JB's Reef Tank

[jb61264]

OK..so I decided to post to the Tank Showcase thread as I officially started by journey back into building a reef tank last night when I placed an order for a prefilter box from Jeff at LifeReef last night (actually spoke with him on the phone...really nice guy)...it ships on Tuesday so I'll probably have it by next weekend.

I'll be setting up a 40 gallon breeder tank (I love the breeder style tanks for reef aquariums because of the surface area footprint)...buying the tank and a stand from Petco for $219.

I have a wet/dry filter from a tank I had about about 13 years ago...its a typical three chamber wet/dry. Flow from tank into chamber one fills up and spills over to the second chamber that is packed with Bioballs that are raised about two inches from the bottom that fills the sump of the third chamber where my return pump will be placed.

I have an Amiracle (don't think they are in business anymore) protein skimmer that will hang on to the side of my wet/dry filter box. I think I'm going to try and build another skimmer similar to one I made 13 years ago on my first reef. It is an "in the water" skimmer that worked really well and would actually sit inside the first chamber...so technically I'll have two skimmers running eventually.

I'm planning to buy a Mag Drive 700 submersible for return flow from the sump to the tank...I'll also need to consider a pump to sit in the tank for additional flow but I'm not sure which to get yet.

I haven't made a decision on lighting yet but I saw a brand at a LFS that had these "stand-like" extensions that sit on the rim of the aquarium...looked very nice and clean...I'll run two of them (total of 4 lights) and then get some acrylic cut to cover the rest of the top that isn't below the lights.

I'll post some pictures this weekend...planning to buy the tank and stand tonight or tomorrow

 

[bobby]

Sounds pretty good a 40 breeder is a awsome tank. I would do a sump or fuge instead of a wetdry. If not cleaned enough the bio balls will cause excess nitrates to your tank. You aslo do not want to cover the top the of the tank you want the open air to oxygenate the water, however, you could cover it eggcrate or light diffuser. That way it keeps the fish in and lets the air in also. What kind of lights are they? If they're pc's, t-5's, or halides you wont need four.

 

[jb61264]

Sounds pretty good a 40 breeder is a awsome tank. I would do a sump or fuge instead of a wetdry. If not cleaned enough the bio balls will cause excess nitrates to your tank. You aslo do not want to cover the top the of the tank you want the open air to oxygenate the water, however, you could cover it eggcrate or light diffuser. That way it keeps the fish in and lets the air in also. What kind of lights are they? If they're pc's, t-5's, or halides you wont need four.

That's the first I've heard about having to clean BioBalls...do you have any other information on that? I used these with my first reef tank and didn't ever clean them.

When you say "sump"...I sorta have a sump with the wet/dry...unless we're talking about two different things. My wet/dry will sit below the tank in the stand

What are "pc's" and "t-5's"....gosh, I gotta get updated with the reef lingo :)

 

[Bifferwine]

Bioballs can become nitrate factories if they are not cleaned regularly, like weekly. That's why I don't ever recommend bioballs. If you have enough live rock (1 to 2 lbs per gallon), then that serves as your main source of biological filtration and there's no need for bioballs.

 

[bobby]

You should clean half at a time, like half one week and the other half the other week and so on. PC's are power comacts, T-5's are a higher output florecent light. T-5's and halides are your best choice, with PC's in the back, but all will keep coral just depends on the light. Before you buy the light post it on here and we can help you to get the best light from the choices you have. You probably will save a ton on the light if you buy it online also.

 

[bobby]

A wet dry uses filter pads or bioballs which can cause alot of nitrates were as a sump is a place to put the skimmer and other equipment, and a fuge is used usually for deeps sand beds, macro algae, mud beds, ect.....

 

[reeffreak]

Can I give you some recommendations?[of course,you don't have to listen to me]

Run the wet/dry without the bioballs and convert a chamber to a refugium.If there's no room then throw some chaeto in the sump and suspend a cheap light over it.Bioballs will just lead to nitrate problems which only fuels nuisance algae.Wet/drys or trickle filters were the ''in'' thing 15 years ago.They are still effective for fish only tanks where live rock is a minimum.Today its all about live rock for biological filtration and sump/fuge for nitrate reduction.

Look at the Hydor Koralias for circulation in your system.They are a propellar pump that gives a nice wide gentle flow unlike the narrow streams powerheads produce.They also have magnet mounts so no more suction cups failing.Two model 1 or 2 will work,depending on your flow needs.Dr. Fosters and Smith online store has them for around $35-40.

Also,go with T5-HO light fixture.They put out tons of light per watt compared to other florescent bulbs.T5 is the way to measure the size of the bulb.T5 bulbs are 5/8'' in diameter,thats were the 5 comes in.They also run much cooler than other lighting like PC(power compacts)bulbs and MH(metal halides).I would get one fixture with four bulbs and not two fixtures with two bulbs.

Good luck.

 

[jb61264]

Bioballs can become nitrate factories if they are not cleaned regularly, like weekly. That's why I don't ever recommend bioballs. If you have enough live rock (1 to 2 lbs per gallon), then that serves as your main source of biological filtration and there's no need for bioballs.

Is this a newer trend or discovery in the reef keeping world?...when I had my reef tank setup years ago, I had the wet/dry filter working with BioBalls and I never cleaned them...I guess I understood that the purpose of the BioBalls was to provide surface area for the good bacteria to adhere too.

What should I use the wet/dry filter that I have for then?

 

[jb61264]

Can I give you some recommendations?[of course,you don't have to listen to me]

Run the wet/dry without the bioballs and convert a chamber to a refugium.If there's no room then throw some chaeto in the sump and suspend a cheap light over it.Bioballs will just lead to nitrate problems which only fuels nuisance algae.Wet/drys or trickle filters were the ''in'' thing 15 years ago.They are still effective for fish only tanks where live rock is a minimum.Today its all about live rock for biological filtration and sump/fuge for nitrate reduction.

Look at the Hydor Koralias for circulation in your system.They are a propellar pump that gives a nice wide gentle flow unlike the narrow streams powerheads produce.They also have magnet mounts so no more suction cups failing.Two model 1 or 2 will work,depending on your flow needs.Dr. Fosters and Smith online store has them for around $35-40.

Also,go with T5-HO light fixture.They put out tons of light per watt compared to other florescent bulbs.T5 is the way to measure the size of the bulb.T5 bulbs are 5/8'' in diameter,thats were the 5 comes in.They also run much cooler than other lighting like PC(power compacts)bulbs and MH(metal halides).I would get one fixture with four bulbs and not two fixtures with two bulbs.

Good luck.

Of course you can give me advice...I'm obviously out of the loop on the current best practices in reef keeping :sad:

I'm going to post a diagram of my wet/dry and maybe you can recommend the best way to use it based on how it is designed?

 

[yote]

Its hard to beat a breeder tank when it comes to a reef tank.
You've some great advice on your wet/dry.So all I gotta say is,,

When do we get pics?

 

[reeffreak]

Sure,post a pic and maybe we can come up with something.

The bio balls that the beneficial bacteria adheres to is what leads to high nitrate.Thats why many people use plenty of live rock(1-2lbs per gal.)so no other biological filters are needed.Now with that being said,you can still have a successful reef with a wet/dry.

 

[jb61264]

OK..my first three picture posts...just picked up my tank and stand tonight and already I have my first reef dilemma...if you look at the third picture, you'll see my wet/dry and protein skimmer in the bottom of the stand...my wet/dry is so tall that there isn't clearance to run my return flow straight back up to the tank...can I put in some sort of "Z or L" connector that will help this out?

I'm having problems attaching a file...it doesn't look like .jpg's are allowed?...how do I upload pictures?

 

[yote]

This might help:
https://www.livingreefs.com/forums/reef-photography/10544-how-post-pictures-living-reefs.html

 

[jb61264]

OK...thanks to Yote, I have uploaded my first two pictures of my tank

Here's a straight on pic:

Here's a pic with my wet/dry and protein skimmer sitting underneath:

 

[reeffreak]

Its okay to have a bend in the return.It doen't have to be straight upwards.
Are you using pvc pipe,flexible pvc or vinyl tubing?

I can't see how much room the next chamber is.I'm going to assume its pretty small.If you can run the water level half way up in the sump,then the chamber with the bioballs could be replace with chaeto algae and rock rubble at the bottom.I don't think you can put sand there without it getting blown around.

 

[jb61264]

Its okay to have a bend in the return.It doen't have to be straight upwards.
Are you using pvc pipe,flexible pvc or vinyl tubing?

I can't see how much room the next chamber is.I'm going to assume its pretty small.If you can run the water level half way up in the sump,then the chamber with the bioballs could be replace with chaeto algae and rock rubble at the bottom.I don't think you can put sand there without it getting blown around.

Each of the three chambers has about a 5"W x 8"D footprint...the wet/dry is 20" H. The more I've been thinking about it, the more I'm inclined to see if I can maybe trade my wet/dry for a different one at a LFS...something with maybe a "shorter" profile...also have a pair of acrylic light tube holders that I bought when I was going to build my own light hood that I could throw in to sweeten the pot with the LFS.

 

[fatman]

JB,
A protein skimmer removes dissolved organic as its principal function. It entirely removes them from the water. A trickle filter with bio balls breaks the dissolved organics down with different bacterias in several steps and the final remains are typically removed with water changes. This means the pollutants stay in your system for longer periods of time and the bio ball process is more susceptible to problems and failures. Even with the Deep Sand Beds (DSB) and refugiums often used today there is still more possibility of pollution and total filtration crashes than with a simple but good skimmer. Skimmers can be replaced in minutes, bio filters can take weeks to begin functioning. If you do decide to keep your bio balls in action make sure you send the raw unfiltered water through your skimmer, before your bio balls, to cut down on the dissolved organics which cause bio filter problems for reef tanks. Remember, trickle filtration was designed for sewage treatment where the effluent was/is massively diluted by a receiving body of water (ocean/river), whereas you are returning water to a small closed system. Is the light "on legs" a Coralife Aqualight? Lots of money for a "good enough" system that could have easily been made better. I have two of them and definitely wish they came with electronic ballasts for their HQI halides, but. They sell taller legs than the ones furnished eith the lights, but they still have the lights close to the water. Heat problems are a common complaint. I would stay away from them unless yuou are expecting to go principally to SPS corals.

 

[jb61264]

JB,
A protein skimmer removes dissolved organic as its principal function. It entirely removes them from the water. A trickle filter with bio balls breaks the dissolved organics down with different bacterias in several steps and the final remains are typically removed with water changes. This means the pollutants stay in your system for longer periods of time and the bio ball process is more susceptible to problems and failures. Even with the Deep Sand Beds (DSB) and refugiums often used today there is still more possibility of pollution and total filtration crashes than with a simple but good skimmer. Skimmers can be replaced in minutes, bio filters can take weeks to begin functioning. If you do decide to keep your bio balls in action make sure you send the raw unfiltered water through your skimmer, before your bio balls, to cut down on the dissolved organics which cause bio filter problems for reef tanks. Remember, trickle filtration was designed for sewage treatment where the effluent was/is massively diluted by a receiving body of water (ocean/river), whereas you are returning water to a small closed system. Is the light "on legs" a Coralife Aqualight? Lots of money for a "good enough" system that could have easily been made better. I have two of them and definitely wish they came with electronic ballasts for their HQI halides, but. They sell taller legs than the ones furnished eith the lights, but they still have the lights close to the water. Heat problems are a common complaint. I would stay away from them unless yuou are expecting to go principally to SPS corals.

Thanks for the bioball explanation...I'm going to eliminate them from my system and do a refugium instead (as recommended by everybody here). The wet/dry I have is too "tall" for the area underneath my stand anyway so I'll be looking to see if I can trade it at a LFS for something I can turn into a refugium instead...now to read up on best practices of refugiums :)

I believe the "brand" of the lights that I am considering is Hagen GLO?...I think its Hagen although when I visited a LFS that had it it just said "GLO" on the housing for the tubes. I haven't really made any decisions as to what corals I will principally go with...will definately have some mushrooms and green star polyps, yellow colonials, but also want to get some additional variety in there.

Any recommendations on a lighting provider?

 

[reeffreak]

Hagen GLO?
Is that a planted aquarium bulb and is it a normal output florescent bulb.I believe in another thread I mentioned T5-HO.They will be you best bet on that size system.

 

[jb61264]

Hagen GLO?
Is that a planted aquarium bulb and is it a normal output florescent bulb.I believe in another thread I mentioned T5-HO.They will be you best bet on that size system.

Yes...it is the Hagen brand...I went back to the LFS and looked at it. He said he can get me one that has two bulbs (10,000K and an actinic) for $155-$160...then when I start adding coral and fish in a month I would get another one with a single bulb and add another 10,000K. What do you think?...here is a link:
HAGEN - GLO T5 HO

When you refer to T5-HO you meant just a size and output (not a brand)..right?..I'm all ears if you have a good "bang for the buck" lighting recommendation :)