Newbie in need of direction

[ced935]

Hello everyone,
I'm sooo glad I stumbled across this website but unfortunatly it was only after talking to and believing one of the guys at my LFS and spending a lot of $$. I was talked into buying a 100 gal tank, a Fluval 404, a huge heater, LOTS of live sand (about 2-3 inches), 2 large pieces of base rock and a few small pieces of live rock, along with 5 damsels to cycle the tank.
I set all of this up and let it cycle for 60 days while completing tour of duty near Afghanistan.
While overseas I read The Conscientious Marine Aquarist and 101 tips thread on this site and realized I made some mistakes. I plan to:
1. Get a sump or refuguim (sp?). What's the difference???
2. Get rid of some of this sand.
3. Get more live rock.
4. Take the damsels back to the LFS (I know they will be a pain to catch but I'll pretty much empty the tank).
5. Find a new LFS that knows what a REFRACTOMETER is.
6. Get a QT tank
Are there any other steps that I'm leaving out?

 

[cowfishrule]

left.

 

[melaniecm]

1. Get a sump or refuguim (sp?). What's the difference???
a sump is where you can put equipment like skimmers and heaters in and add some extra water body and filtration and a refugium is basicly to grow plants and pods undisturbed but also adds extra water body and bio filtration, if im not mistaken.
this is a simplified list of equipment you will need for your tank:
http://www.aquariumresource.com/supplies.php

 

[ced935]

1. Get a sump or refuguim (sp?). What's the difference???
a sump is where you can put equipment like skimmers and heaters in and add some extra water body and filtration and a refugium is basicly to grow plants and pods undisturbed but also adds extra water body and bio filtration, if im not mistaken.
I hope you're not mistaking because that makes sense to me. Thanks for the help

 

[srfisher17]

I think this forum should start a list of all lfs the sell damsels to cycle and keep the list on a sticky. For me, this would keep me out of that store forever. Not just the humanatarian part; I really don't care if folks feed damsels to lions and groupers, but the work and damage caused in removing them. Plus, it shows either greed or pure ignorance on the part of the lfs. To be fair, a list of the great (and there are plenty) lfs as well. Every fish I've bought for years has been online and I'll never do it any other way; but sometimes, I do need to visit my lfs for little things. Man, that must be a tough biz to compete in!

 

[mr_x]

did you add the sand yet? if you did, i'd keep it. it won't hurt anything.
if you didn't add the live sand, return all of it and buy dry aragonite based sand. it will become live soon enough, and for alot cheaper.
i'd suggest to return the floval 404, or keep it to use as a media reactor, and get a good quality protein skimmer.
what are you planning on doing with this tank? will it be a fish only, or a reef? an aggressive tank?
if you are planning to keep aggressive fish, the damsels will fit right in, or end up as dinner.
if it's to be a reef, then you'll need good quality lighting.
you will want a sump. i suggest a refugium as well. they can be in the same container.
(like stated above...a sump is a supplimental container used to increase water volume, plus keep your things like a protein skimmer and heaters...any media reactors...and possibly the refugium as well)

 

[cowfishrule]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2599981
i'd suggest to return the floval 404, or keep it to use as a media reactor, and get a good quality protein skimmer.
not necessarily. it all depends on what he wants to do.
i had huge success with my fluval 305 on my 40g tank.
i think its perfectly fine for a fowlr, and even lower maintainance(sp) corals.

 

[ced935]

I've already added the sand. I think I'll still have to get rid of some of it because I didn't think about fish digging up the sand and possibly causing it to fall.
I should have mentioned my intentions with the tank earlier: I plan to do a FOWLR. I don't have a stock list together yet but my wife really like Yellow Tangs so it will probably be a peaceful community tank. This is why I think I need to get rid of the damsels.

 

[mr_x]

causing what to fall? the rock? just sink the rock to the bottom of the sand bed. it will also depend on what kind of fish you will end up keeping. tangs won't dig up the sand at all.
i'd take a good protein skimmer over a cannister filter any day, bearing in mind that you have live rock in the tank as well.