can someone help me on a reef tank set up

[Mr.Wipple]

Hi

I was wondering if i can get some help on a reef set up.I hope someone can help me.Im very new to this and dont know what im doing.I thought this would be a good place to start...sofar this is what i was told to get.

1 75 gallon tank
2 20 gallon sump bio balls
3 G1 skimmer
4 Coralife-48" Aqua Light Pro HQI
5 Live rock
6 Korallin C1502 Calcium Reactor
7 UV Sterilizer Module 40Watt Rainbow-Lifegard
8 AF-94-29 Mechanical Filter Module Rainbow-Lifegard

 

[JRBear5658]

If you are going to go with SPS you are going to need flow and lots of it

 

[Cwazy Clown]

uhh besides the flow and lots of it, setting up a reef needs money and alot of it.

 

[trido]

3 G1 skimmer
4 Coralife-48" Aqua Light Pro HQI


How many gallons is the G-1 rated for?
How many watts is the light set up?


Looks like your on the right track.

 

[Juanfer]

welcome to RF!!!!!!!!! as the other ones had said it will depends on what are you planning to keep!

 

[scytale]

Hi

I was wondering if i can get some help on a reef set up.I hope someone can help me.Im very new to this and dont know what im doing.I thought this would be a good place to start...sofar this is what i was told to get.

1 75 gallon tank
2 20 gallon sump bio balls
3 G1 skimmer
4 Coralife-48" Aqua Light Pro HQI
5 Live rock
6 Korallin C1502 Calcium Reactor
7 UV Sterilizer Module 40Watt Rainbow-Lifegard
8 AF-94-29 Mechanical Filter Module Rainbow-Lifegard

I am new to reef-keeping as well, but from what I've heard bio-balls can be more trouble than they are worth.
(they can cause water chemistry problems over the long term) though a sump tank with more live rock or some macro-algae seems to be a popular alternative.)

(#6 is not essential for a new tank, once you have many corals growing and happily dividing THEN you may need to invest in a calcium reactor...)

And I may be wrong, but I don't think #7 or #8 are necessary pieces of reef equip. IMO.
Good water circulation, skimmer, and live rock should take care of much of your filtration needs.

Though you WILL need 1 or 2 heaters--probably 300-500 watts in total based on your tank size. (And maybe a chiller depending on your locale.)

As stated by others, you will definitely need some flow in the tank--which in your setup could either be created by having a large pump for your sump and coupling it to a looped plumbing system or by placing power-head pumps directly in the main tank (maxijet, seio, and tunze are popular brands)

You'll also need numerous water test kits (ph, salinity, ammonia, nitrate, nitrate, calcium, alkalinity, to name a few...)

Plus lots o' time, patience, disposal income, and that little touch of madness!

 

[mmkeeper]

Welcome to RF. Bio balls are a nitrate trap. The first word for you is go slow, go very slow, you will save yourself alot of cash if you do. Here is a link to help you get started.http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20453

 

[mmkeeper]

Take the money you were going to spend on the CA reactor and buy your test kits. To start you will need PH, NH4,NO2,NO3,Ca, Alk. I would also spend my money on an RO/DI water filter. You will need to cycle your tank(live rock) for4-8 weeks, before you add any fish or corals.

 

[Mr.Wipple]

it says the Skimmer is rated for tanks up to 100 gallons is that ok

 

[Mr.Wipple]

thanks for the link

 

[Mr.Wipple]

I was told you need bio balls in the sump so i should not get them?

 

[Mr.Wipple]

Im lost so how would i keep the ammonia at o ?

 

[LakeEd]

Mr. Wipple,

Welcome To Reef Frontiers!!!!

If I was to start a new tank now, knowing what I do, I definitely would NOT include bio-balls in my setup!!!

Some sumps are specifically designed as Trickle Filters... and those do use Bio-Balls. If possible, don't purchase one of those specifically designed sumps... do without the bio balls, letting your Live Rock take care of your filtration for you.

You will thank yourself in the future!!!

 

[trido]

it says the Skimmer is rated for tanks up to 100 gallons is that ok

I would get the G-2 at a minimum. My G-3 is rated for 180G and I have a 160G system. I modded the skimmer because I didnt feel like it was keeping up. Alot of folks will tell you that your reef depends on two key items. Skimming and lighting. Dont go cheap and skimp on those two things. Also, some would disagree, but you cant over skim a tank. You can definately underskim and all would agree with that..

 

[LakeEd]

Im lost so how would i keep the ammonia at o ?

Your live rock will cultivate the bacteria required to convert Ammonia to Nitrite, and Nitrite to Nitrate... just as the surface area of bio-balls would. What makes your live rock superior to those bio-balls is... live rock also has anaerobic (no oxygen) areas, where yet another bacteria is able to culture... which will take that nitrate and convert it to Nitrogen... thus fully completing the Nitrogen cycle for you.

When you hear of people saying that Bio-Balls are Nitrate factories... what they mean by that is... Bio balls do very very well at providing surface area for bacteria to break down Ammonia to Nitrite, then the Nitrite to Nitrate... but that's it. They seem to "manufacture" Nitrate... which we also want to help keep as low as possible in our reef tanks.

Okay... I'm sure I've been overly wordy yet again... sorry. Please, continue asking questions, and I'm sure many will jump in here and hopefully give you the answers needed!

Again, Welcome To Reef Frontiers!!!!

 

[Cwazy Clown]

yea. expeciallly, dont skimp on the skimmer. i have a 10g nano and i have a remora. =) (remoras are reccom for 75g ) skimmer is important. as for ammonia, it will reach 0 once or twice during the cycle but after, your LR will do it for you. you could crash your tank with various things but ammonia will usually stay at 0 nitrite will also stay at 0 "normally" and nitrate will flux from 0-5 depending on your load.