Bow Front Reef Aquarium Setup

mikegray

mikegray

Member
Hi, im brand new to this board. i had an 80 gallon salt water Fish Tank and i failed it was my first time and it got all messed up and lost every thing i put in. i gave up.
Before i purchase my new 46 Gallon Bow Front Aquarium. i need everybodies help i can find.
i Think im gonna order a 46g bow front with a built in over flow. (good or bad?)
i mean i want to have the most heathly and best looking reef i can ever develop.
what setup should i use for pumps/filters/everything/lights..ect.
wear can i find a sweet stand/canopy for it. over here only have black and the canapy is plastic i think. lol
LFS told me some stuff. like the Custom Sealife 36" pcs he said it will fit in canapy but another LFS said it wont. i cant be 36" and fit. it needs to be like 35.lol im soooo confused.
how much live sand for this tank and live rock?
help me out, im really confused
thanks
-mike-
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Welcome to the board Mike!!
Haven't got the time to answer all your questions but will say this. The bow fronts are nice looking tanks, but you have to be careful how you clean them. Since it is not a straight surface you will need to be careful not to scratch the front when you clean, if you use a razorblade for those hard coralline spots.
Others who have bowfronts will answer shortly, I hope.
Thomas
 
mikegray

mikegray

Member
yea. but im getting glass so it is alittle bit better. atleast what i hear.
but i might not get a bow front becuase only 1 reason crossing my mind.
the stand/canopys are ugly.
heh. but yea answer my questions up top every one.
 
mikegray

mikegray

Member
*bump* becuase i need really strong information asap.
really looking for Birdie to PM me. same tank i want eheh. probably the most helpful
 
richard rendos

richard rendos

Active Member
Since you are getting it drilled, get a rubbermaid tub for your sump, a Euroreef ES 5-2 Skimmer, or ETSS Super Reef Devil, a 250 watt MH 10K Ushio with 2 X 55 watt power compact actinics. Get a Mag 7 for the return pump, and a 3/4" SeaSwirl to connect to the return pump. Get sand and about 50-60 pounds of live rock. As far as cleaning the glass on the bowfront, I use a MagFloat 125 for mine. Once in a while I have to use a razor blade to get the tough stuff off.
 
dsa_mom

dsa_mom

Member
You can read tons of info on this site by using the search feature.
Remember, the number one requirement in this hobby is patience!! I'd advise you to watch the board and read as much as you can before you make any decisions about equipment. That way you really really know what you want before you invest.
Hope you are successful this time around, and welcome to the board!
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Is there anyway you could upgrade to the 72? It's a more standard size for most equipment. I'll cost you a lot more in rock & sand though.
I haven't had a tank without built-in overflows in 15 years, I never will again either. I think it's the best money you could ever spend.
Are you going to have a reef tank?
 
broncofish

broncofish

Active Member
I agree with bang guy, but GrumpyOldman has the 46g bowfront and his tank looks saweet. Hey Grumpy if you reed this post a pic. Anyway his only regret is not having it predrilled, so now he has to buy an overflow before he can use the lovely refugium I have sitting at my house for him:p Where you at in Cali Mike maybe we could help you out because grumpy sheeled out some cash for his stuff, and he could probably point you in a cheaper direction.
 
mikegray

mikegray

Member
I suppose i can upgrade to the 72gallon.
but my first swf was 80 gallon and it beat me in a fight heh. really dirty (my mistake near a window) i couldnt keep a living thing in it. everything always died. so my point in the 46 is that its smaller and a little easier to handle. or try. and when i have it up and doing 100% and looks sweet. ill know im able to keep it clean and heathly so then ill get a huge tank.
another thing is lr/ls is alot of money. for a 72 i would have to get tons of rock for reef.
question about the rock also:
is it fine to buy "uncurec" live rock since im just starting. i mean its soo much cheaper and if it will turn out to be live rock then i can order alot of it. i found a site of Kaelini Live Rock. its like 84lbs. for 250 or something. but its uncured.
good or bad.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Personally, I just LOVE uncured rock. Since you're just starting it would be perfect. It can cycle and populate your tank all at once.
 
grumpyoldman

grumpyoldman

Member
here is a not to recent pic. I have added a few more soft corals. If I had to do it all over again, I would have purchased the 72 gal bow with the built in overflow.
 
mikegray

mikegray

Member
thats what i thought and really thought it was a good idea.
do u think 84lbs is good? too much? too little? for beautiful reef?
but it says moderate light. when i cycle the tank i planed on having the tank light off so i dont build up algae all over like my old tank.
curing the rock. do i need light. if i can cure the rock in my cycle using no light it would be perfect. but im not sure how many lbs to get for a tank.
 
mikegray

mikegray

Member
hey grumpy
. u have the 46bow with stand and canaopy. how is the canapy. cheap. or very nice? and does it look very nice with both of them together?
 
mikegray

mikegray

Member
where can i find awesome looking Stands and canapys for bow front aquariums. i dont like the one they have with it. any other place over internet sells nice ones.. for 46g i need room to put a good size refuge in it. so i gotta see the inside and deminsions of the stand.
cant find stands/canapys for the dang bow fronts
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
I just thought I would put my two cents in since I have a 46 bowfront. This was my starter tank to be sure I really wanted to do the saltwater thing, I already had the tank so I had to make everything work for saltwater. My future plans are a 200gal reef built into my basement wall with a fish room behind it.
I would recommend going with a 72gal also, definitely with the built in overflows and have a sump below the tank. Sounds like you found someone who will build a canopy, thats great I just hang my lights from the ceiling. It doesn't look as nice but it is easy to get into my tank.
I pretty much agree with everything everyone else has said. I have about 85lbs of LR in my 46 and a 4" DSB. My stand sucks and I cannot keep anything under it except my dosing pump. So I have a above tank refugium that is gravity fed to the display tank. I wish I could post a pic but I haven't gotten a digi camera yet. Good luck.
 
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