
if you wanted to go reef rock that would be ok but i would get 40lbs reef 10 more live. What you have in there now will seed but it wont be as quick. Your going to need another powerhead, and a general rule of thumb is 10 gph x's 1 gallon therefor if you have a 30 gallon tank you should go with 300 gph filter Ive seen 2 big filters on a 20 gall and it look spectacular I dont think that five chromis' would overstock it I believe the ratio is 1 inch of fish per gallon. I have seen strip lights grow considerable amounts of coraline though I dont know if they could grow corals even shrooms there again I dont know. A 2 inch sandbed should be fine unless your wanting to put a coral in there that requires a higher sandbed otherwise I wouldnt go more than three. Any other questions dont hesitate to ask. Hope it helped.
 
Tank Stand

Threads with pictures are more interesting. Unfortunately at this stage, there is not much to see.

Here is a picture of the tank stand I recently built for my new set up. It is built on a frame of 2x4's with reinforced joints (I never feel safe enough). Over the frame I used plywood for the panels and finishing wood for the doors. I finished it off with corners and trim. The stand itself took several weekends over a period of a few months. Now that it is finished and has an empty tank on top, I am really itching to get it filled. Tought to be patient, but I would rather make sure I get everything done right.

TankStand.jpg


Laughing, I remember as a kid when a 30 gallon actually looked big.
 
I know what you mean, a 55 gal used to be HUGE to me. LOL The stand looks nice. Here is a pic of the one I built for my 30 gal, and the second is the one for my 125.
mytank001.jpg


125002.jpg


Hope you like them.
 
Stands look great both of you. I have built 5, none looked as good as these. They were strictly functional, not pretty. I'll never build another one.
 
Thanks for the help all.

Bobby- I am jealous of the hood on your 30 - I think that will be my next project.

I was all set to put in an order for my tank equipment when I realized I still don't know what powerhead to go with.

Is a 295gph powerhead w/ a Hydor Flo OK? I keep reading a minimum of gph that is 10x the tank size, but coming from freshwater that seems like so much.
 
10 is about right I have a 30 and right now have a single 1200 gph in it and the 2 corals I do have love it. And the more water circulation you have the easier it is for you to keep your tank in good standing due to the fact that food and waste can not sit on the rock.
 
Last edited:
I dont know. I have heard any were from 10 to 40 time flow. On my tank I think I have about 1200 gph on a 30, so that comes out to 40 times. That is counting the skimmer and filter to. Wait for some one with more experience to jump in and give you a deffinate reply.
 

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