what to do what to do

godeeporgohome123

Reefing newb
im new to the fish keeping world..and even newer to saltwater i have just recently started a 12 gallon tank .. i have a bigger tank id say its about 40 gallons ...i want to keep mainly soft corals, mushrooms, shrimps and crabs things like that maybe a few small fish..could i use something like 2 big hang on filters? or should i go with a canister filter? someone please give me the run down on filtration.. what would you do?

keeping in mind i want a reef tank..will i need a skimmer or anything?
 
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HOB filters will work. Get about 40-60 lbs of live rock, a good skimmer, and fill one HOB with Chaeto algae, and use the other for mechanical filtration. I would never use a canister filter b/c they store lots of notrates and tend to be forgot about until its to late.
 
You don't NEED a skimmer. There are several tanks that do great and are skimmerless, however, having a skimmer will make your life a lot easier IMHO. Plus since you're new it'll help solve some problems that you might not know how to deal with before they start. Before you buy one though ask on this site and we'll let you know if it's a good one or POS.

Plus one on adding chaeto to the HOB filter if you don't have a fuge or sump, but I would nix the other. HOB filter using pads can turn into nitrate factories just as well IF not cleaned regularly. Really though IMO live rock, water changes, and a decent skimmer are all you need. A place to grow chaeto will help in reducing organics also. Add 1 to 2 LB of live rock per gal of tank for good biological filtration.


Study everything before you buy anything. You said you want crabs and shrimp, but there are alot of crabs that eat shrimp, so be patient and research before you buy. It'll go a very long way in helping you in this hobby.

To keep the coral you like you will need better than stock lighting. For those coral you'll be fine with power compact lights, but if you ever plan on keeping things that require more light you might as well buy a better set up from the get go or you'll be kicking yourself later for having to shell out more money. Metal halide are my choice, but t5 can keep a nice tank too, so either of those would be best to start with, but like I said PC's will do fine to.
 
I'm pretty picky when it comes to tank setups... so here's my advice.

Hang on the back filters, canister fills, all that hang on the back stuff... will get you by, as in generally keep your stuff alive. But it is my firm opinion that properly set up, thriving reef tanks, are all very similar in one extremely key factor: filtration.

A properly set up reef tank, and any saltwater tank for that matter, is a drilled tank, utilizing a sump for filtration. The first key is having your tank drilled, after all, when you buy a drilled tank from a store it's called "reef ready", if it's not drilled, it's not reef ready. Overflow boxes are big and bulky, and I don't care if you've had an overflow box for 45 years and it hasn't overflowed, it's still far more likely to stop working and spill water on the floor. I don't think anyone can argue with that. They're also more expensive.

Drill the tank for 1.5" bulkhead, just one will work, you can use an elbow and a strainer and be perfect. For filtration on the tank, simply buy a filter sock (like 12 bucks), and get a decent skimmer, ask around on brands before you purchase, on that size tank I'd get an aquaeuro or an octopus.... aquac urchins are great, but pricier and for no good reason. You can put macro algae in your sump, or pack it with live rock for more filtration. Nothing is better than liverock at filtering marine tanks.

For a return buy something cheap like a Via-Aqua, or one of sunlight supply's Eco pumps, and you're set.

A sump is not only going to allow you to have FAR more and BETTER options as far as protein skimming goes, but it will take all that junk like heaters, downtubes from filters, etc. and put it in your sump out of sight.

Also, reef tanks utilize high lighting, which is hot. Having a sump will act like a heatsink, and help to keep your tank cool.

I could ramble all day as to why you should drill and sump your tank instead of using hang on the back anything... but I'll spare you.
 
With a small tank like that, finding good filtration will be hard. Ideally, you want a protein skimmer and none of the hang on back or canister filters, because HOB and canister filters eventually end up leading to poor water quality. It would be very hard to run a nice reef tank with HOB or canister filters alone.

But, there really aren't any good, effective, affordable protein skimmers for small tanks (the cheapest one is going to set you back hundreds of dollars). Your best bet will be to do water changes at least once a week, maybe twice a week, of at least 10 to 20% of your tank's volume each time. With small tanks, you are usually forced to rely more heavily on water changes than equipment.
 
skimmers that run around 100g aren't that expensive.... for the long run it's a great investment.... but since he's just doing softies I'll agree with you :P stinkin' dirty water corals... lol
 
You don't NEED a skimmer. There are several tanks that do great and are skimmerless, however, having a skimmer will make your life a lot easier IMHO. Plus since you're new it'll help solve some problems that you might not know how to deal with before they start. Before you buy one though ask on this site and we'll let you know if it's a good one or POS.

Plus one on adding chaeto to the HOB filter if you don't have a fuge or sump, but I would nix the other. HOB filter using pads can turn into nitrate factories just as well IF not cleaned regularly. Really though IMO live rock, water changes, and a decent skimmer are all you need. A place to grow chaeto will help in reducing organics also. Add 1 to 2 LB of live rock per gal of tank for good biological filtration.


Study everything before you buy anything. You said you want crabs and shrimp, but there are alot of crabs that eat shrimp, so be patient and research before you buy. It'll go a very long way in helping you in this hobby.

To keep the coral you like you will need better than stock lighting. For those coral you'll be fine with power compact lights, but if you ever plan on keeping things that require more light you might as well buy a better set up from the get go or you'll be kicking yourself later for having to shell out more money. Metal halide are my choice, but t5 can keep a nice tank too, so either of those would be best to start with, but like I said PC's will do fine to.


ive found out that i have a 40 gallon tank...right now in my ten gallon i have some mushrooms... i am useing a compact coralife 50/50 im sure a bigger tank needs bigger lights but your talking about those kinds of lights correct?
 
Power compacts (PC or CF depending where you look) are just old technology. You can get a more efficient and just better quality T5 fixture for roughly the same price. Don't let the wattage rating mislead you.
 
+1 Nathan
I personally think that any tank over 10 gallons should have a good skimmer.And on a 40,a sump would be your best bet.A sump not only filters the water and get the equipment out of the display,but it also adds volume which helps with stability.
 
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