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[oswoldy]

Deleted

 

[Harry1996]

ok there are many but the main 3 are...
fish only (fo) in fish only you dont have to have RO water or live rock.

fish only with live rock (fowlr) in fowlr you have live rock and most people say you need RO water but i dont think you have to.

in these 2 set ups you can have any lighting because you dont need to support corals.

and finely the reef. in this setup you need live rock, RO water and good lighting e.g t5s,LEDs or halides most have t5s
they all cost differently starting from least expensive to can be very expensive.
but reef tank are nicer and more colourful but if you want something like puffer fish then a fo or fowlr is the best option. if you want lots of colour then its the reef you want.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yeah Harry pretty much summed it up.

Fish only (FO)- Basically the same as a tropical FW setup. Generally need bigger canister filters then FW setup and a skimmer is recommended.

Fish only with live rock (FOWLR) - Same as above but replace the canister filters with liverock in the tank. Needs a minium of X10 turn over in the display tank from powerheads for filtration (I would aim at X15 as a min). Ideally use RO as your water source to help stop algae blooms.

Reef with Soft Corals and LPS - This is the option most people end up going for.
You need decent lighting (how much depends on tank dimensions, typically at least X4 T5 tubes will do the job unless you have a very deep tank).
Good water turn over (X20 tank volume min).
Skimmer (Highly recommended).
Liverock filtration.
RO water a must have (recommend getting your own RO unit. It will pay for itself within a year).
Have to pay much more attention to water parameters, phosphate removal media, refugiums (areas to grow macro algae) and other water treatment methods are commonly used (but easily setup).
Will support almost all soft corals and LPS and depending on T5 tubes used and water depth some less demanding SPS can be kept.

Reef with SPS Corals and high light demanding critters
All of the above. Skimmer is generally a must have. Water parameters need to be spot on and things like calcium reactors and other mineral supplements are commonly used (and must be regularly tested for).
X30 tank volume in turn over (though X40 or higher would be my recommended min).
High amounts of light. Typically metal halide but T5 can be used (need a lot more tubes though).
Generally need to have a lower fish stock level to help keep water parameters good.
Most corals and critters can be kept though some soft corals do not like too intense lighting (can be fixed by placing them in lower light spots in the tank).

 

[nick87]

Reef with Soft Corals and LPS - This is the option most people end up going for.
You need decent lighting (how much depends on tank dimensions, typically at least X4 T5 tubes will do the job unless you have a very deep tank).
Good water turn over (X20 tank volume min).
Skimmer (Highly recommended).
Liverock filtration.
RO water a must have (recommend getting your own RO unit. It will pay for itself within a year).
Have to pay much more attention to water parameters, phosphate removal media, refugiums (areas to grow macro algae) and other water treatment methods are commonly used (but easily setup).
Will support almost all soft corals and LPS and depending on T5 tubes used and water depth some less demanding SPS can be kept.

Would I not be able to take this route then unless I changed my lighting? I currently have 2x 24w T5HO lights on my tank.

Im looking to Start fish only with the possibility of changing to the above after a few months to a year. What would you recommend as being the best things to start with?

Mike

There is no reason why you can't setup your tank as above, the lights you have may be fine for most soft corals, what size is the tank?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Would I not be able to take this route then unless I changed my lighting? I currently have 2x 24w T5HO lights on my tank.

Im looking to Start fish only with the possibility of changing to the above after a few months to a year. What would you recommend as being the best things to start with?

Mike

How deep is your tank? If you had two 6500K or 10,000K tubes in there you would be ok with some soft corals (mushrooms, some leathers, zoas). They would survive but they probably wouldn't grow very fast. I would recommend at least another two tubes then you can have 3 white and one blue which would be fine for most soft corals (unless the tank is very deep).

You can start out with fish only but if you are planning to go with corals eventually anyway make sure you pick fish that are reef safe. Personally I would get a couple more T5 fittings and go for the softies reef setup from the start.

for the softie coral setup you need:
Ideally another two T5 fittings (4 tubes total, 3 running 6500 to 10,000k and one actinic tube).
3 powerheads that combined give you at least X20-30 the tank volume in turn over (I would recommend Korillia's, if on a budget look on ebay for "sunsun" power heads (cheap knock off of korillias but apparently very good).
RO unit for making your own RO water.
Heater
Externeral filter for running phosphate remover and optionally carbon.
Test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH and phosphate.
Liverock
Ideally a drilled overflow with sump
Skimmer

 

[seffieuk]

Perfect size for a nano

seffie x

 

[Harry1996]

is it a juwel rio 125? if so then same as mine. have been told that my 2 28W light will be fine for soft and some lps corals. but im upgrading to 4 t5 lights. then i can keep some low light sps corals. e.g plate.