New Build

[nano1714]

hey guys! its been a few years since i have been on here or had time for a tank. But now is the time! I have a new job and a little more $$ in my pocket.

I just ordered the aquafuge 2 HOB refugium large and an aquaFX RO/DI unit. Anybody have any feedback on this equipment?

On to the tank, its going to be either just a 10 or 20 gallon depending what i can fit on my bar. Just a basic setup with some beginner fish and inverts, maybe some softies down the road! If anyone has any suggestions or anything don't hesitate!

 

[pegasus]

Welcome back! The old itch came back, eh? LOL!!! I think you'll probably want to go with a 20 long, as that HOB is just a tad over 25' long. Naturally, the bigger the better. Since you've already had a tank (saltwater, I presume), then you know it's more difficult to keep a small tank than it is to keep a large one... right? As for the fish, I think clown gobies are perfect for a small tank. Firefish do well in small areas too, but are known jumpers, so a covered tank is necessary. Egg crate works good for this, and allows the tank to "breathe". Naturally, once the tank starts being stocked and more food is available, you'll want to build up a cleanup crew. A variety of snails will perform a variety of cleaning, so it's a good idea to have a few different kinds on hand. Nassarius are good at eating leftover food, or any dead critters in the tank. Cerith are good at cleaning algae off the glass, and to some degree, the rocks. Astrea and turbos are good at cleaning algae off the rocks and the glass. There are others, but these are the most common. I prefer to keep more Nassarius than any of the others, as they tend to take care of algae at the source... uneaten food. Brittle stars are good keeping detritus and leftover food from settling in the nooks and crannies between the rocks, but you might not want too many since they tend to get rather large. One should be sufficient for a 20 gallon tank. Softies will strictly be a matter of choice, but even those "beginner" corals require adequate lighting, so that's something to keep in mind when working out your shopping list. If I've missed anything, or gave too much, let me know. Again... welcome back!!!

 

[nano1714]

Thank you for all of that! There is never to much information! the only reason why I was going to do a 10 or 20H was because I already have those tanks. I do love the looks of the 20 longs though so maybe i could make a quick sale to get rid of the other 2 and purchase a 20 long. I do have a 75 gallon as well that I would like to convert into saltwater sometime but i like the freshwater fish i have in it now to much haha. as far as stock list i haven't really thought about it I'm trying to get the equipment situation settled first. I do have a reef octopus skimmer as well but i think with the refugium there would be no more room on the tank for it.

 

[pegasus]

It doesn't hurt to keep your options open... right up to the moment you make your first purchase. The 75 would make an excellent tank for saltwater, but I understand... we do get attached to our little finned friends, don't we? LOL! As far as the skimmer goes, I don't think you'll need it with a lightly stocked tank. The macros in the fuge and small water changes should keep nitrates and phosphates completely under control. Oh well... first things first. You'll have to decide what tank you're going to use, and build your equipment list from there. Lighting, heating, amount of rock, substrate, etc. All that revolves around the tank you choose, so the tank is step one. It starts getting exciting at this point, doesn't it?

 

[nano1714]

I'm just worried about hair algae i have had wicked problems in the past. however i have made some extremely avoidable errors like using tap water. I have order the RO/DI unit because of that. Do you think the skimmer and water changes would keep nitrates and phosphates under control in a 10 gallon. I also know canister filters are frowned upon but id also like to run some carbon, if its necessary. I'm also going to have about 12-15lbs of live rock and 10lbs live sand.

 

[lmforbis]

My big tank had briopsis but none of the fluffy regular hair algae. I am converting my 40 breeder that I used for a QT for my tangs to a reef. I added sand and dry rock. Got plenty of hair algae. I figure I'll move my small tuxedo urchin as soon as I can find it he'll mow it down in a couple days.

 

[pegasus]

Hair algae is a PITA. I have had a case of it for over a year in my 125. I have a large skimmer, refugium with chaeto, 6-stage RO/DI, a remote deep sand bed, and dosed NO3O4-X for close to a year, and nothing seemed to help. The only way I could "maintain" it was to manually pluck it from the rocks with hemostats. Only after I purchased a dual canister reactor a few months ago and started running GFO and carbon did I see a glimpse of hope. The algae wasn't exactly receding, but it wasn't growing out of control, either. My Nitrate levels were always low, so the hair algae explosion was obviously due to elevated Phosphate levels. Now that the GFO is removing the Phosphate, I am beginning to see a recession in the pesky algae. The problem with Phosphate is that once it's in your system, the sand and rocks become saturated with it. It will leech out for a long, long time even after the source is eliminated. Once the source has been eliminated, it may be barely detectable, or not at all, but this is due to the nuisance algae consuming as fast as it becomes available. As I found out the hard way, prevention is the best course of action. Light feedings, proper light spectrum in the proper photoperiod, and regular water changes should keep Nitrate and Phosphate under control. Fortunately for you, it's easy to do large water changes in a 10 gallon tank. The downside to a 10 gallon tank is that bad things can happen very quickly. Large tanks offer a longer time buffer due to the larger volume of water. Things change much slower, and allow time to catch and correct issues before they become catastrophic. A small tank can "turn over" overnight. That's why they are typically recommended only for seasoned, or advanced hobbyists. My advice to everyone is to always go as big as possible. It costs more to purchase all the equipment and supplies, but losing a 10 gallon tank full of fish, corals, and inverts isn't cheap, either. The only fish I've lost in the past year was due to it jumping out of the tank. I didn't know six-line wrasses would jump, but this one did. It's mate is terribly lonely now, since it doesn't get to spawn dance every evening...

My point is, having 160 gallons (total volume) makes it much easier to keep things stable, where as with a small tank, even simple water changes tend to destabilize the system to a certain degree. Not saying it can't be done successfully, it just takes a little more attention and dedication. Just my 2c...

 

[nano1714]

i completely understand, larger the volume the easier. unfortunatley at this time i just don't have the space for something of that size . one thing i do have is time though, knowing that I will have to pay close attention to parameters. my plan is just to take it slow and just keep an eye on EVERYTHING! thats why I'm also starting fresh. before i had very little income and i was attending school and working 2 part time jobs. Now that i am stable I'm ready to make my tank stable! I'm sorry to here about your six-line and its mate

 

[pegasus]

Sounds like you've got determination, and that's a good thing. I think you'll be fine with whatever size you go with. Just wanted you to be aware of the challenge. At least the HOB will offer a little extra volume... lol!

And thanks for your condolences...

 

[nano1714]

I was also given a FINEX HOB refugium, it doesn't seem like much but its also smaller then the aquafuge (which i plan on using on a bigger tank eventually.) i have never used it before would that be worth using instead of the HOB filter? Also what are your thoughts on a canister filter? and yes i have been wanting to get a tank setup and running for sometime now. it seems like all the spare time i have had lately i find myself researching and reading online!

 

[pegasus]

My thoughts on a canister filter? I have none. I looked into those when I first started, and realized that it was not going to be a cost-effective method of filtration. Filters have to be changed regularly, and that adds up. Changing filters has a way of altering parameters, as a good bit of beneficial bacteria builds up on the pads. Removing those filters reduces the amount of de-nitrifying bacteria in the system, and can allow for mini-cycles to occur. I'd rather not disturb the balance, or at least as little as possible, so I use a refugium. Refugiums offer natural filtration, as well as a place for pods to grow and breed. These critters are a tasty and healthy treat to many fish, and are a valuable part of your cleanup crew. Besides, I'm not dedicated enough to maintain a canister filter... lol! I never know what my schedule will be like, so I need something that's virtually maintenance-free. Canister filters don't really do much for nitrate and phosphate, unless you have specific media for these things. There is the Aqua Pure filter that works for nitrate, and to a certain extent phosphate, but it must be "fed" a carbon based food occasionally to keep a healthy population of bacteria. The same thing can be accomplished by carbon dosing your tank, which works well if you have sufficient anaerobic areas for the bacteria to grow (large rocks and deep sand bed). An adequate skimmer is invaluable when carbon dosing. But back to the HOB... I personally would prefer to have the natural filtration of a refugium than the mechanical filtration of a canister.

I know how easily your spare time can get eaten up with research and studying. My wife used to complain all the time about me being glued to my monitor. Of course, now she understands why I did it, and sees the results of all that data gathering. There was a lot to learn, and probably always will be, but it's not as overwhelming as it was in the beginning. The research gave me the building blocks and basics, but only trial-and-error, and hands-on experience led me find what works for me. No two tanks are exactly alike, so what works for some may not work for others. They all have one thing in common, though: All tanks will benefit from stability. This means no broad swings in pH, temp, salinity, elements, etc. Unless it's a matter of life-or-death, changes should be made slowly. Nothing good ever happens in saltwater quickly. Creating the tank of your dreams is a long, drawn out process. It must happen gradually, just as in nature. Take your time, never stop researching, and you'll be fine...

 

[lmforbis]

I used a canister filter for over ten years on my old reef. Needed frequent cleaning but did the job well. Now I have a sump and refugium with macro that is essentially maintainable free. Does it do a better job than a well maintained canister, probably not, but the fact that I don't have to do anything is great.

 

[nano1714]

Yea I think I'm going to just go with the refugium and a skimmer. Wish I could do a sump but again limited on space it's going to be on a desk. It's just going to fit with the skimmer and HOB refugium! Thanks for all the info guys it's very appreciated and anything else you know please share the knowledge!

 

[nano1714]

well i have the tank up and running. for filtration i went with a HOB refugium which I'm going to put some macros in and some rubble rock. also I'm running a HOB filter with just activated carbon (i know some are for and some are against this). as for lights I have a 4 bulb T5HO fixture. as far as corals what would i be able to keep? softies and SPS?as far as stocking fish wise. I was thinking a false percula clown, clown goby, and maybe a yellow watchman/candy can pistol shrimp. would this be to much? all feed back is welcome please!

 

[lmforbis]

There shouldn't be any issues between the fish but That might bea bit much for 10 gallons. Be sure tank is fully cycled then add fish one at a time.

 

[nano1714]

yea I'm not adding anything until at least september, just because i have a couple weekend get aways planned and i don't want to have to worry about it. plus longer the better, right? and I'm going to be adding a CUC first. any recommendations?

Another question. Has anyone ran a refugium while cycling?

 

[nano1714]

also would i need a top on the refugium? i plan on putting a mangrove in it anyway so it would be kind of hard to put a top on it

 

[lmforbis]

You don't need a top but you do need a light which you don't want to get wet.

 

[nano1714]

agreed! i read a lot of people have been using a clip on light since the fuge isn't very big. That way the light is far enough away from the water.