Looking into buying a Saltwater Tank. Need Help

[Chac]

Hi BB

The pic is off a reef setup some of those coral (Trumpet, Frogspawn) are LPS corals and can be more difficult to keep, but you can achieve the same Reef reults by going for soft corals & muchies instead of LPS and it will (IMO) look just as good with time, patience & getting the know how.

Del



My 20g system is mainly softies, with a couple of LPS

 

[billa_bong]

I went to the fishstore, the guy told me to run a 65 gallon corner tank it would cost me 2800 - 3500 hundred dollars.

that is for a full reef set up.

he was selling me the following:

-wet dry system
-custom top with fans
-chiller
-the best lighing (metal w/e)
-a stand
- protein skimmer
-tank



for some reason, that just doesnt sound right to me, i dont need the chiller cuz my house is always 70 degrees cuz my mom is very picky about that. but i just htink that is a lot of money.

are these guys ripping me off?

 

[maestro]

Do you have AC in your house then? is so theres no need to have to chiller imo, just use a cheap clip on fan to clow air accross the surface.

No need to have a wet and dry system, just use live rock for your biological filtration.

Reefs generally do better without a hood and I think it looks nicer too, just get a metal halide pendant and hand it over the tank from the ceiling or via wall brackets.

One thing not to try and save money on is a skimmer, vitaly important piece of equipment, make sure you research and get a decent one.

So id get

Stand
Tank
Metal Halide pendant
Skimmer

They are your basics, after that you need live rock with a few powerheads to get some good water movement and thats the main components taken care of

 

[billa_bong]

Do you have AC in your house then? is so theres no need to have to chiller imo, just use a cheap clip on fan to clow air accross the surface.

No need to have a wet and dry system, just use live rock for your biological filtration.

Reefs generally do better without a hood and I think it looks nicer too, just get a metal halide pendant and hand it over the tank from the ceiling or via wall brackets.

One thing not to try and save money on is a skimmer, vitaly important piece of equipment, make sure you research and get a decent one.

So id get

Stand
Tank
Metal Halide pendant
Skimmer

They are your basics, after that you need live rock with a few powerheads to get some good water movement and thats the main components taken care of

Ok I see.

So how would lighting work since it is a corner tank most likely?

I don't need filtation system? Just a skimmer? Can you explain that more?

So I would buy the stand, tank, protein skimmer, and lighting which how would I put that on my tank???


Thanks for the help.

-tim

 

[maestro]

I was under the impression that you want to keep a basic soft coral reef? is that correct?

If so with reef aquariums bacteria living on the live rock take care of filtration with the aid of the skimmer which also helps, theres no need for a wet and dry filter.

I must admit i didnt realise you had a corner tank, it might be a bit tricky to hang a pendant, its something ill find out for you but im sure someones has worked out a way

 

[billa_bong]

I was under the impression that you want to keep a basic soft coral reef? is that correct?

If so with reef aquariums bacteria living on the live rock take care of filtration with the aid of the skimmer which also helps, theres no need for a wet and dry filter.

I must admit i didnt realise you had a corner tank, it might be a bit tricky to hang a pendant, its something ill find out for you but im sure someones has worked out a way

well i dont have a corner tank, but i wud prefer one. i might just go with a siple bowfront tank cuz it is probably easier to get and probably cheaper in price . . .

 

[maestro]

Yeah lighting is no probs, just done a quick search, you can hang the pendant on raise it above the tank on legs like this

 

[Chac]

Hi B

I think the LFS you went to is trying to make a quick buck

I'd listen to maestro as the advice he has given is sound

Live Rock & a Skimmer is the most natural way to run a reef or FO System it is aslo the easiest, as you wont need to worry about filter media changes etc., Also you will need to have some type of rock in the tank, so why not go for Live Rock

The Luminare that M has shown you will heat your water up slightly so a clip on fan would be the cheapest way to go.

I would not skimp on the Skimmer, in the UK the Deltec MCE600 is widely regarded as one of teh best at the mo, and would be great for this tank

This is what I'd buy for this tank (similar to maestro list)

RO Water
1/2kilo Live Rock per gallon
Shallow Sand Bed
Deltec MCE600 Skimmer
Luminare Lighting
Enought powerheads to turn water over a min of 20 -25x (also to have complete covereage of live rock so there are no dead spots

 

[andywg]

Another way to save a lot of money (even on skimmers) is to use the glory that is ebay.

 

[parker313]

LOVE Ebay!! I've gotten some great deals there on fish stuff.

 

[Chac]

I got an awful lot of items for my tanks on ebay, real cheap

Found a Deltec MCE600 on there today, but it is in the UK so probably not worth pm (ing) the details

 

[billa_bong]

Hi B

I think the LFS you went to is trying to make a quick buck

I'd listen to maestro as the advice he has given is sound

Live Rock & a Skimmer is the most natural way to run a reef or FO System it is aslo the easiest, as you wont need to worry about filter media changes etc., Also you will need to have some type of rock in the tank, so why not go for Live Rock

The Luminare that M has shown you will heat your water up slightly so a clip on fan would be the cheapest way to go.

I would not skimp on the Skimmer, in the UK the Deltec MCE600 is widely regarded as one of teh best at the mo, and would be great for this tank

This is what I'd buy for this tank (similar to maestro list)

RO Water
1/2kilo Live Rock per gallon
Shallow Sand Bed
Deltec MCE600 Skimmer
Luminare Lighting
Enought powerheads to turn water over a min of 20 -25x (also to have complete covereage of live rock so there are no dead spots

Wait so with a really good protein skimmer and a lot of live rock I don't need a wet dry filter

Cool.

I decided I want a bowfront tank, about 70 gallons.

If I buy a really good protein skimmer, put live sand with a good amount of live rock. I don't need to buy a expensive protein skimmer??

 

[maestro]

No you dont need a wet and dry filter at all, the vast majority of reef keepers probably 90% uselive rock and a good skimmer, its a tried and tested method.

I think you made a typo here when you say

"If I buy a really good protein skimmer, put live sand with a good amount of live rock. I don't need to buy a expensive protein skimmer??"

Unfortunately you usually get what you pay for

 

[Chac]

If I buy a really good protein skimmer, put live sand with a good amount of live rock. I don't need to buy a expensive protein skimmer??

Are you trying to confuss us pal

Did you mean ' with a good skimmer you wont need a wet and dry filter'

If you did then yes that is correct.

Del

 

[billa_bong]

haha my bad, I mean I don't need to buy an expensive wet and dry system

My bad.

I meant If I am just buying a protein skimmer, I would buy the best.