how much flo should my 30gal have (just fish)

corallover23

corallover23

Member
1 magnum canister h.o.t for 55 gal
1 maxi-jet 1200
1 zoo med power sweep (already opened cant take it back mr x )
all i plan on getting for this tank is some live rock , 2 clowns and maybe a yellow tang ...... Should i have any other equipment?
 
rune

rune

Member
I think the width and length also come into play in order to determine the flow rate but I've always been told that to keep a tank healthy the water turn over rate should be at least 6 to 10 times per hour. It may be personal preference and may depend on your live stock.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
LOL..ok then!
btw- that's a pretty cool setup. did you buy it that way, or build it?
i would have 2 powerheads in each tank. the reason for this is to not let any uneaten food and fish poop land on the tank botom, but instead stay in the water column until it can be filtered out.
 
corallover23

corallover23

Member
thank you ..... i bought it that way , i have 1500 into the set up so far that is why im asking all these silly questions, i want to do it right the first time. My LFS has given me alot of bad information....
 
corallover23

corallover23

Member
no i wish they were.... I want to use the bottom one as reef (easy ones) and the top for fish only...... Ok now with that said and as you know i bought the crappy skilters and cant return them what can you suggest i do to make my fish only and reef only tank work?
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
well, i see no livestock as of yet.
i would drain and drill both tanks and tie them together, implementing a sump with a good quality in-sump skimmer. you'll be very happy you did. it's not going to be that much work either.
if you simply refuse to do that, then i don't know what to tell you. do alot of waterchanges. those skilter things are about worthless. i'm sorry to be the one to tell you.
 
corallover23

corallover23

Member
NO thank you for giving me advice.......my LFS just wants a quick sale and its the only one here..... im glad i havent bought live rock or live anything, thanks for the help.....Do you recomend a brand that is easy to assembleand, what size should it be?
ps also is it ok to still use the 2 magnum canister filters that i already opened? along with the sump thing
 
scopus tang

scopus tang

Active Member
Wow!
As X said, that is a sweeeet system! And Like him, I would also drain and drill the tanks. If you visit the DIY, Equipment, and Lights forum, you should be able to do a thread search and get some ideas on how to connect the two tanks, as well as lots of information on sumps and refugiums. The two canister filters are fine, certainly not the greatest, but they do work (with a whole lot of effort). Be sure and post us some pictures once you get those babies up and running, and if you have any other specific questions we can help with, just ask.

BTW, if it wasn't said before, welcome to the boards!
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
a brand that is easy to assemble? do you mean a protein skimmer?
if so, that would depend on if you are going to connect the tanks.
if not, you'll need a HOB(hang on back) skimmer....2 of them actually.
if you are going to drill the tanks and put an in-sump skimmer in a shared sump, id probably go with a euro-reef skimmer. ASM also makes a decent enough skimmer.
if you are going to utilize 2 skimmers, i like those tunze nano skimmers.
don't let anyone try to talk you into an aqua-c remora. i tried one of those and it wasn't worth squat. it's tough with hang-on style skimmers, because a large pump will sit in the tank, and they don't make alot of quality options for small tanks like yours.
i think i would rely on waterchanges, if i wasn't going to connect the whole system.
 
corallover23

corallover23

Member
no no like you said im going buy new driled tanks and use these for my other hobby birds lol. i use tanks as brooders to keep baby birds im hanfeeding warm. i would need a brand of sump and a really good skimmer .
 
corallover23

corallover23

Member
lol i wouldnt say wow alot of you have awesome tanks on here, makes me sick lol . but thanks i hope to have mine look nice also.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
do yourself a favor and do not purchase a ready-made sump. just buy a tank (i'd choose a 40 breeder, and glue some baffles in it, and you are done.
here's a picture of the sump i just made out of a 40 breeder, for my 30 breeder frag tank(i bet you are asking why the sump is bigger than the display...it's because this particular sump needs to hold the 50+ pounds of live rock that will hold the beneficial bacteria needed to sustain this system).
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
ignore the frag shelf....but you get the idea. it's simple...some thick plastic, or glass sheeting, cut to size, and glued in place with some aquarium sealant.
i used basic cutting boards from walmart. not as pretty as glass or clear plastic, but cheaper, and plenty strong.
 
scopus tang

scopus tang

Active Member
Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2556157
and here it is with the skimmer and rock..cycling.....

Hey X, nice set up! Is that a T5 light over your frag tank? How many bulbs are you running and how deep is the tank?
corallover23, don't let the picture scare you off; thats a pretty muscled out system, all you need is the sump/refigium and they can be placed in a single unit. Here's a picture of my single combination unit. Its prefab, but as X said they're easy enough to build with a little time and some help from folks here (also lots cheaper).
 
corallover23

corallover23

Member
nice work .....i will attempt making one lol i will post pics..... as for the skimmer what brand and size? should i use bio balls? or live rock ?
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
live rock and some macroalgae, would be my suggestion!
as far as skimmers go, euro-reef makes good quality ones. i also like ASM skimmers.
depending on what size tank you are going to use as a sump, you'll have to choose something that is rated for atleast 50% more volume than you end up with.
in other words- if you have 2 x 30 gallon tanks, + a 40 breeder = 100 gallons. now you minus about 20-25% of the 40 breeder, because it's not going to be totally full, and subtract for live rock and sand....that leaves you with about 70 gallons total volume.
i would choose a skimmer rated for 100-150 gallons. i'd go with an ASM G1X or a euro-reef CS6-1
scopus tang- it's a 30 breeder. it's 12" deep. that is a nova extreme pro, 6 x 39 watts...with almost individual reflectors (they are contoured).
it's actually overkill for that tank. i have to place LPS under the eggcrate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top