New set up

Ronnie B

New Member
I have a 120 gal tank I'm switching from fresh to FOWLR I contacted a local fish guy he will provide all equipment water and 6 starter fish for $1700.00 complete ready to go should I do it or do it myself
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Yourself. "Starter" fish are a horrible idea. What about live rock? What type of equipment? Do some research and see what works best for u
 

Ronnie B

New Member
Proclear 125 with pre filter
Syncra silent pump
18 watt uv sterilizer
Ocean aquaria corals and rock
400 watt heater
48" led light
Instant ocean salt
Assorted damsels
Special blend bacteria
Plumbing supplies
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Don't need uv. 400w is a bit much. Bacteria is worthless and damsels are a horrible idea
 

2quills

Well-Known Member
When i got my 120g used it came with a bunch of equipment and stuff as well. I paid $400. But the stand and canopy was garbage. Lights weren't anything special.

I guess it depends on the condition of everything. Otherwise most of us find once we get into the hobby that we prefer to pick our own equipment and build from the ground up.

If it's a decent stand and light fixture capable of keeping coral it may be worth it but still sounds a little high. Just depends really.
 

Ronnie B

New Member
The tank was mine just fresh water. Been in the garage for a few years my wife said the light is dated I have 2 marineland canisters and 1 power filter I was told a sump would be better with what I have what do y'all recommend
 

2quills

Well-Known Member
Ahh gotcha.

Well I think most of us would without a doubt would recommend a sump. But the pro clear 125 is a wet dry and nobody really uses those in the saltwater side of the hobby anymore. I think you'd do better with something you can put a protein skimmer into and make a refugium area for macro algae to grow along with being a safe place for beneficial life to reproduce.

Bactiera in a bottle is garbage. Damsels are cheap. UV sterilizer is uneccessary and provides very little to no measurable benefit.

I would recommend passing on the deal for now. Take a little more time to research because i think you would end up looking back and wishing you'd gone a different route with the equipment than what he's offering.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
If you don't want to drill the tank for a sump use a hob filter, depending on your live stock macro can be kept in the dt.
I agree with the above comments. Not a great deal
 

2quills

Well-Known Member
I drilled my 120g for a sump. But if you only ever plan on fish only you can just use the canisters you have. There's many ways to do it but everyone has their own preferences.

My 120...
20170311_133333_resized.jpg


Imforbis, just set up a nice 120g as well.
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
You have the tank and stand so that's taken care of.

Some sort of filtration, your existing canisters will work, you can upgrade later if you decide you want something different.

Heater x2 I'd get 100 or 150W. Two because if one fails off or on it will give you more time to notice.

A couple power heads, I'd put one on each end, maybe one on the middle of the back wall. You can spend $50 up to $500+ on these. You don't need anything fancy to be successful. I have 4 800 gal per hr power heads I got on Amazon for $10 each 3 years ago. Still work great.

A reverse osmosis deionized water system, mine is from bulk reef supply, I've heard you can get refurbished systems from spectrapure for a very good price. Good pure water is very important.

A refractometer. Not a hydrometer.

Lights meant for a saltwater tank, for fish only don't need to be fancy.

Rock. I used pukani dry rock from bulk reef supply, it is around $3.50 per pound, free shipping. You'll probably need 75-100 lb. dry rock weighs a lot less than live rock. One or two pieces of nice live rock to seed the tank. The dry rock will become live over a couple months.

Argonite sand, you can get live or not either works. I would not get the super fine sand it tends to blow around. No silica sand and no crushed coral gravel.

You will need test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate this is very important for monitoring the cycle.

I also recomend a 10 gallon tank, sponge filter with an air pump and air stone and a small heater to use as a quarantine tank for new fish.

Salt mix. For fish only a box of instant ocean that makes 200 gall would be a good place to start.

You will need a container to mix salt water. Needs to be food grade plastic. Only to be used for the tank. You can get rubbermade brute trash cans at any big box store. They also sell things with wheels to put them on. Will make life way easier to have wheels. A 28 gallon is a good size.

A pump to put in the mixing container. You can use this mix the water and then pump it into the tank when ready.

Some people have 2 containers, one for RODI Water storage and one for salt water.

I'm sure I missed some things.
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
I think you could do much better if you want to diy. sump can be just a couple of plastic storage containers. $100 or so for pvc pipe. Setup a refugium with macro algae.
You could use rocks from the local limestone quarry. Or if you got lotsa time and like mud pies, make your own rock from concrete.

Plus some lights, a pump, salt mix and so on.

I would recommend a macro algae refugium, and using mollys not damsels to start the tank.

Is the price right for you? You determine that. the wife has had an local setup our first 60g and then the replacement 90g and maintain it. She is fine with the price.


speaking of price. That's just my .02
 

Ronnie B

New Member
Ok I got the sump the tank is tempered so I couldn't drill it I got hob skimmer with double drains 951 gph pump 1150gph wave pump live sand and 110lbs of rock it cleared up in about 14 hrs the cycle has started now I wait what should I be looking for next
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
You need to add a source of ammonia, many use a raw shrimp. Just put it in and let it rot. You can also ghost feed, feed as if you had fish. Start measuring ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. You are watching for ammonia to go up then fall followed by nitrite going up then falling, when nitrite starts to fall nitrate will begin to rise.
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
I'd look for a fixture meant for salt water. Otherwise any will do.

T5 fluorescent are fairly inexpensive and the look is dependent on the type of bulb. If you have bulbs meant for salt water they should have a more blue look. The bulbs need to be changed every 9-12 months because the spectrum shifts over time. You can't see the shift but it tends to provide a more favorable environment for algae. There is no shimmer with T5s.

LEDs have an amazing shimmer. The wavelength doesn't shift over time. They are cheaper to run. The start cost may be higher.
With all types you can go low or high end. For fish only it doesn't matter. If you eventually go to some coral or anemone the cheaper fixtures won't put out enough light.
 
Top