Newbie tired of searching

G

Gofish

Reefing newb
First timer here to marine. I've read a lot of posts so far and probably need to read more. However, I thought I'd start my own thread and get my questions answered directly.

I have a 90 gallon bowfront used tank. I rebuilt the stand using real wood instead of the crappy MDF that it came with (don't get me started). I resealed the tank. I made a DIY sump from a 20 tall tank and Lexan baffles. It has a pre-filter pad and bioballs similar to a trickle or wet/dry filter. I plan to make one section a refugium with chaeto algae, live rock, and substrate. Also, I have a Pro Clear Aquatics MPS 75 protein skimmer that I'm not real proud of and realize it is too small. But for now I'm just doing a few fish only, no coral. I also have a 40w UV sterilizer and a 500w titanium heater with a digital temp controller.

Q's:

What lights do you all recommend within reason? IOW, keep the utility bill down and the wallet and wife happy. Not in that order of course. It is going to be fish only for now, but maybe coral in the future. So, are there any lights suitable for use now and then able to add to for coral later? (no English majors here I hope)

What light needs to go over the refugium? Mind you, it is a small area within a small area. Think minimalist meets economist.

I bought crushed coral and pool filter sand for my substrate. The coral is a little on the chunky side. Is this going to be a potential problem with detritus? What about with gobies?

Are powerheads a must have or a highly recommend?

Will live rock in the sump convert the substrate and rock in the display to live sand/rock? Or, do I need to buy live rock for both areas?

I'm sure I'll have more Q's but this will do for now. Thanks!
 
Here are some pictures:

Tank
IMG_2730.jpg


Sump
IMG_2731.jpg


Substrate
IMG_2732.jpg
 
Welcome to the site!

I'm not great on lighting, since I have a fowlr, myself. But a t5 would be good, but if you're looking for low electrical use, LEDs are the way to go but they will cost a lot. but it will save you in the long run, since they use less electricity, and the led bulbs last longer.


For the fuge, most of us get one of those home depot flood light housing (usually costs $5), and use CFLs....suggested wattage is anything equivalent to 100w or more (usually a CFL w/ 26 w is the equivalent) AND the kelvin is important -- I use the 6500K. That's important. You don't want it too yellow.

I'd also ditch the bioballs unless you want to do the extra work of rinsing them off every week. Otherwise you will have trapped detritus in there, causing high nitrates. Those who successfully use bioballs maintain their tanks very well. The live rock and sand are the only filtration you need.

OH and I'd switch the crushed coral to aragonite instead. Crushed coral leads to trapped detritus as well, and high nitrates. Pool sand also should be avoided, as they tend to be high in silicates which algae loves to feed on. You will end up with a tank w/ lots of algae.
 
wontonflip said:
Welcome to the site!

I'm not great on lighting, since I have a fowlr, myself. But a t5 would be good, but if you're looking for low electrical use, LEDs are the way to go but they will cost a lot. but it will save you in the long run, since they use less electricity, and the led bulbs last longer.


For the fuge, most of us get one of those home depot flood light housing (usually costs $5), and use CFLs....suggested wattage is anything equivalent to 100w or more (usually a CFL w/ 26 w is the equivalent) AND the kelvin is important -- I use the 6500K. That's important. You don't want it too yellow.

I'd also ditch the bioballs unless you want to do the extra work of rinsing them off every week. Otherwise you will have trapped detritus in there, causing high nitrates. Those who successfully use bioballs maintain their tanks very well. The live rock and sand are the only filtration you need.

OH and I'd switch the crushed coral to aragonite instead. Crushed coral leads to trapped detritus as well, and high nitrates. Pool sand also should be avoided, as they tend to be high in silicates which algae loves to feed on. You will end up with a tank w/ lots of algae.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. The crushed coral is actually aragonite (Nature's Ocean Aragonite Sand at PETCO) I was confused but I'm back now. However, it is chunky aragonite. Should I find some finer aragonite?

The bioballs are pre-filtered with a filter pad. I may have to change the filter pad or clean it every week which I don't mind.

Can you clarify which fuge light housing you are speaking of? Is it round or rectangular?

Thanks again!
 
+2 Wonton
Bioballs are fine to have, but you have to clean about every 4-5 days.
And i would go for finer sand, but thats just my 2 cents! :D
 
I personally would remove both the pool sand and the crushed coral. The pool sand is going to give you endless headaches because it contains tons of silicates which fuels and endless diatom problem. The issue with the crushed coral is the large pieces will just trap poop, uneated food, other detrius, let it rot and then release nitrates back into your water.

And i wouldnt use either the filter pad or the bioballs, too much work for such little benefit.
 
+1 Hannah, the pool sand will be endless algae issues - I would take it out was well as the crushed coral and use a finer aragonite sand. I'd hold onto some of the crushed coral though, its handy for spots in your sandbed that may get whipped up becasue of the flow in your tank. I have two small spots in my 180 where i use it to keep sand from blowing around.

As far as electrical costs and lighting go, LED will have the lowest operating cost, but probably the highest up front cost, unless your handy with electronics, you could probably make a DIY LED fixture for what a decent MH or T5 setup would cost

The other thing I would sugguest is instead of one big 500 W heater, use at least 2 smaller ones. They tend to get stuck in the open position or fail to turn on, and with two smaller wattages, cooking the tank will take longer if one sticks open, and cooling the tank will take longer if one fails to turn on
 
Thanks for the replies!

I could probably figure out how to make an LED light fixture but I don't wanna. I'll buy a used fixture with some T5's and LED moonlights.

I am going to take everyone's advice an get rid of most of the PFS and chunky aragonite. I am going to use my bioball setup until I deem it to be couterproductive or overwhelming then I give you all up front permission to tell me "I told you so..." :mrgreen:

The heater is controlled by a Ranco ETC used in industrial/commercial applications. I have a lot of confidence in it and never heard of one failing. I do like your idea though for those pesky self controlled heater sticks :death:

Thanks for the picture Wonton. That will soon be gracing my sump.

Just to clarify too, I'm not looking to half-ass anything, I'm a full asser. I just believe there is a lot of unnecessary expense in this hobby and smart ways of getting around the $$$. I just want to cut the fatty corners. :Cheers:
 
Gofish said:
I am going to take everyone's advice an get rid of most of the PFS and chunky aragonite. I am going to use my bioball setup until I deem it to be couterproductive or overwhelming then I give you all up front permission to tell me "I told you so..." :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Ok, but just FYI, once you start a tank with bioballs and start putting in livestock and you decide to remove them, you have to remove them slowly -- like a handful at a time per week, otherwise you will risk another cycle. You will essentially be remove nitrifying bacteria from the system, requiring the tank to pull more in to compensate. But it can be done. People here have successfully ran tanks w/ bioballs....but they also rinse them out regularly.

Gofish said:
I'm a full asser.
Click to expand...

LOL You're an ass. :mrgreen:
 
Well, I removed most of the old substrate by siphon and a 30% water change. I used some clear tube and a 5g bucket. The hose did not want to cooperate. It was a mess and I'm glad I got it cleaned up before the wife gets home. Then I rinsed the new substrate (aragonite) for 5 minutes or so like the package said and dumped it in... It now looks like a septic tank :pooh: :shock: I put a microfilter pad in the sump to hopefully help clear the water. What a PITA day... :Cheers:
 
ya, it will look cloudy for a few days, but it clears up! Trust me you will be much happier with the new substrate. You might still get a diatom bloom at the end of your cycle, most tanks do, but it should do away on its own.
 
The tank is clear and the new substrate is settled. I have a krill resting at the bottom to kickstart the cycle. I bought a coralife 2X10k/2Xatinic and moonlight led fixture. Hopefully, I'll be ready for fish in a week or two... I'd appreciate livestock suggestions. Oh yeah, and I'm thinking about going ahead and doing some soft corals.
 
Im not sure that fixture will be good enough to keep any corals, can you get us a link to what you have?

And some great starter fish are clowns or chromis
 
It is the Coralife T5 High Output Lunar fixture.

I believe if it got any brighter in the tank, I'd have to notify air traffic control and apologize to my neighbors.
 

Similar threads

F
New to marine.
Replies
2
Views
1K
kbuser92
kbuser92
Mike
We're Back!
Replies
0
Views
651
Mike
Mike
Sashimi
75G LPS 2.0
Replies
2
Views
2K
Sashimi
Sashimi
I
Is this a live rock?
Replies
1
Views
5K
kbuser92
kbuser92
M
Novice needing advice!!
Replies
0
Views
1K
montgrl99
M
Back
Top