Hi, I am starting a new tank and need some advice . I have only ever kept tropical.Equipment180 l tank Eheim pro external filterFluval u4 internal filter 2x heaterAir pumpI do not have room for a sump.I think I understand the basic principal of salt water filtration. I was also thinking of leaving my carbon media in my external only and filling it with broken up live rock for extra filtration? I have not yet bought a skimmer so any advice would be great .My plan is to start with live rock and sand . I would eventually like to have fish and coral . I was thinking of making my own water but can resource it locally form a fish shop? What works better?I have a little spare cash if their is anything else Any advice would be great!!Thanks
New set up
- Thread starter Johnboy
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baker89
Well-known member
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner a must read before you start on anything. This book is highly recommended by many people on this site. And Welcome to RF a lot of good people here.
Dennis
Dennis
Krish
RF STAFF
On the canister filter, I would just run the carbon in it and that's it. I wouldn't mess with broken up liverock as it will just become a nitrate factory which you don't want and won't provide you with much extra biological filtration. The rock you would have in your tank inclusing the sand would be sufficient enough to handle all biological filtration so I'd skip the rubble in the canister part. As for skimmer, there are tons out there. They type will all be dependant upon if you want a hang-on type skimmer, an in-sump or external skimmer (if running a sump). I think a sump is always a plus! 
Many ways togo about things in this hobby and be successful so weigh out your options and choose the route that suits your needs best.
Many ways togo about things in this hobby and be successful so weigh out your options and choose the route that suits your needs best.
Thanks Krish . I do not have enough room for a sump so I am a bit limited for choice . I want to find the best balance as I have seen successful tanks that do not have a sump. I was thinking about putting in some calcium rich rock and how much live rock would I need for a 180l tank ? I have also been advised to put porous glass rock in to my tank?? Is this wise ? My mate said it was excellent for bacteria ?? JJ
Krish
RF STAFF
You don't need a sump at all. Many reefers keep successful aquariums without them. Their main purpose is to provide a place out of sight to house unsightly equipment like skimmers, reactors, heaters etc and in some cases people set them up with a refugium incorporated in it to keep an algae to aid in nutrient export. One more advantage would be adding more water volume to your system as the more water you have the more stability you will have as things like temp etc aren't as easily influenced. Regardless of the fact, you can have a skimmer and all those other neat gadgets without a sump. You will just have to have everything hanging off of your tank or in it.
LOL
As mentioned above canister filters will produce nitrates as they have airated water pouring over them. You can combat this by doing constant cleaning (every 2-3 days) but that alot of work, also it doesnt matter if its LR in it or the media it comes with. If it were me and I couldnt have a sump I would rely on the LR and LS for filtration and then do my best to remove as much waste as I could manualy, Perhaps once weekly you could take a power head and blow the detritus off the rock and then have the fluval hooked up at that point to get it out of the tank. I would look into the best hang on skimmer you could find also, this will help. From their your going to have to find the point at which you can control the tank, with the amount of bioload, the amount you feed and the amount the tank can handle from a filtration point of view.
Mojo
As mentioned above canister filters will produce nitrates as they have airated water pouring over them. You can combat this by doing constant cleaning (every 2-3 days) but that alot of work, also it doesnt matter if its LR in it or the media it comes with. If it were me and I couldnt have a sump I would rely on the LR and LS for filtration and then do my best to remove as much waste as I could manualy, Perhaps once weekly you could take a power head and blow the detritus off the rock and then have the fluval hooked up at that point to get it out of the tank. I would look into the best hang on skimmer you could find also, this will help. From their your going to have to find the point at which you can control the tank, with the amount of bioload, the amount you feed and the amount the tank can handle from a filtration point of view.
Mojo
Your going to be looking for some type of aragonite sand. Before you go with that do a search on the board for DSB's this will help you understand the pros and cons envolved with using sand as a substraight, it will help you be sucessful with it.
hope it helps
Mojo
hope it helps
Mojo
I didnt go deep with mine, I do like the look of sand on the bottom so I went with it. With mine I use about 2 inches and then make sure I clean out the top 1 inch with a gravel vac. hat way it doesnt sink to much and eases up the bioload it needs to reduce. One can use a Shallow bed or a DSB if they wish, the concept of the thread was just to show how it works, what it does and what it doesnt.
Mojo
Mojo
Krish
RF STAFF
I go bare bottom. Love the look of sand, but don't like the up-keep so I use white pvc board/star board to give the illusion of sand on the bottom of the tank and build my tanks from there. There are pros and cons to each setup (bare bottom, deep sand bed, shallow sand bed) so it is something you have to weigh out your options to see which one appeals to your goals the most. As much as I love the look of sand, I personally could never go back to using it. Just a personal opinion though for my own personal reasons. "IF" I had to use sand (like if someone put a gun to my head :lol: ) I'd go with a shallow sand bed as Mojo suggested.
NC2WA
Well-known member
Dennis, you beat me to it.
NC2WA
Well-known member
so if my converson is correct 180l equates to ~47 gallons (US), correct??
if so, I use a reef octopus HOB skimmer that does a good job, however skimmy is the local guru on this forum regarding skimmers..hopefully he chimes in with an opinion.
if so, I use a reef octopus HOB skimmer that does a good job, however skimmy is the local guru on this forum regarding skimmers..hopefully he chimes in with an opinion.
Borders book store is going out of business and are running a 50% off sale. Wicked good bargain.
Krish
RF STAFF
I use to use a hang on AquaC Nano skimmer on my aquapod and the only noise you heard was from the air injector. Wasn't too bad, but to muffle the noise a bit I used some filter floss and placed it above the injector which lowered the sound a lot. It all depends on the skimmer and teh design. As suggested though, take a look at the Octopus hang on skimmers. They are supposed to be really good.
