New Tank

[sacsalt]

Hi, I am going to convert my freshwater tank to saltwater. I would like to know what is the best equipment that you would recommend. Its a 90gal tank and I am going to set it up from beginning. I would like to know what kind of light, filter, pumps, heaters, substrate, skimmer, or other should I buy. thanks

 

[mkroher]

welcome.. you might get many replies with different opinions.
my advice..
Take your time. read. do research. read about sumps & overflow boxes. You will form a decision that is best for your scenario.

 

[marchingbandjs]

Welcome
I recently started my own tank and here is what i found.
Crushed Coral is a pain in the rear people say, and over time can lead to unwanted spikes in ammonium and nitrates. So i would go, and i went with live sand. But not all one size because it will clump, so i did some very big sand, mixed with very fine sand.
Undergravel filters, have a tendency to grow funk underneath them, so everyone said to beweary of them.
Other than that i don't really know what equipment to use.
Hope i helped a lil

 

[locoyo386]

Originally Posted by sacsalt
http:///forum/post/3072013
Hi, I am going to convert my freshwater tank to saltwater. I would like to know what is the best equipment that you would recommend. Its a 90gal tank and I am going to set it up from beginning. I would like to know what kind of light, filter, pumps, heaters, substrate, skimmer, or other should I buy. thanks
Are you looking to have corals?

 

[sacsalt]

Thanks everyone for your replies, but Please be specific on what brand or how much will I need for my tank. I got a 90gal tank and plan to keep corals and fish. Will 5watts per gallon be okay? Is a 125 gal external rena filter be okay for salt water or do I need a sump?

 

[trouble93]

Originally Posted by sacsalt
http:///forum/post/3072442
Thanks everyone for your replies, but Please be specific on what brand or how much will I need for my tank. I got a 90gal tank and plan to keep corals and fish. Will 5watts per gallon be okay? Is a 125 gal external rena filter be okay for salt water or do I need a sump?
Keep this in mind if nothing else...Nothing good happens over night when dealing with this hobby. First thing you will need to do is research!!! At the top of this board is a thread 101 Tips to Beginning and Maintaining a Saltwater Aquarium. Start there!!! There are a lot of people that will tell you should start with one brand then there will be more people that will say you should start with another, and it will go on and on. read as much as you can on it all. Before you spend your first dollar. Like most of us you will want a whole setup like yesterday, but when you rush in this hobby you are setting yourself up for more problems down the line. And it will take the joy right out of it for you. We can give you a list of everything you will need, but if you don't know what to do with it we hurt you more then help you. RESEARCH is the key to this hobby. Welcome aboard

 

[aquaguy24]

i have 90g reef 1 yr old.. heres my equipment list..
-current usa outer orbit 250w mh/4x54w t5 actinic-pheonix 14k bulbs.
-aqua c ev-120 protein skimmer /mag 5 pump.
-20g sump.
-pro clear overflow box/u-tube syphon.
-quiet one 2200 return pump.
-2xkorallia #4
-400w hydor theo heater.
-110lbs lr
-80lbs ls
-oceanic salt.
-corallife 50gpd 4stage ro/di
might be forgetting something ..heres a pic...i love postin pics..

 

[aquaguy24]

without the proper research...the equipment i just listed will mean nothin...brand and equipment will vary due to wat kind of set-up, how much room u have, ur budget...etc....so my list is just to give u an idea of wat u need to get started...to be honest...my whole set up so far including fish, corals and everything else u see in the pic cost me about $3000 maybe more..i did not buy everything at once...it took me about a year of research and planning to finally actually puting water in the tank...

 

[sacsalt]

Thanks for all great information. I love your tank aquaguy24. It looks super nice. I just want to see what I will need and to see the popular brand people use. I know a good brand will last longer in most cases. I tryed this with freshwater fish. I am doing research and finding great information. I am going to take it slow and do more research before I setup the tank. It helps me see what people use and would like to buy one thing that will last some time not to just keep buying grap.

 

[mkroher]

sacsalt..
my first saltwater tank was using the exact same equipment when it was freshwater.
same light, filter, and heater.
just go slow, you'll learn what you need to get over time.

 

[sacsalt]

I would like to start off with a basic setup upgrades. For example; Light, pumps, and a sump. Thanks for the comments

 

[runn3rb3an]

I have a 90 gallon tank too. What I would do is go get your tank drilled at your lfs. Overflow boxes can cause problems and are annoying IMO. I got a 40 gallon used tank from craigslist for like 40 bucks and I turned it into a diy sump/refugium, much much better than a canister or HOB filter IMO if your looking to have a heavy stocklist in the future. A refugium also helps with water params and pod development. I also have a coralife 150 protein skimmer, I think.
I would take it slow and find out what you want your sump/fuge layout to looklikw before diving right into it.
Also if you plan on keeping corals I would buy the best lights you can afford instead of upgrading a step up each time. You save a lot of money by just skipping to the best.
Use aragonite sand too, I used two 40lb bags I think and have a nice deep sandbed. Aragonite acts as a ph buffer too, one less thing to worry about.

 

[sacsalt]

How much lighting you think I will need to grow corals. Is is around 500 watts?

 

[aquaguy24]

wat type of corals are u looking to keep. Wat type of lighting r u looking at. T5,MH,PC??

 

[sacsalt]

I was thinking of PC lighting. I would like to buy something that will fit for all types of coral. I didnt read to much about coral yet, but just want to get an idea at want type will work. I would like to buy a light that will cover most of the requirments for common corals, so I dont have to upgrade later. I read that the watts range from 3-5 per gallon for the corals right?

 

[aquaguy24]

if u want to keep all types of corals i would highly recommend lookn into T5's or MH...these types of lighting are way more efficient then a pc fixture with the same wattage...

 

[premilove]

make sure the t5s you get have individual reflectors. sometimes t5s will not penetrate a deep tank as opposed to metal halides.

 

[sacsalt]

Thanks, I did some research and I will probable will go with soft coral because they are more safer to have and require less lighting then the hard corals. I am going to look into the T5s lighting. I am going to buy 2xkorallia #4 from my LFS this week. Is it better to get 4 smaller ones or 2 of the bigger korallia #4? I am going to start putting the tank slowly together. I see you have hard and soft corals right aquaguy24?
What do you think about his lighting

 

[gypsana]

Only buy high quality lighting. Personally I like T5's over MH. If you buy a cheaper brand you will regret it. I have the Tek T5 fixture and they are fantastic. Nova T5 have a pretty good rep as well. I do not know much about MH brands so hopefully someone else can help you there. I would go with the #4 korallia's, they have more power to spread the distance over your tank. That is what I use in my 90 gal.