new reefer, hows my setup?

Surgical · Oct 28, 2012

hey yall, my names iain, im from san dimas ca. i just got into reef keeping (well almost). i had a 37gal tall tank all set up to go, then i realized it had a crack in the back (craigslist buy), so i ordered a 40gal to get a small tank together. mostly gonna be coral, with a few fish.

plans are for a goby and a pistol shrimp, a black percula, and some inverts.

i have a polario 10ml for a powerhead (1500-2600gph), and a jns hangon skimmer (aquamaxx copy, i believe its rated for 70gal). if my math is correct, my turnover is somewhere between 40-50x (the powerhead is a variable speed, and bi-directional, and i am planning on going with the aquaticlife 4bulb 36" t5 fixture. lots of live rock with a live sand bed.

any veterans wanna chime in on my setup, and give me some pointers? it would be much appreciated.

ive been lurking for a few weeks, but thought i would start to post. thanks!

gmoney243 · Oct 28, 2012

I used to know these guys from San Dimas. Names Bill S Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan. Cool guys I believe one of them knows kungfu now.

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Surgical · Oct 28, 2012

harharhar

wyldd stallions!! yeah thats what everyone says when i tell em im from sd.

skinz78 · Oct 28, 2012

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

If you haven't already done so be sure to get entered into this months membership drive contest, you can do so in this thread here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/meet-greet-forum/97536-oct-2012-reef2reef-membership-drive-win.html

revhtree · Oct 28, 2012

Welcome to R2R!

We appreciate your membership!

Thanks for joining and please make sure and post often!

Saltlife · Oct 28, 2012

Wlecome to R2R. Cant help you with your tank, having enough trouble setting up mine. Good luck with it.

NanaReefer · Oct 29, 2012

Welcome to R2R! Great choice on the lights!! You'll love em, I do mine!!

Dumnorix · Oct 29, 2012

Seems like your diving right in - I am collecting equipment for my next build as well.

AsphaltPays · Oct 29, 2012

Hello and Welcome to R2R I wouldn't waste your money with live sand and be careful of the live rock you get make sure it is from a trusted source

Surgical · Oct 29, 2012

Ok, why is sand a waste? And i gt the rocks from jims exotic in el segudo. They told ne its manmade, and doesnt have any pests. I did find an 8" black worm in my tank a few days ago and a baby snail, though i dont know if they were in the rock or the sand. The worm has been hiding in te rock for about 5 days now, and i havent seen him

Bry · Oct 29, 2012

Sand in general is not a waste. I believe he is saying don't waste your money on "live" sand.. You won't see any real benefit from packaged sand labeled as "live" better off to buy dry sand and let it become live over time from your live rock addition or add a small amount from someone's established system.

Oh.. And welcome to R2R!

Surgical · Oct 31, 2012

If i have a few lbs of live rock, can i just a lot of regular rocks and they will become inhabited?

-iain

Bry · Oct 31, 2012

Surgical said:
If i have a few lbs of live rock, can i just a lot of regular rocks and they will become inhabited?

-iain

Yes, dry rock will become live with time... What kind of "regular" rock are you planning to use? You just want to make sure it is compatible with Salt water and wont leech anything out into the system.

Surgical · Oct 31, 2012

I was looking at a diy with Portland cement and crushed coral or some other media.

-iain

Surgical · Oct 31, 2012

The diy said that using salt rock in the mix would create porous surfaces that the critters can live in

-iain

Nemoose · Oct 31, 2012

Your set up sounds great. I do think the flow of 40-50 x might be a little extreme in most cases. Tune it down to around 30 x and you will be better off. Might consider a sump at some point. Gets the heater and skimmer out of the display tank and increases volume. More volume=more stability in parameters. And the sump return pump allows to get another source of flow in another area to avoid "dead spots". Good luck and have fun.

Surgical · Nov 1, 2012

Yes im planning to add a 20 or 30g sump in the near future, but spent about 700 bucks this month (ouch) and i need to wait, especially with christmas, my anniversary an speeding tickets . Still trying to figure out how i need it to be designed, i dont really know much about sumps but im learning.

I plan on doing a diy overflow. probably a weir, just trying to determine what i need to have no possibility of flooding my tank or sump.

-iain

Surgical · Nov 1, 2012

I also want to incorporate a refugium into the sump btw

-iain

Surgical · Nov 1, 2012

Nemoose said:
Your set up sounds great. I do think the flow of 40-50 x might be a little extreme in most cases. Tune it down to around 30 x and you will be better off.

I dont remember where i read it, but i read to have the turnover rate the same as the number of gallons your tank is.
Is that wrong? And is there a rule of thumb for turnover rate? I plan to hav many corals of all dif types. Thanks a LOT for the input from everyone!

-iain

gmoney243 · Nov 1, 2012

Surgical said:
I dont remember where i read it, but i read to have the turnover rate the same as the number of gallons your tank is.
Is that wrong? And is there a rule of thumb for turnover rate? I plan to hav many corals of all dif types. Thanks a LOT for the input from everyone!

-iain

For sump u want about 3-5x for max skimmer effeciency. So a 40g tank would want a 200gph flow through sump so get like a 300gph pump since u loose some gph to head pressure. For display it depends on your corals. A good starter is probly like 20x for softies and lps. 40-60x for sps dominate. Mixed reef split the difference 30x. Is about what I use and all seems happy.

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