beginner help

B

boots1302

Reefing newb
i have had a 38 gallon salt water fish tank for about 2 years now, i had been having it maintained by a local aquarium man. he set me up, got me started, and then left me hanging. i called over and over again to get him to come clean my tank and he never answered.

i then realized that the most enjoyable part of the hobby was maintaining your aquarium by yourself. i went to the store and bought the necessary cleaning equipment and performed my first successful water change. i am beginning to really enjoy doing this alone, and want to take it to the next step...a reef tank. i currently have 2 power heads in opposite corners of my tank, a whisper 40 filter hanging on the back, a heater, and a coral life lunar light.

i am wondering if what i have is what i need for a reef tank. as far as what i have read i may need a new light to support the coral, and maybe a new filter. i guess i just need someone to tell me exactly what i need to start something up in my tank. will putting sand in opposed to the pebbles i have now make it harder to clean? i dont have any of the fancy water monitoring equipment other than a hydrometer and a thermometer. i keep my water temp around 80.

would totally starting over by getting new rock and sand make sense? my rock isnt looking too clean because i had neglected my tank for a while. is there a way i can clean the rock?
i have been reading about the protein skimmers, lights, sumps, etc and i am a little bit confused on what i need and dont need for a tank my size.

i have a nice fish store nearby that should accommodate my reef tanks future. please help me anything is greatly appreciated as i do not know much at all. im sure i will be doing a lot of reading up on reef tanks here on the forum. im sure i will think of more questions soon, and thanks in advance.

jeff
 
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Hello and welcome to the site!

A sump is a second tank that usually sits underneath the main tank (hidden by the stand). It hides your equipment and adds water volume to the system. It's nice to have, but not necessary.

What will be necessary is a new light. You will need to get one to be able to support corals.

If you have pebbles in the bottom of your tank, you should remove them and replace them with aragonite sand. You can buy bags of sand at any pet store. Don't waste your money on live sand, just get regular dry aragonite sand.

You should get a protein skimmer instead of the filter you have. Reef Octopus is probably the best brand for the money, so check those out (Premium Aquatics sells them).

What kind of rock do you have in your tank right now? Is it like lava rock or river rock (dark colored or smooth)? If it is, you'll want to replace those with calcium-based rock. You should aim for 1 to 2 lbs of rock per gallon for a reef tank (so about 35 to 70 lbs for you).

Also, where are you located? We may have some members near you that could help you out with stuff locally.
 
Hello Jeff, welcome to the site. Biff has got you covered for now until you begin to ask more specific questions. There are a lot of experienced members here that will be able to guide you to success in this hobby. With that ask away!
 
wow thanks a lot for all of the fast helpful responses. i live in grosse pointe michigan, very close to detroit.

i will for sure look into the protein skimmer, it would probably be much better than what i have thats for sure. just a couple of questions on that...is it loud? my fish tank is currently in my bedroom, and i dont have an issue with some noise, but im sure a high pitched humming would get annoying after a while. and the protein skimmer goes under the stand im assuming? i currently have a cheap steel stand with an open bottom, but could upgrade if need be.

the lights...i have been looking on some online retailers and they have gotten me very confused with all of the different kinds such as metal halide, power compacts, led, and fluorescent. just wondering what i have as far as the type of bulb im guessing, and what i would need. also what would be a good brand for the new bulb. and when i do get new lights, how do i mount them? my current light i have sitting on its legs about 3 or 4 inches above the glass top. also i read somewhere that having a top on the aquarium de-intensifies the light, and that you shouldnt use a top for a reef aquarium and proper lighting. wouldnt this cause the water to evaporate much faster?

power heads- now that its the daytime i can go more into detail of what i have. i have 2 maxi-jet 900 power heads and they are aligned in the two back corners of my tank. one is set up to be blowing all the time, and the other is on a cycle timer that turns it on and off about every 15 seconds. this seems like some valuable space and i was wondering if maybe something smaller could do the same job, and allow me more room for my reef.

heater- i dont know what the brand is, but it sticks on the back of the tank with 2 suction cups, has a little dial on top for temperature, and seems to do the job of keeping my tank around 80. is there new stuff out there that i need? or can i get by with this?

sand- when i asked the man who did my maintenance about putting sand in instead of pebbles, he told me that sand was hard to clean and keep clean, and that pebbles were all around better. i think they look terrible compared to sand, but im also wondering if sand is difficult to clean or not. i have just been using a gravel vac and doing it that way, is there a different way to do it with sand?

equipment- i have a hydrometer, some de-chlorinating drops, and some green algae preventing liquid...thats it. i have read about calcium and nitrate and ph etc, and have nothing to monitor that with. What do i need, if anything?

and last question, replacing everything. how do i replace all of this, and keep my fish happy? do i take them out and put them in a smaller tank or bucket together? or put them in separate areas.

im not too worried about all of the live coral and new fish just yet, i just want to get the tank set up properly for now, and gradually do all of that. if im forgetting anything or overthinking something please let me know. i have almost no clue what im doing here, but would love to learn and keep a nice tank.

ps. reverse osmosis water...where do i get it, and is it a necessity for my soon to be reef tank.
 
Skimmer: It's probably no more noisy than the filter you have now.

Lights: T5s would be the best choice for your tank. LEDs are expensive (but very good quality and energy efficient), power compacts and regular fluorescents are outdated, old technology and no one really uses them anymore. They are outclassed by T5s, LEDs and halides. You could get halides, but that might be overkill for a small tank like yours, and could lead to overheating.

Definitely remove the top. Yes, the tank evaporates more, but that's not a bad thing. That's the tank cooling itself. Depending on the lights you buy, some will come with legs to sit on the tank, others will need to be hung from the ceiling.

Powerheads: Unfortunately as far as powerheads go, MaxiJets are pretty small. It's just something you have to live with. You can try arranging your rocks so that they "hide" the powerheads.

Heater: Sounds like it's doing its job. I don't see a reason to replace it.

Sand: Who on earth uses pebbles in saltwater tanks? NO ONE. I don't know what that dude was talking about. If you get sand, it is relatively maintenance free. You don't have to clean it or use a gravel vacuum. That's why you get a clean up crew (CUC). They do it for you. Nassarius snails will keep your sandbed stirred and clean. Also, some gobies, sea cucumbers, and other animals will do that. Most people don't touch their sandbed at all.

Test kits: You should replace the hydrometer with a refractometer. You can get a good one for around $40. Hydrometers are very innacurate and need to be replaced every 6 months anyways. Keep the dechlorinator just in case, but I'll get to RODI water in a minute. Toss the algae liquid. Try to avoid using chemicals like that in a reef tank. There is nearly nothing out there like that that is reef safe and won't kill invertebrates. There are much better, natural ways of dealing with algae if you have it. You will need to buy test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, alkalinity and pH (all of those but alkalinity are available in a master test kit package). When you get corals, you can buy a calcium test kit, but one isn't necessary yet.

Replacing stuff: Go to the hardware store and buy a few 5 gallon buckets or some of those disposable styrofoam coolers. . Move your fish and corals (with some water) into the containers while you work on the tank. They will be fine in the buckets for several hours (try to keep the temperature stable).

RODI water: Definitely use it. Don't use tap water. In most areas, the tap water is bad. It contains phosphates and nitrates (which fuel algae), and it contains heavy metals (which are harmful to inverts). Some people have okay water quality, but those people are in the minority. You can buy RODI (or distilled) water from grocery stores or Walmart in bottles. Some places have water stations where you can fill up your own container. Most people buy their own RODI unit so they can make it at home. Check out these places:

The Filter Guys
FilterDirect.com Whole House Water Filters, Water Booster Pump Choices
P U R E W A T E R C L U B

You can get a good RODI unit for $100 to $200.
 
Yay! Another Michigander lol

PRC lives down closer to you I'm up north more :)

Luckily for you Michigan Reefers "Lets Talk Reefs" is a nice community with the majority of the people based right around Detroit! You definitely should check out the selling forums for start up equipment, you will cut the start-up costs by 1/2 to 1/3 easily. There are always people tearing down their tanks. You can usually find things like $200-300 skimmers going for $100 and Full of Coralline Live Rock selling for ~$1-2/lb. Not to mention lots users corals being swapped down there :)

Most of it is too far away for me but you live in a good area!
 
Welcome to the site Boots...Like Ulta said, I'm in Livonia..just PM me anytime if you need any help at all. Would be glad too. Again, like Ulta said, Michiganreefers is nice if you want to buy some stuff........This site is by far and away the best for good info.
 
Jeff just in case you don't know of any good shops in the area. I don't know of anything real close to GP but there are a few fairly close.

Tropicorium- Brownstown..This place looks like a dive (it's actually a house that been added on to about 900 times. It's by far the biggest saltwater store in the area. It's worth the trip....Bring some cash, because you're going to see things there that are going to blow your mind, and that other stores don't have. People come from Ohio, Indiana, Ilinois just to see this place. It's insane. You definitely have to go there at least once.

Fish Doctors- Trenton, Canton, Ypsilanti- One of my favorite shops, clean, friendly staff and they love to help newbies so don['t be afraid to ask ewbie questions.

Choice Aquarium- Farmington Hills 12/orchard lake W. side of orchard lake in the strip mall at the corner. Very cool shop. Good prices, good website, and you can order through their website and they'll bring you whatever you want form the offsite facility.

Amazon StingRays- Troy Good shop, Clean, small, sometimes has some ver cool stuff.

Ferndale- There's a guy in Ferndale who has some great stuff, PM me if you want his info. He's got about 50,000 gallons in his garage. Great guy, good stuff.

I know none of them are around the corner from you, but these are the ones I frequent.
 
will for sure check out michigan reefers later tonight. thanks for being so welcoming guys i couldnt do this without you. will probably have more questions later, but now just need to focus on finding everything either at my local fish store, or somewhere online for a decent price.
 
thanks a lot for the stores too, i have a couple near by that should get me started, but when im in that area i will stop by. tropicorium seems like a must visit type of place, that will be number one on by list haha.
 
a couple more quick questions on lighting. looking at nova extreme lighting systems, as they seem to be favored by some on here im assuming i cant go wrong. as far as watts go...is it possible to go overboard? my tank is 30 in long, 17 in tall, and 12 in deep. if i got a 4 bulb 24 watt light would that be overkill, underkill, or just right?
 
Actually, I belive you have a 29 gallon tank by those dimensions. And 4x24 watts will be plenty to keep most corals. Especially if you get a fixture with individual reflectors. They can increase light output by 50 to 100% over just a single reflector that goes over all the bulbs.
 
dcantucson said:
Hello Jeff, welcome to the site. Biff has got you covered for now until you begin to ask more specific questions. There are a lot of experienced members here that will be able to guide you to success in this hobby. With that ask away!
Click to expand...

What Biff cant answer specific questions? I HAVE FAITH IN YOU BIFF..... :)
 
bjohanson1234 said:
Actually, I belive you have a 29 gallon tank by those dimensions. And 4x24 watts will be plenty to keep most corals. Especially if you get a fixture with individual reflectors. They can increase light output by 50 to 100% over just a single reflector that goes over all the bulbs.
Click to expand...

you are right, i had been thinking it was larger for a while, but just did the math last night before you posted and realized it is only 29. im guess i will be looking around for a new tank too...
 
Check Craigslist...Always good deals on tanks. At 29g you're real limited as to how many and what type of fish you can keep. I would bare minimum try to find something between 55-90 gallons.

But that's just me.

www.liveaquaria.com will show you what fish need what size tanks, that will help you make your decision.
 
Looks like everyone has you covered, but I would suggest picking up a copy of the Conscientious Marine Aquarist (forget the author). Read it, and then start reading / researching on the forums here, then read it again.

I'm still the the design phase for my system and I have leared a TON hanging out with fellow LR's here in the last 6 months

Once I get the okay from the future wife, I'll be pulling the trigger on a 180 gallon setup complete with its own thread :)

Good luck and welcome to the reef!
 
Northstar24 said:
Once I get the okay from the future wife,
Click to expand...

Why don't you ever hear wives saying that? They just go get stuff.. And then they'll just ask you to go get it out of the trunk...Man they've got it made.
 
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