Rate My Fish Tank

Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:29 am GMT   Reply      

Hey everyone!


If everyone has time can you let me know exactly what i would need to successfully run a 118 gal saltwater tank. I have several questions and when I say "several" I mean SEVERAL!! ha Right now I have a 20 gal nano cube that has all of the filtration built into it, and now I am ready to go bigger. I would like to go corals and fish, so I would like to set it up more as a reef tank. I have been doing some research all over the web and reading some books. on saltwaterfish.com and its superstore, you can buy the hardware also, which looks like they are fairly priced. i would rather go and buy all of the top selling stuff or almost at the top than settle for something thats just ok and have it not work like i want it to. I know the basics and how they work but I just need further assistance into some of the finer points. I am wondering if it would be good to get a chiller for the tank, a calcium reactor, a uv sterilizer, reverse osmosis machine, auto topoff? Or is it not necessary? I like to keep my house fairly cool at all times which often drops my tanks temp so i had to add a heater to the nano, so I am kind of figuring in for the same on the new tank. Another question is I have been having some recent issues with high nitrate levels, should I continue to do several water changes like the local fish store has told me or should i get a nitrate reducer in the nano? If I do get a chiller, uv sterilizer, and ca reactor, reverse osmosis machine, auto topoff...which sizes should I get to suffice for a 118 gal tank? What size sump should I get, and what do you recommend as far as how the sump is set up? I was also looking at getting a wavemaker...is that something I would need? I will have a lil extra money coming here real shortly so I figured I would try to find and buy everything I wanted before my girlfriend realizes that her shopping money has aready been spent!! Another question I have is about the cleaner crews....Will it hurt a tank by having several different cleaners in it? Such as my nano, I only have 4 blue legged crabs, 1 nassarius snail, 1 turbo snail, and a red starfish, I would like to add quite a few more? Your thought? ANd on the 118 gal tank I saw that saltwaterfish.com offers combo packs for cleaner crews, I am wondering if it is smarter/cheaper to go with the combos? Is the Fiji LR really as good as the reviews give it, or does it not really matter what kind of LR I am getting? Whats the difference between a 14k light and a 10k light and which one is better? I want my lighting to be the highlight of my tank besides the fish and corals, because i truly think a good or bad light can be a make and break on a nice saltwater tank setup, as far as ive seen. how many total watts and what are some good brands i could go with for the lighting? what kind of pumps will i need to run the tank, i have read some people have 2 and others only have 1? What kind of a protein skimmer should I get? I found a sump with a built in skimmer? Is that a good idea or bad? Anything else anyone can tell me that would help me out in what seems like its going to be a long journey it would be really appreciated!! If you read this please respond back with any ideas or suggestions, or if you would like to answer everything that would even be better!! I have already learned that the more suggestions the more I can mold it into my own ideas with the help of you! Also if you respond back throw some pics in of your own tank, Im always interested in other pics of tanks!! Thanks again...Cody

Thu Jul 02, 2009 9:09 am GMT   Reply      

wow...........thats quit a tall order, lol

IMO...........the KISS theory works the best for salt tanks {keep it simple stupid} as these monsters are complex enough..................

from what ive read the answer to all your questions is yes...............you have done a lot of research and have good information - saltwaterfish.com is a very good site, you might look at reef central, petsolutions and drs. foster and smith for more info and parts and pieces..............

I am setting up a 120 gallon tank right now, so ill give you my set up plans and then you can go from there. evrything you listed is good and will work but not all is "needed"

my tank has 2 overflows and returns built in going through the bottom {ive built it into an island seperateing the living room and diningroom, with everything going through the floor into a tank room in the basement}

from there ill run into my first sump witch will have a filter sock in it with carbon bags and the skimmer {mines a euroreef series 3 rated for up to750 gallon tanks} its a submersable verseres a dry unit {sits in the water as opposed to a pipe running to it}

from the sump ill run into another tank which will be a refugium and the return

i do have a UV sterilizer but not sure if im going to use it, if so it will go into the return section with heaters if i need them

i have an RO/DI system for water, i got a deal on a 150gpd unit but wouldnt have bought a new one that big, once the tank is full ill need top of water and water change water and a few days running on a smaller unit will make plenty of water for me or you in this case, but big isnt bad, just costs more, lol

IMO, good water to start with good filtration and good skimming are the keys to water quality

lighting, i will be useing a 150 watt metal halide pendant and 4 10,000k T5 single bulbs and a couple 460nm actinic single bulb fixtures

being that im running into the basement wich is cooler than the house and im moveing a massive amount of water { close to 250 gallons} im hopeing a chiller isnt needed -i would wait untill your up and running to see if you need one, very expensive to buy and to run.

thats a start, you may not be running into a basement but the principles are the same, i like to use the rule of 3rds for sumps so in your case 39.9 gallons -that doesn't mean a 29 gallon tank isnt going to work for you its just my opinion, im running into a 55 and a 29 with my 120, but ive got alot of room to play with in the basement..................keep asking questions we will all try to answer as many as we can - - -you picked a very good personal site to join,

Welcome to the addiction !!!!


Snowboss

Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:55 am GMT   Reply      

goodness greatious great balls of fire............ glad boss read that, im too lazy at the moment, mayb ill get back to it later haha if you ever have any questions though, there is a 'contact us' link at liveaquaria.com, theyve answered all my questions so far, with short answers but nevertheless they answered them, mostly within one work day too

Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:50 pm GMT   Reply      

HOLY COW. thats a long post.

Okay agreed with Boss. Keep it simple. All you REALLY need is some good porous live rock power heads and a good quality skimmer. Everything else is extra. (besides lights) If you want corals........dont buy ANYTHING BUT halides. You will be sooooooooo happy you did. I have had PC bulbs..........VHO bulbs.........and now Ive bought Metal Halides.......after waisting about 500 in lighting. Do it right the first time. You want to do an auto top off if you can......it will help you out tremendously!!!! I dont have one yet.......and it sucks. As far as cooling goes.....Computer fans work wonders. :) As long as your house is between 72-76 you should be okay. I personally run a heater and computer fans to keep the temp constant. You dont want temp swings. I would focus on those first......and you would be fine. Im about to sell my overflow if your interested. :) Ill let it go for $50+ shipping, Mind you I paid 130 for it. Its a CPR C-sipohon, and Ill throw in a pump to suck out the air. :) Its made for up to 180gallon tank. Thats if you want to run a sump. I would go with at least a 20 long and another 20 (since you have the room) for a refugium. This will filter your water and make your life a LOT easier. :)

Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:10 pm GMT   Reply      

thanks everyone so much for all the help!!! halide bulbs huh, thats the way to go? The only thing is, is that I want cool looking colors for my lighting, if you catch my drift? I want more of a blue tint to it rather than so much of jus tthe whhite lighting....I am going to do a auto top machine I think, I might as well if I have the money for it!! Now the thing is, is that I keep my house failry cold at all times probably around 65 degrees. So I am thinking I need to probably buy a chiller, because dont they just remain certain temps at all times? if not I guess I can try to run a heater? I am running either a single or dual-drilled tank, thank you for the offer, I will let you know....If there is anything else you can think of please let me know! I want as much advice as I can get before this big buy for me.

Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:07 pm GMT   Reply      

20000k bulbs in halides top of the spectrum, give you a blue colour

Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:53 pm GMT   Reply      

20k bulbs will make your tank as blue as actnics would. (almost) And you can always supplement with T5's. Thats crazy cold in your house. And the bigger the system volume the easier it will be to keep constant. I would probably just run a heater.........my house stays at 76-77 and I just run fans across my water. Everything is fine in my tank and growing spectacular. Stability is key. As long as your house isnt getting 80+ your heater will take care of your tank, and fans will do the rest. :)

Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:25 pm GMT   Reply      

what are some websites that everyine recommends to buy all of my stuff from minus corals and fish??

Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:22 pm GMT   Reply      

Lights.........Hellolights.com

Sump......build it yourself, dont pay 300 for a prebuilt when you can build one for 50-60 bucks.

Pumps and skimmers..........Saltysupply.com


knowledge and advice. here of course. :) I take checks, and thereeftank.com

IMO unless your running three 250's in a closed hood..... your not going to need a chiller.

Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:35 pm GMT   Reply      

awesome i really appreciate it i am going to be running a closed hood but not 3 250's what would you recommend for a lighting system setup? i want to have the best lighting possible-something with a blue tint to it and something that is going to maximize my coral growth and healthy for my fish.....where did you find how to build your own sump and refugium??? or can you show me how you set yours? happy 4th by the way to everyone!

Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:41 pm GMT   Reply      

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/sump_52g.html

You can do just about anything you can imagine with acrylic. Research the poo outta sumps. You will probably want a refugium, very beneficial. I personally like to run mine as a different system. So I am going to have a pump pump water from my sump to my refuge and let the water drain back into my sump. It will clean your water naturally and help out with nutrients and phosphates. How tall is your tank? Anything over 22 inches would require a 250 halide. under 22 inches and your fine with a 150 halide. The price difference isnt much. I would personally run two 250 Moguel bulbs. with a 12000 kelvin rating. That will give you a nice blue tint. If you want to run 24 hour lighting.....I would run two 10000 kelving Halides (250 watt) and 4 T5's (actnic) That will give you the par to hold ANY corals you want and coloration you desire. :) Also will give you dawn dusk.

Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:49 am GMT   Reply      

thanks alot man i really appreciate it. so im getting a better understanding of everything-so what kind of an actual lighting system should i get? i have the actual bulbs down now thanks what you have wrote....but what about the actual housing for the bulbs? its going to be either a 25 or 31" depth. now you can have your refugium inside your sump also right? if you so choose? and yes i would like to run my lights through the cycles of night dawn day and dusk...

Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:12 am GMT   Reply      

Yeah, you can run your refuge inside..I am now.....Im going to move my refuge to a 5 gallon bucket and have it drain back into my sump. But thats because right now im having trouble toping off my tank without stirring up the sand in my refuge or in my display. With lighting....I would certainly do 250 watt halides. You cant go wrong with 250's. If you really want to (grow) corals. Do 400's. My lfs has two 400's and a 250 over a 75 gallon. but all three bulbs are mounted on wood with no top and no sides. plenty of ventilation. Rule of thumb is one halide per 2 feet of tank. Im not sure how long your tank is, but if its 48" you COULD get away with three if you wanted to. My buddy has three 250's over a 75 in a closed hood. He runs 4 computer fans, and hes fine. :) I dont really understand a chiller.....because with enough fans, you can evaporate all the heat out of your system. and fans are a LOT cheaper. I live in florida......where it gets 104 with heat index almost every day.....I dont have heating problems with almost 11 watts a gallon.......

Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:24 am GMT   Reply      

if i may add................all the advise your getting is good and solid................i would like to add some of my own...............

IMO i would start with an almost empty tank, stock wise, take some time, like 6-8 months and get that baby cycled up good and get some expierience under your belt with filter maint, water changes, cleaning, water parameter control, system adjustments and just general "do i have the time to do all this stuff" expierience........................whether you have the money or not to jump right in to this ,you are skipping the .................crawl >walk > tricycle > training wheels on a bike and jumping right onto a 250 horse hyabusa superbike..................i just want you to be fully aware and capable of dealing with things as they come for your sanity's sake and the lives of the fish and corals your going to keep.....................if and when something goes wrong these tanks they can detonate anywhere from hours to just a couple days and then your left with a total lose on your hands

I'm not trying to be a doom and gloom preacher i just want the reality of things to be in your mind as well as the good information you are gathering


take it slow at first, nothing in this hobby happens fast except tank crashes

if you read the majority of newcommers that stay on this site, they ask how to start, get all excited, buy a shit load of stuff then its quiet for about a month and they're right back asking how to save the tank, some do some dont...............MYSELF INCLUDED.............i destroyed my tank the first go round - total lose right down to the substrate...................i thank god for people like Puffedupseagul, saltwaterpimp and a guy named dickheaders {where ever he may be these days} they encouraged me and got me through that and now im setting up a tank room with breeders and frag tanks and a 120 in the wall display and ive never been happier.

now i mentioned those three guys but there are many more in here that have just as good info, they were the ones who happened to help me back then - - so nobody get yer panties in a wad...........lol

Snowboss

Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:16 am GMT   Reply      

well since this all costs so much, i am planning on buying one thing at a time. so even though i sound all excited and eager (which i am) everyone keeps telling me slow is the key, so thank you for that (Normally i am 1 of those ppl who likes to jump right into things) i am getting ready to go out and purchase the tank within the month...anything special i should be looking for? myabe a better idea would be to just ask about each thing as i get ready to go out and purchase it. at first i was looking at a 118 gal on glasscages,com but than i would need the stand and canopy so it would get really costly!! instead i am thinking about maybe just going out to the LFS and looking at some of the used tanks with canopys and stands already coming with it. im kind of up in the air about what i want! i really want a 120 or 150 gal but havent found one that i really like yet. i want a few tangs by the end and i have read they need quite a bit of roaming room so i want something big enough to house everything i want my the end. my bottom line is that i have a 14 gal right now and i already want an upgrade. i want this next one to be as big as i go, and than just keep adding to it.