new member needs info on filtration and lights

[bonsaijohn]

hi everybody, i,m a new member but i used to have a reef tank 40 yrs ago in england, then we used undergravel filters and i understand that these are a no no now. so what is the best type of filter to use. i,v seen 2 , 1 where a part of the tank has a section used as a filter and 2 where the filter is underneath with an overflow system <what do you call this system > . which is best ?. also lights, in those ancient times when i had a tank i used a sunlamp <the type used for tanning > that i converted , and i used to grow lots of caulerpa. but now i ,v seen flurescent tubes that would be cheaper to run, what mix do i need ?, it,s a bit difficult here , i live in thailand, so a slight language problem , i can,t get the info i need from the dealers. i plan on a tank 1.5 meter by 80 cms by 1 meter deep, is this feasable . regards john

 

[SarahSmile]

I think when you are referring to the overflow you mean "sump?" Try doing a search on here for sump and looking at some pictures and seeing if that is what you mean.
For filtration most of us use our live rock which acts as filtration with its' beneficial bacteria and a protein skimmer.
How many liters or gallons is the tank you plan on using?
We'll all try to help you as much as possible.

 

[Northstar24]

The main type of filtration for us is 1-2 pounds of Live Rock, with the addition of a protein skimmer. The overflow system you have heard of is a sump, it's a second container of water under the main tank that can be used for ll kinds of things, but it's biggest benefit is increasing the total water volume of the system. It's also a great place for hiding heaters and other gear ( like a protein skimmer). You can also have a section for growing macroalgae and culturing Copepods

 

[marcah]

the lighting you will need on a tank that deep is going to have to be LED or metal halide lighting.. Led lighting will be more expensive to purchase upfront but will save you down the road, where as metal halide lighting is alot cheaper up front but not to long down the road catches up on price due to higher energy consumption and bulb replacement...most of us prefeer to use a "sump" so everything ( heaters, protein skimmer, anything else for reactors) can be stored under the tank so you dont have to see them everytime you look at your tank.. that way they are neatly hidden away under it..

 

[bonsaijohn]

hi, yes a sump, but i,v heard of a tunz system , what is that ? , my planned tank is 1340 liters, i,ll use liters because uk gallons is not the same as us gallons.the tank is going to be 1 meter deep. so lighting will be important. also can i ask on this topic why do you add iodine to a tank ? thank you , regards john

 

[marcah]

if we are on the same page which I may not be ( oops) I think when people refer to tunze setup it is meant a complete system?here is a link to what I think you mean..
TUNZE AQUARIUMS
sorry cant help you more on this setup dont know enough about it but what I can say it seems like a nice system maybe someone will know more then I do about it..

 

[Smitty]

Leds will probably be more beneficial for you, since they penetrate the water deeper than other types of lighting...and there is no need to add anything to your tank, as long as you do regularly scheduled water changes, the salt mix replenishes what is needed.

 

[marcah]

there is an ongoing debate wether iodine is something that needs to be added to help growth of corals. Iodine has been found to benefit soft corals, assist in calcification in stony corals, and enable crustaceans to molt properly. however as smitty just said most of us believe that, that is accomplished by your waterchanges that replenish what is lost..

 

[bonsaijohn]

thanks everybody, things are getting clearer, i looked at the tunze link , they are what i meant, but too small, sorry to be dense the led lights are they a flurecsent tube? . btw been down to bangkok to see where chingchai,s dsps tank came from and it,s great. stuff is really cheap out here because its caught here . regards john

 

[little_fish]

there is an ongoing debate wether iodine is something that needs to be added to help growth of corals. Iodine has been found to benefit soft corals, assist in calcification in stony corals, and enable crustaceans to molt properly. however as smitty just said most of us believe that, that is accomplished by your waterchanges that replenish what is lost..

Just to add a little bit to this, iodine at low levels is beneficial but its easy to overdose and then cause harm to your inverts and corals. Your salt mix will have the correct amount of iodine so just by doing water changes you will keep your iodine levels correct.

 

[phastroh]

Hi and welcome.

Here is a link to my set-up including my sump build.

While it is not an online professional, instructional it will let you see something other than the typical things you read online. Sometimes seeing a memebers set-up rings a little more clear.

https://www.livingreefs.com/phastrohs-220-gallon-build-pic-heavy-t36169.html