Hello Everyone, I love this forum.

[kreckner]

Hi there everyone. My name is Ken and I just set up my first saltwater aquarium. I plan on it being a small reef aquarium eventually. I have a 46 gallon bow-front and I'm putting 15lbs. of "reef bones", 40lbs. of live rock and 60lbs. od live sand in the aquarium. Since I know people who gotten great advice through this meesage board I want to ask for opinions on what I may me doing right or wrong.
First off, I got a Fluval 304 filtration system and I've had a conflicting advice on that. Some say it's ok and others say I should ditch it and set up a sump under my tank. Just curious what you people think.
Second, I got 2 Maxi-jet 900 powerheads and a Deflector to create more water movement. Combined with the filter I'm moving 720 gallons per hour, or 15+ cycles per hour. Is this enough? Or should I purchase another powerhead.
Lastly, for now, is lighting. I bought a compact flourescent fixture with 1 96W 50/50 10000K bulb and 1 96W actinic bulb. There is also 2 lunar lights installed on the fixture, one blue light and one red light. Is this sufficient lighting for my tank? I've done alot of research but it is a little different doing it than it is reading about it.
So, those are my introductory questions I guess. I would appreciate any comments any of you may have. And, also, I am happy to be a part of this messege board. I'm sure though time I will become very knowledgable in the saltwater aquarist hobby due in great part to advice I recieve from experienced hobbyists.

 

[farmboy]

I use a canister filter(HOTmagnum) to "polish" my water. I think the problem with any canister filter is if not regularly maintained, they can cause a nitrate problem.
Turnover rate sounds pretty good. If you add a sump(recommended), then that flow rate from the return pump will be added to the current turnover. THat will help on keeping coral. 20times is the benchmark I keep hearing.
Lighting sounds OK for some shrooms/certain softies.
And WELCOME to the boards!

 

[tim_12]

First off, welcome to the board. I've always been able to find answers to my questions here. The best thing to do as a beginner is to read as much as you can. The most highly reccomended book is the Concientious Marine Aquarist by Rob Fenner. You can pick it up at almost any LFS for about $30. For now a canister filter will suffice, but when you start building your reef, a sump will be much much more convenient. It gives you a place to put all your filtration and heaters. Your turnover is good for now, but again, once you start your reef you'll want to add another MJ900. And as Farmboy said, your lights will support a few low-light corals, but you may want to upgrade down the road.

 

[lion_crazz]

Well Tim hit everything pretty much on the head.
1. excellent book he suggested.
2.Cannister filter is not nearly as good as sump for reef.
3.One more powerhead will be needed.
4.Upgrade your lighting if you want a reef.
Good luck with everything and if you have any more questions, post them!

 

[kreckner]

Thanks for the info. Good stuff to know. I got the book, it has loads of good information. Thanks for the advice on the filtration as well.

 

[kreckner]

How much more powerful should my lighting be? Will I eventually have to get a metal hallide system to provide the correct light rays to the regions of the aquarium? :help:

 

[tim_12]

For certain corlas and clams, yes. Metal Halide is pretty much the best you can get. Many aquarists along with myself find that corals display more intence colors and are much healthier under MH lights. The only downside is that these lights run up to several hundreds of dollars. I got a fixture for my 46BF for about $600 CAD. It has a 150W Double ended HQI Metal halide, 2 96W dual actinic, and 2 lunar lights. There are ways around the price though. You can check out the famous auction site, or retro fit a light to your canopy if you have one. Right now thats getting a little ahead of yourself though. Theres much more to learn before you get into reefs. Thats part of why I love this hobby. I learn new things all the time. :joy: