First saltwater tank, 40 breeder

[FishyDP]

To get amino acids in my system I feed ME coral food a couple times a week..

 

[ngoodermuth]

This is long, but a good read and might be helpful to you in regards to setting up a sump:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...-Saltwater-Reef-Aquarium.138750/&share_type=t

 

[KleineVampir]

Hey guys thanks for all the info. It's too late to drill the tank now, so I guess that means the hob might be the only way to go anyways. A big hob with a refugium.

 

[KleineVampir]

What does one put inside of a hob refugium?

With that said, I just ordered a large CPR aquafuge 2! Awww yeah, boys! I may not have a sump, but I am gonna have the biggest and most bestest refugium there ever was! Provided I do the refugium right, will my tank basically be gucci? Sure there's 1000 more things I could have, but isn't this thing gonna get me somewhere pretty good? I mean for the price, it'd better!

 

[Jacob Fawley]

You could still do a HOB overflow box, but I would recommend pairing it with an Aqualifter pump to help keep the siphon. Like such: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sumps-tanks-refugiums/overflows/external.html
Or just go full on HOB. Sumps aren’t required, they’re just really helpful.

 

[Jacob Fawley]

You could still do a HOB overflow box, but I would recommend pairing it with an Aqualifter pump to help keep the siphon. Like such: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sumps-tanks-refugiums/overflows/external.html
Or just go full on HOB. Sumps aren’t required, they’re just really helpful.

Sorry I didn’t see the new message yet lol

 

[Jacob Fawley]

What does one put inside of a hob refugium?

With that said, I just ordered a large CPR aquafuge 2! Awww yeah, boys! I may not have a sump, but I am gonna have the biggest and most bestest refugium there ever was! Provided I do the refugium right, will my tank basically be gucci? Sure there's 1000 more things I could have, but isn't this thing gonna get me somewhere pretty good? I mean for the price, it'd better!

It will most certainly help get you somewhere good. The key to reefing is having stability. This will help to keep Nitrogen and Phosphate stable. But, as you know, there is so much more than that in saltwater. The other parameters still need to be maintained through water changes and topping the tank off regularly. As for what to put into the refugium. Chaetomorpha is the most ideal macroalgae. With that said, it can be finicky in my experience. Caulerpa is easier to do, but sometimes can cause problems. I would do your research on this and look at all the options.

 

[KleineVampir]

Well then, thank goodness! Are you saying I have to go out and buy the macroalgae specifically? I thought algae would just grow in there if I left the light on long enough.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Well then, thank goodness! Are you saying I have to go out and buy the macroalgae specifically? I thought algae would just grow in there if I left the light on long enough.

Yea, you can buy it... or find someone local that’s willing to donate a wad Heck, I throw out a grocery bag full every couple of weeks lol

Where are you located?

 

[FishyDP]

Well then, thank goodness! Are you saying I have to go out and buy the macroalgae specifically? I thought algae would just grow in there if I left the light on long enough.

That is a nice fuge. I would recommend starting off with chaetomorpha for your macro algae. It will not appear on it's own, you will have to introduce it into your system. Alot of people sell it on Ebay for cheap money (or you can find some here on r2r for sale). Another option is to call around to your local reef stores to see if they have some for sale, if you have one nearby. Start off with a cup or 2, it requires light to grow. I have never introduced chaeto to a cycling tank, but you may want to wait for it to completely cycle to put some in your new fuge. Some types of algae will appear on it's own in your tank, not the kind you want generally. You will most likely cross that bridge at some point..and you will have more questions, and we will answer them!

 

[KleineVampir]

Yea, you can buy it... or find someone local that’s willing to donate a wad Heck, I throw out a grocery bag full every couple of weeks lol

Where are you located?

I'm located centrally in the US, in Nebraska. That said it would probably better if I found it locally. If I can't I'll probably let you know!

 

[KleineVampir]

That is a nice fuge. I would recommend starting off with chaetomorpha for your macro algae. It will not appear on it's own, you will have to introduce it into your system. Alot of people sell it on Ebay for cheap money (or you can find some here on r2r for sale). Another option is to call around to your local reef stores to see if they have some for sale, if you have one nearby. Start off with a cup or 2, it requires light to grow. I have never introduced chaeto to a cycling tank, but you may want to wait for it to completely cycle to put some in your new fuge. Some types of algae will appear on it's own in your tank, not the kind you want generally. You will most likely cross that bridge at some point..and you will have more questions, and we will answer them!

It's gonna be one heck of a fuge! It'll span 25 out of the 36 inches of my tank, leaving me about 10 inches of space for some other cords or whatever, though my heater will be in the refugium most likely.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I'm located centrally in the US, in Nebraska. That said it would probably better if I found it locally. If I can't I'll probably let you know!

Yea, I’m in PA... do you know if you have a local club or Facebook group in your area? Could probably post an ISO and find people willing to sell you some cheap, or even offer up a little chunk for free.

 

[KleineVampir]

Yea, I’m in PA... do you know if you have a local club or Facebook group in your area? Could probably post an ISO and find people willing to sell you some cheap, or even offer up a little chunk for free.

there's the nebraska reef society, but they don't allow buying, selling, or trading for some reason. I'll see what I can rustle up at the old LFS.

 

[KleineVampir]

I know some people have said you should put your heater in the refugium but I dunno....I'm skeptical! I totally get why you'd want to, but my basement is kind of cold compared to what the tank is supposed to be. I'm a little worried that the refugium will end up being really hot, constantly trying to make the tank warmer. Plus of course if the fuge went out your heat wouldn't get to the tank...and if I left the probe for the temp controller in the main tank, it would just keep heating up. I dunno, there are pros and cons to both.

 

[count krunk]

algae, especially the "good" kinds, do not just spontaneously appear.

it must be introduced in some way.

a reef society that doesn't allow its members to trade etc to each other, is a waste of time. that is the main point of local societies IMO.

not sure if this was mentioned or not. The best things for stability are auto top off and a dialed in dosing pump.

cycle the tank with the lights off. There are several ways to do it. i prefer putting in a piece of raw shrimp.

once cycled, you will need a CUC. they can be snails, crabs, or a mix.

go slow. take your time. don't expect to go from nothing to successfully breeding and raising clownfish quickly. Focus first on just making the tank into a nice stable display.

 

[KleineVampir]

algae, especially the "good" kinds, do not just spontaneously appear.

it must be introduced in some way.

a reef society that doesn't allow its members to trade etc to each other, is a waste of time. that is the main point of local societies IMO.

not sure if this was mentioned or not. The best things for stability are auto top off and a dialed in dosing pump.

cycle the tank with the lights off. There are several ways to do it. i prefer putting in a piece of raw shrimp.

once cycled, you will need a CUC. they can be snails, crabs, or a mix.

go slow. take your time. don't expect to go from nothing to successfully breeding and raising clownfish quickly. Focus first on just making the tank into a nice stable display.

Algae DOES spontaneously appear...trust me, I have seen a ton of it! But yeah it was not impressed upon me the scale of that macroalgae. I know macro means big but I didn't realize it was basically like moss or something. What's a CUC though? If you're talking about something to cycle the tank, then yes I was planning on putting in some snails.

 

[count krunk]

it doesn't .

it comes from tiny little tiny little pieces of it. the bad algae just grows so fast in the right conditions.

CUC = clean up crew. not sure cycling with snails would really do anything. snails don't exactly put out much waste. As said there are several ways to cycle a tank. Search on this forum and ye shall discover.

I didn't catch this, are you starting with dry or live rock?

 

[Jacob Fawley]

A CUC stands for “Clean up crew”. It includes shrimp, snails, crabs, etc. As for putting the heater in the fuge- it shouldn’t be a problem if the heater is regulated by a probe.

 

[FishyDP]

I think you will be fine with the heater in the fuge. Water is constantly moving in and out of it, so you will not have stagnant water being overheated..if that is your concern. I had 2 heaters in my fuge for several months, no issues. I only moved them because I needed more room. I always like to have 2 heaters as opposed to 1, this way you have a backup, and 1 is not being overworked.

As far as algae being introduced into your tank, some type may seem to "appear" out of nowhere (you did not introduce on purpose) but it did make it into your aquarium somehow, such as algae spores in the air, or being introduced by coming in on frags ect. I am not an algae expert.. but have had many different kinds in my tank, that I did not introduce, on purpose. Algae likes nitrate, phosphate and light. Your chaeto will hopefully help outcompete the "bad" algae for nutrients. You will get all kinds of "surprises" in your tank, especially once you start introducing frags. This is why people "dip"/quarantine frags, to rid them of undesirables before putting them in their tank. I wish I knew this when I started out!

Take a look at the aquatic life 115 mini internal protein skimmer, I think this would be a great addition to your system. I have owned a couple of these and they work great. 1 would be perfect for your tank.