Hi new to this and i have a few questions.

troybuckle

troybuckle

Reefing newb
Hi everyone, my name is Troy and I just joined this form because I am about to start a saltwater aquarium, and I will need a lot of help lol. I have had fresh water tanks for a very long time, but I have always been more interested in saltwater. I have been reading about saltwater aquariums for a few days now and feel like I have enough information to start asking some questions.
I know that this can be very expensive hobby so I want to try an only get the necessary equipment I need. I am actually very handy so I also won’t mind some DIY solutions. With that said this is my initial ideas on a set up, and some basic equipment I have had my eye on. First off I want this to be a Reef-Tank (Live Rock, Coral, etc.) and I would like to go with a Tetra 40 gallon tank that I found at Wall-mart, because it’s only 168.00 or so. It comes with a Tetra Whisper® Advanced PF 20-40 filter, light hood and some other common accessories. The few questions I have about this are:

Is the filter which comes with this useful for saltwater?

Is the light hood capable of operation the proper light for a Reef-Tank?

If not then I guess I would be better-off going with a simple tank and getting the rest of the stuff separately.

With that being said, I was thinking about going with sump and skimmer set-up which I could house under the tank in a stand. (I may make the stand if I cant find one I like.) So I think I need the following:

Protein skimmer which can be mounted to a sump.

2 or 3 Powerheads

Heater or chiller, depending on how much heat my powerheads, lights, etc. generates

Test kits, themo, the usual things.

Also what kind of pump system I need to make this all work, and will I need some sort of overflow catch or does the sump act as that?

If anyone has any recommended equipment for beginners I would appreciate the info.
 
Filter, not so useful, maybe mechanical but Liverock will do the majority of your filtering, Along with a CUC (clean up crew). Light hood will not house strong enough lights for coral. I would probably agree buy a tank (40 gal) buying light. filter. etc will run cheaper than 168. You will need 2 powerheads regardless of what you are using, and the powerheads will not generate heat, where you live will more than liely determine whether you need a chiller or heater. Skimmer not required immediately but preferred. Yes to test kits etc. Check here https://www.livingreefs.com/basic-equipment-list-t19611.html for your basic items, then ask specifically for ea. There are a lot of opinions here and you will get several other responses different from mine, all of them will be great.
 
Welcome! Asking questions is a great place to start.

Cathic's right. Those starter kit tanks are useless for saltwater, for the most part. Much better to just get a plain tank and get the other pieces you need separately-- cheaper too! The filtration it comes with will only cause you problems in salt water, and the lights would be fine if you just want to keep fish.... but totally inadequate for keeping coral.

If you want a sump, you need to plan ahead a bit more than if you don't. IMO Sumps are a must have for any system. You'll either need to drill the tank, or purchase a hang on the back overflow system (CPR makes an excellent, easy to install one). Alternatively, you can buy a pre-drilled "reef ready" aquarium with built in overflows.
 
It's great that you are researching before you buy equipment.Too many of us have wasted money when we first started in this hobby.I agree with Cathic and Tank.I doubt that you will need a chiller unless you use MH lighting.Stick with T5 for that size tank and you really shouldn't need a chiller.

Welcome to the site and hobby.
 
Welcome to LR :)

+1 Cathic and Tanked.....just get a plain old tank (and stand) with no frills. If you're going reef, you don't need that hood because it's for freshwater and is useless for corals. You don't even need a lid for the tank because the lights you will need for your corals will generate a lot of heat and it will heat up your tank quickly. Plus you'll have better O2 exchange w/o a lid.

I suggest you check out craigslist for used tanks (make sure to do a leak test before you leave their house), or you can get a used tank to use as your sump and add your own baffles (dividers) since you're a DIY'er :)
 
Hi thanks for the warm welcome! A lot of good info. The plan is to go ahead and get a basic 40-50 gallon tank and build my own cabinet. I have gotten a used 10 gallon tank from a friend who just had his last fresh water fish die a few days ago. I am going to use this as my sump, but I have a few questions about it.

Will it be large enough for a 40-50 gallon aquarium? (Probably depends on flow rates of my pump and overflow right?)

Also at the moment it is completely infested with agile, I will do my best to scrub it clean, but I am worried I might not get it all and this will spread into the new set up. Is there anything I can do to ensure I kill it all?

Also are there any plans (With dimensions, components, etc.) out there to convert a 10g tank into a sump? (if not I will draft some up when I make mine to post on here.)

One last thing, where in this forum can I post a thread about this project?

Thanks a lot.
 
Look in the DIY section for Sump plans(there are hundreds) 10g would be enough for a 40g(I have a DIY 10g sump for my 40g).

+1 to all above and welcome!
 
+1 rwynn -- post in DIY

troybuckle said:
Hi thanks for the warm welcome! A lot of good info. The plan is to go ahead and get a basic 40-50 gallon tank and build my own cabinet. I have gotten a used 10 gallon tank from a friend who just had his last fresh water fish die a few days ago. I am going to use this as my sump, but I have a few questions about it.

Will it be large enough for a 40-50 gallon aquarium? (Probably depends on flow rates of my pump and overflow right?)

Also at the moment it is completely infested with agile, I will do my best to scrub it clean, but I am worried I might not get it all and this will spread into the new set up. Is there anything I can do to ensure I kill it all?

Also are there any plans (With dimensions, components, etc.) out there to convert a 10g tank into a sump? (if not I will draft some up when I make mine to post on here.)

One last thing, where in this forum can I post a thread about this project?

Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

I guess I'll answer here, since you haven't posted in another thread ;)

The size of the sump depends on what equipment you put in there. My 45g's sump was 20g because I kept my skimmer, return pump, and refugium (fuge) in it. So, a 10g should be enough room for a skimmer and return...it really depends on the size of your equipment.

What was the tank used for? Saltwater? freshwater? reptile? You can use vinegar and plain ole table salt to clean it out. Try soaking in vinegar for a bit -- make sure it's PURE WHITE vinegar. I always have a gallon container handy :) Then, do a final thorough rinse w/ tap.

Why not start a new thread in the newbie section :) Your questions will be more noticed.
 
Everyone has you covered so far! Welcome to living reefs! You will learn a lot on this site thats for sure! I started out with a fresh water kit and using the filters it came with and now I am in the process of getting rid of them. You have to scrub them at least weekly to keep the water quality decent. It is far less work with a protein skimmer!
 

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