Moving from a nano to 40gal

dawicked1

dawicked1

Member
Hi everyone.. So where do i start? :notsure: umm.. ok when i first tought about getting a saltwater tank i was considering getting a nano 12 gal so ive done alot of research and stuff and recently my uncal asked me if i want his 40gal it has pc lightin and has these holes on it for sumthimg on the bottom.. what is that? i have some questions since i dont know much about the bigger tanks.. i heard that they are less matience then the smaller so i know i wont be cleanin it as much.. but i was wondering how much would i? once a month? and how much lr and ls would i need? i am also planing on puttin a bio wheel on for better filtration and what kind of power head should i use? and is the cycleing goin to me a much longer time then say a 24 gal? umm basicly i need the whole run tro of a 40 gal and what i would need.. thank you guys very much.. :help: ***)
o and is there a special message board for that? just like the nano boreds?
 
glowplug

glowplug

Member
the holes are for a sump sounds like he was using it as a reef tank, you should definatly do a bunch more research though cause with that tank you could have a really nice reef set up
 
emperor11

emperor11

Active Member
Originally Posted by dawicked1
Hi everyone.. So where do i start? :notsure: umm.. ok when i first tought about getting a saltwater tank i was considering getting a nano 12 gal so ive done alot of research and stuff and recently my uncal asked me if i want his 40gal it has pc lightin and has these holes on it for sumthimg on the bottom.. what is that? i have some questions since i dont know much about the bigger tanks.. i heard that they are less matience then the smaller so i know i wont be cleanin it as much.. but i was wondering how much would i? once a month? and how much lr and ls would i need? i am also planing on puttin a bio wheel on for better filtration and what kind of power head should i use? and is the cycleing goin to me a much longer time then say a 24 gal? umm basicly i need the whole run tro of a 40 gal and what i would need.. thank you guys very much.. :help: ***)
o and is there a special message board for that? just like the nano boreds?
Congrats on your new tank! Its always exciting getting another tank, especially if its larger than your current one. The holes on the bottom means your tank is drilled. Having a drilled tank means you can have a sump without an external overflow. I'm no expert on drilled tanks, as I've never had one, but there are many people on these boards who could help you out. I suggest looking in the Archives, or making a thread in the Equipment forum. Already having PC lighting, that means you can have a reef, if you want. Most people start out with a FOWLR (fish only with live rock), but since you already have some experience, you may want to try a reef. With PC lighting you can keep anything you'd like except certain anemones, SPS corals, and clams. The myth that you won't be cleaning it as much, is almost true, but not quite. With a larger volume of water, water deteriotates slower. However, if you let this go, it can lead to a much larger cleanup. There is obviously going to be more to clean, but less often. In my 55 gallon, I do a 30% water change every two weeks, and everything seems to love it. The fact that you bought the tank, to do less maintenance bothers me, however. I enjoy working in my tank, and making my tank a nice home for its creatures. As far as live rock goes, start with 80 pounds, and go from there. Some people like a lot of live rock, others don't. You can always add more, or take out some later. For powerheads, I would use a couple of Maxi-Jet 900's. That should be plenty of movement. And as far as filtration goes, all you need to have a successful system is a protein skimmer, live sand, and plenty of live rock. You can add more equipment if you choose, but I've seen beautiful systems using only those 3 items. The biggest thing you don't want to skimp out on is a good protein skimmer. It is essential to the well-being of any aquarium. Cycling will take anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 weeks, IMO. Some people say less, some say more. The only way to know for sure is by testing your water. As far as fish goes, it totally depends on the type of tank you want. Do you want a reef tank or an aggressive tank or a peaceful community tank without coral or even an aggressive reef? I apologize for how long this is..just trying not to miss any of your questions. If I missed something, or if you have further questions..please let me know. This board is a great place to ask questions. BTW, there is no forum for tank sizes other than the Nano forum..however, there is the reef forum or the aggressive forum, depending on the type of tank you choose. Hope that helped. Here are some older pics of my 55 gallon:





 
dawicked1

dawicked1

Member
heyyy thanks for all the info.. the longer the better because i want to know as much as i can.. lol..and im really likeing your tank veryy nice.. oo and the 40gal i got for free so its not the problem about it bein less to clean ***) i love saltwater fish.. a tank this size would be real heavy.. so is there anything thing i should know about placement? because i dont want it goin through the floor or anytihng because i only had experience around 12 gal tanks... ummm is it ok if i add about 20pounds lr and a Emperor 400 system? and then go from there? and how much ls would u think i need? and as for fish do u have any recommendations? o and is the Seaclone Protein Skimmer 150 a good skimmer for a 40 gal? i dont have any experience with skimmers since i never needed one.. thank you
 
omgsaltwat

omgsaltwat

Member
Look at my thread"do you think this set up will work" it will help you with the basic ideal of a sump fuge. TurningTim helped me with it.
 
emperor11

emperor11

Active Member
Originally Posted by dawicked1
heyyy thanks for all the info.. the longer the better because i want to know as much as i can.. lol..and im really likeing your tank veryy nice.. oo and the 40gal i got for free so its not the problem about it bein less to clean ***) i love saltwater fish.. a tank this size would be real heavy.. so is there anything thing i should know about placement? because i dont want it goin through the floor or anytihng because i only had experience around 12 gal tanks... ummm is it ok if i add about 20pounds lr and a Emperor 400 system? and then go from there? and how much ls would u think i need? and as for fish do u have any recommendations? o and is the Seaclone Protein Skimmer 150 a good skimmer for a 40 gal? i dont have any experience with skimmers since i never needed one.. thank you
Yep, no problem. Thanks for the compliments on my tank. Actually, compared to a lot of other tanks, a 40 gallon really isn't all that heavy. In fact, I have my 55 in an upstairs apartment, not even in a corner, and I have no floor problems what so ever. The only way you'll have a problem is if you have a really really really old house. Just make sure you have a good stand for it. The 20 lbs of LR is a good start, though you'll need much more. Are you planning on cycling this tank? Or using what you have from the 12 gallon to jump-start it? The Emperor 400 will be fine, but I recommend another small filter to go on it as well..something cheap, yet reliable, like an Aquaclear 200. I would also get those two maxijet 900 powerheads I was talking about for water movement. There is a live sand calculator for how much you'll need on this site, if you click on live sand on the side toolbar. The Seaclone is NO GOOD. Trust me, I tried it. NEVER AGAIN. I recommend a Lees Counter Current Skimmer..they're extremely cheap (23.49 off a site i visit a lot) and they work better than some of the expensive skimmers, IMO. You also have to buy an air pump, air tubing, some gang valves (controls amount of air going in) and some airstones for it, but everything together should cost no more than 40 bucks new. Is this going to be a reef? I sure hope so. Maybe do some nice beginner corals, since you already have PC lighting. How many watts, just out of curiosity? For fish, I always figure 3 gallons of water per 1" of fish, but many people figure 5 gallons of water per 1" of fish, but I do frequent water changes (1 bucket once a week) on my 55. Its all about the time you want to put into it. Using my rule, I'd do:
2 percula clownfish
1 dwarf angelfish (you pick)
1 dottyback (you pick)
1 neon goby
1 fairy wrasse (you pick)
3 green chromis
OR something like that...just go to that site run by two doctors and click on saltwater fish for beginners, and pick from there. Most of the stuff is reef-safe, but not all of it..so keep an eye on that. Using my calculation, you have 13" of fish to play with, but if you use the 5 gallons of water per 1" of fish, you have 8" of fish.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top