90g Newbie

[Tomo]

Hello everyone. I have a 90g tank I've chosen for a marine aquarium. I need input on what kind of set up I need. I know I will be getting a protein skimmer rated 90-100 gallon. I was also told that the best filtration to have is a wet/dry system. I have also been told recently to try a sump. Can I use a sump and wet/dry filtration system? I am not against building anything either if that helps. Any input is appreciated. I plan to start off with a damsel and or shrimp to kinda get the tank cycled but long term I would like to have a Foxface, Mandarin Goby, some type of Angel, possibly a Sailfin Tang and or a lion fish. Not sure how compatible these guys are but Ill do more research.
Thanks, Tomo

 

[AsphaltPays]

Hello and Welcome to R2R I also have a 90 gallon tank I run a sump/refuguim with great success I would stay away from a wet dry system and definitely go with a bigger skimmer. I run a Reef Octopus XS 160 and I couldn't be happier Good luck on your new adventure !! Thus forum is full of great info and people


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[Young Frankenstein]

[video=youtube;JjQfgDaDdMM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JjQfgDaDdMM[/video]

 

[ritter6788]

Welcome!

I agree the wet/dry is not the best choice for a reef tank. A sump with a good skimmer and a refugium is the way to go. Damsels and shrimp aren't the best way to cycle a tank. You can either use established live rock/sand or if you're using dead rock then a piece of table shrimp tossed in the tank will work fine. Doing your research before buying is a great approach. Always do loads of research on any livestock, especially mandarins before you buy. Good luck and post lots of pics and updates!

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Welcome to R2R! Thanks for joining and please make sure and post often!

 

[wysiwyg]

welcome to r2r agree with above. lionfish might not be a good idea unless you are gonna do an all predator tank they can be aggresive and eat most smaller fish in your tank rule of thumb is if it fits in there mouth they will most likely eat it

 

[ritter6788]

rule of thumb is if it fits in there mouth they will most likely eat it

+1
And sometimes if it doesn't fit it will still eat it!

 

[BarbH]

Hello and welcome to r2r :welcome: Good advice given above definitly would do a sump over doing a wet/dry filter the sump will add to your water volume making things more stable and with your live rock will be part of your filtration. Having a refugium in the sump will give you a place to grow macro algaes in such as chaeto which will help with keeping nitrates down also chaeto will give you a place for pods to be able to reproduce in which is important if you decide you want to keep an Mandarian Dragonet. For the skimmer I would go with one that is rated for the next size up for your system which would be the total volume of your display tank and sump. For cycling I would skip using the shrimp and the damsel, the shrimp can be very sensitive to the ammonia and nitrites that happen during a cycle and damsels as they mature can become very aggressive and territorial towards other fish that are in the tank. As mentioned using live some live rock or even some live sand from another reefers system will help the cycle to get going. If you do decide to go the route of using only dried rock there are a couple of options piece of raw table shrimp to introduce ammonia to the system, there are some different bacterial additives like Dr Tims one and only that are available to use and also I know others who have started with dry rock and the dead organics that where in the dry rock was enough to get the cycle going. For fish selection I would suggest checking out the fish data base where you can find some information about the requirements of different fish if they are reef safe and also how aggressive they may be. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions that you may have and welcome to the hobby.

 

[Steelerfan747]

Hey Tomo, welcome aboard. You have gotten a lot of good advice choice is one of the great things about a forum like this. The only other bit of advice I could choice you would be not to skimp on the equipment you choose. Always go with the best you could afford as you will regret out later if you do not and end up spending twice. You could also check the for sale threads and look into some used equipment that could allow you to save a bit.

Good luck

 

[Tomo]

Thanks a bunch for all the great advice. Sump/refugium it is! Also should I do live rock? Im kinda scared to because someone told me that if it dies then it could poison my entire tank? Not sure how to tell if a rock dies. :neutral: My dad has a successful marine tank for 20+ years so I think I'll steal some sand from his tank to start the cycle. Im not against fish/crustacean suggestions. I am very open to anything. Deff will have an angel at some point. Maybe a Koran, Flame and or French? Thanks again! Tomo

 

[BarbH]

Never heard of rock dying, you can get die off on live rock which can cause and can cause the tank to cycle. With live rock you can get some different pests such as apiastia (sp), which is one of the reasons some people opt for using dry rock along with the fact it is cheaper.

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[BarbH]

Also another thing to mention is with angels they are usually not considered completely reef safe. Some people have had success in keeping them in a reef system sometimes they will pick at some corals. Just something to keep in mind.

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[strange33w]

Welcome to the marine world. I recommend dry rock I used it on my build this time around and it has been great and if you use some sand from an established tank that will help with your cycle. Using dry rock also saved me a few hundred bucks which is always nice. Good luck on your new venture.

 

[Tomo]

Ok I will go with dry rock then. Thank you. I don't have gobs of money to put into this tank but I also will not buy cheap jerry rigged things either. So if there is a happy medium to anything Id be glad to hear. So in that case what should I do to have angels? Thanks a lot everyone this is helping me out SO much.
Tomo

 

[Tomo]

Ok so I think I've decided to go with a dwarf Lionfish, Magnificent Foxface, poss a Eibli, Coral Beauty or a Potters Angel. Now I'm research corals and sea fans. I like gorgonians. Im thinking soft and sps corals?

 

[revsgirl]

Hi there Tomo! Welcome to R2R!! Great to have ya!

 

[geckoman2003]

Welcome to R2R. From reading the above postings I can see that you are getting some great advise, but I can also see that you are still very uncertain as to which direction you will go. I would recommend that you continue to do your resaerch before you even consider adding water. You realy need to know what you want your end project will be before you start. This will prevent you from making a costly mistake or change in mid-stream.
If you are considering any corals, you need to check into lighting. If you want a lionfish of any type, I would stick with a preditor tank. Either way I would do a sump with live or dry rock. In a tank of this size, live rock will cost you a boat load. Maybe consider doing a little of both dry and live.

last thing I will say is.... don't be cheap. You often get what you pay for in this game. Research every purchase before you make it. This is what will safe you some bread in the long run.

Keep asking question there are no dumb ones except for the ones you don't ask! Good luck. I look forward to watching your build.

 

[Tomo]

Yes I have been receveing great help and support. I did not think I would find so much help. I am going to stick to the predator theme for now. Probably add a Snowflake eel. I know that means only larger fish. I am going to use dry rock as my base. I might some live in my refugium. Going to make a 20g long sump/refugium. Most likey will build my own light set up. Im very excited about my tank. I will be moving in August so I'm waiting until then to set it up. So I have plenty of time to do some research. Also I saw in a video someone using a "Nano wave box" I believe. I would like to have one if it is ideal for my tank. Thanks again for all the input. -Tomo

 

[mallorieGgator]

Hi and welcome! For a 90 gallon, I would not recommend that many large fish because nutrient control will be an issue. Also, the foxface and the lionfish are venomous if you didn't know. I would choose maybe one larger centerpiece fish and smaller ones like wrasses, chromis, cardinalfish, and clown fish.

 

[Tomo]

Well I found a deal today that I just couln't pass up. Was a 30g tank with 2 power heads, a protein skimmer, black gravel, live rock (I think) 2 Yellow Tailed Damsels, hood and lighting for $75. Thought maybe this would be a good place for me to start. It'll give me an idea of how my future 90g will go.