Newbie small tank questions...

[ponzspyder]

Hello, I am a newbie to SW tanks and to this board. I have a 55gal FW tank that has been set up for a little under a year now and running well. Every time I visit my LFS I have gotten more and more interested in SW so I have started planning a small tank. I would love ANY help or suggestions anyone may have to point me in the right direction, please
What I have planned so far is this… ( as a typical newbie, I have lots of questions! )
- 26gal Bow w/ glass top and a twin strip light ( what bulbs? )
- Ok, first off let me tell you that I am looking at Green Chromis ( how many? ) or a pair of small fish that get along well. I just really liked the look of the Green Chromis when I saw them in the LFS. BTW, I also liked the Flame Scallop I saw there too…
- I am guessing 25 – 30lbs of LR. My LFS has LR for sale that has been there for a while and is really starting to get a lot of growth now.
- LS to top off a 3” sand bed
- Clean up crew suggestions??
- Fluval 204, 304 or 404?? ( it seems SW needs a larger amount of turnover, maybe the 204 with an additional powerhead for the current? )
- 100 Watt submersible heater
Let em know if I left anything out…

 

[a&m aggie 04']

are you goign to start out with FOWLR (fish only with live rock), and no corals???
If thats the case, most everything sounds okay but here are a few suggestions. Id go w/ a little bigger heater 150W or even 2 100 W. Id give the sand bed another inch or two. If you are going with fish only you can use a regular florescent lighting setup w/ just an actinic bulb (blue) and a white (use bulbs specifically made for aquariums). If you plan to do corals, you'll need either PC lighting or VHO.
How about a protein skimmer???
I think a pair of clowns, either true perculas or occelaris would go nice in that tank.
For a clean up crew id put in about 10-15 hermits (blue or red), 5-10 snails, and a few shrimp.
Just remember starting out with a somewhat small tank is difficult. You'll have a smaller margin for error with the water parameters. So just make sure you keep close watch and you should be fine.
Good luck, HTH
Mark

 

[ponzspyder]

Oh, just to make a note...
If you are reading this and are thinking "OMG, what is this guy thinking?!" then please let me know. I dont know anyting about SW fish, inverts, compatability or tank requirement issues. So please feel free to criticize me as long as its the constructive kind

 

[a&m aggie 04']

we all had to start somewhere, welcome to the board

 

[broncofish]

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING just kidding. I think you are coming over to a wonderful hobby. I agree with the perc clown fish(try to get captive bred) The live rock, and DSB could provide enough filtration so no fluval needed, also no skimmer if you do regular water changes. I realy like your tank coice(26 bowfronts are nice little tanks) Chromis might get a little cramped because they like to school(1,3,5,7). Welcom aboard and good luck. By the way the views expressed here are all based on individual experiance, listen to em all, follow them up with research reading, more research and a little more reading, and follow up with the ones that make sense. You should have a lot of fun with this.

 

[ponzspyder]

Yes, this tank will be FOWLR, I don’t even want to think about coral as I will probably kill them this soon off. I just want to try out a smaller tank as a test.
actinic bulb (blue) and a white
ok, blue bulb and what white one? I have used Aqua Glow and Power Glow in my FW setups. Is one of those types sufficient?
- Ok, 150 Watt heater, check! I was debating that one myself
- protein skimmer: maybe after I get farther into the SW hobby, right now that sounds kinda pricy if I want to get a good one.
true perculas or occelaris
I was looking at those two but just really liked the Green guys. Is that your way of steering me away from them? I know I read that they prefer groups and I was worried that my tank may not be big enough
You'll have a smaller margin for error with the water parameters
I understand that, thank you though

 

[ponzspyder]

no fluval needed
Really? wow, wouldnt have though that... I am guessing you mean no filter but with powerheads? Maybe I should get it as a backup? that kinda worries me having no filter...
26 bowfronts are nice little tanks
Thanks, I was originally looking at a 20gal high but the 26bow will give me a deeper tank to place the rock in and some added water to help with stability.

 

[broncofish]

Yes much easier on rock work, and I would get 2 power heads. I have a 90 with no filter, i've ran 55's, 20' 29's, and am setting up a 29 with no filter. I due use refugiums, and it might want to be something you look ate. You could get your tank drilled before you start, but I might be pushing you a little to much. Do a search on refugiums, try and check them out. I have yet to read a post complaining about refugiums.

 

[a&m aggie 04']

the sand and live rock could act as your only filtration but to be safe to start id use a filter. Id also put a powerhead in there, to get you at least 10X the turnover rate in your tank.
If you'd want only green cromis then you could get them, how about a green cromis and pair of clowns. Not trying to steer you away from them, but the clowns have a great personality.
As for the bulbs, id probably go with a URI aquasun, or a corallife 10,000 k. and then the actinic "03" bulb.
HTH,
Mark

 

[broncofish]

I agree with aggie, 1 chromi, and 2 clowns sound cool, maybe even a small 6 line wrasse(may be pushing it). and Ponz perfect example of how everyone has different opinions, and to be honest I ran a filter on my first LR, LS tank until the jitters went away.

 

[a&m aggie 04']

no doubt about it you could eliminate a filter, but i think you should get your live sand established then you could remove it, just my .02.
Mark

 

[ponzspyder]

Ok, I have been doing some reading up Fish: I now think that I may forget the chromis I keep reading that it likes groups and I don’t want to give him a complex or anything by sitting there all by himself. I also can't fit a bunch of them in my planned tank. I am leaning more toward the suggested pair of clowns, I think the Ocellaris one since it seems to not grow as big as the "true" Percula ( please correct me if I am wrong here ).
I still wanted to throw in another tiny fish though if possible. After some reading, I found a Royal Gramma Basslet and a Neon Goby. The Goby seems to be smaller of the two and considered a "cleaner fish" so that might end up being my choice. What are your thoughts?
In the end though, I have a long time to go before I add fish to the tank ( considering that I haven’t even ordered the tank yet ) so I may change that last one... unless everyone agrees with that choice.
Lighting: I found the AQUALIGHT POWER COMPACT 2X36W that comes with the 2 bulbs included that were suggested. Will that be enough light? There is a more expensive one that has higher wattage...
DSB: Hmm, with only a 26gal tank... a 4" sand bed would take up a lot of space that could be use for a larger mass of water and swimming space... is it really worth it to use the DSB theory of filtering? If I go with a refugium in the future, couldn’t I just put a DSB in there to do the nitrate removal?
Filter: With this topic, it seems like I will need to do more research than I thought still. I like the idea of a sump/refugium type setup for various reasons but more importantly for my tank, it would add more water to the mix. Is it possible to use the Fluval with a power head/pump for a while and then later add a sump/refugium and use the Fluval to pump the water back into the main tank? ( I am looking for flexibility of equipment here as I am not exactly sure what I will want to go for in the future. )
Looking forward to reading your opinions, thank you in advance

 

[broncofish]

I am setting up a similar size tank right now(29g) and I am skipping any filtration other than the refugium, but I have been doing this for a little while. If you have not gotten the tank yet I would recommend buying one that is Reef Ready(pre-drilled). Than you can run the fluval or the fuge(yes you can change those out at any time). Also how about a compromise on the DSB. Go for 3" in the display tank, and if you add a fuge later make it a 6" DSB. MY False Percs are small. I have never had the trues' so I am not to sure on there size, the gobies are cool, but so is Purple FIrefish(so many options). Also I like your light choice, it would be enough to suppport some low light corals after you get your feet wet. Sounds like your on the right track.

 

[king of ninx]

if u do want to use a filter don not use a fluval i had such problems with it i just got tired with it and i threw it out the window i got a filstar 2 for my 30 gallon it is a new filter and works very well but this just my option

 

[ponzspyder]

i had such problems with it
What sort of problems? Were they SW related problems or did you just not like the unit itself. I have had the 404 in my 55 FW setup for months now and it's hard for me to think of anything wrong with it so far...

 

[king of ninx]

in the frist weeks that i had it the plunger broke and then it would not start so i had to shake the hole canaster. after a power outage or some thing like that so i got feed up with it and i got a filstar 2 and i had no problems with.

 

[debbers]

Hi,
Like you, I went from doing FW tanks to a small SW set up. When I first began, I used my 29 gal. FW tank that I had. I used the existing light, heater and biowheel. All I added was a powerhead. My substate is aragonite sand and I used LR. You can see what I've got in my signature below.
You can skip the protein skimmer (I didn't get mine until I got my LPS corals), and as far as the filtration, my water parameters are very good, and fluctuate very little. I'd say if you're not going to go with a DSB, go ahead and run the filter.
Something else you'll want to invest in before fish and such is good quality test kits. Keep a log of your water parameters from day 1 so that you can track your cycle and such. It's great for reference. You'll have an easier time coming from FW, but you will find that SW requires more diligence and much less room for error. But I wouldn't say it's any harder than FW!
For fish, I love my pair of ocellaris percs. If you get them small, they will pair up. It's less expensive than purchasing a "mated pair". I also have a midas blenny that is the best fish!! His personality is not like the lawnmower blennies, and he has great color. The purple firefish (or regular firefish) would be a peaceful addition, as would most types of gobies. I think you'd be happiest with a very peaceful fish, as the clowns can be aggressive.
For your clean up crew, you'll want some snails, hermits, and shrimp. The cleaner shrimp are great additions. Lots of fun to watch!
Anyway, good luck and hope this helps. Welcome to the world of SW, it's great!
~D~