New guy Moving to Salt

U

Unclebuck134

Reefing newb
Have done several successfull fresh water set ups. I currently have a 36g bowfront in my office at work and a 55g at home. Both are freshwater. The 55 is fairly new with only a few fish. Basically I quickly got bored with having to fresh water set ups so i am in the process of moving my fish to my tank at work. Perfect opportunity to start up with a saltwater tank.

I have no experience with saltwater. My eyes are burning from all of the reading I have been doing regarding set up and operations. I dont want to half a** it. I am a generally inpatient person but i know patience is a vertue when it comes to saltwater. But i am basically looking for advice, help and criticism.

With all the research i have done i am still un-sure about filter set up. I have been looking at a ehopps wet/dry with an insump skimmer. Seems to be the easiest choice. I know if i ask 10 people the same question i will get 10 different answers. Manly i want to know will it work.

i will do some searching on the forum for additional info regarding set up and cycleing.

Well hello everyone and thanks in advance for your advice

Steve
 
Hello and welcome!

I would skip the wet/dry and just get a regular sump. Bioballs have fallen out of favor in the saltwater community in the last several years because they can lead to high nitrates if they aren't properly cleaned and maintained. It's easier to have a sump without the bioballs, and use a protein skimmer. So you are on the right track!

Feel free to start threads with any questions that you have -- it's good that you are doing research ahead of time. :)
 
The bacteria that live on your rock will be your primary filtration, but some other good pieces of equipment are a protein skimmer and a refugium or an algae scrubber.

A great protein skimmer for the money are the reef octopus skimmers. Skimmers are a "you get what you pay for" piece of equipment, be wary of cheap skimmers. Be sure to get one rated for twice your total water volume.

A refugium goes in your sump, although you can make a HOB one. This is a place for some more live rock to go, and a place to allow beneficial macro algae to grow so that it can remove nitrates, phosphates and other things that lessen your water quality.

An algae scrubber is basically a refugium on crack. You use fast growing algae (which you remove weekly) to filter your water.
 
Hello and welcome to the site. You will get plenty of help here, and a good amount of criticism as well. If your wet dry sump will fit in the cabinet, unload the bio balls prior to set up. Use the protein skimmer as you plan to. You could put some live rock rubble in place of the bio balls you took out. Do not skimp on lighting or your protein skimmer, they are your 2 biggest investments in this hobby.
 
Welcome UncleBuck134. You've joined a great forum. I've been in saltwater almost 4 months now and these folks have helped me every step of the way! Good luck with your setup and don't be afraid to ask questions. Getting it right the first time will save a lot of time, money and heartache!
 
little_fish said:
The bacteria that live on your rock will be your primary filtration, but some other good pieces of equipment are a protein skimmer and a refugium or an algae scrubber.

A great protein skimmer for the money are the reef octopus skimmers. Skimmers are a "you get what you pay for" piece of equipment, be wary of cheap skimmers. Be sure to get one rated for twice your total water volume.

A refugium goes in your sump, although you can make a HOB one. This is a place for some more live rock to go, and a place to allow beneficial macro algae to grow so that it can remove nitrates, phosphates and other things that lessen your water quality.

An algae scrubber is basically a refugium on crack. You use fast growing algae (which you remove weekly) to filter your water.
Click to expand...


Now, The one real thing i am having trouble completely understanding is a refugium. Is this basically a sump with live rock instead of bio balls? does somone have a picture of one for me to reference?. I am going to be ordering alot of my supplies next week so i want to make sure i am getting the right stuff.
 
You have it exactly right, its a sump without the bioballs. Generally we refer to the sump as the whole tub under your tank, it includes the skimmer section if you have one, the refugium and the return pump section.
 

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