Help starting up a 46 gallon (you guys just respond quicker than in the reef section!

A

alexa11

Guest
OK, so I got a 46 gallon bowfront, used, with the stand, a penguin filter, and a coralife 196 watt pc light, and live sand. I need help setting up this thing! I have some questions and want some opinions if you'd like to share.
1. How long will the live sand (from the previous owner--was in the tank) be OK in a bucket?
2. How deep of a sandbed would you do in this tank?
3. I'd like to do a sump/refugium, so need to get an overflow. I know nothing about overflows. On another thought, has anyone attempted to 'retro' up a 46 gallon bowfront to have a back area like a nanocube or a red sea max, etc? What if i got some black plastic, siliconed it in so there was a 3 inch space in the back, and tried to 'build' some sort of filtration in there? Is this just a hairbrained idea?
4. Black or regular sand (the sand I have is regular)?
5. Stocklist: I am thinking a flame angel, royal gramma, yellow watchman goby, yasha goby, and a midas goby, and a pair of false percs. Thoughts? I was thinking of starting with 50 lbs live rock and doing softies and some LPS in there. OR
6. I've always wanted a lion. I just think it would be kinda silly only having one fish in there. Are they OK with softies and LPS? and could i put anything else in with the lion (i'm guessing not due to bioload and the lions appitite).
What do you think i should do with this setup? thanks for your input!
 
rebelprettyboy

rebelprettyboy

Active Member
Originally Posted by alexa11http:///forum/post/2804008
OK, so I got a 46 gallon bowfront, used, with the stand, a penguin filter, and a coralife 196 watt pc light, and live sand. I need help setting up this thing! I have some questions and want some opinions if you'd like to share.
1. How long will the live sand (from the previous owner--was in the tank) be OK in a bucket?
idk. about that. Id say if possible just place some saltwater on top of it with an air stone filter or powerhead just so the water doesnt get stagnent.
2. How deep of a sandbed would you do in this tank?
I just dont like sand beds lol. but either deep or not. deep 4-6 inches. shallows 1 inchs or below/ maybe 2. a 20 lbs bag is what id personally use. but I guess about 40 lbs of sand
3. I'd like to do a sump/refugium, so need to get an overflow. I know nothing about overflows. On another thought, has anyone attempted to 'retro' up a 46 gallon bowfront to have a back area like a nanocube or a red sea max, etc? What if i got some black plastic, siliconed it in so there was a 3 inch space in the back, and tried to 'build' some sort of filtration in there? Is this just a hairbrained idea?
Idea sounds cool. Ive nvr tried, but I bet someone has. Sounds like a cool idea.
If you want to drill the tank glass-holes has the best overflows, cheap, and easy to use. Give great instrustions as well.
4. Black or regular sand (the sand I have is regular)?
Try black. Ive been wanting to get some, but nvr had. It looks really cool with the corals and makes the colors really pop. Only thing it detruis on the bottom could become a problem. But a good CUC should help with that
5. Stocklist: I am thinking a flame angel, royal gramma, yellow watchman goby, yasha goby, and a midas goby, and a pair of false percs. Thoughts? I was thinking of starting with 50 lbs live rock and doing softies and some LPS in there. OR
haha thats a lot of gobies. But with a sump and skimmer should be fine. Instead of the Angel i get some sort of reef safe wrasse just to be safe. And u can find one just as colorful as a flame angel. Carpenter Wrasse, McCosker wrasse are just to I think of off the top.
6. I've always wanted a lion. I just think it would be kinda silly only having one fish in there. Are they OK with softies and LPS? and could i put anything else in with the lion (i'm guessing not due to bioload and the lions appitite).
Lion would be cool. You could get a dwarf lion. One of those Man Fu Chu ones or whatever are pretty dang sweet. And you could possibly get other fish as well with it. It wouldnt have to be the only one. 2 wartskin Anglers would get ppl attention and I bet ur bf would like em as well.
What do you think i should do with this setup? thanks for your input!
Get aggressive fish. You already have a tank with peaceful fish.
And get T5 lghts/ Gosh I love em. Ive nvr ran t5s until the other day. always have been PCs or Halides. And t5s put PCs to shame with color. Its not even close
Hope I helped!
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Yeah do something different.
I vote a white or yellow/purple wartskin angler or purple/red rhinopias ($300 or less if you look around.) with a reef setup.. you could also do dwarf cuttle fish Sepia (sp?) bandenesis (sp?) with a reef... they're an awesome micropredator, but plan on replacing them every year because they don't live much more than that.
+1 for T5s..
Don't do the black sand it looks like crap really quickly.
penguin filter might work for a place to put carbon and rowaphos.
I'm getting ready to pick up that stuff from glassholes for my nano overflow.. very sleek and well designed.
 
A

alexa11

Guest
Thanks so much guys! and i think anglers are the coolest looking things! I told the bf a while ago i really wanted one. It just didn't occur to me i could have one (or 2!) in the tank. So thats what i will do! Anglers and a fu man chu or something! I'll check them out and see. Yes, i love my t5s on my 20 gal. I will upgrade the pcs at some point, but for now I'm just going to stick with them since they came with the setup and will work for softies. If it looks too dim though since I am used to t5s, ill upgrade quicker!
I'm gonna have to lay parket flooring in the bf's basement now so he will let me set the tank up!
And I know nothing about drilling a tank. there was a sticker on the bottom of this one saying it was tempored glass and not to drill it....is that on every tank though? It scares me to have someone try to drill it. Are there any overflows for a non drilled tank that are ok, or are they all hideous? I can attempt to cover it up somehow, again, with black plastick along the back or something.
 
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alexa11

Guest
ill check out the rhinopias rotary, i havn't heard of that before.
 
A

alexa11

Guest
Holy Canoly Rotary, that is awesome looking!!! But i think the price tag is a bit too much for me!
 
nwdyr

nwdyr

Active Member
+2 on the t5's!!! I changed from my MH to T5 VHO and the corals LOVED it! Not bad on the wallet also , I paid 169.00 for a 36inch light. Got it form the 2 doctor place

I also LOVE the nano sec. here , I recently asked SWF.com for permission to post my new 75gal tank in this section ,so far they have left it here. No offense to the others , but I think the "nano people" are the best!
Good luck ,look forward to seeing your progress
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Originally Posted by alexa11
http:///forum/post/2804090
Holy Canoly Rotary, that is awesome looking!!! But i think the price tag is a bit too much for me!
check local reef clubs too... some places try to sell them for waaaayyy too much i.e. marine center ($1200? ROFLMAO GFY)
You might be able to drill the back wall...
 
A

alexa11

Guest
OK so the overflow question is solved. I am getting a used one from someone in my reef club that he has been using and says works great. I won't need to drill. I need to hide it thow. I read the great thread about the foamscaping, am thinking i could give that a try to hide equipment. hmmmmmm
 
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alexa11

Guest
what about a radiata, volitan, or blackfoot lionfish (if they can be found) instead of the fumanchu?
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
those get too big for a 46gallon... a dwarf species might work... but you can kiss any shrimp and small fish good bye...
 
A

alexa11

Guest
OK thanks rotary. I have heard that the fuzzy dwarf isnt actually a 'dwarf' species, but the regular dwarf lion is. Would that work with an angler or 2, or would it eat them?
 
A

alexa11

Guest
and is the fumanchu considered a small enough species, or is it too big?
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Originally Posted by alexa11
http:///forum/post/2805535
OK thanks rotary. I have heard that the fuzzy dwarf isnt actually a 'dwarf' species, but the regular dwarf lion is. Would that work with an angler or 2, or would it eat them?
If the angler can fit it in its mouth, it will eat it. They can eat venomous fish too. Even if the lion is only alittle bigger than the angler, the angler can still eat it. Anglers will sometimes eat each other too..kinda hit or miss. Better off getting a group of fairy wrasses or something lol... Predators are only good in BIG tanks or specialized smaller ones for anglers or rhinopias. You could get dwarf cuttlefish in there, they work well in a reef and they're cool predators but they will eat your clean up crew so be stocked up on hermits and BIG turbo snails that they won't be able to eat.
 
A

alexa11

Guest
hmmm ok. The cuttlefish idea isnt really exciting me; the prospect of continually having to order/replace them isnt the best. And the bf would get freaked out about constantly spending money on a mollusk that dies each year lol! he is finally coming around with the reef thing and I don't want to scare him away! Anglers are awesome, but i want something else in there too. and I want fish that are under about 40 bucks each for the tank. I could go with the earlier idea of having the more normal reef fish that i mentioned. I really like anglers and lions, but if I couldnt keep them together because of tank size, I don't know that anglers wouldbe out and about enough to make it worth it. I wanted a 'swimming' fish to go with them. Theres got to be some smaller breed of lion that would work in the tank but still be larger than the angler. Otherwise, what could I have with the angler that would be bigger, but would swim around nicely if the angler is hiding? Perhaps nothing....seeing flricordias earlier avatar....I would consider just doing anglers, but i do like movement or something that is out in the open and I'm worried I'll have them and later on down the road wish i had a more out and about fish.
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Originally Posted by alexa11
http:///forum/post/2805663
hmmm ok. The cuttlefish idea isnt really exciting me; the prospect of continually having to order/replace them isnt the best. And the bf would get freaked out about constantly spending money on a mollusk that dies each year lol! he is finally coming around with the reef thing and I don't want to scare him away! Anglers are awesome, but i want something else in there too. and I want fish that are under about 40 bucks each for the tank. I could go with the earlier idea of having the more normal reef fish that i mentioned. I really like anglers and lions, but if I couldnt keep them together because of tank size, I don't know that anglers wouldbe out and about enough to make it worth it. I wanted a 'swimming' fish to go with them. Theres got to be some smaller breed of lion that would work in the tank but still be larger than the angler. Otherwise, what could I have with the angler that would be bigger, but would swim around nicely if the angler is hiding? Perhaps nothing....seeing flricordias earlier avatar....I would consider just doing anglers, but i do like movement or something that is out in the open and I'm worried I'll have them and later on down the road wish i had a more out and about fish.
Just get 4 fairy wrasses, they school, you'll love it!
 
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