can i?

[reefr23]

would i be able to run a 25gallon fish only tank with a protein skimmer and 2 power filters that contain
1. polyfiber pad
2. carbon
3. bio-fiber
this power filter cantains all the media above. it is for up to 40g tanks. ima have no lr but ill have ls. will the tantalising be ok with that?

 

[mboswell1982]

reefr23, let me copy and paste from a thread you did in the reef section, i broke down everything you would need ok?

 

[mboswell1982]

ok, reefr, do you already have your tank? if so, youve got the 2 most crucial items purchased/found, an that is the tank, and swf.com message boards LOL.
so lets see if we can get you set up for ur max of 225, an get u a decent tank goin at the same time.
ok, since your goin with a FOWLR tank, that is a Fish Only With Live Rock, you can use ur standard hood/light assembly that should of came with the tank, so your golden there.
now, hmmm, on the question of filters, youve got a 25g tank, so, without eating up your budget, and if im wrong, someone please correct me, u could probably get away with 2x hagen aqua clear 30 power filters, that should give you plenty of filtration, now, if youve got a filter already, just purchase a second one, 2 is always better than one in the power filter department
you should probably do 2x hydor koralia 1 power heads, those run about 22 bucks a piece on some sites, just shop around on google, just type in hydor koralia 1, an look through the shopping links they give you, i found em for 22 bucks doing that route, that should give you plenty of flow.
your gonna need a heater, im gonna say roughly a 100w heater should work beautifully for your tank
a thermometer, thats a must, since you dont want your tank to get too cold or too hot an u not know it or be able to tell it.
20lbs of live sand, and roughly 20-25lbs of live rock, but, start out with just 10-15 lbs of it, and slowly add to it as you have the finances, that will work out great for you there
a hydrometer, they're roughly 6-15 bucks at *****, depending ont he brand you get
a test kit, thats a must, the cheapest one you can find is the api, they're a decent kit, i think they run about 20 bucks at *****, whatever you do, stay away from the test kits that use the strips, they're notoriously innacurate.
and on the skimmer, id hold off on the skimmer and worry about getting the other things you need first, and getting your tank up and cycling, and stay on top of your testing, and your water top offs and water changes, and you should be ok for a while, and when you can afford it, then purchase a nice HOB skimmer
if you have any further questions man, ill be glad to help out
mike

 

[reefr23]

i have 2 aqua-tech power filters already. but i was thinking about doing no lr and do my artificial reef insread. i was wondering if i could seed it. iits porus like the real thing. and i kinda wanna get the skimmer now. will i be ok running the 2 power filters, and the skimmer. i just wanna use my reef insert. will it be any different without the live rock?

 

[mboswell1982]

you HAVE to have some live rock to seed your reef insert, thats a given, you NEED that live rock, even if its just a few lbs of it, but, here's the thing dude, the more live rock you have, the better your filtration will be, the less work your powerfilters will have to do, thats the magic of live rock, so, in all honesty, you are going to HAVE to buy some. and you still have to get a full spectrum test kit, the api will be your best bet with your budget, there is no getting around that, plus, you are going to need a heater, a thermometer, a hydrometer, or refractometer, but, with your budget, a hydrometer is your best bet, plus, salt mix, powerheads, cause those 2 powerfilters more than likely wont give you enough flow in your tank, so you are going to need at least 1 powerhead, a koralia 1 should be enough for you, but, 20lbs of LR is gonna be a must lil dude, there's really no getting around that, im sorry, now, you can get it piecemeal, instead of all at once, but, do not put any fish in your tank til you have added all of the live rock and let the tank fully cycle, its gonna be several months before you can add fish, you can NOT get around that, unfortunately

 

[reefr23]

ok, i forgjt to mention this, these r all then things i own.
-tank
-reef insert
-2 power filters
-heater
-thermometer
this is what i need
-10-15lbs of live rock
-20lbs of live sand
-hydrometer
-test kit
-powerhead
-protein skimmer(my moms getting me this for christmas so its not part of my budget)
so the lr i get will seed the fake rock? that reef itself is about 15-20lbs. will that be just like real rock if it seeds?

 

[mboswell1982]

basically, yes it will, and, for filling the tank, your best bet is to get distilled water from walmart, its less than a dollar for a couple of gallons, and use that to fill your tank the first time, then, you have to buy the salt mix, and mix that in properly, just mix it in the tank the first time, and let it cycle through, then add your rock an sand, an you should be good to let it cycle

 

[reefr23]

k. what do i have to have in the tank for it to start cycling? what equipment do i have to have running?

 

[mboswell1982]

everything i listed

 

[reefr23]

ok thanks so much 4 ur help

 

[mboswell1982]

no problem man, this is a very very expensive hobby to get into, and you have gotta stay on top of your water parameters constantly, you need to be checking it daily while your cycling so you can tell when the cycle ends, and after that, especially once you add fish, you have to check it every couple of days.
now, to start cycling, you have gotta have the tank, the filters, the sand, the live rock, the heater, thermometer, distilled water, salt mix, test kits, and the powerhead, and you really should get 2 powerheads, but, you may be able to get by with just 1

 

[reefr23]

how do i make sure the cycle starts?

 

[mboswell1982]

time, just time, dude, this is not something that happens over night, it can sometimes take a month for your cycle to finish, this is not like freshwater, where you can add fish the same day you buy everything, you have to have a serious amount of patience with this hobby, and, you can not add all of your fish over night, you add one a couple of weeks after your cycle finishes, then wait a couple weeks, add another fish, then a couple of weeks later you add another

 

[rotarymagic]

I love when people try to do a tank with no live rock, pack it with fish, then it fails and they wonder "why?"....