The Necessities for a SW Tank?

[Ethos]

Ok, so I have been looking around, and I am trying to plan a list of all the Necessities for a sw tank.
So, start out the list with Tank and hood, and go down the line. thanks..

 

[ecto1]

Tank and hood
Powerheads
Substrate
Salt mix
Decent lighitng (I'd recommend metal halides and no less)
A protein skimmer
A sump
Pump for operating sump
Heater
Hydrometer
Live rock
Test kit

That's what I can think of right now, but I'm sure there's something missing.

 

[Ethos]

So basicaly, in english;
1. Tank
2. filter/Protiene skimmer
3. Hood/Stand
4. Lighting
5. Live sand
6. Live rock
7. heater
8. Test kit
9. Salt mix

So, I may sound dumb, but whats a
Sump
Pump for operating sump
Hydrometer and a
Powerhead?

 

[Chac]

Hi E

A sump is simply a tank below your dispaly tank that is plumb in and used for the following
Increasing Overall Water Qty
Gets the Skimmer, External, Internal Filter, heater etc.out of the main tank
(I will put a link that shows a list of sumps styles when I get home tonight)
Powerheads are Small Submersible Pumps that create flow in a tank, IMO you need around a Flow of 20x total volume of the tank
Pump for operating sump is a pump that pumps water from the sump up to the main tank.

Lighting IMO doesnt have to be Metal Halides if you only plan on a Fish Only or Fish Only with Soft Corals, you will get away with either T5 Bulbs or a T5 Lumanaire

That list given IMO is a must if you want to be sucessful.

Live rock is very important as is the powerheads that creat a flow over the Live rock thuis feeding it (Well the bacteria on it)

Del

 

[chkltcow]

Tank and hood
Powerheads
Substrate
Salt mix
Decent lighitng (I'd recommend metal halides and no less)
A protein skimmer
A sump
Pump for operating sump
Heater
Hydrometer
Live rock
Test kit

That's what I can think of right now, but I'm sure there's something missing.

Actually, you're greatly overdoing it.

Essentials....

hood
light (at least Power Compacts)
powerheads
live rock
heater
hydrometer
salt mix
source of RO water
aragonite sand (although some people run bare bottom quite successfully... asthetic choice)

I ran my 20g tank for 6 months without a skimmer and never had a problem. The beautiful coraline growth that everyone talks about on my rocks came from that unskimmed setup. Ever since putting it all in my 55g running a skimmer, I haven't seen much coraline growth at all

A sump isn't completely necessary either. Sure, it's nice to have the extra volume and a way to hide your skimmer, heater, etc.... but by no means a necessity.

And Chac didn't answer the question about the hydrometer. A hydrometer is a simple device, usually a plastic container with a little swing arm in it, that tells what the salinity/specific gravity of your water is. For a SW tank you're looking for water in the 1.021-1.025 SG range. When you're mixing your water with the salt mix, a hydrometer is what you test it with. If you're looking to spend a lot of money to be REALLY accurate, you can get a refractometer. Bah, I say... you'll be fine with a hydrometer

 

[ingo_1978]

Is a sump and powerheads necessary? Can you not get away with just using internal or external filters and protein filters?

 

[chkltcow]

Is a sump and powerheads necessary? Can you not get away with just using internal or external filters and protein filters?

Powerheads are a yes, because you need water circulation over the live rock. Live rock is your primary biological filtration.

External filters, like hang on back power filters..... no... you're actually better off without them. Gunk builds up, no anoxic capabilities for denitrification.... leads to massive nitrates.

 

[Chac]

Sorry never spotted the Hydrometer question

Personally if you are going to go marine I say do it right ie Skimmer, LiveRock RO Water & Good Flow

I have purchased a Skimmer that will do me for my next setup therefore I am not spending any money on it next time & getting the benifit of it now.

You MUST have powerheads in your tank, these are used to circulate the water over teh live rock therby feeding the bacteria that colonise in the rock (Turnover of about 20x total volume at least)

Not really a fan of Hydrometers, usually need replaced every 6 months of so
I personally only use a Refractometer
Sumps arent really a necessity until you really get in to serious reefing IMO
& IMO OSW sits at a level of 1.026, most shops keep there SG Level low (1.021 -5) to keep cost of salt down)

Del