Starting a new reef tank........

[nvmycj]

Howdy folks....
Let me just say, this is a very informative site. HOWEVER, the more I read, the more questions pop into my head. For example........
1. With a reef tank, mine being a 55 gallon, I plan on getting a wet-dry filter with protein skimmer right from the get go. Here's my question.........Do I need Bio Balls or no?
2. What does it mean when one says, "my tank cycle is complete?" And how do I know that mine is?
3. I was told that the lighting I was planning on getting is sufficient for my 55 gallon........it's a 48" Aquatic Deluxe Series with 260 Watts with fans. It has 2-65 watt Actinic and 2-65 watt 10,000K compact fluorescent lamps. Now those are big words for me.....Actinic and 10,000 K compact fluorescent lamps!!! And what is metal hylide?
I'm terribly sorry if I sound ignorant, but all the books and sites that I'm reading are just not consistent with there answers. ANY help would be VERY appreciative. Tankx.
nvmycj :help:

 

[aarone]

1. Welcome to SWF!
2. Bioballs can be a good thing if you maintain them....some people dont like them because they can becomenitrate traps contributing to algae growth and overall bad water quality.
3. Do a search for "nitrogen cycle"
4. Your lights are sufficient to a certain degree....you will be able to keep most corals with the exception to some of the Large Polyped Scleractinian (lps) and Small Polyped Scleractinian (sps)...this means no clams or anemones also.
5. Metal Halide is a type of lighting...it produces great amounts of light and penetrates the water very deep....this is the best choice if you are doing a serious reef tank....they can get hot though.
Keep doing your research and this hobby will pay off (keep telling your self that when you buy 600 dollar lights!)

 

[niger12]

Do not appologize for asking questions you may think trivial. We have all been in your shoe and many of us still need help with things.
1. I would skip the wet/dry and just build a sump out of a glass aquarium. The bio filtration done by th bio-balls in a reef will be done by the LR and sand. The bioball are really not needed and the money saved on buying a wetdry I would spend it on a top line skimmer (EuroReef, AquaC EV, E.T.S.S)
2. The cycle is the procces of building up the bennificial bacteria the tank needs to complete the nitrogen cycle. Amonia to Nitrite to Nitrate. Do some research on tank cycling so you can understand this process better.
3. The lighting sounds fine. With being a new reefer you are going to want to stay with hardier corals (softies, leathers, shrooms and some LPS) and the majority that I can think of will do fine under PC lighting. If you can afford Metal Hallide lighting I would get them now. They are the best lights for reefs. They produce the most intese lighting that will support any coral you would like to keep as you grow with the hobbie. MH bulbs put out more photosynthetic light than any other lighting available.
As far as getting consistant answers, everybody has thier own opinion. Listen to the people on this board. They have tons of knowledge and have for the most part the same views. Everybody as they start getting more comfortable with the hobby will start to try thing that may be different from the norm. This does not mean they are wrong it just means it works for them. Or at least that is what they will tell you. My advice always listen to the majority.

 

[rangermonroe]

Remember to plan for the future when you are at the set up stage.
Regardless of the direction that you want your tank to go, FOWLR, Reef, etc...you oftentimes will save money in the long run by purchasing equipment that is of higher quality or a little "more" than you need "right now".

 

[nvmycj]

Wow........thanks for all the great info. However with all this new info.........new questions arise.........
Niger12: So you don't think I'll need a wet-dry with bio balls. Good. Money saved. However, what is a sump and how does one build such a think from an aquarium? Will I be able to attach a protein skimmer to a "home made sump?" And when I decide to put 4-5 fishies in my reef, does/will the sump be able to filter out the fishy poopy?
Aarone: You know, I'd love to spend $600.00 on lighting, but we're closing on our house in 2 wks. So $$$$$ is a little scarce. I think the lamp I'm getting will suffice for what I want to do. My rationale is that my 55 gallon tank is not too deep and my lamp will be fine for LR and coral. In addition, I read that MH lamps produce A LOT of heat, leading me into thinking that I need a chiller for my 55 Gallon. Which means more $$$$$. My wife is reluctant in allowing me to spend a GREAT amount of money, which I understand due to our 3 kids. I'm happy that she's letting me pursue my new hobby. Remember the old saying,........happy wife,.........happy life!!!

So I figured......I move in, settle down, pick a spot for my tank, and then I'll start. First with an RO/DI, then lamp, then filter/sump, & live sand(agronite, sp?). Next question......how soon after I put my water and sand in my tank, can I put in the LR? For a 55 gallon, I'm assuming around 55 pounds. Fiji or Florida rock? Do they have different growths on them? I've noticed in stores that sell live rock, their rock doesn't have that purple algae on it. It's just plain green. Does that mean it's not "cured?" Once my rock is in, how soon after can I put damsels in to start the cycle?
Any recommendations on books discussing the various corals, their shapes, colors, difficulty in up keep,...etc...etc.....
So there you have it........more questions for anyone who would like to entertain them. Again,........thank you.
NVMYCJ (one with many questions)

 

[fishman830]

if you're gonna get lr.. i'd skip the damsels.. they'll be a pain in the but, and i'd get the filtration before the light, and the light before the lr, but the ls can go in the beggining

 

[niger12]

Do a search on this board for sumps and look for pictures. They are quite simple to make out of a glass tank. The skimmer will set in any sump. This website will also give you some plans and ideas to build it out of arylic. www.melevesreef.com
Good luck

 

[guppy slayer]

I'd put in the LR right from the get-go. It will help with the cycle and is natural filtration. The other thing is that I wouldn't use a damsel for anything. Eventually you'll want to remove or kill the little devels. Use a peace of raw shrimp or if you really wanted to use live fish get a bunch of mollies

 

[nvmycj]

Again,.....thank you for your replies!
Fishman830: What is Ir and Is?
Niger12: Thanks for the website. Will the sump be able to filter out the fishie poopie vs a wet-dry/skimmer? And what is the material "arylic" you told me to build with?
Guppy slayer: Is there such a thing as salt water mollies?
Thanks...

 

[mightyoxjuice]

Do lots of research and read lots of opinions.
lr=live rock
ls=live sand
In the beginner forum is a list to show you the most common acronyms used on the board.

 

[nvmycj]

How soon after my tank cycles, can I add corals, inverts......? Wait 4-6 weeks, with nothing but LR and LS, right?

 

[mburnickas]

Maybe I am wrong but I think you want to wait a several months till your take matures somewhat. Fish would be fine after about 6-weeks but coral and inverts I think you need to wait longer.
I have had my tank running 7 weeks with nothing in it but LS, LR. Snails, worms & chaetomorpha was added after cycle was complete (about 4 weeks).
They Longer you wait the better. Take your time and nothing happens fast in the "trade".

 

[nvmycj]

Mburnikus:
Thanks.....I think that I'll take your advice on waiting for my tank to cycle longer, and then add my corals and inverts. You're right,...........it's not going to do nothing but benefit me. But two questions if I may.........
1) If I have a sump and refuge, will that be o.k. with only LR and LS since I don't have bioballs?
2) What kind of worms did you add,....and what are chaetomorpha?
Thanks

 

[mburnickas]

I could be wrong but from what I read, it just comes down to your water parameters need to become stable. New tanks are all over the place, so to speak.
You do not need bio-balls with LS and LR. I personally like bio-balls and run LS & LR. If you do not have bio-balls just make you have the correct amount of LR. Normally it is like 1 lb per gallon of water. Some go by tank size and some go by water volume.
With my LS bed I only have 55 gallons of water in my tank (75 gallon). So I have 44 lbs of LR. Bio-balls are great for adding O2 to the water. SO I kept them. I have been using a wet/dry since 1993 or 1994 and never had problems. I have since learned some better cleaning habits from this site. These habits make cleaning it to KEEP the biological and not kill it in cleaning. Some love the wet/dry some hate them. It is like the great engine oil debate. I do what I like and works for me. I do not mind the extra 10 minutes of cleaning every few months. I use pre-filters (50 micron) that helps keep the BB clean.
Chaetomorpha is MicroAge that I run in my wet/dry (pump side). I like this since it does not go a sexual with any light issues. And if it dies you are fine with the water. I run a 6,500K light on the Wet/dry for 12 hours per day starting at 9pm (after main tank lights are off). It was also add some nutrients to the water and does take some bad junk out of the water. Plus it does not grow very quick which makes it more manageable.
And lastly, I have Spaghetti Worms to my DSB. At first you could see the tracks on the glass within the DSB. Now they have moved to the inner portion of the BSD. VERY hard to see them sticking there bodies out of the sand. Never mind the pods everywhere (and within the Wet/dry).
The Protein skimmer is a must. I am looking at my skimmer cup right now and after 2.5 days it has 2” of green smelly junk in it. It is amazing the stuff it pulls out.
I also do not have metal halides (MH). I have a regular Pc lighting from coralife. It has a total of 260watts with the 03 (blue) and 10K bulbs (white). You can run:
(softies)
Xenia
GSP
Mushrooms
Ricordea
Colt
Many brown leathers
Frogspawn
Bubble
*green start polyps *
Torch
and CandyCane will do great.
You could add inverts. Just need to place them where they will be happy. Just place them on the sand and see what happens. If they (invert, LPS etc ) do not open move them higher up toward the light.
Also MH will add heat to water so place them accordingly or get a chiller. They are great for hard the corals PC and VHO can’t keep but they have a high price. So it you do not want or need MH why buy them. Plus just starting off, like me, your budget can get “blown” pretty quickly.
PS- Also I have used vista heaters and it seems there newer ones d onot hold up very well since I have had (2) break already. I left one site in my tank, with new water, for 1-hour then turned on. It blew up that night. So I had a spare good thing and I used that and that one cracked.
So I had an old backup from the 90's (vista) and it worked. So the moral of the story is have an extra heater laying around and I would use the Pro Heats. They do not crack. I have the Pro heat and the Pro heat 2. They both hold the water temp at 79 perfect.
Sorry to type so long, too much coffee the wife made!