Rebuild of tank need advice

[jgraeff]

I have a 30g with a 20g refuge, i am moving and want to redo it and make it a lot better. I am thinking about getting a koralia 2(600gph) and using that for my main flow i was thinking it i bounced if off the opposite wall of the tank it would create decent flow throughout the thank or do you think it would be too strong for my tank? I am also going to upgrade my return pump to around 700-800gph, so if any of you have any around for a decent price let me know.

Also i got some zoos from my friends tank and i dont know much about them, how should i place them, what should i feed them, how often, and anything else i should know about them?

If i upgrade my flow that should help a bit, but im hoping to upgrade my lighting also, i want to stick with t5 because haildes are too expensive and are expensive to change the bulbs out as well. I currently have a nova extreme 75 ho 2 bulb fixture, i was hoping to either add another 2 or sell mine and upgrade to a 4 bulb fixture, which would you suggest and which fixtures are good? If anyone has any for sale let me know.

One more question is about the sand, should i keep my current sand or just keep a cup or two to seed new sand?

Thanks any help is much appreciated!

 

[Chichas01]

Since you are talking about upgrading your return pump, I'm guessing you have a sump. If so then you probably only need something that moves 3-5X your tank volume at what ever amount of head heigth you have between sump and display.
A single K2 will work for you in tank flow, but I would bet you end up wanting 2 of them or at least a couple of k1's. You can mount them on opposite sides of the tank diagonaly from eachother and that will provide a pretty good current around the tank if you are only going with fish and softies/LPS. If you are wanting to do SPS, then maybe a couple of K3's would be better.
You probably won't need to feed the zoo's. They can survive on light and what ever plankton end up in the water column in most cases. The occasional dose of zooplankton might not hurt, but I would use it sparingly if it were me.
As for the sand, how old is it? Does is look and smell fairly clean? Does the tank have fish in it now? If the tank had a high bioload or has been up a number of years, you may want to get rid of most. You could always go 50/50 or just use a few cups. The bacteria will establish fairly quickly in both cases. In reused the majority of my sand when I moved from one tank to another, but when I got down to that last little bit, it looked a little to mucky so I just tossed it.

 

[jgraeff]

Thanks for the help, lets see i only have one clown in there now along with a skunk cleaner, zoos, green star polyp, rbta, and hermits/snails. So i dont have a high bio load but i plan to add like two more fish after the move. I want to have sps and lps so i want to have plenty of flow but not too much that it will bother my other stuff like the star polyp doesn't seem to like much flow at all i had to move it completely into one corner although it could have been from one direction of slow pushing it over... So if i got a k3 would i need one or two? or should i go with two k2s, currently i have two k-nanos and a maxi-900(not nearly enough flow).

As for the sand it has been up for about a year and it looks ok i think i will sift through it and take what looks ok and toss the rest and add some new.

One more dumb question, you said place the powerheads diagonally so like if i place one in the back left corner the other one should be in the front front? or should the other one be in the back right corner?

 

[jgraeff]

Any other suggestions? i need advice on the powerheads for flow and for the light fixture? I dont want to over do it or not have enough and i dont want to buy something i dont need.

 

[ReefJunkie]

I have 2 40gal breeders I use for my frag tanks and run a Vortech MP10 in each. IMO, one of those would get you everything you need.

 

[jgraeff]

how do you position it in the tank so that it doesnt create too much flow in certain areas, sounds like a good idea also how much do they cost new?

 

[ReefJunkie]

Mine are positioned on the ends of my tanks. My opinion on flow is that you can never get too much as long as it is controllable, which is why I use Vortech. I believe I paid right at $200.00 for the MP10. I have a MP40 for my 215 that cost me $420.00 and I was lucky enough to pick up another from the manufacturer at MACNA for $350.00. These really are the best you can get IMHO.

 

[jgraeff]

ok so you think one of those would be plenty for my tank, also which setting should i set it at? i saw it has different modes? that is more than i was planning on spending but if i ever upgrade could come in handy. Also with just one do you think i would get adequate flow throughout the entire tank or would i need two? i know its powerfull enough just not sure how i would position it if i just had the one.

 

[jgraeff]

do you have any suggestions on the lights for my tank? i have the 2x24watt t5 ho fixture, if i add another one of the same fixture would that be enough lighting or should i look into something else?

 

[ReefJunkie]

IMO what you need to do is first decide what you want to have in your tank. Second, decide on a budget. Third, read, read, read, read. Make the search engine on this forum your best buddy. If you can't find it here, make google your next best buddy. And DON'T take anyone's advice as gospel (yes, that includes mine). Do some more reading after getting anyone's advice. You would be surprised to find out how many people got into this hobby only six months ago, posted 10,000 replies and are now 'experts'. Sorry, just a pet peave of mine . Anyhow, good luck and the best to you.

 

[jgraeff]

Thanks for the help and advice. I do think the mp10 is the best pump for he price and how customizable it is especially if I ever upgrade to a bigger tank. One more quick question do you have any expierence with rowaphos? It has good reviews n I see people reccomend it on here. Once again thanks for the advice

 

[ReefJunkie]

No, I have not had any experience with the brand Rowaphos. I do run two Phosban 150Reactors, but as they are the Two Little Fishes brand, I stick to their product, Phosban. I don't think that one brand differs that much from another but I like to play it safe until I have time to research more and Two Little Fishes recommends their product in their Reactors. (Go figure, huh?)

Regards,

 

[ReefJunkie]

BTW, I see you are from Bradenton, FL which I don't believe is all that far from Orlando. Well at least in my perspective. Orlando will be the site of the 2010 MACNA. I would really encourage anyone that is serious about this hobby to save up and plan to attend. It's a great learning experience and lets you meet face to face, some real experts of this hobby.

Regards,

 

[jgraeff]

O wow that would be awesome I'll have to look into it, Orlando is about two yours away not that far at all. And I'll do some research to find out more. I hope I'll be able go go to that it would be awesome.

 

[Inconservatory]

Not sure if you saw this already, or have figured out your flow questions, but this post really helped to understand flow and how to maximize its effectiveness.


http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8922