New Reef tank!

[emperorangelman]

also, on my 75 gallon if i added a fluval 405 canister filter would my tank a enough filtration?

 

[emperorangelman]

i am going to keep the bio ball wet/dry filtration. i have been reading a lot about them and I think it will be ok. I will have to clean them in portions every few months. Also, before going into the bioballs i have a cloth that removes debree from trickling down with the water. I will also be getting a fluval 405 canister for the tank.

 

[returnofsid]

The media in the canister filter will also become a nitrate trap...along with those bio-balls. Clean it often. As for the rock, it'll become live rock soon enough. Keep in mind that your tank has been cycling for 3 weeks now. Adding that new live rock might start a mini cycle again. That's alright though, you need more live rock.

As for the 29 as QT. It'll be fine for just about anything you get, fish wise. If you plan to QT "everything wet," which is a good idea, you'll need to eventually consider upgrading the lighting on your QT tank. To turn it into a SW QT tank, you will need to totally clean it, remove all FW substrate and start it as a SW tank. As for cycling it, put a sponge filter in your 75 gallon's sump/wetdry. Let it colonize with good bacteria and then put it in the 29. That'll help cycle the 29. Get rid of the biowheel but still use the penguin for flow. Here again, the biowheel will contribute to nitrates. As for Algae to put in your sump, go with Chaeto. You asked how many pounds. You won't need much. Probably won't even weigh a pound. Get a quart sized bag of it. It should be loaded with pods and beneficial critters to seed your tank with. Give it light and flow and it'll grow. It has to stay submerged and needs enough flow to keep it in a slowly spinning ball.

As for Tangs. I will again, STRONGLY, recommend that you don't even think about more than 1 tang in a 75 gallon tank. It's not near enough room. Even with only 1 tang, there's only a few species that are small enough for a 75. Yellow Tang, Scopas Tang, Regal Tang and maybe a Purple Tang. Everything else is going to get WAY too large and requires WAY more space. Most of the larger tangs should be in a tank no smaller than 200 gallons, IMO.

 

[Meche]

I am going to keep the bio ball wet/dry filtration. i have been reading a lot about them and I think it will be ok.

You may be misinterpreting that advice. What are your sources? We may be able to clarify. You may be looking at outdated or FW sources.

There is more than one way to skin a cat but most successful-reefs are maintained without wet/dry systems.

 

[nasher8860]

I agree w/doing some more research on the wet/dry's,and second the rio powerheads note. I have seen them in person.good luck

 

[Damsel13]

I saw an 8" yellow tang that had been traded back to the local fish store... he had obviously outgrown his home. He looked so sad and it seems nobody wanted him. Just a note on tangs.

 

[emperorangelman]

so if i ditch the bio balls, get the fluval, and enough LR. that will be enough filtration?

 

[lavenderfish]

Ditch the bio-balls and ditch the Fluval. They will only change ammonia(waste) to nitrites then nitrates which will build up very quickly. Your goal is keep nitrates negligble. Put the money towards a skimmer that will remove the waste before it goes through the nitrogen cycle and try and keep the nitrate build up as low as possible. Nitrates have to be removed via nutrient export such as growing a macroalgae like cheatomorphia, or via water changes or the anaerobic environment of a deep sand bed and deep pockets in the live rock. The live rock is your primary source of filtration. The bio-balls have no useful purpose in what you are trying to achieve. The fluval will provide circulation but so will a much cheaper powerhead. Unlike the fluval the powerhead won't assist the buildup of nitrates. Save some bucks and save the fluval for Freshwater applications.

 

[Meche]

so if i ditch the bio balls, get the fluval, and enough LR. that will be enough filtration?

I think most people accomplish their filtration through LR, a skimmer, water changes.

Some also add algae harvesting, activated carbon, and a phosphate binder of somesort.

I use a canister filter to run carbon and rowa-phos(a phosphate "remover"). It would be a good idea to remove the sponge pads first though.

 

[emperorangelman]

i already have a skimmer. but i need a better one but i dont have much room for it in the overflow.maybe 7'' by 3.5'' of room. will that fit a better skimmer?

 

[Meche]

I believe this is widely considered the best HOB (hang on back) skimmer, although I have no personal experience with them.

AquaC Remora Pro

 

[lavenderfish]

i already have a skimmer. but i need a better one but i dont have much room for it in the overflow.maybe 7'' by 3.5'' of room. will that fit a better skimmer?

There are hang on back (HOB) or in sump models. There is no need to position a skimmer in your overflow.

 

[emperorangelman]

ok cool thanks. will an orange collar wrasse,pinstripe wrasse, sunset wrasse, bluehead, kluzinger, or lunare wrasse be ok in the tank as long as im careful with inverts?

 

[jimmy_medina]

Hi, I was searching in the web and I found a new site that talks about build my own aquarium, I mean, to build my tank and it furniture. I know that have it risks, but is cheap, so what you think about it?