Starting A Reef Tank

[robert1988]

hey all can I use a normal 2ft or 3ft tank for a reef set up or will the salt water eat the silicone thanks

 

[Brilly91]

hey all can I use a normal 2ft or 3ft tank for a reef set up or will the salt water eat the silicone thanks

 
 
A normal tank is fine

 

[techen]

Indeed, I just hope you have deep pockets

 

[phoenix2081]

Indeed, I just hope you have deep pockets

 
True that.

 

[robert1988]

ok thanks for that I will do a 3ft tank with a smaller tank used as a sump

 

[Brilly91]

Indeed, I just hope you have deep pockets

 
Dont need that deep pockets, just buy used and grow from frags etc. Simples

 

[phoenix2081]

But you do need deep pockets for startup. When you add water, ro, powerheads, skimmers, pumps, wavemakers (if wanted) Live rock at 10 pound a kilo (not sure about US), fish, corals, phos remover, sand and so on.
 
After that it isnt too bad. lol

 

[Brilly91]

But you do need deep pockets for startup. When you add water, ro, powerheads, skimmers, pumps, wavemakers (if wanted) Live rock at 10 pound a kilo (not sure about US), fish, corals, phos remover, sand and so on.
 
After that it isnt too bad. lol

 
all that list isnt necessary though, bare basics needed are ro, powerhead/wavemaker (same thing really) , a heater, live rock and sand and possibly a skimmer.
 
Buy second hand and its easily done.
 
Things like phos remover shouldnt be needed really, i only just started running rowaphos after running a tank for ages. Corals can be purchased as you go and as frags to keep costs down.

 

[phoenix2081]

I would personally always use a phos remover. Too many problems are avoided with a phos remover imo

 

[Brilly91]

I would personally always use a phos remover. Too many problems are avoided with a phos remover imo

 
If you have an issue with phos you need to address the issue not mask it up though

 

[robert1988]

ok ended up getting a 2ft x12 x12 tank and stand its got coral sand but my need more as I don't think there is enough
still need to get light heater protein skimmer more coral sand live rock and ro water or should I get pre mixed salt water

 

[Donya]

ro water or should I get pre mixed salt water
 

 
Totally up to you whether to buy premixed or mix it yourself. If you mix it yourself, you'll have to wait a few hours to overnight before you can use the water, but you'll have better control over the salinity; some stores mix water at closer to 1.020, which is ok for fish-only systems but not the best for inverts or reefs. You'll still need to keep un-salted RO on hand as well for topoffs.

 

[robert1988]

got a question should I run a protein skimmer and external filter or just a skimmer and what lighting should I use

 

[Donya]

Usually an external filter isn't used when a good protein skimmer is involved, since externals are mainly useful as a place to put chemical media like carbon and phosphate remover, which may not be needed if the skimmer is strong enough.
 
For lighting, it depends entirely on the coals you want. You will be looking at a minimum of 2xT5HO or middle price-range LEDs for easy corals like softies. For the middle-range LEDs, I mean things in the range of the Fluval reef and Marineland reef fixtures, which do work for softie reefs but not for something like an SPS-heavy reef or photosynthetic clams, so if you think you might want really light-demanding things at some point then it's better to go for a better fixture up-front. 4xT5 will let you keep loads of stuff in shallow tanks like nanos, but the fixtures are bulky, so there is often a space issue  as far as being able to get your arms in and out for maintenance or open the lid if the tank is covered. For example, I've got a 4xT5 on a tank with a footprint of 24"L x 12"W and had to prop the fixture up about an extra 1/4" to leave enough space for me to open the lid properly. T5 can also pose a heat buildup problem with tanks this size when they are closed-top, and counter-measures like fans mean more frequent RO topups to keep the salinity stable. High-end LED fixtures will also let you keep just about whatever you want without the heat or space issues.