New Tank Setup HELP

[howejeremy]

So, Ive got a friend interested in starting up a new 29 gallon tank. I don't feel quite qualified to help him with the advice on what he should do. The tank is a standard 29 gallon with a rena xp3 filter (350gph) and two koralia 425gph powerheads. I did help with lighting and know that is sufficient. His fixture is a mixture of MH, T-5's, and LEDs. The email he sent me follows:

She(our fish manager) wasn’t much help, needless to say. She said the XP3 combined with the Koralia 425 I bought was too much water flow no matter what I was interested in… *shrugs* lol. Put together this little list of corals I’ve been studying up on briefly. And just for clarification, the order of water flow levels I noted goes as follows: low, to moderate, to medium, and then to high. I’m not 100% sure the common names I listed are accurate but the scientific names are.



Caulastrea furcata (Candycane coral) – low to medium water flow



Caulastrea curvata (Bullseye coral) – moderate to medium water flow



Entacmaea quadricolor (Bubble-tip anemone) – moderate water flow



Plerogyra sinuosa (Bubble coral) – low to moderate water flow



Stylophora pistillata (Cat’s paw) – moderate to high water flow



Alveopora gigas (Daisy coral) – low to moderate water flow



Leptoseris gardineri (Lettuce coral) – low to high water flow



Heliofungia actiniformus (Plate coral) – low to medium water flow



Euphyllia glabrescens (Torch coral) – low to medium water flow



Euphyllia parancora – low to medium water flow



Euphyllia ancora – low to medium water flow (supposedly an adequate host for a clownfish. No idea how big or aggressive it is)



Nemenzophyllia turbida (Fox coral) – low water flow



Mycedium robokaki (Plate coral) – low to medium water flow



Turbinaria peltata (Scroll coral) – moderate to high water flow



Turbinaria reniformis – moderate to high water flow



Trachyphyllia geoffroyi (Open brain coral) – moderate to medium water flow





Let me know if this is some decent info for you. Basically I wanna know how many (more) circulation pumps and gph I’ll need. The only fish I’m thinking are an Amphiprion ocellaris (false percula clownfish), Chrysiptera parasema (yellowtail blue damsel), and/or a Chrysiptera starcki (Starck’s demoiselle). No I don’t intend to shove all those corals into a 29 but those are the ones that stuck out to me. I underlined the ones I’m most interested in… Thoughts??


Thank you for any help in advance,
-Jeremy & Riley
I'm Jeremy creating the post and Riley is the one interested in the new 29 gallon tank setup.

 

[IPisces]

I don't think that is too much water flow. I have two koralia 3's, which I believe are 750 gph each, in my 34 gal tank along with the flow from the return.
You are also going to need to look into lighting requirements for each coral to help determine the type of lighting to get.
Take a look into the "Nano Reefs - The Small But Mighty Tanks" forum. You can get some ideas there from what others have done. Besides its always fun looking at the beautiful nano tank pics.

 

[NC2WA]

I agree with Lorrie, not too much flow..If memory serves me correctly with all the reading I've done, a reef tank should have 3-5X turnover ratio (some people are nuts about flow and will think this is too little turnover ratio )...however, since this is your first tank, i would start with 2-3 corals and 1-2 fish until you get a good understanding of water chemistry, and how to successfully perform a water change, etc..

one thing with saltwater is patience, patience, and more patience..your tank will thank you for it in the long run..

 

[Krish]

What we put in our tanks can hardly compare to what mother nature unleashes on marine life in the wild. I've ran about 4,000 gph of flow in a 38 gal which equated to about just over 100x turnover rate and all of my corals and fish loved it. I don't think what your friend has is too much flow.

Just my personal opinion.

On a side note, maybe you should ask your buddy to sign up here!! I'm sure he'll love it!

 

[Holygral]

If you are going to use the Rena as a filter it will need to be cleaned every 3-5 days, it will become a nitrate magnet. You can use it for charcoal and flow, other wise the best way is live rock and no filtration

 

[Myteemouse]

What we put in our tanks can hardly compare to what mother nature unleashes on marine life in the wild. I've ran about 4,000 gph of flow in a 38 gal which equated to about just over 100x turnover rate and all of my corals and fish loved it. I don't think what your friend has is too much flow.

I Agree. I am by my calculations of my new return pump my Closed loop and my two new power heads I'm running about 11,200 GPH (yes thats two 0's) of flow in my 125

If you are going to use the Rena as a filter it will need to be cleaned every 3-5 days, it will become a nitrate magnet. You can use it for charcoal and flow, other wise the best way is live rock and no filtration

+1 on this..
These are good for running carbon.(like a reactor) Just change the carbon out and clean it every week. (preferably when doing your weekly water change )

 

[Krish]

I Agree. I am by my calculations of my new return pump my Closed loop and my two new power heads I'm running about 11,200 GPH (yes thats two 0's) of flow in my 125

You are my new best friend!! :hail:


Also, I will 3rd it on the canister filter. To run carbon great idea, but other than that, it can become a nitrate factory if not properly maintanined.

 

[dawgwe1]

I run the same two power heads in my 29 gallon tank (koralia 425's) along with a mag 5 return pump from my sump and is not too much flow....

 

[Skimmy]

that 'Manager" doesnt know what she's talking about...
in my 20g, i have 1600gph of flow now, from a tunze 6045(1200) and a koralia nano (420), and my tank is a lps/softie tank with one pocillapora.
he should prolly ditch the cannister filter and get a hob skimmer that has room for carbon and the heater

 

[howejeremy]

Yes, I have told him many times about this site. It's wonderful how quick you get feedback! I didn't feel like it was too much waterflow either as I have about 1,700 gph on my 15 gallon tank.

HAHA Yes I do agree that that "manager" doesn't know what she's talking about. We only do freshwater fish at the store, but I agree. I have warned him with the canister as I ran one on my 75 gallon. Thank you everyone for all the great input. I will be sure and pass this all on.