Advice for 150 gallon set up

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Dan808

New Member
Hi all, great site!

I was able to obtain a 150g tank and Oak stand for $500, hope that was a good deal. I have been reading about set-ups, seems like enthusiasts prefer a sump over a canister. Right now I do not have the time or funds to put much more into a tank, I was wondering if a canister, protein skimmer, and circulation pump would be adequate? I live in Hawaii so probably can get some live rock, plan on having some clown fish etc. nothing too extravagant for the time being....

Another concern is I have flooring that will be destroyed if I ever had a leak etc., so I want to play it safe and clean.

If I go the canister route would I be better off just going freshwater until I have the time and funds to set up a sump?

Thank you all I look forward to continued research!
 
Kristin1234

Kristin1234

Active Member
There are plenty of canister filtera that will work.

What type of flooring so you have? A 150 gallon tank full of water, rock, sand, and the stand can easily weigh over 1500 pounds, so a stable floor is a must.

A protein skimmer isn't something you need right off the bat. Since you live in Hawaii I am guessing you will be doing a fish only tank since there will be no where to get corals from. Protein skimmer can wait.

In a 150 you would need close to 125 - 150 pounds of live rock. I don'tt know if I'd trust harvesting all that from the ocean.
 
Kristin1234

Kristin1234

Active Member
You would also need a heater if not two.

Power heads.

Proper testing kits.

What will be your source of salt water? Prepping your own with ro water or buying it? If you make it you will also need salt, mixing tub, a power head and another heater.

Sand.
 
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Dan808

New Member
Wow, thats a lot of Rock! Is the reason for so much rock to ensure the ecosystem thrives? The floor is concrete, I just have floating laminate floor over it that will warp if it gets wet for too long.
 
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Dan808

New Member
Kristin1234 said:
You would also need a heater if not two.

Power heads.

Proper testing kits.

What will be your source of salt water? Prepping your own with ro water or buying it? If you make it you will also need salt, mixing tub, a power head and another heater.

Sand.
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I was wondering about heater, even in Hawaii a heater needed? Lowest it gets is around 65 degrees a couple months out of year
 
Kristin1234

Kristin1234

Active Member
Dan808 said:
Wow, thats a lot of Rock! Is the reason for so much rock to ensure the ecosystem thrives? The floor is concrete, I just have floating laminate floor over it that will warp if it gets wet for too long.
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Ok. Gotcha. Concrete floors will def work. ; )
 
Kristin1234

Kristin1234

Active Member
Dan808 said:
Guess I need to research how to mix salt water, when I had a 20 gallon tank I just mixed it in a bucket and poured it in.
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Yeah don't do that. Lol. Once you mix the salt water you need to wait at least 24 hours before adding it to the tank! I'm guessing you are talking about a freshwater tank?
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Dan808 said:
Wow, thats a lot of Rock! Is the reason for so much rock to ensure the ecosystem thrives?
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1 - 1 1/2 lbs of rock per gallon is recommended to provide proper biological filtration for your system. This surface area is where nitrifying bacterial lives. This bacteria is vital to breaking down ammonia into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate. Do you plan to have a sand bed? If so, the same rule applies... 1 - 1 1/2 lbs per gallon.
 
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Dan808

New Member
Kristin1234 said:
Yeah don't do that. Lol. Once you mix the salt water you need to wait at least 24 hours before adding it to the tank! I'm guessing you are talking about a freshwater tank?
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No it was a saltwater, thanks for that advice. So are circulation pumps needed if I get power heads? Which are better. Maybe it is easier if I make a list:
1. Canister filter that circulates water 4x per hour
2. 2 power heads
3. 2 heaters
4. 150 lbs of rock and 150 sand
5. Circulation pumps?
6. Maybe a protein skimmer down the line

1/3 water change per month. I am in no rush to get fish so I will take time to assure the ecosystem is thriving;)
 
jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
You can also use a hob filter. A sump gives you more water volume and the ability to hide alot of your equipment in it. I use all hob filters myself, that said in my newest tank I'am debating a sump, just for the ability to hide the equipment , heater, skimmer, ect
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Dan808 said:
So are circulation pumps needed if I get power heads? Which are better.
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Circulation pumps or power heads are actually the same thing. You just need something to create flow inside the tank. You have 150 gallons, and typical recommendations are for 10x water volume, so you want a minimum of 1500 GPH of water moving inside the tank. Personally, I think this number is too low. I have a 125 gallon tank, with 2 power heads rated at 1200 GPH each, and two power heads rated up to 2000 GPH each. I have 6400 GPH of flow in a 125 gallon tank, and I think it's perfect. The oceans where most of our fish come from are usually more turbid than my tank, and my fish certainly enjoy it.

Dan808 said:
1/3 water change per month. I am in no rush to get fish so I will take time to assure the ecosystem is thriving;)
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You will want to let your tank cycle completely before adding fish, but at the same time, you need fish to assure the ecosystem is thriving, since the fish are what feeds the ecosystem... lol!

Here are some tips in case you (or someone else reading this) doesn't know: The workaround is to set the tank up, and start feeding a little bit of food each day... to an imaginary fish. This will start the nitrogen cycle by creating ammonia. Bacteria that consumes ammonia will begin populating, and their waste is nitrite. Bacteria that consumes nitrite will form, and their waste is nitrate. Once you have enough bacteria that consumes ammonia and nitrite, these will no longer be detectable and the only thing left will be nitrate. Zero ammonia and zero nitrite means the cycle has completed, at which point you would do a large water change to remove nitrate. Then the tank is ready for it's first inhabitant(s). Stock the tank slowly and gradually. If you take the time to cycle the tank properly and build up the biosystem, don't overload it with too much of a bioload. Let it adjust to each new addition, and things will go much smoother.
 
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Dan808

New Member
jay0705 said:
Also u can add a bulk of your rock as base/dry rock. Then seed it w live rock. Same goes w the sand.
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Does it need to be rock or can it be some type of synthetic rock? Is it mainly the surface area we are looking for or weight matters?
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Dan808 said:
Does it need to be rock or can it be some type of synthetic rock? Is it mainly the surface area we are looking for or weight matters?
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It can be either. Yes, it's surface area we're looking for, but it's easier to measure weight than square inches or feet. That said, most weight recommendations are for live rock, which is wet, and naturally weighs more than dry rock. If you use dry (base) rock or synthetic rock, you should allow for the weight difference of water. Personally, I'd recommend a pound per gallon for dry or synthetic rock, and/or 1.5 pounds per gallon of wet rock. This weight method can be used in any combination of the two (dry or wet).
 
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