hallzy
Member
I have FINALLY decided to take the leap and turn my 29 gallon into a reef tank! I have had my tank for quite a while now (I'm guessing about 3 years) and I have always been a FOWLR guy, mainly because I didn't want to spend the money on lights, and fish are generally easier to keep! BUT, I have placed my order on a 96 watt T5HO light. It should arrive this friday! It has 4 24 watt bulbs (2 12000k and 2 blue actinics) and also blue LED moonlights. I'm SO pumped to finally venture into a new world of marine life, but I'm also nervous, so I had a few questions about getting myself prepared to start!
I'm planning on just starting out slow, with some different mushrooms or maybe some zoos. I would like to get some softs like colt or chili coral.
Right now I THINK i have 40 lbs of live sand (its been awhile since i put it in, but it makes about a 2-3 inch sand bed), and about 50 lbs of live rock give or take. Its enough LR to fill the tank. (I will get a pic up later, my wife has the camera and shes at work right now!) I have two air pumps (not sure what kind, but they provide plenty of water flow). I have two fish, a black saddleback clown, and a firefish. I also have a BTA, which the clown NEVER leaves. lol I also have a good CUC made up of an assortment of hermits, snails, a brittle star, and a cleaner shrimp. They have done a FANTASTIC job of keeping my tank very clean over the years.
My first question is, should I make a sump for this tank? I've heard mixed opinions on this matter since I only have a 29 gallon. Right now I just have the basic, over the back filter system. It its a filter designed for a 30-60 gallon tank, so it does a good job, but I've just never really dabbled in sumps, so i dont know much about them.
I'm also wondering about a protein skimmer. I'm assuming I will want to get one reguardless of if I make a sump or not, but I've never really seen a tank with a skimmer that wasn't in a sump, and I just think it will look kind of silly... lol
And last but not least, when I get my lights on friday, how should I set my timer? Ive never had anything but a basic 20w 50/50 light, and I just set up one timer for 10 hours of light a day, and that was it! Now that I am going to have 12,000k and blues, I'm wondering how I should set it up to turn off and on. My plan right now is to still keep it on 10 hours a day, but I was going to have JUST the blues come on for the first 30 mins, then have the 12,000k lights come on for 9 hours, and then end the day with another 30 mins of just blues. And then of coarse have the moonlights come on for the remainder of the night. BUT, since I dont really know much about it, I'm not really sure if this is how it should be done, I just thought it sounded good in my head!
Well then, I know I got kind of lengthy, but if anyone has any tips or techniques for me, it would be greatly appriciated! I'm very excited and eager to start up my reef!
I'm planning on just starting out slow, with some different mushrooms or maybe some zoos. I would like to get some softs like colt or chili coral.
Right now I THINK i have 40 lbs of live sand (its been awhile since i put it in, but it makes about a 2-3 inch sand bed), and about 50 lbs of live rock give or take. Its enough LR to fill the tank. (I will get a pic up later, my wife has the camera and shes at work right now!) I have two air pumps (not sure what kind, but they provide plenty of water flow). I have two fish, a black saddleback clown, and a firefish. I also have a BTA, which the clown NEVER leaves. lol I also have a good CUC made up of an assortment of hermits, snails, a brittle star, and a cleaner shrimp. They have done a FANTASTIC job of keeping my tank very clean over the years.
My first question is, should I make a sump for this tank? I've heard mixed opinions on this matter since I only have a 29 gallon. Right now I just have the basic, over the back filter system. It its a filter designed for a 30-60 gallon tank, so it does a good job, but I've just never really dabbled in sumps, so i dont know much about them.
I'm also wondering about a protein skimmer. I'm assuming I will want to get one reguardless of if I make a sump or not, but I've never really seen a tank with a skimmer that wasn't in a sump, and I just think it will look kind of silly... lol
And last but not least, when I get my lights on friday, how should I set my timer? Ive never had anything but a basic 20w 50/50 light, and I just set up one timer for 10 hours of light a day, and that was it! Now that I am going to have 12,000k and blues, I'm wondering how I should set it up to turn off and on. My plan right now is to still keep it on 10 hours a day, but I was going to have JUST the blues come on for the first 30 mins, then have the 12,000k lights come on for 9 hours, and then end the day with another 30 mins of just blues. And then of coarse have the moonlights come on for the remainder of the night. BUT, since I dont really know much about it, I'm not really sure if this is how it should be done, I just thought it sounded good in my head!
Well then, I know I got kind of lengthy, but if anyone has any tips or techniques for me, it would be greatly appriciated! I'm very excited and eager to start up my reef!
