Needing Help And Advice With Set Up, And Costs

[Tony7]

Ive had a tropical tank going for just over 3 years, and have never had any problems with it, but I want to change over to a marine setup with a reef in it.
I am Totally new to this, and so I'll appreciate any advice going.
What Id like to know is:

1, Would I be able to use my current tank if I were able to get rid of all of its current stock? i.e. would I need to clean it with anything special?, would it be big enough for a marine setup? (Its a 180 L, 100cm x 45cm x 40cm)

2, What Exactly would I need to buy, and what are the average costs involved? (I only have the Fluval 4plus filter and a heater at present), but Id like to have a rough idea of how much I need to save up!

3, I have looked at lots of pictures on this forum and others and I keep seeing that the tanks have no lid. Is it possible to have a marine tank WITH a lid? I would be concerned about the water evaporating, and things escaping!!!

4, I am looking to get this project set up within about 6 months, is there anything I could buy in that time (i.e month by month - to spread the costs a bit)?

5, I would be very keen to have some nice colourful fish to start off with, but I dont want anything aggressive, What would you recommend? (especially keen on the cast of 'Finding Nemo' - Yes, sad I know!)

6, Also, I was wondering... With the sump, powerheads etc... Is it noisy?

7, And...Is there a difference in the size of powerheads etc. What type and size would you recommend, as I can start buying some things in preparation

8, Is there anywhere you would recommend buying the bits from? (Im in the UK) As if I buy from Ebay, I would want to be 100% certain Im buying the correct things.

Anyway, any help and suggestions will be very welcome. Thanks.
Has anyone got a picture of all the necessary equipment and things to buy by any chance?

 

[ben1987]

180L is a good size tank.
You would need. Powerheads get 2 and you want a minimum of 20x the volume of the tank in flow.
Live rock - ditch the filters LR does it for you about 1kg per 2.5 gallons
Salt
test kits

yes you can have a marine tank with a lid. Usually the ones without a lid use metal halide lighting which gets hot a needs to be off the water surface. Nomal T5s are ok for basic corals though

Maybe a skimmer - helpful when keeping the water nice

I would look at adding a sump. This would add more water volume which gives more room for error. It will take longer for temp to increase on warm days etc. Bigger tanks are more stable. It hides equipmen such as heater and skimmer aswel. You can also put LR rubble and lights with algae in there too if you wish.

Clean up crew. Once everything is set up and running your tank will go through a cycle. The CUC goes in once this is finnished. It consisted of crabs snails and other little critters which eat alge, dead stuff and un-eater food to stop the water getting polluted.



I changed over from a fresh water tank I reckon iv spend £500 and i bough a few bits 2nd hand. But its so worth it. Theres so much more to look at. corals, crabs and just the things that live in the Live Rock. I got a star fish come in mine.

 

[Tony7]

Cool, thanks for the help. ANy more is welcomed of course

 

[ox5477]

I think Ben answered most of what you were looking for, let me see if I can add:

1. only concern I would have is what meds have you used in this tank in the past? If the med contained copper (as some do), then this may have absorbed into the silicone and will cause problems in with marine as many marine animals cannot tolerate copper.

3. Well evaporation can be good when running high intensity lights as it allows heat to leave instead of going right into the water. If you want an open feeling, but still the peace of mind, you can use screen (normal window type stuff) or eggcrate (industrial light covering)

4. you have a heater, so buy some lr, salt, hydrometer/refractometer, a marine test kit and atleast one powerhead. With this, you can get a the cyce going. Are you looking into getting corals in the future? If yes, then look into an RO/DI system...

After that, get a couple more powerheads, a skimmer, and what kind of lighting you want to run

5. most clowns are good, look into tank raised clowns as a way to protect natures reefs. Also, a hippo tang will get way too big for your sized tank, even if one could fit, they are a PITA IMO from seeing others experiences with them

6. Some pumps are noisey, but most are not, so if you just ask on here or any othwer marine forum, you will get answers on the pros and cons of your pump/powerhead

Hope this helps, as said, ben answred most things

Ox

 

[Tony7]

5. most clowns are good, look into tank raised clowns as a way to protect natures reefs. Also, a hippo tang will get way too big for your sized tank, even if one could fit, they are a PITA IMO from seeing others experiences with them
Ox

Thanks,
Sorry to sound a bit thick, but what does that mean - PITA???

 

[ox5477]

Pain in the A$$

 

[Tony7]

Pain in the A$$

Oh. LOL

I have thought of another question which may seem daft...
...Having looked through most of the forum, Ive seen loads of really nice looking landscaping with the LR, but Im wondering how you get it to stay where you put it?
Is it just a case of placing it in the tank? or is there some hidden way of securing it together so it couldnt fall over.
Sorry, I know this seems a dumb question, but I think Id be quite worried about it if it was just placed in.
Also, if there is some way of securing it, How do you go about cleaning and maintenance of the tank, as I presume it would be near impossible to remove all the rock on one piece??? :wacko:

 

[shibby]

you can drill the live rock and use rods, milliput it together, or use egg crate as a staging and place rock on it.


or you can get lucky and get everything to fit snuggly like a jigsaw without any aid