Is This The Right Equipment For A Saltwater Tank?

ChocoboDragon

Reefing newb
Hello! I'm new here. I have a 44 gal tank with a canister filter which I previously kept a couple of goldfish in. I would now like to use it for a saltwater aquarium (fish and invertibrates).

Here's the equipment list I've come up with. My main concern is the noise factor, it doesn't bother me but the rest of my family is a bit intolerant of noise and the tank is in the lounge room.

So, does this list sound right? Am I missing anything?

Lights - Power compact fluorescent lights. Although a friend of mine has offered to give me his metal halide light (don't know the details yet), he use to keep reef aquariums.

Heater - Submersible heater. Do I need 2 or will 1 be okay?

Canister Filter - I already own one and would like to use it. Trickle would be ideal but I don't have a cabinet (just a stand) and noise is a big issue. My canister filter contains wool, sponge (Black 35ppi), Sponge (Blue 15ppi) and BioNood. How often do I need to clean it?

Protein skimmer - Different resources have told me that using a skimmer much larger than what you need is a good method. My main concern here, again, is noise so I need something as quiet as possible. I was looking at the Deltec MCE600 ( http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/deltec-mce600-skimmer-turbo ). I've heard Deltec is quieter than others, is this model quiet?

Or, what about something like the Deltec AP701? Is it possible to just sit something like that on the floor next to the aquarium or doesn't it work like that? Would it be better if I ask this in the equipment catergory of this forum maybe? .__.

Thermometer and hydrometer. Aquarium salt and conditioner. Algae scrubber. Fish net. Water test kit.

Live rock (does about 40kg for my size tank sound right?). Live sand.

Auto Top Off thingo.

Thanks for your help and putting up with my newbie questions! :mrgreen:
 
hi, you're clearly going the right way by researching your tank properly before you start.

Here's my :twocents: on your list

Lights - Power compact fluorescent lights. Although a friend of mine has offered to give me his metal halide light (don't know the details yet), he use to keep reef aquariums.

Do you know what corals you want to keep (if any)? and how deep is your tank? If you do not want corals then the power compacts will be ok, otherwise I'd go for metal halide

Heater - Submersible heater. Do I need 2 or will 1 be okay?

one will be ok but I have two just in case the first fails, set one of them to a degree or two above the other so that if the higher one fails the temp will only drop a few degrees before the other heater switches on

Canister Filter - I already own one and would like to use it. Trickle would be ideal but I don't have a cabinet (just a stand) and noise is a big issue. My canister filter contains wool, sponge (Black 35ppi), Sponge (Blue 15ppi) and BioNood. How often do I need to clean it?

I would either get rid or remove all biological filtration and just use it to run carbon and phosphate remover. Your live rock will be all the filtration you need. You could clean it every few weeks when you change the carbon and phos remover.

Protein skimmer - Different resources have told me that using a skimmer much larger than what you need is a good method. My main concern here, again, is noise so I need something as quiet as possible. I was looking at the Deltec MCE600 ( http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/deltec-mce600-skimmer-turbo ). I've heard Deltec is quieter than others, is this model quiet?

I have the mce600 on my tank and it's great. Some older models are noisy but you can ask deltec for a noise reduction kit which they send for free.

Or, what about something like the Deltec AP701? Is it possible to just sit something like that on the floor next to the aquarium or doesn't it work like that? Would it be better if I ask this in the equipment catergory of this forum maybe? .__.

Not sure how this works, sorry

Thermometer and hydrometer. Aquarium salt and conditioner. Algae scrubber. Fish net. Water test kit.

Use a refractometer instead of a hydrometer, they're much more accurate and easier to use. Not sure what you mean by conditioner but if it's a water conditioner then you do not need it, I would definitely get a reverse osmosis unit instead. This will get rid of all the nasties in the water preventing major algae issues (among other things) in the future. Algae scrubber, net and test kits are all fine. To start with I would get the following kits: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH. You can get others as and when you need

Live rock (does about 40kg for my size tank sound right?). Live sand.

40kg seems way too much for me, I reckon for your tank you could have 15-20kg. I have 20kg in my 48 gallon. Live sand is ok but not necessary in my opinion. If you can get a handful of sand from somebody elses tank and add this to your own it will be a much cheaper option.

Auto Top Off thingo.

May not be necessary depending on what lighting you have, if you have a lid on the tank and how hot your house is. If you get halides you will probably need one.

Additions:

I would get a phosphate reactor and run it from the start, this will reduce the amount of nuisance algae you have.

Think that's it! Hope I haven't forgotten anything and I hope you find this useful. Good luck with your tank!
 
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Canister filters can work with marine tanks --as long as you clean then often, like every few days. If you don't clean them, crud builds up in them and they become nitrates traps. People get sick of cleaning them so often and so there not used much with marine tanks.

A free metal halide fixture? Grab it!
 
Thank you very much for your help. :)

I'll have to get back to you about the tank depth, it's more horizontal than vertical though. I would like to eventually get some corals, especially soft coral, not sure what species. Metal halide appears to be the way to go then.

I will add reverse osmosis unit to the list and look into phosphate reactors.

If I get rid of my canister filter, will I need something else instead to replace it?

Also, I have a good gravel cleaner and syphon that I used for my goldfish, is this suitable for sand or do I need something else? Or is this not neccasary in a saltwater tank?

Do I need a wavemaker or some other device to move the water around? If so, what type/brand do you suggest?

One more thing. Anyone heard of Geo Liquid? It's a natural product that uses "micro sensors" to adjust the different water quality parameters and makes the water really clear, etc. I used it for my goldfish, there are ones made for reef and marine aquariums, is it alright to use?
 
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You don't necessarily need metal halides for soft corals but they do give you more choices as to what you can keep. If the MH unit is free off your friend then I would say you might as well.

You won't need anything to replace your filter as the live rock contains all the bacteria. I use a canister for carbon and some extra flow.

Not sure about the gravel filter, I used to use some hose to siphon the top layer but now my goby does it.

You will need powerheads to move the water around, I would recommend a flow rate of at least 20x your tank volume per hour for soft corals, more if you want hard corals.

Not heard of geo liquid.

cheers,

Matt
 
I agree take the MH fixture. It'll give you more options further down the road. Other than that mblack's gotcha covered, although I'd consider some kind of filter system or fuge. Maybe HOB system(s)?
 
If you get enough live rock and sand, it pretty much eliminates your need for a canister filter. I don't think many on this site us canister filters anyway. I think everyone's got you covered.
 
I also agree to forget about the canister filter, and just use a protein skimmer instead. Other than that, it sounds like you have a good plan.
 
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