Need some advice on average expense to setup a 132 gl saltwater fish tank

[sarahk]

Hi,
About me: Before my higher education period I had a 50 gl freshwater aquarium but I have been away from it for nearly 10 years.

But recently I inherited a large 132gl aquarium which I am thinking of using it to setup a saltwater aquarium. I was searching the web for some few days to learn about new pumps and different filter types, live rocks, etc but I am still a little confused on what would be the initial estimation on the equipment and decoration.

The aquarium that I inherited has the furniture and good T5 lightening on the lid I was thinking to get the following equipments but I am not sure that this is all that I will need to setup a nice aquarium or the amount of equipment that I anticipated is matching the aquarium size or not.

- 2 EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 150W
- 2 EHEIM Classic 250 External Canister Filter 2213
- Coralife Super Skimmer with Pump, 125 gl model
- Tetra 26076 Whisper Air Pump, 300
- 2 Hydor Usa Inc AHYP29201 3.5-Watt Koralia Nano Water Pump 425 GPH
- 1 Live Rock matching the aquarium size
- Some check valves and plumbing accessories and pipes.
- APC P6GC 6 Outlet, for automatic lights off and on.

Any thought on my choice of equipments and whether they suffice or not..


Thank you.

 

[Cathic]

Ditch the canister filters, and the air pump. the live rock will be by the pound and for 132 g setup youll need 1.25 to 2 pounds per gallon. your water flow will also be low, but that all depends on what type of tank you plan on having a fish only with liverock or a reef. Youll still need the water turnover to be 20x - 30x or more depending on the setup.

Someone else will chime in more specifically but this can at least let you budget a little better.

 

[Northstar24]

To keep costs down, you can also get mostly dry rock and seed it with some live rock when you start your cycle. A ratio of 1 pound of good live rock to 10 pounds of dry rock works pretty well when doing this. Using that formula, you'd need roughly 120 pounds of dry rock ad 12 pounds of good live rock (I'd suggest using Craigslist here, you can find live rock from fellow hobbyists for a good price)

I'd say that you don't need the canister filter, they are mostly a freshwater technology, and you absolutely do not want an airstone, as its another freshwater technology

One powerhead to start is fine, but you'll want more flow once things are cycled and you start adding livestock

Also, how old are the bulbs on the T5 fixture? If you dont know, you'd better err on the side of caution and replace them as well. How many bulbs are in the fixture? Do you know the brand name or model?

 

[sarahk]

Thank you for the information.
I didn't know that we can make dry rock to become live nor did I know about live sand.

To give more details on what I am thinking to do with the aquarium and the aquarium size: The aquarium size is 49"x21"x31" and I am planning to have some 10-15 fishes, some crabs for cleaning, some invertebrates and probably some live plants.

Mixing the live rock and dry rock with 1/10 ratio, how long will it take for the aquarium to be ready for couple of live Stock considering the fact that I wont get canister filters. Is it matter of weeks or months?

I believe I will mix some live sand with some normal dry sand as well to get more bacteria in the aquarium.

 

[chichimom79]

If you aren't planning on keeping corals, your light bulbs may be fine. I'm not sure how often they need changed if you are only going to grow decorative algae.

 

[emily120289]

Are you running a sump? Or hang on the back protein skimmer? When deciding on a skimmer, its always safe to get a skimmer rated for double the size of your tank (if you can).. I like the Reef Octopus skimmers for in sump and hang on the back. Also the flow you will get from the Hydor Koralia 425 gph powerheads will not be enough flow for that size tank. I would most likely go with the Hydor Koralia 1050 gph or 1400 gph depending on what you plan to keep.. +1 to the live rock comments.. always cheaper to purchase LR from craigslist or dry rock and seed with live rock..


Also, cycling a tank can take anywhere from a week to a month or so.. you never really know for sure.. A way to speed up the cycle would be, live rock/live sand, and also introducing the necessary bacteria. Adding a raw piece of table shrimp to the aquarium and letting it decompose it always a good method to help with the cycle. hope this helps.

 

[little_fish]

Hello and welcome!

+1 everyone, but I would like to add you don't need live sand. It will become live with the rest of dry rock, so save yourself some money for the fun stuff :)

Also be sure you slowly work up to the number of fish you want. You should only add ones or two fish every three weeks. Nothing good happens fast in a saltwater tank

 

[little_fish]

I would also look for a better skimmer, the coralife skimmers are very hard to tune and are prone to overflowing. Reef octopus skimmers are great skimmer for the money