Going To Start A Reef Tank

[Betta5]

I have my 40"x12"x18" (LxWxH) tank which i am going to start a reef tank with. I need to know what equipment to get so i can get everything ready. I did have a FO tank but TBH they arnt the most nice looking smaller marine aquariums so im going with a reef. I am going to do this slowly and properly.

Right all i have really is
-the tank, stand and a home made refigium which is about 8-10 gallons
-marine calci sand
-heater
-6KG of base rock

-right i have some questions how much LR should i aim for minimum?
-I have a hydrometer which i am going to chuck for a refractometer (thats right in't it?)

-Right now im stuck when it comes to the RO water/unit, i still live at home and my mum wont let me attach an RO unit. Is there anyway to make water safe without using an RO unit or am i going to have to get one an p*ss her off lol?

what kind of lighting should i get? Im only looking to keep a few soft corals maybe somthing else (not for ages tho) maybe some mushrooms, zoas, star polyps, xenia things like that.

I have miss some things out im sure, but i can always ask when i remeber lol
and i know, i couldnt keep away for long, i was going to use an 8'x2'x2' as a FO tank but decided to use it for a boa lol

Well thanks for any help

 

[1entra]

Hi there, I'm gonna try to answers your questions best I can but there may be others that may/will disagree as there defo arnt no right answerrs as such and this is my opinion only.

right i have some questions how much LR should i aim for minimum?

Well from what I have read the general rule is to have about 1kg of LR per gallon of water. But this dont always apply as it does not take into consideration how porous or not a piece of LR is etc. So I say its best to keep adding the LR until you yourself are happy with the set-up of it. You may also wish to consider leaving space for corals when you get them as they tend to come attached to LR

I have a hydrometer which i am going to chuck for a refractometer (thats right in't it?)

Yes fractometers are more commenly used by reef aquarists as they have a reputation of being more accurate than hydrometers although they cost a bit more!

what kind of lighting should i get?

I'd recommend you get either a T5 light unit or a MH unit as you may only want softys to start of with but soon you may see a hard coral you like and want. So get the best unit you can afford now rather than have to spend more oney to upgrade in the future although that is an option!

Is there anyway to make water safe without using an RO unit or am i going to have to get one an p*ss her off lol?

Most lfs sell 5gallon containers of RO and only costs a few quid so can save you having to buy an RO unit I wouldn't really use normal tap water as this contains too many nutrients and can lead to algae blooms in the future!

 

[Betta5]

Hi there, I'm gonna try to answers your questions best I can but there may be others that may/will disagree as there defo arnt no right answerrs as such and this is my opinion only.

right i have some questions how much LR should i aim for minimum?

Well from what I have read the general rule is to have about 1kg of LR per gallon of water. But this dont always apply as it does not take into consideration how porous or not a piece of LR is etc. So I say its best to keep adding the LR until you yourself are happy with the set-up of it. You may also wish to consider leaving space for corals when you get them as they tend to come attached to LR

I have a hydrometer which i am going to chuck for a refractometer (thats right in't it?)

Yes fractometers are more commenly used by reef aquarists as they have a reputation of being more accurate than hydrometers although they cost a bit more!

what kind of lighting should i get?

I'd recommend you get either a T5 light unit or a MH unit as you may only want softys to start of with but soon you may see a hard coral you like and want. So get the best unit you can afford now rather than have to spend more oney to upgrade in the future although that is an option!

Is there anyway to make water safe without using an RO unit or am i going to have to get one an p*ss her off lol?

Most lfs sell 5gallon containers of RO and only costs a few quid so can save you having to buy an RO unit I wouldn't really use normal tap water as this contains too many nutrients and can lead to algae blooms in the future!

Thanks for answering my questions, thats about what i thought. I am off to my LFS to pick up a leopard gecko so i will see if they do RO water. If they dont is there a type of bottled water i could use? distilled? anything like that?

Would this light be ok for some sorf corals if i put them far up in the tank? or would i need somthing stronger?

thanks for your help

 

[SkiFletch]

You can use distilled. Try to avoid "spring" water as this is often just tapwater ran through carbon filtration . If you happen to know anybody with access to a University laborator, perhaps you could convince them to let you bring some buckets and borrow their DI water

What light are you talking about?

 

[1entra]

Would this light be ok for some sorf corals if i put them far up in the tank? or would i need somthing stronger?

Yea what light are you on about? Cant tell you without knowing what light!

 

[nanocubeking]

1entra is right on the money here equipment wise. Your tanks is about 37 gallons and you will want a light that gives you 4 watts per gallon and everything else 5 watts even six just to be safe. Any light with 175 watts to 250 watts should be sufficient.

 

[Betta5]

Sorry im a bit dumb, didnt add the link lol
But after reading the above post its not strong enough but a long way.

here it is
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/3x39W-T5-Lighting-ha...ksid=p1638.m118

For some reason i thought the tank was only 25 gallons, BTW im working on getting an RO unit as i dont fancy 100 trips to get distilled water but im glad i have it as a last option

thanks

 

[1entra]

Just to make you aware I bought my MH unit which consists of a 150w bulb + 2 x 39w blue actinic T5s + 2 x LED moonlights for the same price from the same seller on ebay as the above link. You just got to bid on their auctions rather than go for the buy it now option!

 

[Musho3210]

woah, a simple typo i think, im pretty sure 1entra meant 1 pound of live rock per gallon, not 1 kilo lol.

 

[jourdy288]

You can use distilled. Try to avoid "spring" water as this is often just tapwater ran through carbon filtration . If you happen to know anybody with access to a University laborator, perhaps you could convince them to let you bring some buckets and borrow their DI water

What light are you talking about?

Distilled is a bit more pricey, but if you can't get RO, I would go for that or something else mentioned here. Spring water, tapwater run through carbon, wow, thats how I make tankwater. I am in frewshwater, of course.

 

[andywg]

Just want to say that 1kg per gallon of LR is 2.2lbs per gallon, or over twice as much as is the usual starting amount. Adding that much LR will probably leave far less swimming room in the tank, thus affecting your ultimate fish choices.

I'm not saying you shouldn't go for it (if you want a lot of rock) but it is not the guide.

 

[Betta5]

Just to make you aware I bought my MH unit which consists of a 150w bulb + 2 x 39w blue actinic T5s + 2 x LED moonlights for the same price from the same seller on ebay as the above link. You just got to bid on their auctions rather than go for the buy it now option!

How do you find the quality of their products? As the price seems really good, but as i have found out you only get what you pay for in this hobby lol

Just want to say that 1kg per gallon of LR is 2.2lbs per gallon, or over twice as much as is the usual starting amount. Adding that much LR will probably leave far less swimming room in the tank, thus affecting your ultimate fish choices.

I'm not saying you shouldn't go for it (if you want a lot of rock) but it is not the guide.

Yeah i thougth he wrote 1lb per gallon as i remember that rule from when i kept them before. I now have 10kg of base rock can i just add 10 KG of LR?

Also what should i be thinking livestock wise? I love damsels but there so damn mean lol