Hello from CDA, ID

[Mike2112]

Hello all,

My wife and I are new to this portion of the aquarium hobby. I have been doing Tropical fish since I was about 12 years old --off and on--currently we have 3 in our house. We have decided to take the plunge into the marine side of the hobby and purchased a used 120 gallon tank and stand.

The next step is to get it cleaned and starting to mature. I am thinking of getting the live sand depth to about 2 inches across the bottom and filling in the rest of the "Living Rock amount" of about 200 to 240 lbs through living rock from the local store here. How much sand will it take (in lbs) to fill the depth to about 2". The tank is 47" X 21" or 6.85 square feet and at 2" depth that would be 1.14 cubic feet of sand if my calculations are correct. I am looking for a sand that the fish can not stir up into a dust cloud nor do I want crushed coral since I will not be having a tunneler like a jawfish and don't want it to be a nitrate trap due to decaying organics in the curves of the crushed coral and shells. The tank will end up being a FOWLR setup based upon my kid's favorite movie....Nemo....if you could not see that one coming.

I am working on getting the protein skimmer (suggested the dual back pack) since I will not be running a sump atm due to budget restrictions. How many power heads would be good and what flow capacity should I look for. Placement of them would be good information too. The local shop suggested at least two of them placed facing the rock formation I will build to help circulate water through the rocks with one or two near the top facing more toward the front to assist with oxygenation.

I will be using a dual florecent light fixture with two T5 HO bulbs, one white and one actinic; and I will probably run 2 heaters to get me to about 400 Watt output for the tank (360W being the target number I have read).

That is all for about now, and thanks to David, Jackie and Leena...you will be seeing more of me and the family. :wave:

-Mike

 

[returnofsid]

Welcome and great to have you here!! Be sure to check out the Spokane/Ceour D' Alene Reef Society, here on Reef Frontiers! Hope to meet you at a future meeting! We'll be having our annual BBQ/Frag Swap, in August! Spokane Reef Society

 

[TJL]

A BIGReef Frontiers :welcome: to you and your family Mike. I'm sure you'll enjoy this side of the hobby and by this time next year at least 2 out the 4 aquariums will be S-A-L-T :eyebrows: Look into getting a Eshopps 100 Hang on Back Skimmer, great skimmer for the $'s and modding it with a surface skimming attachment to intake tube. Also you could possibly save a few bucks and buy some (clean) LR from local RF or above mentioned club members ??? Good luck, have fun, be patient and ask any questions you may have here.

Cheers, Todd

 

[estanoche]

welcome mike!!

so no sump eh?? I say go for it! You have the time to do it, and you will thank me for it later. That is a big tank to rest on a HOB skimmer alone, especially fish only

time is money in this hobby - if you dont have the cash for it now, wait, it will save you in the long run when you replace underpowered equipment!

 

[leena2674]

Mike, through July 19, petco is running a sale on tanks, $1.00 per gallon for 55 gallon and smaller. Combined with some sheet acrylic and a little time, this is an easy way to create your own sump for little money. Yes, you will probably pay more overall than just purchasing a backpack skimmer, but your tank will be healthier in the long run. Used skimmers are available on Craigslist quite reasonably. That's my two cents worth as a hobbyist, not as a salesperson. I am more than happy to help you create and set up a sump, and there are also some very knowledgeable folks here on the DIY forum.

You should stop by the store though, we received a shipment of livestock with some beautiful specimens. ;-)

 

[Mike2112]

Well, after speaking to Leena at SWE (Saltwater Emporium) and looking at their setups for sumps, I was able to locate a new Aqueon 40g breeder tank for $50.00 after tax through the local PetCo tank sale in Spokane Valley, WA. Now to do the research on the Sump.

I started searching the forums on the topic "Sump Design" and ran across this link. http://www.melevsreef.com/what_sump.html

Okay now for the question: Refugium or no? From what I am reading, it seems like the logical choice is to do one, but how would you design the sump inside the tank to incorporate it?

 

[estanoche]

most people do have a refugium - if ou have the room for it do it! and with a 40 gallon sump, you should have the room unless you have the biggest skimmer on this side of the hemisphere lol

 

[Mike2112]

Thanks estanoche.

I have decided to do the refugium...but the saying is "bigger is better" so I want the monster of all skimmers. lol

 

[leena2674]

The refugium will be a nice addition to your tank and will enable you to better supply copepods and other reef bugs as a food source to the fish in your tank. It will also help with phosphate control without using chemicals and additional equipment. Fish like the Mandarin Dragonet require a steady supply of copepods to thrive, and a refugium will help to provide a safe place free of predation for them to multiply. I know the Mandarin wasn't on your fish list, but they are a fascinating and beautiful specimen. Once your tank is established and has had time to mature, it is another fish you could consider adding. When you are ready, I have some Chaeto and Halimeda (macro algaes) I can give you to use in your refugium. I can also give you some live sand from my tank to help seed your sandbed.

Setting up a new tank is one of the most exciting parts of this hobby... just wait until you see the first life appear in your tank... my exact words on several occasions were, "Holy crap, what is THAT?!" A web site for future reference: www.chucksaddiction.com Navigate to 'Info Links' on the left, then 'Hitch Hikers' for a fairly comprehensive guide to identifying some of the new life you can expect to see 'appear' in your tank.

 

[estanoche]

ohhh and just send an APB out to the club when you are setting up the fuge, someone has free chaeto for you - i know it!!

 

[Krish]

Welcome aboard!! :welcome:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mike2112]

Well, the time has finally come to get this thing going forward. I know everyone says that it does not really happen unless there is photo proof. We moved to a different house and we placed the tank in the downstairs family room. I bought the backing yesterday and attached it with the help of my son and then today my daughter and I shimmed the stand to get the tank as close to true level as possible. I have ordered an Eshopps PF-1200 overflow and I am waiting on it to arrive. I am planning on ordering the skimmer within the next two weeks (HINT to Oceans by Design--get ready to build my skimmer ) I will then get the acrylic sheets for the sump setup with a refugium too. I am thinking of using Eco Miricle Mud...any input?

Here is the pic of the bare tank. The sump will reside below and I will do the plumbing once the overflow box arrives. I am getting so excited that it is finally starting!!

 

[NC2WA]

Mike,

sounds good...

suggestion...while you are waiting, I would make sure you have all test kits purchased, if using RODI water, make sure unit is installed and water is being made..make list of what livestock or corals you want, buy all the salt buckets you need to get at least 1-2 months of water changes..if buying base rock, make sure it is in a container curing..if buying fish and going to QT fish (highly suggested IMO), make sure you have a 20-30 gallon tank ready as well as a medicine cabinet ready..

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f15/quarantine-process-27022/

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f15/marine-fish-medicine-cabinet-27020/


Also, being we are going to winter months, make sure you have either a backup generator ready to go OR make sure you have necessary backup procedures and equipment on stock..

This is from my experience of when I was waiting for my 375g tank to be built..there was a ton a stuff to do, and when the tank DOES arrive you would be amazed how much little time you will have for all of the other stuff that was mentioned.

 

[Mike2112]

Thanks Kirk,

I have been following Mark Callahan's (Mr. Saltwater Tank) web show since August and I got his latest book on QT proceedures and they are right in line with Rob Fenner and Mike Palleta. I am looking at getting an RO/DI unit when I place the order for the skimmer and get that unit going. I will be doing a double 20 gallon QT setup, with one being for dosing and the other for observation. The money to drive all this arrives this next week and the wife and I have been speaking about it. I will probably go with an LED setup. I have my eye on two different sets and I am waiting to get PAR information and adjustability/programming information for both of them. I have 80 lbs of Dead Rock (Fiji Pukani and Key Largo -- 40 lbs of each) that I will be using and I will be buying a few (about 10 lbs) pieces of Cured Live rock; I want the colorful purple coraline algea so I will be looking for pieces that have that on them. I am figuring about 2 to 3 buckets of Instant Ocean salt will suffice at doing 10% changes every two weeks. I also need to aquire a second water storage unit for my replacement water from the RO/DI that will be used for top offs.

I have all these things in my head that I need to put down on paper (though some already are) so that I do not miss something that I need.

Currently the plan is to do a FOWLR setup and get my skills sharpened before I start into a full blown reef setup. I was thinking of adding some pulsating xenia when I get the tank cycled, but I have been advised to stay away; due to the possibility that it has a reputation to take over quickly and be difficult to erradicate.

The stock list and order is pretty much set, and while the tank is in its cycling process the first fish (a pair of Black and White A. Oscellaris) will be entering QT to start thier 45 day run so when the cycle is complete, they will be ready (within a week) to enter the DT.

This is a really fun time, since the excitement is building and my mind is thinking "IT IS FINALLY HAPPENING"! All my reading and research is now paying me back and hopefully in spades.

Thank you for giving me the advice to read Mr. Fenner's book and get me pointed in the right direction. Also thank you for doing the newbie contest. That really helped too.

-Mike

 

[NC2WA]

Mike,

sounds like you are on the right track...you are welcome for the contest and book.

keep in mind, timid or shy fish should be added first and the most agressive fish added last..

when QT clownfish, you might want to read the steps on Lee Birch forum..he suggests to freshwater dip and then do a copper treatment since clowns are suspectible to several parasites, one being marine velvet...