Thinking Of Marine

[Atrixblue.-MFR-.]

forgive me if this has been covered, ive been reeding thorugh many posts, and got so confused on what tanks are suited what equipment to get, and what is essential i'm not really clear on what i can do here.

so, i have a juwel vision 450 tank and stand, eheim pro external canister filter, i have some tropical fish left in it but these are sold to a neighbour when i have finished cycling her tank for her, (using my filter media as a cycler and a bottle of amonia her tank is only 1 week setup and her water levels are going good ok i rekon will be ready for my fish in 2 weeks)

in the tank the i have crushed coral substrate (is this any use for a marine tank) looking on here many say live sand is a must have? and jura rock or ocean rock.

what equipment will i need for a tank of this size, mindfull puttin a sump in is not an option as the stand will not accomodate one and my tank will have to be adapted for sump plumbing holes)and the nearest place to do this is 20 miles away and no means of getting tank there.

the lighting unit has had it and ive been holding off getting one untill ive decided what to do with the tank, marine or sell but have now decided that i want to go marine.

so basically what skimmer will be needed what filtration system will i have to have to keep marine fish maybe a few hardy corals.

i aiming to get somethings via classifieds and somethings will have to be new, going to be building this over a period of a few months to make sure i have everything and researched everything in the meantime before i actually add water so to speek.

thanks for your help guys in advance im sure ill be in good hands.

 

[dayzofspeed]

reading through some of the journals is a good way to start, i recently changed my existing FW tank to SW and have never looked back, SW is much more fascinating imo. basically you need the tank, some Live rock which also acts as your biological filter, skimmers are not a neccessary component of a sw set up but are beneficial. you do need to be aware that if you have used any copper treatments in the past that this could hold you back somewhat, so i suggest go ahead and read up you wont regret it. someone more experienced than me will be along some time and give you more detailed info than i feel i can give you at this point in time
oops forgot my manners

 

[sorgan]

Welcome! Sadly I am on my iPhone so I cannot write a detailed answer so I will point you towards our resource centre and hope someone with a keyboard pops on soon

 

[Atrixblue.-MFR-.]

here to clarify because i think ive somewhat confused the situ.

and thank for the welcome by the way.

lights broken, for marine wich do you think i should get for the juwel 450? replace bulbs or replace whole unit (i know what wrong with current light unit easy repair all i need is to solder a resistor in for the starter)

is the substrate i got in there crushed coral any good.

no copper has ever been used in this tank, i dont favour any harsh chemicals and try and resolve problems in an oganic matter if possible.

eheim filter will possibly obsolite when changing to marine, can i use this filter in away way? would be a shame to just ditch it.

live rock is not that expensive from my LFS, how much will i need?

i would have to have a hangon skimmer, what type of filtration will i need for this volume of water excluding a sump?

i would like to have some inverts and some easy keep reef along with fish. the tank isnt too deep so lighting shouldnt be a problem.

heads buzzing around at the moment i have read through the guides here but these are based aound the normal type tank not large bowfronted tanks with limited space, as it seem the larger you go the more easy it is to have a sump and lighting becaus eusualy you can accomodate a sump at the bottom, but i cant.

 

[weezawoo]

HI Welcome to the salty side

For the lights, I am not familiar with the tank so what lights are they? T5? Watt? T8's can cope with most softies i.e xenia, mushrooms, zoas and more. Any other corals then better lights may be needed.

You would need to replace the sand. There will be all kinds of unwanted nasty stuff in there. You dont need live sand, it is a waste of money. Buy fresh coral sand and the life on the LR will move into the sand in time.

Some people use externals for things like phosphate removers but I have no experience with this.

There is a calculator at the top of the forum where it will tell you how mch LR your system will need. I cant remember the ratio sorry! But try to get the LR from a local reefer breaking down a tank as they sell it around £5 per KG

The filtration is your LR so you just need to look at turnover. Recomended is 20x the volume of the tank turnover. The skimmer should just be rated for the volume of the tank if not higher!

You can keep a lot of inverts, the easiest way to stock them is slowly and see what and how many the system needs.

A sump is not essential at all, it just helps with more water volume and to stabilise the system. It also hides any equipment away! You can run sumpless like many of us do!

Sorry if I make little sense, I have been to a friends ann summers hen party and a little tipsy lol

 

[Atrixblue.-MFR-.]

HI Welcome to the salty side

For the lights, I am not familiar with the tank so what lights are they? T5? Watt? T8's can cope with most softies i.e xenia, mushrooms, zoas and more. Any other corals then better lights may be needed.

You would need to replace the sand. There will be all kinds of unwanted nasty stuff in there. You dont need live sand, it is a waste of money. Buy fresh coral sand and the life on the LR will move into the sand in time.

Some people use externals for things like phosphate removers but I have no experience with this.

There is a calculator at the top of the forum where it will tell you how mch LR your system will need. I cant remember the ratio sorry! But try to get the LR from a local reefer breaking down a tank as they sell it around £5 per KG

The filtration is your LR so you just need to look at turnover. Recomended is 20x the volume of the tank turnover. The skimmer should just be rated for the volume of the tank if not higher!

You can keep a lot of inverts, the easiest way to stock them is slowly and see what and how many the system needs.

A sump is not essential at all, it just helps with more water volume and to stabilise the system. It also hides any equipment away! You can run sumpless like many of us do!

Sorry if I make little sense, I have been to a friends ann summers hen party and a little tipsy lol

hope you enjoyed yourself, (wishes was fly on wall at that party ).

to give you an idea this is my tank minus the marine equipment, http/aquatic-store.co.uk/marine/view/2755 my lighting system is 2x 18W bulbs already thinking this is too low rating.

i

 

[GrayScale]

If im not mistaken you can probably run some lr rubble in the canister as well as maybe bagged carbon or a bagged phosphate remover.

For lighting, I would recommend looking at what types of corals you want to keep and then decide if you want to upgrade or not.

Lr and waterflow through the lr will be your main source of filtration. Even if you dont put anything in it, the canister along with some powerheads will give you your flow.

a skimmer isnt needed nor is a sump or refugium but they are a plus. The skimmer and refugium you can actually get to hang onto your tank. The refugium, if you dont know, is a place where tou can put a bed of sand, lr and or macro algea to help filter the water more as well as be a breeding grounds for copepods and the like that your fish can feed on.

If you really like the idea of a hang on skimmer and you really want one, I would look into an aquac remora hang on or the deltec mce 300 or mce 600 hang on skimmer. The deltec being the better of the two imo but the pricier of course.

another additional item would be a phosphate remover. They are again not necessary but help with keeping your phosphate levels in check. You can also purchase these as a hang on, ie the phosban 150, cheap, functional and hang on tank.

Not familiar with this tank so not sure how many kg of lr youll need, but if your accessing the forum from a comp, there is a sand and lr calc somewhere at the top. make sure the lr is porous.

Bin the sand imo and replace it with a reef sand. Save some money and dont buy the "live stuff". I know they say not to put other keepers stuff in your tank, but ask the lfs if they can scoop out a little sand from an established tank and bag it. This can potentially kick start the non live sand you purchase.

Last note, make sure the lr stays moist during transport. Test kits are a plus too.

And to think I wrote all of that from my phone. oh and :welcome: to the forums! Dont be shy.

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

I think your tank works out at 120 US gallons, so you'll need about 50-60kg of LR, and a couple of powerheads to move water through it, with a combined rating of atleast 9000 litre/Hour (20x turnover)

As others have said ditch your sand, it will have all sorts in it, and buy fresh. As for lights, I'm no expert but i'm pretty sure you can keep a good selection of corals under a few T5ss, I currently have 3x39watt T5s but am planning to upgrade to 6x54watt T5s.

I use my external filter to run phasphate and nitrate remover, with some LR rubble, and it adds some surface aggitation of the water.

And welcome to the salty side! Ask lots of questions and do lots of reading! And remember, theres no such thing as a silly question

 

[sorgan]

And the next generation of salties start helping

I will stay in the corner and watch.

 

[weezawoo]

Oh dear that makes me uncomfortable In the dark corner watching eh Sorg! haha

 

[sorgan]

Well now you single weez

Tbh it nice to see those who asked the question before answering them now. This means I can rest up !

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

Being watched by the dark lord from the corner? That is a somewhat concerning idea!!

 

[GrayScale]

Well now you single weez

Tbh it nice to see those who asked the question before answering them now. This means I can rest up !

I haven't even set up my tank yet but I've been lingering so long it's become knowledge not something I really have to think about when it comes to set up at least.

 

[jaylam]

forgive me if this has been covered, ive been reeding thorugh many posts, and got so confused on what tanks are suited what equipment to get, and what is essential i'm not really clear on what i can do here.

so, i have a juwel vision 450 tank and stand, eheim pro external canister filter, i have some tropical fish left in it but these are sold to a neighbour when i have finished cycling her tank for her, (using my filter media as a cycler and a bottle of amonia her tank is only 1 week setup and her water levels are going good ok i rekon will be ready for my fish in 2 weeks)

in the tank the i have crushed coral substrate (is this any use for a marine tank) looking on here many say live sand is a must have? and jura rock or ocean rock.

what equipment will i need for a tank of this size, mindfull puttin a sump in is not an option as the stand will not accomodate one and my tank will have to be adapted for sump plumbing holes)and the nearest place to do this is 20 miles away and no means of getting tank there.

the lighting unit has had it and ive been holding off getting one untill ive decided what to do with the tank, marine or sell but have now decided that i want to go marine.

so basically what skimmer will be needed what filtration system will i have to have to keep marine fish maybe a few hardy corals.

i aiming to get somethings via classifieds and somethings will have to be new, going to be building this over a period of a few months to make sure i have everything and researched everything in the meantime before i actually add water so to speek.

thanks for your help guys in advance im sure ill be in good hands.

My 2p's worth.

I have crushed coral and to be honest am thinking of swapping it out for sand, the reason being is crushed coral being more corse allows debris to fall down and settle were as sand being finer means debris will sit on the top layer making it easier to remove by vacuuming.

I have the vision 260 and the cabinet will take a sump with a bit modding, just remove your 2 central supports and replace them with wooden beams then use the central supports you removed to create a door for the middle. A sump is not needed (I dont have one yet but I am planning to put one in) and you dont need to drill the tank, I wont be, I will be using an overflow box.

The lighting ballast you have in that tank will be fine with marine bulbs, I would recommend getting some reflectors though, well worth the cash. I have the two T5's and just put in an Aquaray Duo which im well impressed with, I will be getting more to completely replace my T5's.

If your planning on keeping corals I would seriously recommended getting a skimmer and just using your live rock for filtration, canister filters on saltwater tanks (as I found out) become Nitrate factories.

 

[seffieuk]

to the salty side of the forum

I also have a juwel five footer, not bow fronted though, so my journel might be a help to you - keep asking loads of questions and you will get loads of answers, we are a freindly lot here

My first question to you would be: what are you intending to keep fish and coral wise, we can then think about your lighting? Are your current tubes t8 or t5?

I agree with Jay, buy aragonite sand, I like the caribsea bahamas (its not live sand).

Your external could be very useful, use it to run your phosphate remover etc

With a tank that size imo a skimmer is a must - I have a deltec 600 (you can get some good second hand bargains)

You will require around four powerheads, newaves, tunze, koralias or if you are made of money two vortechs HG has them and they are pretty amazing.

Also, dont forget we have a buddy system here, so if you would like a buddy, just post in the buddy request section and we will sort it out

Let the fun begin..............

And Dark Lord, get your butt out of the shadows, you are scaring the children