Starting a new tank need help

[rattlensmoke]

We have a 125gallon tank and had it set up as a reef tank for about 31/2 years. Very simple set up only a canister filter with bio balls, 130 lbs of live rock, crushed coral for the base, no uv or skimmer. We want to start a fish only tank with only about 30-40 lbs of live rock, live sand for a base. What additional equipment would you reccommend and what type of lighting should i have for soft corrals. Do I need a sump for the uv and the skimmer. Thanks for any advise that you would have.

 

[flower]

Welcome to the site!
130 lbs of rock in a 125g tank is too much, where do the fish swim? A tank used for soft corals is still a reef tank. You don't need nor want a UV and if you don't have a sump use a hang on the back skimmer.
I have run my 90g reef for years on canister filters. Fish don't care about light, any type will do. So if your reef tank has been up and running for 3 1/2 years you are already good to go.
So remove some rock so the fish can swim, keep about 85 to 90 lbs...and get a HOB skimmer.

 

[deejeff442]

i have250 lbs of lr in my 250 with plenty of room.plus another 50 lbs or so of rock rubble in my sump.thats all i use for a filter.so like flower said you are fine the way it is.i would leave as much rock in as possible.but with the canister you can get away with less rock.just make sure when you go to the fowlr and the big pooper fish you maintain the canister.
80-90 lbs of rock sounds like a good balance between space and rock.i would get a sump and put the rest of the rock in there.with the heaters .use the big rock in the dt and the smaller rock/rubble in the sump

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///forum/thread/382055/starting-a-new-tank-need-help#post_3331851
i have250 lbs of lr in my 250 with plenty of room.plus another 50 lbs or so of rock rubble in my sump.thats all i use for a filter.so like flower said you are fine the way it is.i would leave as much rock in as possible.but with the canister you can get away with less rock.just make sure when you go to the fowlr and the big pooper fish you maintain the canister.
80-90 lbs of rock sounds like a good balance between space and rock.i would get a sump and put the rest of the rock in there.with the heaters .use the big rock in the dt and the smaller rock/rubble in the sump

Do you keep live rock in the return part of the sump or do you have a refugium chamber you keep it in?

 

[rattlensmoke]

Thanks for the information. We want to go to a fowlr tank with only 30-40 lbs of live rock don't know if corrals are really in out future, how do we elimimate things like coraline alge, hair alge. My wife wants a "prety" tank without ugly stuff, she wants white sand, blue water and prety fish, this is the reason we thought about going away from the reef tank. I am just ignorant to how to do this. Thanks

 

[deejeff442]

there are no parts just a 30 gallon tank filled with rock,heaters and pump.
i havnt run any mechanical filtration on any of my tanks(except qt and mantis)in years.
probably not recommended way for new hobbyists but i never have water problems.imo when the tank reaches years of maturity and not overstocked there is no need for mechanical filtration.but like i said you have to keep a good eye on everything in the tank .
as for algae if lets say my bulbs go out of spec .and it starts growing i buy some snails.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by rattlensmoke http:///forum/thread/382055/starting-a-new-tank-need-help#post_3331896
Thanks for the information. We want to go to a fowlr tank with only 30-40 lbs of live rock don't know if corrals are really in out future, how do we elimimate things like coraline alge, hair alge. My wife wants a "prety" tank without ugly stuff, she wants white sand, blue water and prety fish, this is the reason we thought about going away from the reef tank. I am just ignorant to how to do this. Thanks

The fish are just as pretty, with or without corals. Algae is a part of life if you have any kind of fish tank. It will stay pretty if you take care of it. So it won't matter if you have fish only or a reef. The only real difference is the type of fish you can keep. While they are all beautiful or so horrible ugly they are cute, some can live with corals and (not reef safe) others eat them.

 

[deejeff442]

well rattle if you can figure out how to keep a tank with no coraline ,no algae blue water and bright white sand you need to be an author of a marine book.i would buy it.
i think you need to start with saltwater basics .go to new hobby section and read the first 101 posts.

 

[flower]

Coraline Algae is purple, blue, red, orange, pink, even yellow and lime green..It looks fantastic on the rocks, why wouldn't you want that? It is the only kind of algae growing happily in my tank. I have white sand (on top) and thanks to actinic lighting plenty of blue in the water....

 

[deejeff442]

and how many years experience did it take to learn how to do it.i aint saying you cant do it but it wont happen when first starting a tank up.

 

[flower]

My tank actually isn't doing too good, my nitrates are high, 20..not bad for soft corals andfsh but not good for SPS corals, whichI want. I am wating on a sump The folks on this site are making for me.
It really doesn't take much to keep a nice looking tank. Just don't overfeed, do regular water changes and put the right critters in. What I was showing in the picture is the beauty of coraline algae, which I have in abundance.

 

[mkroher]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/382055/starting-a-new-tank-need-help#post_3331933

My tank actually isn't doing too good, my nitrates are high, 20..not bad for soft corals andfsh but not good for SPS corals, whichI want. I am wating on a sump The folks on this site are making for me.
It really doesn't take much to keep a nice looking tank. Just don't overfeed, do regular water changes and put the right critters in. What I was showing in the picture is the beauty of coraline algae, which I have in abundance.
I've had the sump/skimmer thing going for a while. Nitrates are 0, but I'm having a problem with phosphates. I have a phosphate reactor, but I think the real solution for me would be an algae scrubber. DT is nice, very little algae, but the SPS are not doing too good, and I believe it's the phosphates.

 

[rattlensmoke]

K thanks for all the good information. Here are the last few questions for this string.
1. A sump with live rock, live sand, protien skimmer, uv sterilizer, heater, what cleans the rock? Do I need to add critters to the sump?
2. What does the uv sterilizer actually remove?
3.Can we eliminate hair alge with regular water changes and the uv sterilizer?
Thanks for all the help and we now have a foundation for the research we need to do to reestablish our tank.

 

[mkroher]

Quote:
Originally Posted by rattlensmoke http:///forum/thread/382055/starting-a-new-tank-need-help#post_3332005
K thanks for all the good information. Here are the last few questions for this string.
1. A sump with live rock, live sand, protien skimmer, uv sterilizer, heater, what cleans the rock? Do I need to add critters to the sump?
2. What does the uv sterilizer actually remove?
3.Can we eliminate hair alge with regular water changes and the uv sterilizer?
Thanks for all the help and we now have a foundation for the research we need to do to reestablish our tank.
Why are you so set on a UV sterilizer?
You say you have a 125gal reef currently, and want to make it a FOWL? What's in the tank now?

 

[jstdv8]

fwiw, I have about 120 lbs of LR in my 120 and I'd like to add a few more on top to get closer to the light in a couple areas.
I've always seen that the common rule of thumb for LR was 1- 1.5 Lb's per Gallon so thats what I shot for and it's worked well for me. If you are going skimmerless like last time it seems it would benefit you to go even heavier for more natural filtration.
I will say that having the extra depth from fron to back has been very nice.
In my 90g I had about teh saem amount of rock and it had to be stacked up against the back wall in order to give the fish room to swim in front, which worked out fine.
now with the 120 its alot deeper so I made the rocks in the middle so the fish can swim in front and behind, I love this even more than I thought I would.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///forum/thread/382055/starting-a-new-tank-need-help#post_3332015
fwiw, I have about 120 lbs of LR in my 120 and I'd like to add a few more on top to get closer to the light in a couple areas.
I've always seen that the common rule of thumb for LR was 1- 1.5 Lb's per Gallon so thats what I shot for and it's worked well for me. If you are going skimmerless like last time it seems it would benefit you to go even heavier for more natural filtration.
I will say that having the extra depth from fron to back has been very nice.
In my 90g I had about teh saem amount of rock and it had to be stacked up against the back wall in order to give the fish room to swim in front, which worked out fine.
now with the 120 its alot deeper so I made the rocks in the middle so the fish can swim in front and behind, I love this even more than I thought I would.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rattlensmoke http:///forum/thread/382055/starting-a-new-tank-need-help#post_3332005
K thanks for all the good information. Here are the last few questions for this string.
1. A sump with live rock, live sand, protien skimmer, uv sterilizer, heater, what cleans the rock? Do I need to add critters to the sump?
2. What does the uv sterilizer actually remove?
3.Can we eliminate hair alge with regular water changes and the uv sterilizer?
Thanks for all the help and we now have a foundation for the research we need to do to reestablish our tank.

The UV sterilizer also kills the good critters out of your tank as well as spores from micoalgae. You can completely prevent Hair algae with a regular water change and no overfeeding..keep phosphates at 0.
The live rock has critters on it. The water curren is the life of the ocean and your tank. So power heads keep the water moving and the rock clear.

 

[deejeff442]

imo uv sterilizers are a gimmick.sure they kill ich but at what expense?if there is ich in the tank the uv wont get it all anyway since it only kills in the free swimming stage.it will keep water more clear but so will a filter pad.imo uv is just an outdated item.they should have gotten rid of these when qt's became popular..

 

[florida joe]

I am going to have to disagree with my good friend. I feel that although I do not use one there is a place for them in the hobby. If I was told I had to use one in some capacity it would be as follows.
I would buy a self-contained unit such as the Submariner uv sterilizer. I would only use it in my QT/HT as an added protection not as a cure all for unwanted bacteria or parasites. I would of course have to monitor temp very carefully as they give off a lot of heat

 

[deejeff442]

good point joe.i could see it being useful on a well cycled qt.but in a dt i wouldnt bother .if ich is in the tank it has to be treated.
it sure could help relieve the fish of ich/bacteria infections making the recovery and elimination of them easier on the fish.