A Little Help

D

DrewG

Reefing newb
What I Have - 90 Gallon Aquarium, Stand, and An Old Ebo Jager 250 Watt Heater.

My intentions seems simple enough. I want to start a saltwater aquarium with live rock, coral, sand, and fish that will flow without caution in that type of environment. This tank was used to house my old red ear slider about 6 years ago and the fish that cohabitated with him ( he turned lazy and quit chasing food) for a few years after until my Fluval 404 Canister filter broke.

So now I have an empty 90 gallon aquarium and stand sitting in my living room I am preparing for a saltwater reef aquarium. I know step 1 is to make sure that there are no leaks and my equipment works in the water fine. So that leaves me with buying new equipment. I WILL NOT BE USING A SUMP IN THIS SET UP.

I started looking at canister filters first, but then read a few statements about it may suck beneficial plankton up. So then I decided to hit the pet store to talk with an associate. The guy seemed really helpful, but as with all salesmen they want to push what they carry. I don't mind purchasing what he carries, however I want some opinions from you guys who are more familiar with the products than I am and aren't making a sale to keep your business running (not saying he was, but sometimes ya never know :D )

I was recommended the Emperor 400 Power Filter Marineland Emperor 400 Filter Power Bio-Wheel Emperor Bio Wheel Filter

I was also told to pair it with the coralife super skimmer 65 Coralife 65 Skimmer Coralife Super Skimmer 65

So would this pair make a good team to filter 90-120 pounds of live rock in a 90 gallon (maybe even more live rock if necessary or recomended)

The next thing I was opting to buy was a new lighting system. I think he recomended Coralife Aqualight Single Linear Strip Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 2X65 Watt
Coralife Aqualight Single Linear Strip Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 2X65 Watt, 48 inch wit the two lights, but he said if I had the money I may want to run the
Coralife Aqualight Double Linear Strip Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 4X65 Watt
Coralife Aqualight Double Linear Strip Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 4X65 Watt, 48 inch

My last item is for water circulation. I believe the devices you use are powerheads? In my turtle and fish ( Pleco, some gold fish, bala shark, parrotfish, clown loach) tank I used the return pipe of my fluval 404 canister filter to waterfall down and aeriate the water with bubbles while a couple of internal filters (2 X fluval 4 plus) pushed the water around in the bottom. He suggested instead of those filters pushing water that I use something like the Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 gph. You can see it here Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 gph powerhead Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 gph pump Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 gph power head for opinions like the other products I linked.

Sorry for linking everything on that website, but I just had it all pulled up there and it saved me some time, not trying to advertise for them. Have you guys had experience with these products good or bad? Should I use two emperor 400's instead of the protein skimmer? Should I get a bigger protein skimmer and run the emperor 400? Should I use a fluval canister filter like the xp or 405? I hear live rocks help filter things. I am pretty lost and just need a hand in the right direction. If I can't use a sump should I use less rock to maximize some more water? Is there something I am missing? Well thanks for reading my book of questions for step 1, maybe next time we will be ready to add salt and let that sit for a few weeks :D :D :D


Thanks Everyone!
 
Here is good thread to read: https://www.livingreefs.com/cycling-tank-adding-fish-and-corals-t26452.html

but in the mean time, lemme try and answer some of your questions.

Ditch the canister filters, unless they are cleaning frequently they will lead to water quality problems. Instead get a quality skimmer rated for twice your system size, and the coralife one you posted is not quality. Instead look at the octopus ones, they work great. With skimmers what you pay is what you get.

Those lights will be good for a fish only system, you will need something more powerful. Look into T5 or metal halides if you want to go the way of the reef.

And yes, you do use powerheads for water movement. Because you wont have a sump you wont have a return pipe for water movement, so you will need a few powerheads. You also want a good flow throughout the tank, where there isnt good flow bad algae tends to grow because stuff gets stuck there. I think you want to aim for 40X per hour turn over of your tank volume, but as some members say on here as long as the sand aint blowin' then you dont have too much flow.

Anyways, im sure someone else will chime in with more but i hope i got you started!

Welcome to the site btw!
 
DrewG said:
What I Have - 90 Gallon Aquarium, Stand, and An Old Ebo Jager 250 Watt Heater.

If it were me, I would replace the heater, better safe then sorry in this hobby. I would also use 2 250w heaters for redundancy. In my 75 gallon I use one 200w an one 250w heater.

My intentions seems simple enough. I want to start a saltwater aquarium with live rock, coral, sand, and fish that will flow without caution in that type of environment. This tank was used to house my old red ear slider about 6 years ago and the fish that cohabitated with him ( he turned lazy and quit chasing food) for a few years after until my Fluval 404 Canister filter broke.

So now I have an empty 90 gallon aquarium and stand sitting in my living room I am preparing for a saltwater reef aquarium. I know step 1 is to make sure that there are no leaks and my equipment works in the water fine. So that leaves me with buying new equipment. I WILL NOT BE USING A SUMP IN THIS SET UP.

I started looking at canister filters first, but then read a few statements about it may suck beneficial plankton up. So then I decided to hit the pet store to talk with an associate. The guy seemed really helpful, but as with all salesmen they want to push what they carry. I don't mind purchasing what he carries, however I want some opinions from you guys who are more familiar with the products than I am and aren't making a sale to keep your business running (not saying he was, but sometimes ya never know :D )

I was recommended the Emperor 400 Power Filter Marineland Emperor 400 Filter Power Bio-Wheel Emperor Bio Wheel Filter

Bad idea, those filters are made for freshwater tanks.

I was also told to pair it with the coralife super skimmer 65 Coralife 65 Skimmer Coralife Super Skimmer 65

I may be wrong but, I believe you would need a sump to use this skimmer. But, either way, that skimmer is garbage and you'd end up replacing it before long. Since you don't want a sump you'll need to purchase a Hang-On-Back skimmer. The ones here will really be your best option without a sump Hang on Back HOB Reef Octopus Protein Skimmers

 So would this pair make a good team to filter 90-120 pounds of live rock in a 90 gallon (maybe even more live rock if necessary or recomended)

You should use about 1-2 pounds of rock per gallon so, about 90-180 pounds. Whatever amount makes the best aquascape for you. You don't need to use all live rock, you can buy mostly base rock from places like this http://www.marcorocks.com/ Then, you'll only need to buy a little Live Rock to "seed" the base. It can be much mich cheaper that way.

The next thing I was opting to buy was a new lighting system. I think he recomended Coralife Aqualight Single Linear Strip Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 2X65 Watt
Coralife Aqualight Single Linear Strip Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 2X65 Watt, 48 inch wit the two lights, but he said if I had the money I may want to run the
Coralife Aqualight Double Linear Strip Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 4X65 Watt
Coralife Aqualight Double Linear Strip Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 4X65 Watt, 48 inch

None of those lights will really be sufficient to keep corals in a 90g. You'll need something more like these
Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 6X54 Watt, 48 inch
Odyssea Metal Halide System
My last item is for water circulation. I believe the devices you use are powerheads? In my turtle and fish ( Pleco, some gold fish, bala shark, parrotfish, clown loach) tank I used the return pipe of my fluval 404 canister filter to waterfall down and aeriate the water with bubbles while a couple of internal filters (2 X fluval 4 plus) pushed the water around in the bottom. He suggested instead of those filters pushing water that I use something like the Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 gph. You can see it here Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 gph powerhead Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 gph pump Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 gph power head for opinions like the other products I linked.

The Koralia powerheads will work well, they're one of the more popular ones to use. In a 90g you're probably going to want 3 or 4 powerheads to create
movement and oxygenate the water for you.

Sorry for linking everything on that website, but I just had it all pulled up there and it saved me some time, not trying to advertise for them. Have you guys had experience with these products good or bad? Should I use two emperor 400's instead of the protein skimmer? Should I get a bigger protein skimmer and run the emperor 400? Should I use a fluval canister filter like the xp or 405? I hear live rocks help filter things. I am pretty lost and just need a hand in the right direction. If I can't use a sump should I use less rock to maximize some more water? Is there something I am missing? Well thanks for reading my book of questions for step 1, maybe next time we will be ready to add salt and let that sit for a few weeks :D :D :D


Thanks Everyone!
Click to expand...
^^ Your answers are in red in the quote^^

Like I said, ditch the emperor's and the fluval, just go with the HOB protein skimmer. The live rock will be your main source of water filtration, that's why with a sump or not, you still want that 1-2 pounds in your display.
 
Last edited:
That store is feeding you BS. There is NO good reason to put a Emperor 400 Power Filter in a marinre tank --none.

Compact Florescent lights are a waste of money. Most corals need metal halides.
 
I agree with what everyone else said -- his advice was bad, and geared towards freshwater. It sounds like he knows diddly about saltwater, as he was recommending lights and filters for freshwater setups. Go with the Octopus skimmer recommended above. If you have live rock and a good skimmer, you don't need any other type of filter. The Current Nova Pros recommended by BL1 are what I use on my 90 gallon reef tank. The Koralia powerheads, on the other hand, are good powerheads.
 
Looks like everyone else has you covered. My sugguestion is to obtian a copy of the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner - it has TONS of good information about marine setups

Welcome to the reef!
 
Thanks for all the help guys, much appreciated. I am so glad I came here before purchasing at the local pet store. Special thanks for BL1 for the detailed description on everything. Cheers! :D
 
where are you from? People here from all over the country and somebody might be in your area with extra stuff laying around for sale or could recomend a good LFS. Just wondering why you don't want a sump? They hide alot of stuff you don't need/want to look at and don't cost that much to set up. The dyi section has tons of ideas. The one I build cost less than $20. I got a light from fishneedit.com and am very happy with it over my reef tank. Just another website to look at. Welcome to the site and good luck.
 
I am in Dalton Georgia. The reason for me to go without a sump is because it wouldn't be hidden by my stand and I'm not sure if my tank can be safely drilled. Thanks for the tip about the light.
 
it wouldn't be hidden by my stand
Click to expand...
can you put doors or a curtain on your stand? I would put a pic up of your stand and see if someone can help you figure it out if that is the only reason. Here are two pics of my 29gal before and after sump you can see how much stuff I was able to move out of the tank.
d88a2af8.jpg

7d82cf97.jpg
 
DrewG said:
I am in Dalton Georgia. The reason for me to go without a sump is because it wouldn't be hidden by my stand and I'm not sure if my tank can be safely drilled. Thanks for the tip about the light.
Click to expand...

Drew,I'm just north of you in Ringgold.
As long as the back glass isnt tempered glass,it can be drilled.Another option is to use a hang on back overflow.
If your not sure on how that would work,I'd be happy to give you a store tour at Bermuda Triangle in Chattanooga ( I help there part time ).Then I can show and explain how its all set up and done.
 
Oh man I was just there tonight. So I can do the sump without drilling... It may now be a bigger option. I was at bermuda triangle a few weeks ago and I was amazed at the large tank growing the rocks and coral! First I have to purchase my lights and etc. And then I will be deciding on how to set it all up. Thanks for all the help gang!
 

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