New to this - help!!!!

[2012]

Hi All,

I have done nothing so far!!!

I'm ready - a bit about me and the setup i want:

I'm in computers and have been for 15 years. Tired of it but it is my life.
I am getting a new office within the next few weeks and this is where i want my set up as this is where i will
spend most of my time. Also coral is a love of mine and very relaxing so mixing with work it will encourage me
to go to work! Before you ask, yes i do have time for this as i am very careful not to do much work!!!

I am having a customer made cabinet which is being done.
The tank will be 100cm wide, 100cm long and 60cm high but only 50cm full of water therefore 500 litres / 110 gallons of water.
I mainly want coral but also hermit crabs and others of this type. Coral Shrimp, feather worms, coral clams.
mainly bright coloured corals and active/moving corals.
a few fish - but not a lot.
i want to keep items which help keep the tank clean.

i need to know everything:

names of corals as mentioned above, pics would be great.
names of other creatures to keep the tank healthy and clean.
names of things not to keep in the tank - nasties.

i am making the setup myself.
i need help with what i need such as protein skimmers etc etc

any advice please.

 

[revsgirl]

These guys around here should be able to help you out! Welcome to the hobby!

 

[2012]

Critters

Hi,

I am currently researching what critters and other types of creatures i need in order to keep the coral tank healthy and clean.

I am thinking of using hermit crabs & emerald crabs.
Are there any problems with these?
Any other or better suggestions would be a great help.

any creatures i must avoid would be great too.

i am going to make the tank smaller in height only, new dimensions:
100cm X 100cm X 40cm high only 30 / 35cm full of water therefore around 300 litres of water.

i am thinking 35kgs of live rock.
my main task is to grow corals quickly!!! from frags.

Thanks

 

[arch85]

the "only" problem that we have with our emerald crabs is that they can knock over your corals if they aren't glued properly. Aside from that, we love the emeralds; they do an amazing job at cleaning!

Also I would get more live-rock if I were you ... general rule of thumb is at least 1 lb of rock for 1 gallon; so in your case, at the minimum 110 lbs or rock if not more.

Are you planning on having a sump / refugium / skimmer?

 

[2012]

Hi arch85,

thanks for the advice, if they are good cleaners then i shall make sure i glue the corals properly.

O.K i shall increase the live rock. Is too much live rock a problem?? If so what problem can this cause?

Yes, i have a sump being made now.
Skimmer should be easy to get, needs to be according to the amount of water in the tank, right?
However i would like more info about the refugium and what i would need for this. Size and items i would need for this? What is the minimum i can get away with?

Thank you for your message and i hope you can help me further.

 

[kschweer]

As far as a clean up crew the hermits and emerald crabs are a good start. I would also add a mix of snails as well. Nassarius snails will help keep the sandbed clean, you can also get some cerith snails to clean the rocks. Check out http://reefcleaners.org/ for some more ideas.
In regards to the skimmer it's usually recommended to get a skimmer that is rated for more than your total system (volume of tank and sump). For example my one system has a total volume of 50 gallons and my skimmer is rated for 125 gallons.

 

[2012]

Hi Kschweer,

Thanks for the advice. I've been told to stay away from turbo snails, do you agree??
I will look in to the others you mention and get some.
So your protein skimmer is 2.5 times the rating of your water volume, that's interesting. I have seen some and the next models up are not so much more money and i'd rather be safe and get one that is rated higher than the volume i have but i wasn't sure how much higher or if too high if it would cause damage. So great advice, i will buy one that is rated more than the water volume.

Any one else with advice, please post.
When i get my setup i will upload pics if possible and show you what i got.

Thanks all

 

[2012]

Hi arch85,

thanks for the advice, if they are good cleaners then i shall make sure i glue the corals properly.

O.K i shall increase the live rock. Is too much live rock a problem?? If so what problem can this cause?

Yes, i have a sump being made now.
Skimmer should be easy to get, needs to be according to the amount of water in the tank, right?
However i would like more info about the refugium and what i would need for this. Size and items i would need for this? What is the minimum i can get away with?

Thank you for your message and i hope you can help me further.

So now you got me onto this refugium which has increased my costs yet again and i haven't got to livestock yet!!!
Due to this i feel you should make a donation towards the cost of the refugium as well as provide me with detailed plans!!! joke

Thanks for your advice, i am looking into this and looks like i will have to have one as this is my first attempt so i will need it.
Please help with the items i would need for it, do i need to go for a full setup?? how small a refugium can i get away with??
Should i commit a sin and go for an all in one plug and play setup or do i not need to go that far.

Thanks

 

[2012]

Hi All,

Ok the sump has got me stumped.

I have seen 3 and 4 compartment then today a 5 compartment sump, what for??
OK this i will learn, i dont understand what all the compartments are for yet but i will one day!!
Any kick in the right direction would be great.

Is 3 useless??
4 just right, not enough??
5 better than 4 or just overkill??

Thanks

 

[kschweer]

The only reason people say to stay away from turbos is because they can knock things over or move frags that are not glued down.
As far as the skimmer goes there is no set guideline for how big it should be. Things to take into account are water volume, how heavily the tank will be stocked, and other means of nutrient removal. I'm no expert on skimmers hopefully someone who is will help you out some more than my basic info.

 

[2012]

OK, if it is only because turbo's knock things over then that's ok as i intend to glue the frags down properly.
If they are good cleaners then i dont mind having them.

 

[FishBeard]

OK, if it is only because turbo's knock things over then that's ok as i intend to glue the frags down properly.
If they are good cleaners then i dont mind having them.

I've noticed even the best glue/epoxy job in the world is no match for a persistent snail/crab.

 

[arch85]

Sorry about the delay in replying.

In my opinion, get the biggest sump that you can afford / fit. I think 3 - 4 compartments should be enough. Here's how I would set it up -- rest you can get other opinions and/or use your imagination

3 compartments
(in-flow from display tank) => [compartment 1 | skimmer ] -> [compartment 2 | refugium] -> [compartment 3 | return pump] => (back in to the display tank)

Now some general info:

Sump -> bigger the better because you want as much water volume as you can. The bigger water volume you have, the easier it will be to maintain it (in terms of not too many fluctuations)

Refugium -> it's a place where you will have some macro algae (like chaeto) so that various pods and other life can grow there without having to worry about predators. These guys will then automatically move into your display tank from the return section, and hence get in your fishies belly I would strongly recommend having this section in your sump; would help you greatly in providing natural food for your fish and keeping your nitrates down.

Skimmer -> Again, bigger the better. This will clean out a lot of impurities from your water. For example, fish waste, food waste, coral waste, etc.

Live Rock -> This again helps in filtration -- all the good bacteria live on the rock (hence making it 'live') and the sand/substrate. So more live-rock will help you keep your water parameters good. I have seen some people have a 55 gallon display tank, and a 75 gallon sump; and they put 150lbs of live rock between their display tank and sump. This way you can put less rock in your display tank for aesthetic purposes, and still have enough rock to support proper filtration and life in your tank. And no, I don't think there's any such thing as too much live rock as long as it is placed properly so there are no 'dead pockets' ... water should be able to flow through.

Water flow -> You need a decent amount of water flow in the tank, so that there are no dead spots, and water keeps moving. I believe there is a rule attached to that also, but not a 100% sure ...

I'm hoping you are already aware of all the cycling and all that you need to do prior to adding livestock to the tank ...

Feel free to ask more questions!

 

[DeniseAndy]

arch85 definitely has the sump down and the protein skimmer. You want the biggest sump that will fit in your space (more water makes for more stable parameters). As far as design, again the basic is fine with three chambers (in from display, refugium, out to display). Make sure to use baffles to separate to help eliminate the bubbles and keep flow going correct direction.

Protein skimmer is one not to skimp on. Get the best you can get. This is a really effective way to eliminate waste in the system.

Refugium is for macroalgae and live rock. Grow out your little bugs for fish and coral to eat. You can do a Deep Sand Bed also, but IMO a remote deep sand bed is easier for maintenance reasons. This RDSB is just a bucket of sand (6" deep or more) hooked into the flow of the sump.

Live rock is great, but I like my main display a bit more roomy, so lots of mine is in the sump.

Flow is certainly an issue needed to be handled. Make sure you are getting good flow around your tank. Do not put rock against the walls and make sure you are getting between to keep dead spots down to a minimum. Dead spots can cause algae breakouts and detritus build up.

As far as cleanup crew, I stay away from blue legged hermits. In fact I hate most hermit crabs aside from the scarlets. The others just kill off my snails too fast. Cerith, nerite, nassarius are some of the best snails. Margarite snails are similar to turbos but less destructive. Astrea are okay too. Love the emerald crabs. Also get a skunk cleaner shrimp. They are great little guys to have on hand. No more than two to a tank though.

If you do not have an enclosed tank, do not think about a wrasse as a fish. I love them, but they are jumpers. Good cleaning fish are lawnmower blennies (great personalities too), Kole tang or Tomini Tang (stay rather small), I think your tank may be a bit small to support a foxface or butterfly. Any blennies and gobies are fun to have around. Just make sure you have the necessary home (ie sand, rock, etc).

Corals that are simple and give lots of flow are the dreaded star polyps (only because they can take over the tank, but really have great flowing -- especially the encrusting gogorian version), tree corals (sinularia, campanella, nepthea), duncans, hammers and frogspawn, photosynthetic gogorians, and some of the other leathers (toadstool, finger). All these can come in many colors to vary the look.

This is exciting so take it slow and reasearch. Ask lots of questions, enjoy your efforts.

 

[2012]

I've noticed even the best glue/epoxy job in the world is no match for a persistent snail/crab.

Really, so best to stay away from the turbo's.
Which crabs should i avoid also??

thanks

 

[2012]

arch85 definitely has the sump down and the protein skimmer. You want the biggest sump that will fit in your space (more water makes for more stable parameters). As far as design, again the basic is fine with three chambers (in from display, refugium, out to display). Make sure to use baffles to separate to help eliminate the bubbles and keep flow going correct direction.

Protein skimmer is one not to skimp on. Get the best you can get. This is a really effective way to eliminate waste in the system.

Refugium is for macroalgae and live rock. Grow out your little bugs for fish and coral to eat. You can do a Deep Sand Bed also, but IMO a remote deep sand bed is easier for maintenance reasons. This RDSB is just a bucket of sand (6" deep or more) hooked into the flow of the sump.

Live rock is great, but I like my main display a bit more roomy, so lots of mine is in the sump.

Flow is certainly an issue needed to be handled. Make sure you are getting good flow around your tank. Do not put rock against the walls and make sure you are getting between to keep dead spots down to a minimum. Dead spots can cause algae breakouts and detritus build up.

As far as cleanup crew, I stay away from blue legged hermits. In fact I hate most hermit crabs aside from the scarlets. The others just kill off my snails too fast. Cerith, nerite, nassarius are some of the best snails. Margarite snails are similar to turbos but less destructive. Astrea are okay too. Love the emerald crabs. Also get a skunk cleaner shrimp. They are great little guys to have on hand. No more than two to a tank though.

If you do not have an enclosed tank, do not think about a wrasse as a fish. I love them, but they are jumpers. Good cleaning fish are lawnmower blennies (great personalities too), Kole tang or Tomini Tang (stay rather small), I think your tank may be a bit small to support a foxface or butterfly. Any blennies and gobies are fun to have around. Just make sure you have the necessary home (ie sand, rock, etc).

Corals that are simple and give lots of flow are the dreaded star polyps (only because they can take over the tank, but really have great flowing -- especially the encrusting gogorian version), tree corals (sinularia, campanella, nepthea), duncans, hammers and frogspawn, photosynthetic gogorians, and some of the other leathers (toadstool, finger). All these can come in many colors to vary the look.

This is exciting so take it slow and reasearch. Ask lots of questions, enjoy your efforts.

Great. that info is really something to think about, just what i'm looking for.

I too want to keep my main display roomy so will put as much live rock in the sump as possible.
Do you keep any cleaning crew in your sump with the live rock?? If so what would you recommend and what numbers??

i will make sure to get a good skimmer, really glad i have not bought one yet but i'll spend here and buy a decent one.
I want to keep the tank as clean as possible with little effort from myself so i'm not bogged down cleaning all the time, if i can help it.

i have also ordered another tank:

120cm X 50cm X 40cm

as it will take time to come and setup i thought i'd do it at the same time.

any advice about the water and R/O unit??

Thanks a lot, this is really very helpful

 

[jcJokr]

Check out this guy, he has a lot of good advice for both new reefers and veteran reef junkies. ---> Mr. Saltwater Tank

 

[2012]

Check out this guy, he has a lot of good advice for both new reefers and veteran reef junkies. ---> Mr. Saltwater Tank

Thanks jcJokr,

signed up for that and yes it is interesting, just read about vodka

didn't know that.

cheers

 

[2012]

Hi All,

I'm interested in a cone skimmer, what are the advantages over a protein skimmer??
Should i invest in one instead of the protein skimmer??

Thanks

 

[kschweer]

A cone skimmer is a protein skimmer that has a shape like a cone. The theory behind it is that the cone shape makes it easier for the bubble to rise in the chamber. Most newer skimmers and many high end skimmers have this design. The guys I know who run them love them. I would say if you get one appropriately sized for your needs and fits in your budget go for it. My next skimmer will most likely be a cone.