Might switch to Reef but have no clue...

J

jamparty

Guest
So, I have a 100 gallon 6 ft tank that up until now has been fish-only. However, I'v been seriously considering a reef tank because I believe they are much nicer and more entertaining. I have no idear where to start...
I use a UV sterilizer, skimmer, wet/dry, two powerheads that can be used in 70 gallon tanks by themselves (situated for round circulation of current). What kind of lights should i use?
Also, I have gravel down as my base...is it necessary to get live sand...if so, can I simply layer it over the gravel or do I have to take the gravel out?
Also, I have a rather large yellow tang in there, two true percs, a few green choris, and a cleaner shrimp...
I got back from college a month ago and came home to a completely wiped out tank, so I was rebuilding it...but the idea of a reef tank is so appetizing...
Currently about 80lbs of LR...should I get more?
I'M SUCH A NOOB TO THIS!!!
 
J

jamparty

Guest
well that helped a great deal thank you!
now i just need to see if everything else is fine.
like i asked earlier, should i get live sand and layer it over the already existing gravel or remove the gravel all together and replace it with live sand?
also, is having those two aquaclear powerheads fine or should i replace those with one of the koralia pumps?
do I need an RO?
is a wet/dry filter fine?
 
geraldwhite

geraldwhite

Member
Well my personal opinion is go with the sand only bed, its great bio filtration and your critters (i.e. star fish, hermits, gobie) will love it, once you get those critters that is.
I would not put sand over the gravel, eith leave it or remove it and put just sand.
Also Coral will need alot of water movment, some more than others. How much water flow are you getting currently? I would think you would need more than two for 100 gal I could be wrong though.
 
J

jamparty

Guest
i use 2x aquaclear ph 802s so i'm getting roughly 800 gph
do I honestly need more than that?
I have a spare ph that will generate another 150 gph or so and I had that in the tank for a while but my poor fish were getting blown around too much so I took it out.
 
geraldwhite

geraldwhite

Member
Well some will say for a reef tank you need 10x your gal, so that would be 1000GPH but i'm sure you could get away with 800 with no problems.
 
J

jamparty

Guest
Originally Posted by geraldwhite
Well some will say for a reef tank you need 10x your gal, so that would be 1000GPH but i'm sure you could get away with 800 with no problems.
hmm..i'll just add the spare ph i have if flow becomes a problem.
now i just gotta work on that lighting..
btw, is wet/dry fine for coral?
and i suppose i'm leaving my gravel bed so no live sand, will this be a problem as well? i'm planning on picking up more LR..probably about 20lbs more at least before i start to work on the goodies
 
J

jamparty

Guest
is it better for reef tanks?
if so, what are the benefits and downsides?
I won't add it if i I don't have to...I'm perfectly fine with gravel, although I realize some livestock need a sandbed rather than a gravel
 
geraldwhite

geraldwhite

Member
"Given the specialization of coral reef fish, it only seems apparent that the more natural and realistic the aquaria habitat which is provided, the more naturally the fish can interact with and behave in their captive environment. Their stress level will be lower, resulting in lowered incidence of disease. Their diet may be more easily supplemented by some natural grazing abilities from a more "reef-like" system. Furthermore, the methods of reef aquaria employing more natural means of filtration (live rock, protein skimming, live sand, etc.) have the additional benefit of providing higher quality water. This results in less effort on the part of the aquarist, fewer problems with nuisance algae and disease, etc. Finally, a "near reef" system has the option of becoming a system which supports various invertebrates if so desired. The life already present on live rock will, over time, become quite reef-like in and of itself, and be quite beautiful -- far more so that bleached coral skeletons which are ethically and ecologically unsound items that should not even be sold."
Not to mention the crushed bed is a nightmare to clean!
I would spend the extra bucks and time and go with live sand, you will be glad you did.
 
J

jamparty

Guest
i don't really feel like completely changing my filtration system, but the fact that i use bio balls is beginning to bother me.
i was wondering if anyone knew anything about these reactors..
nitrates is always a frightening topic and after reading the post on bio-balls vs refugiums i'm trying to come up with a more affordable way of helping the nitrate possibilities.
is getting a nitrate reactor at all a viable solution?
thank you, i believe i will end up going with live sand..
for a 100 g tank how much live sand should i go with?
edit: the other ph i have ...the spare one i took out..actually pumps around 250 gph... so that coupled with my 2x400's...was over 1000gph.. >_>
 
R

reefernana

Guest
Originally Posted by JamParty
is it better for reef tanks?
if so, what are the benefits and downsides?
I won't add it if i I don't have to...I'm perfectly fine with gravel, although I realize some livestock need a sandbed rather than a gravel
I haven't been doing this very long but I have done a lot of reading since February and I don't recall anyone mentioning that they use gravel. There are plenty on here that will try to talk people out of using crushed coral, too, and that is because of how hard it is to keep clean. I can't believe more haven't chimed in on this as yet, but I would say get rid of the gravel and start off with a good live sand enough to have a bed of at least 2-5" deep. What say everybody???
 
J

jamparty

Guest
Originally Posted by reefernana
I haven't been doing this very long but I have done a lot of reading since February and I don't recall anyone mentioning that they use gravel. There are plenty on here that will try to talk people out of using crushed coral, too, and that is because of how hard it is to keep clean. I can't believe more haven't chimed in on this as yet, but I would say get rid of the gravel and start off with a good live sand enough to have a bed of at least 2-5" deep. What say everybody???

unfortunately, i had no say in this matter.
the tank had already been established when we purchased the house. I have done an enormous amount of upgrading and salvaging but up until now, the gravel/live sand hasn't been an issue. I generally clean my tank at least once a week and the fish have been fine..again it was a fish-only tank up until now... but reef tanks are soooo nice *drool
 
gatorwpb

gatorwpb

Active Member
You definitely should go with live sand. The gravel/crushed coral can trap detritis and other food/fish waste and over time that will increase your nitrate levels without an easy or simple way to clean it. Also, putting sand on top will only settle to under the gravel and will not change anything. Since you have an opportunity to start fresh, live sand is the best idea.
Also, for your wet/dry, many people have tossed the bio-balls and replaced them with a bunch of live rock rubble. You can usually find a lfs that will have some, or buy it online at the auction site. This will help control your nitrate buildup. You wont need a nitrate reactor then.
Also, look into the wet/dry-refugium conversions that people have done on this site. You could add a simple light and macroalgae to the wet/dry return section and reduce nitrates even further.
Just remember that water parameters, especially nitrate, have a greater effect on corals than they do fish, so you need to design your system in a way that will provide the best water quality and the least maintenance.
Hope that helps.
 
J

jamparty

Guest
Originally Posted by GatorWPB
You definitely should go with live sand. The gravel/crushed coral can trap detritis and other food/fish waste and over time that will increase your nitrate levels without an easy or simple way to clean it. Also, putting sand on top will only settle to under the gravel and will not change anything. Since you have an opportunity to start fresh, live sand is the best idea.
Also, for your wet/dry, many people have tossed the bio-balls and replaced them with a bunch of live rock rubble. You can usually find a lfs that will have some, or buy it online at the auction site. This will help control your nitrate buildup. You wont need a nitrate reactor then.
Also, look into the wet/dry-refugium conversions that people have done on this site. You could add a simple light and macroalgae to the wet/dry return section and reduce nitrates even further.
Just remember that water parameters, especially nitrate, have a greater effect on corals than they do fish, so you need to design your system in a way that will provide the best water quality and the least maintenance.
Hope that helps.

thanks for the info!
do you think you could point me to one of those wet/dry refugium make over threads?
 
J

jamparty

Guest
Originally Posted by geraldwhite
Here is some good stuff.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=178677
from what i could gather from these links, they're all taking smaller aquariums and converting them into refugiums
but what if I already have a wet/dry bioball filtration system and want to convert that into a refugium rather than another smaller aquarium?
 
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