New Tank- filter questions

[Bob]

I have a 110 gal all glass tank that is currently running fresh water and want to convert it to a reef tank. I am trying to understand fitleration for the reef and would like some advise. People (shop owners) are recommending all kinds of filters at all kinds of prices. Is a wet.dry filter a good idea? Is chemical filtration required? What is a good approach to filtering the tank? Tank is 60"long by 18" wide and 24" deep. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[NaH2O]

Bob - Welcome to Reef Frontiers!

I'm not sure if you have checked out our Great Threads Forum yet, but here is a thread on Let's Talk About ~Filtration Concepts~. This thread will hopefully let you get an understanding of what is going on in regards to filtration and the reef aquarium. Depending on what species of inhabitants you want to keep can dictate what set-up path would benefit you the most. Skimmers are pretty much a must have, in my opinion - you will remove a lot of nastiness that way. Chemical filtration isn't necessarily a requirement, but can be useful....things like Carbon and phosphate removers as an example. Here is a link to the assembly of my system A Saga - Nikki's 120 gallon - if you have a few days to read . What do you think you want to keep/types of corals and fish?

 

[reiple]

Good luck Bob. For lighting you might want to consider metal halide as your tank is deep (24"). Many pros and cons for a DSB as filtration but generally it is still the cheapest and easiest to build. 4-6" depth of aragonite sand for starters! Good seeding mix from Garf or a friend. LR 1.75lbs to a gallon! and a very good skimmer (as NaH20 says! a must have ....). There are other variations (putting a sump, refugium, etc.etc.)

Have fun!

 

[Bob]

Wow - I could get lost in this site for days! This place is an excellent source of no-nonsense information. I will definelty be a regular. I would like to expand this thread a bit and keep it going. I am an experienced aquarist (25 yrs plus) and have kept salt water fish before. I think that there are probably lots of people out there like me who want some good advise on switching to reef tanks. I followed the links to filtration and read the information. I now know where to concentrate my effort (and money). Seems that good skimmers are a key in success. I think I will install a good size sump that gives me the flexibility to add chemical and mechanical filtration as required.

Now, lets talk about lighting. I see a suggestion to use metal Halide lamps. I understand that they provide the highest Kelvin ratings and are able to produce lots of wattage, but I do not think I want the heat that comes with them. I do not have any way to dissipate the heat other than into the room and this is undersirable. I am looking at using 10,000 k flouresents (VHO). The are rated at 110 watts per bulb and I was thinking of using 6 bulbs. This would give me about six watts per gallon.
Is this usfficient for most corals?
I am not sure what all I would want to keep in the tank. For starters, I want to build up some live rock and add a few anenome. Also want to keep a few clown fish and maybe a tang and a couple of gobies. Simple stuff in the beginning.

I find the giant clams to be extreemly attractrive but I am also lead to beleive that they can be hard to keep. Would 6 watts per gallon with a 24" depth be enough light for these large clams?

I have not started to purchase my equipment yet but hope to get going soon. I do not want to underpurchase on the filter or the lights so any suggestions are appreciated.

Also, as I am a nubie to the reef enivironment, when posting replies can you please explain some of the short forms eveyone uses? ie: LPS and SPS etc.

Some other questions. It is recommended that I use a substrate called oreganite. It seems to be a very fine white sand type material. Anyone know anythig about this? The suggestion is cover the bottom of the tank to about 3" with this stuff. Of course the guy making the recommendation is also the guy selling it to me.

Also, can someone explain to me what T-5 lighting is? thanks to everyone for your help.

 

[NaH2O]

Bob - if you could dissapate heat would you go with MHs? I have a 9 inch fan on my sump and keeps my temperature ~81.5F

Acronyms/Abbreviations - see if this helps with the short terms.

 

[Curtswearing]

WELCOME TO REEF FRONTIERS!!!

Some other questions. It is recommended that I use a substrate called oreganite. It seems to be a very fine white sand type material. Anyone know anythig about this? The suggestion is cover the bottom of the tank to about 3" with this stuff. Of course the guy making the recommendation is also the guy selling it to me.

A lot of people like this because if offers a little buffering of your alkalinity when the pH drops. A lot of people also like the look.

Would 6 watts per gallon with a 24" depth be enough light for these large clams?

Different species of clams have different lighting needs. You could raise many species of clams successfully with VHO. However, 6 VHO bulbs put out substantial heat as well.

Also, can someone explain to me what T-5 lighting is?

When purchasing T5's ensure that you are getting High Output T5's (T5HO). All T5 bulbs must be run on an electronic ballast. T5's have a higher lumen output than a VHO, generate less heat, and are more energy efficient. It has also been reported that T5's last considerably longer, between 2-3 years, with less degrade in lumen output. At only 5/8" in diameter, more bulbs can fit under your tank's canopy. Here is more information on NO, VHO, and T5 Lighting

I want to build up some live rock and add a few anenome. Also want to keep a few clown fish and maybe a tang and a couple of gobies. Simple stuff in the beginning.

Anemones would definately not qualify as easy. Your tank should probably be six months old before attempting to keep one. They require very stable parameters.