NEW GUY NEEDS HELP...

reeflive

reeflive

New Member
Hey there, what's up SWF...
This is kind of a "hello" thread, but at the same time I'm new to reef tanks...
I've owned a 55g FOWLR in the past that was successful, however it got dull for me so I wanted to try out a reef tank...
I don't have that 55g anymore and I was planning on getting a tank from glasscages.com (40g Long - 36 x 18 x 13) along with a 20g Long Sump/Fuge...
As far as stocking goes... I want to get some peaceful, reef safe, easy to keep fish, invertebrates, and corals...
I know what I want to do as far as stocking, but it's the equipment I'm stuck on. I don't know which light to go with, powerheads, etc... (want to keep soft corals, possibly lps...)
STOCKING PLANS
FISH
ocellaris clownfish ~ 2
red firefish ~ 2
green chromis ~ 3
midas blenny ~ 1
mandarin dragonet ~ 1
INVERTEBRATES
starfish ~ possibly 2, not sure what kind yet...
shrimp ~ possibly 2
emerald crab ~ 1
turbo snail ~ 12
other snail ~ 28
CORALS
soft
lps ~ possibly
Thanks a lot,
REEFLIVE
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hello Reeflive! WELCOME to the sit!
I would not go to glass cages...only because I can't afford it....LOL
To be honest, a reef has the same needs as a regular FOWLR tank, just stronger lighting.
For coral you want strong light, back in the day that meant Metal Halides, but today strong T5HO or LED lights can do the job. To date MHs give that twinkle in the water effect that no other light can copy.
Use live sand or or dry aragonite, (sugar sized)...not crushed coral
You will also need a Skimmer (not right away) , in my opinion an Octopus 1000sss or Tunz brand are great.
Build your rocks with lots of shelves to set coral on and you might consider some large caves and over hangs...not all coral wants all that bright light and having a shaded area will allow for more variety.
You don't want maxi jet type power heads, you want the Korilia type, they make a wave instead of a jet stream of water...in a 40g ... 2 large or 3 medium.
A lg plastic garbage can (marked FISH ONLY) is needed to mix water for water changes and any other thing that comes up for emergancies and original filling of the tank. I do use a maxijet type utility pump to churn the new mixed salt 24 hours before I use it. The pump with a hose attached is great for pumping water from point A to point B...so I would get that as well.
LOL..a mag float is a very needed piece of equipment.
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
yes I forgot to say WELCOME!
flower said basically everything, but I will add that a reef will need a lighter bio load then a FOWLR.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelerjp98 http:///t/387728/new-guy-needs-help#post_3413689
yes I forgot to say WELCOME!
flower said basically everything, but I will add that a reef will need a lighter bio load then a FOWLR.
Traveler, I didn't know that. I thought the systems were exactly alike except for lighting. I never over crowded my tank with fish. Now I learned two new things today.
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
As for lighting I would look into LED's they run cooler and less expensive on your electric bill. They cost more but the bulbs are good for 50,000 hours and MH need to be replaced ever 8 months to a year. I have softies and LPS, I have had the marineland reef LED fixture for 6 months everything is doing great. As for the Mandarin you need to wait till your tank is well established and you need a sump for the pods have a place to reproduce.
Oh ya welcome
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Flower, - I also recommend a lighter bioload in a reef, but I'm old school. lol
I can't say that I agree with the mandarin goby in a 40g breeder. Are you going to be running a large refugium and/or an algae scrubber? Without sufficient copepods/amphipods, a mandarin will starve to death.
For a 40g breeder with some softies and easy to keep LPS corals but NO ANEMONES, I would recommend going with at least a 4xT5 36" lighting system. It would be enough light for what you are trying to keep, and it's not going to break the bank.
It doesn't sound like you are going to heavily stock your system, so I would recommend going skimmerless and setting up a refugium with Chaeto or C. Mexicana. If you really really really want a mandarin, I would properly build and maintain an algae scrubber for the copepods and nitrate and phosphate removal. If you build a scrubber, there's no need for a refugium.
As far as flow goes, Koralia powerheads are affordable and a great place to start. I agree with Flower on this one. 2 large or 3 smaller ones. Is your 40g breeder going to have an internal flow or external overflow? If you haven't already ordered it - I would definitely recommend getting it drilled with an overflow box and pairing it with a Mag 5 return pump. If you want to go a little more expensive on the return pump, you could buy an Eheim.
Welcome to the hobby, and to the boards. I hope to see you around.
 
reeflive

reeflive

New Member
Thanks everyone for all of the help...
I am actually going to be building a refugium, and wait a while until I can add the mandarin...
as for the lighting I really like the LED systems...how about the Marineland LED systems? $200-$300 is about my limit for lighting...
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
ahhh i havent heard many good things about marineland LEDs...like snake said the t5 fixture is prob ur most bite for ur buck! U could add a couple led strips down the road for a nice shimmer! The mandarin i would put off for a year at least! I believe some fish should be left in the ocean but others have had success of getting the to eat frozen!
40b is a nice tank, ull enjoy it!
Snake have u had both the mags and enhims? Which one did u like more, can u give a lil comparison?
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
In my experience and opinion, I really like the marine land LED systems... yes, it's better to do your own whole DIY thing, but c'mon... you really have to be determined to do one.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///t/387728/new-guy-needs-help#post_3413746
ahhh i havent heard many good things about marineland LEDs...like snake said the t5 fixture is prob ur most bite for ur buck! U could add a couple led strips down the road for a nice shimmer! The mandarin i would put off for a year at least! I believe some fish should be left in the ocean but others have had success of getting the to eat frozen!
40b is a nice tank, ull enjoy it!
Snake have u had both the mags and enhims? Which one did u like more, can u give a lil comparison?
I have an Ehiem on both of my tanks for my return pumps, I love them. They even have a dial so I can regulate the flow.
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
travler u know they use 1w leds! Not nearly as powerful as the 3w crees! U can keep some lps and softies yes but the 3w leds are where its at!
thxs flower for the input!
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Eheims are great - they are a little more expensive, but you do get better features, as Flower pointed out. Eheims also add less heat to the water then Mag Drive pumps do, but to me it's negligible.
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
I own the marineland reef LED's have only softies and LPS for the last 6 month all corals are doing well. I had 1 hammer branch started to melt away so I moved from the top of a rock to the middle and it is doing fine now. A couple of items you need to know if you want the marineland fixture, make sure you get the reef fixture all fixtures are 1wat LED but the reef one has more bulbs. Bulbs are close together in fixture make sure you order the max. width for your tank (bulbs start about 4" in from actual width of fixture). Also each fixture throws about a 10" wide band so you may need more fixtures to cover entire width of your tank (front to back), Note: fixture has fine print that it can not be mounted over open top tank LED bulbs are exposed so if they get wet (from salt spray) they'll go bad. If you have any more question you can PM me.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I was considering Ecoxotic panorama LED's for my 20g reef tank, but I want to keep SPS corals, so I threw out that idea. Besides, with a small tank, a 4x or 6x t5 unit was just about the same cost as two of those LED strips.
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
are we talking about the panorama strips of the actaul fixture that runs $700!!!!
Ive got some par bulbs and after doing a par experiment one day...im not impressed! Also ive got a stark led fixture that is better...
Ai sols are some of the better units out their but they run $500 i thinks
 
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