Starting a new tank! Eclipse System. What do u think?

[bustashat]

Hey guys! New to the forum, and to the fish! I love them. A buddy of mine and I are both doing it. What I want to do is start out with the 29 Gallon Eclipse bio system by Marineland.
What do you guys think of this system? The biowheel?
What do I need?
Is a protien skimmer totally neccisary? I want to follow it totally by the book, Add the water, drop two fish in, let the bacteria grow, etc. Any advice and or good tutorials? For all of you who have done this already, what can you share? What kind of sand, that live reef sand, or just plain sand? Decor? Should i run a tube under the sand with an air stone for bubbles and oxygen. It comes with salt, a heater, and all of that jazz. How many fish can i put in there? I want it to be really pretty looking. What kind of rocks? Are any live rocks or plants allowed in these fish only tanks? Thanks for any input. See ya!

 

[arkman]

Hey Dan - I'm just getting back into the hobby, but I've been doing lots of research over the past couple of days...
You are planning fish only? Does the eclipse come with any instructions for SW? Are they really designed for SW? Ive seen some reef tanks online using the eclipse, but not many fish only. Glad to hear that you plan on doing some research and planning. The best advice I can give you right now is to make sure you use RO/DI water --- and good quality salt. Let that run for a bit untill you figure out next steps.
Most of the folks here are big fans of natural filtration using live sand and rocks, but if you are sure you want fish only, I'd look into running copper...
(that should get a response

 

[bigbonedee]

Do your home work and you will find that people are not too happy with the Eclipse. From the wheel getting stuck to not working right to the canopy not letting you have additional hang ons.
I think I weny to Epinions.com and also yahoo and looked up reviews.

 

[fshhub]

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr, sneaky,
OK, let me start off by pointing out the hazards of copper, unhealthy for even fish, lethal to the critters in the sand and such
now, let me try to address your isues
IMO, just get a 29 adn a skimmer plus one smaller powerhead. the eclipse filter is not the most desirable, most of them i have seen, are looking to get replaced. But the options are limited due to the shape of the tank top.
if fish only, you can use a biowheel type filter, yes.
skimmer not neccessary but VERY helpful and highly reccomended
good advice, get the book:" The New Marine Awuarium" by michael paletta, it is well laid out adn answersmany questions and shows you how to do it step by step. It is much more than getting a tank and dropping fish in, and this book would explain most of it for you.
I would reccomend live sand, and in a 29 that would not be too awfully expensive to purchase.
As for decor, your lr and or corals will provide alot of that. If not all.
NO air
one or 2 smaller fish, maybe even 3, depending on the exact fish.
rocks, there is only one thing, and that is LIVE ROCK, althoguh more expensive, it has manymore uses and benifits other than jsut being rock, not to mention it is reef safe, whereas many others are NOT
Any live rock would be allowed adn as for plants, macro algaes is what we call them and any of them woudl be fine, just be careful, many can become a nuance to keep under control.

 

[robchuck]

Add the water, drop two fish in, let the bacteria grow, etc.
By this, you mean you would be getting the biological cycle started (you can search other posts on this board, or read around on the internet to learn more about the "cycle"). During this time, which usually lasts for 3-6 weeks, any living creatures in the tank are subjected to toxic levels of ammonia, and other toxic levels. Usually, only the hardiest of fish is able to survive (damsels), and even they go through extreme stress. It would be most advisable to cycle your tank using a dead cocktail shrimp, or uncured live rock. As far as the amount of fish you can have, a general rule of thumb is 1" for every 5 gallons of water. But it would be better to have a few small fish to get to that total, than a 5-6" tang that requires at least a 75 gallon tank to swim in (even though it fits within the rule. Hope this helps, and there is tons of great advice on this board.

 

[nc reefer]

I will let others tell you about the set up of a SW tank (try to listen to people who give explanations and not just directions). I will however give you my .02 on the Eclipse. I was in your same shoes and went with a 37G Eclipse set up....it will very quickly become apparent that it limits the types of tank you can keep. The lighting can only be upgraded so much (due to size and overheating). The top does not allow for a skimmer or additional filtration. The top itself only fits on 29 and 37G tanks (thus limiting the amount and size of fish you can keep).
Basically, if you want to see if you will like the hobby or not...go for it. But let me warn you that this is about as addicitve as anything out there. I took the Eclipse off my 37G to make it a reef tank, and built a canopy for MH and use the Eclipse for a little FOWLR system in our bedroom.

 

[arkman]

adddicting!??! I haven't even set up my tank yet and I'm checkingthe message boards from work! LOL - this is gonna get BAD...
My reco is to return the eclipse (if you can) and go with a more flexible setup.

 

[bustashat]

hey guys thanks for all the info.
Do i have to have a protien skimmer? This Eclipse is a MARINE Kit and comes with all the stuff it needs i guess. Im going to just have a basic fish only tank with some live rock. Is additional lighting required? My reasons are also because I have a $300.00 ***** gift certificate. And they carry the eclipses. Will it save money to build my own, with what they have at *****? I also want to keep the noise level low. How are these biowheels? do they work well? i Was going to buy it today but your input has made me wait. How many fish can I have in there, what kind should i get., and should i start with live reef sand? Thanks again

 

[musipilot]

Hmmm. 300 bucks. Well.......................
I'd go with a 55 gallon All-glass, theres 80 of it, and a nice metal stand, theres 40 of it. NOW you're talking possibilities.
First of all, you have all the options to do whatever you want later on, the eclipse limits you in that respect. ALSO, the eclipse gives you no choice but to use carbon if you use their filter, and I personally don't like carbon in a SW setup.
Its not going to be easy to get a full SW setup for 300 bucks, so I would instead try and get the best you can with the money, then add things as needed. I know patience is required here, but in the long run you'll be so happy you did it that way.
With the tank and the stand setup, you can investigate lighting solutions, powerheads, heaters, skimmers, filtration, etc, and you're well on your way to having a great system.
Take your time, do it right, you'll be glad you did!

 

[stacyt]

You should avoid the eclipse system. I have 2 of them. When I 1st started these tanks I was going for fish only. Didn't know much, still don't, about lighting. I've tried to do corals, and even with the lighting upgrade kit they just didn't do that good in these tanks. In the long run you will spend more money using the eclipse than if you started with a regular tank. Also the filtration that they come with IMO is insufficient.

 

[bustashat]

well i tossed the eclipse idea. I got a 29 gallon glass tank and a stand and a wood lid. I drilled the light fixture into that. I got a Prizm protien skimmer, and a Aquaclear 300 filter (any mods i should do to this sponge and carbon filter?) I got a powerhead 402 pump, 40 lbs of LS and about 18-20 Lbs of LR
Set it up yesturday. Salinity is good. I'm letting it cycle 24 hours until 3 pm today when i deploy 2 damsels in. Later on i will get the expensive light set up.
So, what do you guys think? The water finally cleared up real nice, it looks good. Still needs plants and what not. I see tons of small bubbles flying around, is this normal or is this salt?
Will i be able to put a couple polups in here with the lights i have? (2 florecent "articficial sunlight" by marine land lights)
so guys, basically, WHATS NEXT?
I absolutley love this!!!!
Thanks
Dan

 

[arkman]

good for you! I actually just bought a eclipse system, for a new freshwater setup (I traded my wife so I could use a 29 hex for a refugium) and IMO the Eclipse is competely unsuitable for saltwater.
Many of the people on ths BBS like using live rock and live sand as filtration. There is little doupt that both of these thinge allow for a muck greater amonunt of "good" bacteria bulidup in the tank.
Look around this and other boards, there is GREAT info out on the web.
Good luck!

 

[itchy]

well you will find out that this is a very addictive and expensive hobby. sounds like your on the right path. Okay let me suggest you use some live sand...just enough to cover the bottom of the glass. remember live sand has to be sifted so the thinner the layer the better off you are. Once the tank has cycled you can get sand sifter stars to help turn it over. Live rock has bacteria growing on it as with the sand. This will help cycle your water faster and help maintain a stable enviroment for you little friends later on. I have a protein skimmer and I hate the thing...so I would wait on this product for now. besides this is a new set up and there will be little or no organic waste to remove which is what a protein skimmer does. For a new beginner I would start with a fish only tank and then move up. Maybe do some condalyctus anemones as they are cheap and pretty hardy. One thing to remember is everyone does things different and opinions are like a**holes everyone has one. Take everything with a grain of salt and start with the easiest solutions first, if that doesnt work try something else....and whatever you do, do not do a water change until you have cycled. good luck