Tank Setup

[stevie_h]

hi everyone
im thinkin of starting my first marine tank and im lookin some info. il be gettin a 4 foot tank and i want to put sand in it what sort of filteration should i use. i was told that if i use gravel i can just use 2 powerheads and a ugc but im guessing this wont work with a sand tank. what do i need?

 

[hyrookin]

if you mean an undergravel filter, I personally would not recommend that
at all. ugf's are outdated,pretty much obsolete, and never were a very
good method of filtration to begin with, in fact they probably do more harm
than good by trapping nitrates, harmful bacteria,creating more deadspots,
etc. when you say sand, do you mean live sand? have you also thought
about live rock as well? it all depends on what type of tank you want.
for fish only,you have many more options,but if you are looking at a reef
set-up, then live rock is a necessity.

 

[bgraber]

Depends what kind of fish you want to keep.. Jawfish(which are super cool) require 3 inches of sand so they can burrow and make a home.. Some fish dont need any sand at all and some people swear by a gravel-less system.. Less stuff to foul up. If you do go with a deep sand bed, make sure you have alot of critters(snails, sand stars) that stir up the sand nice. Otherwise get a protein skimmer and a bunch of live rock and you'll be in business.. Possibly look into a sump/refugium loaded with macro algae to remove bad stuff from the water.. I go for as natural a system as I can.. Look up "Berlin Method" and "Jaubert Method".. Do alot of research and you and your animals will be much happier

 

[Navarre]

I can only echoe bgrabers words. I also run a totally natural system. Research these systems and find one that fits in best with your tanketc.

 

[impur]

Yes research research research. Not only the type of system, but the requirements needed for the coral, fish, and inverts you plan to keep. I ready for probably a year or more just for my 10 gal. And i'm still reading more and more each day. Its never ending!!!

 

[bgraber]

Yes, I read Many forums every day and learn something new..

 

[impur]

What other forums do you visit? I usually check out reefcentral and nano-reef. For FW its here and aquatiqterrors.

 

[bgraber]

Yeah, http/www.reefcentral.com
http/www.nano-reef.com
http/www.3reef.com occasionally
http/www.aquariumadvice.com/index.php occasionally
http/www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdis...p?s=&forumid=80 <--I really recommend finding a reef club in your area.. Good stuff will happen to you
http/www.reefs.org/ occasionally..
http/www.frags.org/
http/www.garf.org/

Most of my time is spent on Reefcentral and the CORA(Central Ohio Reef Aquarists) forums.. And here

 

[Navarre]

If you are based in the UK or Europe then Reefpark is one of the leading FOrums for Marine keeping.
Reef Park

 

[impur]

I found a great local reef club at www.thereeftank.com

Definately a must when you get into reef tanks.