Looking to get back in!!!

[peapod]

I used to own an oceanic 110 fish only setup 10 yrs. ago. After moving twice with it, I decided that I would not do it a third time.

Now that I am settled in a new house and feel I will be here for a while, I want to start up again.

Here are my questions:

1. I have room for either a 90 or 110. I originally thought I would do fish only but the thought of having a real reef tank intriques me. What would I realistically need to budget to do this size tank correctly. I mean "all in" except for fish.

There is a new big al's store where I live and went there to price out. for a fish only setup I was at $1800 for an allglass 110 with overflow. AG megaflow #3 wet/dry, 125 gal protein skimmer, lighting (coral life AQ Lunar 4' DBL S/W), Turbo Twist 3X9W UV, 2 pumps. What more would I need for a reef setup? I dont trust the sales people. They didnt seem as knowledgable as I would have liked.

2. any tips to save me money on my setup?

3. am I crazy to get into a reef tank? I just have this vision of endless problems and maintence.

 

[minireefer]

coral life AQ Lunar 4' DBL S/W would not be enouf light.Reeftank would need 5 watts per gallon for softies and 8 to 10 for hard coral.Metal halide compact or VHO combo.I would design you own.He is a good website for lighting
http://www.hellolights.com/.here is a diy idea http://order.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bi...elete-a2293a2c682d4cadf493b2d17f24024e=remove

 

[Chris]

Look at this article...

https://www.livingreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=222

It hasn't been cleaned up or finished yet but it should help alot. When I get thru painting revising this article is my top priority.

Saltwater reef tanks cost money and time, if you are willing to dedicate both it is a very rewarding hobby. It has its bad moments but that why we have the forum to get help when we are clueless about a problem. Anyways thats my :twocents:

 

[peapod]

Thanks Guys.

I have an opportunity to get a 100 hex tank used. It would come with all of the equipment I need and a bunch of live rock. it would save me mucho dinero!!! I have read that a Hex is not the best shape for a reef tank. Is that true? am I better off getting a standard 90 or 110?

thx again.

 

[Chris]

The only real problem with a hex tank is usually they are real tall making it hard to get strong light to the bottom, you may want to invest in MH pendants if you want to keep corals at lower depths.

 

[peapod]

I decided not to do the hex. It wasnt in the best condition.

I just went to another store today. They told me that as long as if I was only going to keep fish, live rock, and some basic coral-ie. mushrooms, I wouldnt need MH lighting.

I would love a way to get into the game without spending the extra amount on lighting. I would plan on upgrading the lighting in the future.

Are they correct in that advice?

 

[bkv1997]

yes you can keep mushrooms etc under PCs..

I paid 400 dollars for my PCs when i started.. then had to spend another 160-200 dollars on bulbs about every 6 months.

About a year ago i bought two of these 250 watts and havent had to replace the bulbs yet...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...=12112&ref=3532&subref=AY&N=2004+113030+22741

It makes all the difference in the world with halides vs compacts...
www.tuckervolner.com/fishtank.htm
if you want to take a look

If you just look around online you can get nice halide setups for just a little more than PCs...

www.championlighting.com

Is one place i have used and would recommend.

My opinion if you plan on doing reef just get the good ones now, and you will save your self money in the long run.....

I went down the same road you are thinking about but I lost 300 dollars on my PC fixture when i sold it used and wished that i had just gotten the halides to start.

Just my thoughts...Let us know what you do.

bkv1997

 

[jhnrb]

used aquarium equipemnt does not bring a very high return, so, if you upgrade later on you want to start with a light system that can still be used to supplement the upgrade such as if you start with compacts and use a 50/50 bulb or 10000 k, 67 k, atinic o3, etc, at such time you decide to upgrade to mh, you could convert the compacts to atinic o3 or a mixture of that with 67K and some 10 to 14 k mh. anyway, more times than not you will lose your investment down the road if you upgrade and do not provide for it up front so my recommendation is to obtain the best light system you can afford. naturally you should first decide what you want to keep in the way of corals and that will dictate the light system you will need. You should read up on three things where lighting is concerned, spectrum, intensity, yearly cost for replacement bulbs. hope something here helps. good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[peapod]

The lighting is getting very confusing for me. Let me clear up my proposed setup:

90g AG Megaflow 48" X 18" X 24" with a AG W/D Sump #3
super skimmer 125g
turbo twist 3X9w ( i know not to use this until the tank is cycled)
I will have live rock, fish and soft corals to start. (After I am comfortable with that setup I may upgrade to more hard coral but I dont feel I am in a rush to do that)
Lighting-????

I would like to keep my budget at $1500 or less for all equip. From searching on the internet, I found ways to save money on the skimmer, UV, lighting if I buy online vs. at the store. I can get the tank and stand for $440, Sump Filter 3 for $260 (I wish there was a way to save on that), Skimmer for $150, UV for $90, Pumps-1 submersable Mag Drive-$85 & 1 for the UV-$15. That give me a total of $1040. I have $460 left for lighting. What should I do?????????????

Thanks in adavance.

 

[bkv1997]

use a 20 gallon long aquarium costs about 40$ as your sump save the 250 bucks and put that towards your lights...

I don't use bioballs etc cause they only tend to form nitrate factories...

Live rock and a big skimmer sitting in a 20 gallon sump should be good..

If you want some mecanical filtration use a filter bag to attach to end of the skimmer and where the water from the tank flows into the sump. These cost about 15 bucks and can be rinsed and used numerous times... They also help capture any stray bubbles from reentering your tank.

Just a thought.

 

[minireefer]

http://www.hellolights.com/48buityoreki.html
Your Shopping Cart
Item Options Unit
Price Qty. Subtotal
48" Build It Yourself Retrofit Kit
MH_Ballast1: 400W Universal (M135) #61-40450 (+$79)
MH_Ballast2: Select
VHO_Ballast: 2 Lamp ARO Model 4L #41-41001 (+$135)
MH_Bulb1: 400W 10,000K Ushio 23-5000760(+$95)
MH_Bulb2: Select
MH_Socket1(w/bracket): Medium Mogul #61-61006 (+$8)
MH_Socket2(w/bracket): Standard Mogul #61-61025 (+$8)
Power_Cord1: Grounded Power Cord #66-66001(+$3)
Power_Cord2: Grounded Power Cord #66-66001(+$3)
Reflector: 48 Inch #64-64045 (+$30)
Shipping: Overweight (+$14)
VHO_Bulb1: 48 Inch Super Actinic Coralife #10-54022 (+$21.95)
VHO_Bulb2: 48 Inch Super Actinic Coralife #10-54022 (+$21.95) 428.85

Mount all of this in a hood with some extra fans for cooling.This would be 680 watts of light(more than enough for soft and some lps hard coral).When your ready you could add a second halide to this setup.check out ebay for some possible deals.

 

[minireefer]

http://aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=15
here is another option.I am using this brand for the past year and it has been a solid light and at $329 it a good low budget buy

 

[peapod]

Thanks.

thats more my speed vs. the DIY :-)

will I have an issue with heat? I really dont want to get a chiller.