New Setup Questions

I want to start a 150 gallon or maybe a little smaller saltwater aquarium. I'd like to have fish mostly and maybe a handful of corals in it. How much live rock and live sand will I need? I have a lot of questions about equipment for this tank also, so really any input would be great.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Avg is 1-1.5 lbs of rock per gallon. You can add mostly base rock and seed it w live rock. Just use dry argonite sand. No need for live. As far as equipment, what r u looking to use? Sump?
 
okay so say for 150 gallon, I'll need 225lbs of live rock? That'll take up the whole tank lol. I want to do a Sump that has the protein skimmer in it already if that's possible to find one.
 

geridoc

Well-Known Member
150-225 lb of rock won't fill the tank - there will still be plenty of room for livestock. If you have the space, you can put some of the rock in the sump, but the fish appreciate rock in the main display. Sumps don't generally come preloaded with skimmers, so you will have to do the research to find a skimmer right-sized for your tank. Post the candidate skimmers here and we'll give you our unbiased opinions. As far as other equipment, besides the usual (heater, thermometer, refractometer, test kits, etc) you will need sufficient lighting to support corals since you indicated you wanted to go in that direction. Whether it is "a few corals" or a tank full, you need pretty strong lighting. I guess the best advice I have is to not rush into anything. Research each piece of equipment, decide what makes sense, and then float that idea here. We don't sell anything so we don't have a vested interest in promoting one brand or type of equipment. Nevertheless, you will find a variety of opinions here, so listen, and then make your decision.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Agree w above. Rock is alot heavier then you think. 150lbs isnt that much lol the cost is tho. With a sump you want a pre drilled tank, there more money but much much easier to work with.
 
Okay so I actually bought a 60 gallon cube. The overflow is covered in white stuff. How can I clean that off and how can I clean behind the overflow. Now sure if I really need to or not. Also I'm looking at the Eshopps 3rd Generation Reef Sump 3rd Gen RS-100. I haven't picked a skimmer yet, but was wondering about the return pump. I'm assuming the water comes down the overflow through the sock, then goes through the skimmer and then into the section for the return pump to push it back in the tank.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
From a 150 to a 60!!!! Lol . Eshopps makes good stuff. Alot of folks don't run socks anymore bc there pod traps. Also depending on stages you just don't need it.
Define white stuff on over flow?
 

2quills

Well-Known Member
Probably dead coraline algae if it's a used tank. Its essentially calcium deposits now.

White vinegar and a rag will generally do the trick. Or anything mildly acidic like lemon juice will help dissolve/soften it up. A aquarium scraper or something along those lines is helpful to have around as well.
 
Yes from a 150 to a 60 (I know I know) I moved back home and I started talking about it and my mom was all about the idea but didn’t want a ginormous tank in her house and not only that there really isn’t room. I’ll save the big one for my own place.

What do you use in place of the sock? Can I just take it out and not use it? Are there any of their sumps that’re similar to that, that don’t use the sock?

It’s dried up coraline. Is it worth scrapping or just leaving it and hiding it behind rocks?
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Personal choice, it will scrape off. I get it on tank size, big ones take up a ton of room . Alot of folks go sockless and let the skimmer take care of the junk. That and frequent water changes. You can use the sock if you want tho. Its just amazing how many pods get trapped. I changed my bag of chemi pure blue the other day. Holy sh** pods where hopping off that thing like mad lol
 
I have the center piece that comes out pretty well scrapped off. It’s just the rest of it that I don’t know if I feel like dealing with. Did notice a crack in the bendable return that comes out of the top. Not sure if I can find a replacement
 
So now that I’m doing a 60 gallon, how much rock will I need? I’m guessing 60-90lbs? And as far as sand...it doesn’t need to be live sand
 
So I’m looking at some sumps and I’m trying to figure out the size of the return pump. I’ve read a million different things and I’m coming up with 600-800gph...any thoughts?
 
Top