Hello and I have some questions

[GR00VY]

About 20 years ago I had a nice 76g reef tank set up. Nothing special but it worked well. I had to take it down when I moved and never got back into it. Now I am starting from scratch with a small 29g tank and have questions about a few things. Things have changed since I was doing this and I want to make sure I am doing things right.

My main question is about filtration. What would be good for a small setup like this? I would like my tank close to the wall. I could still do a hang on back filter and just put it in the side of the tank. Something like a tidal 75 seems nice since it has a surface skimmer as well. I also looked at the tunze reefpack 250. It only has 225 gph and I need closer to 300 gph. What filtration/ skimmer/combo would be a wise choice for this tank?

Thanks

 

[VB313]

WELCOME TO R2R! the tidal 75 is a great start you can always upgrade later on

 

[Auquanut]

Welcome to R2R. I couldn't agree more with @VB313. With a tank that size, a good water change schedule in conjunction with your filter will be your best bet. You will probably want to add a power head as the flow provided by the HOB will need some help. As far as the skimmer goes, many don't use them on a tank that size. I don't. I'm sure you will get further advice on that point. Just make sure you keep your filter clean. They can get nasty pretty quickly. What do you intend to keep? Fish only? Acros?

 

[GR00VY]

I plan a keeping just a few fish, softies, and some inverts for now. I want to get my feet wet again. Things go well I will eventually upgrade to a bigger tank for more options. I haven’t worked out the specifics yet.

Is there anything wrong with putting my filter on the 12 inch side of the glass instead of putting it center on the 30 inch side? I understand the skimmer might not be a huge improvement to my tank but if I get one, any recommendations for a smaller one?

I will be adding a power head for increased flow.

 

[Auquanut]

Is there anything wrong with putting my filter on the 12 inch side of the glass instead of putting it center on the 30 inch side? I understand the skimmer might not be a huge improvement to my tank but if I get one, any recommendations for a smaller one?

I will be adding a power head for increased flow.

There is nothing wrong with putting the filter on the side instead of the back except the aesthetics. If it fits on the 12" side, it will work. As long as you have good flow, it's fine. As far as the skimmer goes, there are HOB skimmers available, but I really don't have any experience with them. I'm sure someone else can help you with that. Hope this helps.

 

[GR00VY]

Thanks for the information. With the position ofmy tank, the hob filter will look better on the side vs the back.

 

[GR00VY]

Thanks for the information so far. Really appreciate the feedback

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r!

 

[TracyLynn]

Welcome to R2R great resource for information! Lots of really nice people here too.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Welcome, auquanut got you on the right track. We still require pics

 

[Flippers4pups]

Welcome to reef2reef! And back to the hobby!

24+ years ago I started out using a CPR bak-pak for a HOB skimmer. They still sell these, improved of course.

There are plenty of HOB skimmer's on the market to choose from.

 

[GR00VY]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I will get pics up once I have all the pieces and am ready to start filling.

I am going to go with the tidal 75. Besides the skimmer options, what about lighting. Lighting has come a long way since I did this last. Any reasonably priced LEDs that are programmable that would be adequate enough for soft corals? Tank is 30 inches long.

Also preferable would be the light being able to sit on top of tank vs hanging. I don’t really have a good hanging option over this tank.

Thanks

 

[GR00VY]

What do you think about this light for my tank?
https://sbreeflights.com/sbox-reef-lights/2-new-sbox-18-pro-timer.html

Would this work for a 29g 30Lx18Dx12W tank?

It looks like it has legs so I can stand it on the tank.