First Saltwater Tank

[Max125g]

Hey everybody, new member here from Sunny South Florida (Boynton Beach). Experienced in the arts of freshwater planted aquariums but recently decided to make the switch over to saltwater.

I know fresh and salt are two different worlds, but i did keep and maintain a beautiful fully planted 55g freshwater aquarium ecosystem for well over 2 years. Not comparing plants to corals but merely stating i understand the amount of care a tank (freshwater planted or saltwater reef) demands.

If your interested in seeing my past tank (still have it as of today but in the process of being sold as is with all inhabitants) here are a few videos of my freshwater journey along the way. (i could type about my freshwater tank for hours, but i have to keep reminding myself... saltwater forums Max, saltwater.....)

Recent Video
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-V7S1QtB-k"]YouTube - IMG_0129.MOV[/ame]
Addition of a new fish
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azDT4EK0oV8"]YouTube - NewFish.avi[/ame]
Some Cichlid Babies
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GM7dth2kJY"]YouTube - Fish Babies[/ame]
Sept 2009 (good video)
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcYMZ3ATLXY"]YouTube - MaxsFishTankSept2009[/ame]
June 2009
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPDbrT-oo9I"]YouTube - MaxsPlantedWorld[/ame]

Why saltwater?
I started to scuba dive in the past year and that really pushed me to get a saltwater tank. I am very interested in learning (in the process of) safe reef harvesting practices for the recreational diver. There are a few sponges, corals, fish, and other inverts that i would be allowed to capture during dives and bring home to a personal tank. That idea really got me thinking about a saltwater tank made up of mostly personally collected items and some others store bought/ordered items (the stuff im not allowed to take and not available to me diving locally).

I guess thats enough about me to get started here :)

So here we are 6/29/2010, bought a tank tonight
I have been in the market for several weeks looking for that right tank or that right deal. I think i found them both tonight. Put a deposit down on a 125 gallon tank with a custom built stand. Tank dimensions are 72w X 18.25d X 22 h and is not drilled. It has a hang on back overflow box system leading down to a wet/dry kit. No skimmer, no UV, light is junk, but otherwise seems to be in great shape. I asked to see it powered up and watched it run for about 30 minutes.

Some pictures are here

I gave 100 bucks for a deposit and agreed to pay 400 (in the process of making a trade for my freshwater setup) so i can safely say its my tank (picking it up thursday)

I dont want to jump into any water im not ready for, so let me start out with some basics. Also- just want to let everybody know i appreciate all the help ahead of time. Did a bit of forum searching and found the most positive feedback here, glad to be a new member.

1. Thoughts on new tank? Good deal for $400? (i have seen similar setups new go fr 1800+). Any suggestions prior to setting up?
2. I know i will need a Skimmer. any suggestions for a 125g tank? Do i get a hob or something i put in the plexiglass tank under the hood? (not used to the under system, had canister's for the 55g)
3. This tank will be a reef tank and i want it to be just as beautiful as my freshwater planted tank was. I need to know what suggested light setup i need. I dont need the best, but i want something that won't limit me. (i invested a great deal in my freshwater light, i know this will not be cheap). I also want something with the moonlight built in. I really enjoy observing the tank in both night/day times.
4. I know i will need some type of UV system. I have a HOB UV that i used for my freshwater rated for 90 gallons. Bought at a local petsmart. Will that suffice or do i need to get something bigger/better?
I think those 4 questions should be enough info for me to focus on

 

[Jmck]

1. Looks like you got a great price for that setup! You shouldnt have any worries setting it up as long as you know how everything is plumbed in there.

2. You will need a skimmer. You can do the HOB option which can be quite good but a better option is to have it in the cabinet underneath as it will look better but they are also a lot better skimmers when they are located in water in the sump. Im not sure how much space you have in there? but you can take out those Bioballs and put the skimmer their or even turn that into a fug if you dont have one (live rock, sand and algae to help with natural filtration)

3. Ill beat biff to this punch, look at the nova extremes. Ideally you want about 4 watts per gallon of water. T5 with individual reflectors will give you 300% more lighting than what each bulb puts out. Metal halides are a great option as well. And LED, although new are quite expensive and still untested.

for your tank you would need about 500 watts as a minimum amount of lighting to keep any corals. this would mean about 170 watts with a T5 IF it has individual reflectors on each bulb.

hope that helps :)

 

[Jmck]

Btw, that freshwater tank is amazing :)

 

[Max125g]

Wow, thanks for the quick response Jmck!

He gave me a brief explanation of how everything worked, and i brought a buddy so in case i forgot, he will remember.

I have a LOT of open space down there. I could fit another tank down there for the fug idea you mentioned. Wo what is that exactly, just another filtration system? at what stage would i need to put the fuge? I think the order goes HOB overflows drip into bio ball chamber which goes into the other side of bio ball box thingy which then goes into the main pump and back into the tank. There is a LOT of space and line between the bioball/tank thingy and the main pump.

 

[Bifferwine]

Hi and welcome to the site!

A good skimmer to check out is the Reef Octopus line. You can get an in-sump model and put it in the sump (that is the tank underneath the tank ;)). That way it hides the equipment.

As much as I would like to plug the Nova Extreme Pros for your setup (ahem, Josh), I can't, because your 125 is six feet long (assuming it's a standard size). You will need to go with a 72" light fixture for that tank, or some metal halide pendants.

What is your budget for lights? Lights for a 6' tank are expensive. Don't make moonlights a priority -- you can easily add those on separately, and there are some very good lights out there that don't come with moonlights. Plus, moonlights are a visual plus only. They don't really serve any purpose for the tank.

Next, you definitely do not need a UV system. Most of us don't use one. They are handy in certain situations, but far from a must.

 

[reeffreak]

Biff,they make a Nova Pro fixture six feet long.(12 x 39w).I do need to correct Josh,you will need more then 170 watts of T5 regardless of individual reflectors or not.Without using watts(which is outdated),look for a T5-HO fixture with at least six banks of light and individual reflectors.

 

[Max125g]

Bifferwine,

Thanks for the great info. Ill check out that line of skimmer. Placing it in the .... sump.... :) is a great idea. What about placing it in the ...Fuge? or it should go in the sump, not the fuge? am i getting these terms correct?

yes-i realize the lighting is not going to be cheap, but im a master shopper. If i have a good idea of what i need, ill work my magic and get it. What system would you suggest for the 6' 125g? i'm Fine passing on the moonlight for now (yes i realize they are just for visual appeal)

Sounds like ill just hang onto the 90g UV HOB in case of any problems and just run in in the.... sump :).... for a few days.

Also-will i need to worry about heaters? My freshwater tank usually stays around 78 in the house with ac a blazin (Fkin hot down here year round) Maybe the heat from the UV would keep it up a degree or 2?

Thanks in advance

 

[Max125g]

Think i found the lights your talking about.
Nova Extreme Pro T5 High Output Lighting Fixture - 12 x 39W - 72 in. | T5 Lighting | Lighting Systems | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

are those the ones? While i did intend to drop a few pennies on the lights, 600 might be a bit much. Is the general feeling that these are the only true reef lighting option for a 6' tank? If they are then i have no choice but to get them. Just might end up taking me another month or so to get the tank going and im not sure if i have that kind of patience :) hehe

 

[Bifferwine]

Odyssea Metal Halide System

You could check out these Odyssea lights. They are a cheaper brand (made in China), but they are about as cheap as you're going to get for a new light setup for a 6' tank.

 

[reeffreak]

Believe it or not,$600 is on the low end(price wise) for reef lighting for a six foot long tank.You will be able to keep anything with that light.

 

[Jmck]

Haha sorry max you have to have crazy loads of patience in this hobby ;)

If you have the space, by the looks of it you do, your overflow should run down your tank into a chamber that just has your skimmer running. (take out the bioballs) then it should move into your fug which has sand, live rock and then preferably some of biffs cheato in it which eats up phosphates and nitrates. From there you just need another section for a return to your tank.

And those arent the only lighting available you can look at a combination of metal halides and T5 but I believe these are a lot more expensive. Im guessing thats your best option for lighting and price.

temperature should be around 77-82 if I remember right (I dont use fahrenheit in AUS) so just around there is what you should aim for.

 

[Max125g]

How would these do while going through my setup process/phase? 125 bucks?

I'm selling my Coralife Lunar Aqualight 72" Aquarium light that I'm no longer using. The lights work fine. The splash proof lens is missing and the only three of the six moonlights is working. $125.00 or best offer.

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome Max...everyone has you covered.

 

[Jmck]

THrouh your setup phase you dont need much light. If you were looking to just have your live rock, they would be fine and some fish would be fine under those as well. But to house any corals, you would need more.

So you can spend the next month setting it all up properly without having to worry.

 

[Ulta]

Hey man, and welcome :)

You can use any lighting during your "setup process/phase" when you want to start adding coral that is when you have fork out the big $$.

I always liked that "Fishneedit" website biff always linked for lights...
They seemed to have some really awesome deals, dunno how their feedback is but if I would have seen that site I would have gone there over my Odessea lights :/

P.S.
The Reef System Wattage Rule of Thumb Formula
The article I read to understand lights and what our aquarium requires... its kind of confusing tho there are actually 4 articles linked there that all tie together, if you can figure it out :/
Also like reef was saying, I guess that wattage rule is "out of date"?

 

[Bifferwine]

As Ulta pointed out, this site is excellent for cheap lights too:

fish need it;lights; food;Sponge

You could get 3 of these 250 watt MH pendants for your tank.

http://www.fishneedit.com/250w-metal-halide-pendant-lig.html

I have had one of their lights over one of my tanks, and it was great. Reef is right, $600 is cheap. A few years ago, I spent $1800 on a set of 6' lights. Ouch.

I wouldn't spend your money on those lights you linked too. Save $125 and just buy the right lights the first time around. If you buy those lights, you will just have to buy new ones when you want to get corals.

 

[Max125g]

Going to spend a few hours doing the research on lights/skimmers today. Might go the "DIY" route on the lights.

i do have some questions about a previous suggestion. My... Sump :).... contains 2 stages, 1 with the blue bioballs and one next to it where the pump sucks the water out of. i was told to take out the bioballs and put the skimmer in that first section. Then in the next section have the ...refugium? with live sand/rock. Then that would be fed into the pump which goes back into the tank? Is that correct?

 

[Jmck]

Close, you would do the first 2 parts, take out the bioballs. put a skimmer in, then that flows through baffles into your refugum which has the liverock sand and cheato(macro algae) then that flows through baffles again to a third section which has the return. You cant return straight from your refugium. you may need to build a bigger tank underneath by the sounds of it?

 

[Max125g]

Yea, sounds like ill need to add something. Doesn't sound to hard.

I guess what i could do is get a smaller tank to sit next to the (soon to be) refugum. Drill a few "overflow" holes in the refugum which would overflow into the new tank and have the pump pull water out of the new tank? I have half of that cabinet empty so space is no issue whatsoever.

 

[Jmck]

Yea, that sounds like it could work, in the new tank, you may as well make 2 compartments so that you can have a baffle so the water flows to the first compartment, then to the return compartment. This way you keep the water flow but not strong so there will be less chance of getting micro bubbles in the water when it is returned to the DT