A Few Questions On Setting Up A Marine Tank

[proton]

OK So I have bought a new Tank, it's 165L that is 37 uk Ga arrives 28th May . I am going to buy a RO Unit but which is better, a 3 stage or 4 stage? Does it make a huge difference? Also I want to get a sump installed to make things easier and doing searches I came across this sump and this sumpless skimmer what are your opinions on these?
Also is it OK to keep RO water in a 10L container or 20L container for a few days, topping up the water in the sump?

And can anyone give advice on a good sump? Or what to put in one. Should I go for a Sump and Skimmer (instead of sump alone) and how do I set it up so that I have a fail safe and don't flood my lounge (I'm trying to avoid drilling a hole in my tank)?

I have a Eheim 2028 Filter which is being used for my community tank (it can survive on the Juwel Filter and pump alone) but is not really needed there, should I install it in my Marine tank?

Also I read that it is best to cycle the tank with uncured rock, as that will cycle the tank better and to wait at least a few weeks and doing regular tests etc. Last question is a 165L tank big enough? Or is it too small. I want some nice corals and a few small fish like Green MandarinFish, Yellow Watchman Goby, Six Line Wrasse and Nemo (Yes I know it's Old) and a Star fish and a few invertebrates.

 

[SkiFletch]

First off, to the marine world, check your kidneys at the door and enjoy your stay

If you're looking to use a sump (which is a great idea IMO) probably the best first place to visit is melevsreef.com. Marc Levenson (melev) makes his own acrylic sumps and is a great resource of ideas on sump design, construction and operation. While the DIY skill required to make your own acrylic sump may not be for you, that website will surely teach you what and how a sump does what it does.

As for those products you listed, The sump looks decent, but if you ask me, those pre-fabbed ones are often way overpriced. You can often be better served buying a standard tank to fit your space, and then get some glass panes to use as dividers where necessary and just silicone them in. Not hard at all from a DIY perspective, saves you lots of money, and lets you do with your sump what you want to do with it. Couldn't tell what the skimmer was though, all the pics came up as red X's

For overflow, I would highly reccomend drilling the tank. Contrary to popular belief it is not difficult. And if you do drill it, the operation is much simpler and easier. melev offers the only other alternative to drilling, known as the overflow box. An overflow box employs a series of barriers and a siphon tube of some kind to bring water over the wall in a controlled fashion. They're very hard to build (mercifully they are sold commercially) and come with the drawback that if air ever gets trapped in the tube and breaks siphon, you'll get water on the floor. Drilling reall is the safest option.

I would put the skimmer in the sump as this allows you to have a bigger skimmer, and if it does ever malfunction, it just pours water back into the system, not all over your floor like some HOBs can.

Installing the eheim is not necessary as Live rock will do all your filtration. It is however advisable to have a small filter suitable for like a nano tank to use for carbon and phoshate removers. You can use the eheim in this regard but it is not necesary.

As for the livestock you mentioned, a 37g tank is too small to support most starfish and mandarins. A vast majority of all mandarins (probably 90%+) only eat microinvertebrates ("pods") and some small worms. In a tank as small as 37g, most mandarins will over-predate on their food source and then starve to death when the population of pods is eliminated. While a very few select individuals will accept frozen foods (most often brine shrimp or roe), most will not. A tank of at least 75 gallons is reccomended for keeping a mandarin alive. Most decorative starfish sold in the marine hobby suffer a similar fate in small tanks. They prey on micro inverts and mini bristlestars found living in the sand. Again, they can easily over-predate and starve to death in most marine tanks. Depending on the starfish, it too will require a larger tank, usually 75 or more gallons as a minimum.

There are some larger decorative Bristlestarfish that are scavengers of uneaten food and detritus and do very well in the home aquarium. They could do just fine in a 37g tank. I unfortunately cannot reccomend a species directly since there are tons of bristlestar species and I dont want to reccomend the wrong one, but they are out there

Anyway, I hope that helps. Keep the questions coming and let me encourage you to read through the stickies atop this forum, there's a wealth of knowledge there that can get you started.

 

[proton]

AW thanks a lot, I've been sitting on edge here waiting for a reply. OK so my 37g is a bit small, no matter, I will practice. I can upgrade in a year once I have more knowledge and sell of someone else's kidneys.

When i get my tank, can I start the cycle process with uncured live rock? that way curing the rock and starting the cycling process at the same time. how much LR should I have 10 KGS or 20 KGS? how much live rock per litre?

Do I need live sand too? What is live sand? Can I use normal beach sand?

Now where do I hand in Kidneys?

 

[SkiFletch]

Generally 1lb per gallon or 1kg per 2gal is the LR rule of thumb. So for you that'd be 20kgs (40lbs) total. You can go half LR, half BR if you want, just remember to stock SLOWLY.

You do not need live sand, IMO that garbage they sell in sealed bags that's been sitting on warehouse floors forever is in no way live anymore . Get plain aragonite sand, aka coral sand. Do not use sand collected from the beach. In addition to its collection being illegal, beach sand is often littered with pollutants as it catches all the nasty stuff from our activities... Not what you want in your tank

 

[proton]

Brilliant, thanks that solves a lot of mysteries, just read your post about your experience SkiFletch, very intersting, also I don't think I will be making an overflow on the tank. I will consider drilling a hole if I have the courage and not afraid to break my tank.

Once I get the tank and know the measurments of the stand space I will make a sump of sorts to fit inside.

Another question , thing is I went to a NSLFS (Not So LFS, the one near me doesn't supply marine fish) and asked if I should start my cycle with uncured rock, he said no, I should start with Live Rock as I could get nasty suprises with uncured rock. What are your or anyone else opinions? And what does he mean suprises?

 

[SkiFletch]

Its best to use LR because it allready has the bacteria, beneficial microbes, and beneficial algaes on it. Its sort of like taking someone's freshwater filter off their tank and putting it on yours. You get all the benefits of an established filter right away, dont have to wait years for it.