My new 65g...

WarmSoda

WarmSoda

Reefing newb
Hi! I just got a 65g tank as a gift to myself! (I know, I'm awesome)

It was originally supposed to be a Freshwater African Cichlid tank (specifically a Tropheus colony) but the tank wasn't large enough to house the colony, so I had to abandon it. Now I'm on to bigger and better things, directly, a Salwater Reef tank. These are my tank 'stats'

-A 3' long 65g glass tank
-A Wet-dry filter with rio 2500 pump
-An Eheim 2150 canister filter
-A single 30 watt T8 bulb and hood
-A Heater, 200 watt

Right now I have about 18 little goldfish chilling out in my tank, just so I could build up some bacteria in the wet-dry and canister filter, but I really want to make this saltwater tank a reality.

My first mission is to upgrade the lighting... I was looking at
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000WKY0RC/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=A1X9NFIRFNQB7G&v=glance[/ame]

or

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001EUJOSY/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=A3MD0713A3NPNS&v=glance[/ame]

I would obviously like the 2nd option over the MH's, because it won't destroy myelectric bill and It's less expensive, but I'll get what I need to get.

Any thoughts so far?
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000WKY0RC/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=A1X9NFIRFNQB7G&v=glance"][/ame]
 
WarmSoda said:
Hi! I just got a 65g tank as a gift to myself! (I know, I'm awesome)

It was originally supposed to be a Freshwater African Cichlid tank (specifically a Tropheus colony) but the tank wasn't large enough to house the colony, so I had to abandon it. Now I'm on to bigger and better things, directly, a Salwater Reef tank. These are my tank 'stats'

-A 3' long 65g glass tank
-A Wet-dry filter with rio 2500 pump
-An Eheim 2150 canister filter
-A single 30 watt T8 bulb and hood
-A Heater, 200 watt

Right now I have about 18 little goldfish chilling out in my tank, just so I could build up some bacteria in the wet-dry and canister filter, but I really want to make this saltwater tank a reality.

My first mission is to upgrade the lighting... I was looking at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=A1X9NFIRFNQB7G&v=glance

or

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=A3MD0713A3NPNS&v=glance

I would obviously like the 2nd option over the MH's, because it won't destroy myelectric bill and It's less expensive, but I'll get what I need to get.

Any thoughts so far?
Click to expand...


Welcome to the site.

For lighting, i recommend a T5. For filtration, i would ditch the canister filter and get plenty of live rock and a protein skimmer. Along with regular water changes, all you need are those two things.

As far as bacteria, i am not sure but i think you will need to start over with new water when you do a reef tank. Im not sure if you can use the same water but my guess would be no.

Good luck.
 
Ya, ditch the canister filter and also ditch any media out of the wet/dry and just use it as a regular sump. Get protein skimmer if your wet/dry doesn't have one. Ditch the goldfish and water and start mixing up your saltwater and get everything running asap. It takes a much longer time for saltwater to cycle and mature compared to fresh. Start adding live rock asap and sand unless you plan on going bare bottom. I'm running HO T5's with individual reflectors and this puts out plenty of light. You just don't get the shimmer of MH's.
 
I totally forgot about the protein skimmer.
Would this be sufficient [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Seaclone-Protein-Skimmer-Aquarium-Systems/dp/B0009YUJBC/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1235568507&sr=8-13[/ame]

or something like this...
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Super-Skimmer-Protein-gallons/dp/B000BJNL6A/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1235568507&sr=8-2[/ame]

Would I have to ditch the canister because of the freshwater bacteria, or because it's not good for the saltwater tank?'


EDIT: Also, are the T5's going to be enough to house nems?
 
Last edited:
a good set of t-5's a nova extreme pro at the least will be enough to house anything you could possibly want, and since you already have a wet dry, which is a sump there is no need for a canister filter, they just lead to nitrate problems. the bio balls in the wet dry also lead to nitrate problems which isnt good for a reef so i suggest taking those out and replacing it with a deep sand bed and some live rock. put one to two pounds of live rock in the main tank and as much that will fit in the wet dry area and you have yourself an awesome filter, put that on top of an octopus skimmer and regular water changes and you will have pristine water conditions
 
The bacteria that live in saltwater are different from the bacteria that live in freshwater, so any bacteria you get using the goldfish is useless anyways, you'll have to start again from the beginning with new saltwater anyways, so better get started!
 
Hello and welcome, I have no advice to give, all the great advice has been given to you by the earlier posts, which in turn will give you an awesome looking tank.
 
Welcome to the site. All the above have given good advice. I would clean all the equipment. Put sand,live rock, and saltwater in the tank and start the cycle. It takes awhile for a saltwater tank to cycle unless you buy all live sand and live rock. If your on a budget like most of us you can buy base rock and seed it with live rock. Also you can do the same thing with the sand if your local fish store or someone you know will give you live sand from their tank.
 
Thank you everyone for the great ideas! They've all helped!

I only have one question now...
How do I put Live Rock in my Sump!? (Who ever thought of that is freakin' amazing, BTW) I really don't know where to put it! Would it go where the Bio-Balls were, or where the water collects afterwords; the left or right compartment? (Pictures below)

Here are some pictures to get an idea of what my set-up looks like. (The tank really doesn't look like that anymore, but that's besides the point considering that I'm going to have to start over again :P)
Also, I found a Protein Skimmer! Will it fit in my sump with the live rock?

100_2052.jpg
100_2051.jpg
100_2050.jpg
 
Last edited:
doesnt look like you have much room. I would take the bioballs out and put macro algae in there instead. Fill your DT with rock.
 
I would put it where the bio balls are depending on how big the area is you could put cheato in there also. hard to tell by pic how big the sump is.
 
The section to the left (whatever that is called), I believe, is 10-12' long, 12' deep and 14' high. I'm not sure about the bio-ball area, but it couldn't be far off from the other side.

Is the size going to be a problem?
 
In the section where you have your outgoing pump, i wouldn't really put anything else in there because of the unstable water level. I guess you could if you make sure to top off the water on time. I just never put anything living in there becuase my water level in that section is never the same.
 
cthegame said:
In the section where you have your outgoing pump, i wouldn't really put anything else in there because of the unstable water level. I guess you could if you make sure to top off the water on time. I just never put anything living in there becuase my water level in that section is never the same.
Click to expand...

Ah, I see. At some point, I'm going to have to add my protein skimmer, and I was planning on putting it inside the return area anyway, so It wouldn't fit much in terms of live rock.

Thanks for the help, everyone! I'll keep you posted.
 
many people dont like the skimmer in the return area due to the high amount of bubbles most skimmers create. I am not familiar with the output of some of the skimmers though and the one you have may not make tons of bubbles. You also want the skimmer in a location that has constant water levels.
Tank is looking good so far and you have a good start going. Welcome to the site and good luck.
 

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