29 Gal Filter question

[mcsierra]

I have a 29 Gal High tank. For the Filter system I have an Amiracle Advanced SL Filter Series.

with the Amiracle Reef Protein Skimmer on it..

My question is: Should I get anything else for my Filtration system? If so what..?
The Skimmer is rated for a 90 Gallon tank and the Wet/Dry is rated for a 10-55 Gal...

 

[jim672]

McSierra,
If I was you, I'd add some live rock and live sand. How much depends upon what you plan for your tank. If you intend to go "fish only", you need enough rock to offer hiding places and grow enough algea to feed any grazing fish you may want to keep. If you're going with a reef tank, you might want as much rock as 1 to 1 1/2 lbs per gallon. Sand, if only for aesthetics, can be an inch or so deep. If you want a Deep Sand Bed(DSB) that will aid in your biological filtration, you'll need 4 to 6 inches of sand.
So, you realy need to decide where you're going with your tank to determine exactly what additinal filtration you should have.
Your 29 high is a fairly deep tank so I'd also get a powerhead to mount near the bottom to move some water around.
Jim

 

[mcsierra]

Jim,
I plan to go Full Reaf with about 6 fish...
The Tank will also have:

• 60 Pounds of Live Rock
• 30 Pounds of Live Sand
• 60 Blue Leg hermit crabs
• 15 Turbo Snails
  2 Tiger Tails Cucumbers
  1 Serpent star
  and
  1 Pistol Shrimp
  at the bottom...
  BTW: is $343.00 a good deal for all of the Items I have listed?
  I'll be posting Pictures of eveything on the Tank on my site: <a href="http://www2.mcsierra.com:880" target="_blank">www.McSierra.com</a>

 

[jim672]

McSierra,
$343 is an extraordinarily good price for all that stuff!! You can easily pay $5 to $8 per lb for live rock. Retail, you probably have listed anywhere from $550 to $750 worth, depending on where you shop.
Big HOWEVER......you are setting up a 29, right?
If you have 60 lbs of rock and 30 pounds of sand, where are you going to put the fish?
If you're not buying a package deal for your $343, I'd back off on the lr. I'd think 30 to 45 lbs would be fine.
Further, if you're going to put 60 hermits in there, I think alot of them may die for lack of food. I'd scale that way back....15 to 20 should be more than enough.....and not until you have some food for them to eat. If you want more of something, go for more snails. Again, after you've had your tank up and running awhile, you could have 20-25 snails.
Importantly, be cautious about your planned fish population. You'll have plenty of filtration and places to hide so you might be able to keep 6 small fish. You'll need to select fish that will stay small and be well-behaved tankmates.
You've done well planning to this point. Congratulations and good luck from here on.
Jim

 

[anthony812]

hey mcsierra this is just my opinion but i adivse you take out the bio balls kinda help take out nitrates because bio balls i heared oare a nitrate factory