Woodkyle781
New Member
Looking for help on things I need to set up I'm only 3 days into the cycle and everyone I talk to told me I got the wrong filter, lights and I need a wave maker witch I dont have can anyone shoot me in the right direction
Set up help
- Thread starter Woodkyle781
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Looking for help on things I need to set up I'm only 3 days into the cycle and everyone I talk to told me I got the wrong filter, lights and I need a wave maker witch I dont have can anyone shoot me in the right direction
Redfoxtang
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Depending on how much you want to spend the sky is the limit on the subject. You can go really cheap or go high end. Bulk Reef Supply has moderate and high end supplies. Amazon has cheap to moderate supplies.
Then it boils down to what do you want to keep in the tank at the end of the day? What type of coral if any. Do you want to stay fish only? Kinda need to know end goals and we can point you in the right direction for which equipment you want!
Then it boils down to what do you want to keep in the tank at the end of the day? What type of coral if any. Do you want to stay fish only? Kinda need to know end goals and we can point you in the right direction for which equipment you want!
Reeferdude1888
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Hi guys you say u would like to keep a mixed reef , if u run with just the tank the way it is at the moment u would be required to perform weekly water changes after the tank has cycled to control nutrient levels in the tank and in turn that would also replenish elements I.e cal ,mag ,power heads would be required for water movement and possibly new lighting depending on what corals u intend on keeping .
If you want to go a step further then you could add a skimmer to the tank to help with exporting nutrients there are various types of hang on skimmers.
If you wanted to go a step further u could put the rock and water from the tank in a large container put a power head in with it and let the Rock cycle in that , and that would let u get your tank drilled so that u could add a sump and plumb the tank to the sump this will give u larger volume of water and somewhere to put all equipment in I.e skimmer ,reactors refugium the only reason I suggest this is your tank is only three days old and if you want a mixed reef with a slightly larger water volume with equipment that will help u maintain it a bit easier then this is what you can do there are lots of options hope this helps it's just most people when they start new reefs ,a couple of months down the line wish they had added the things I mention above, but that said u can go with first option and just perform good maintenance through water changes weekly it just really depends what u want and how good u are at diy in reefing good luck .
If you want to go a step further then you could add a skimmer to the tank to help with exporting nutrients there are various types of hang on skimmers.
If you wanted to go a step further u could put the rock and water from the tank in a large container put a power head in with it and let the Rock cycle in that , and that would let u get your tank drilled so that u could add a sump and plumb the tank to the sump this will give u larger volume of water and somewhere to put all equipment in I.e skimmer ,reactors refugium the only reason I suggest this is your tank is only three days old and if you want a mixed reef with a slightly larger water volume with equipment that will help u maintain it a bit easier then this is what you can do there are lots of options hope this helps it's just most people when they start new reefs ,a couple of months down the line wish they had added the things I mention above, but that said u can go with first option and just perform good maintenance through water changes weekly it just really depends what u want and how good u are at diy in reefing good luck .
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What u have could work however it just leaves very little room for error and you'd have to be very meticulous with tank husbandry. As long as u stay on top of water change, it should be fine. Adding more live rock will help provide more bio filtration. However a powerhead (wave maker) should be pointed at the rocks in order for it to be effective. Don't think u need to buy anything expensive/powerful given the tank size.
You will want to increase flow in the tank. The little HOB filter will provde a minimal amount, but nowhere near enough. Figure on 20-30x tank volume ( ~600-900gph) for soft and LPS corals, and 40x or more for SPS (~1200gph). A couple powerheads will be the easiest option for that. Look at the Koralia line for reasonably priced units that will suit your setup, and remember that 2 or more powerheads will always be better than just one, more powerful, powerhead because it is easier to set them up to provide a more random, chaotic flow. Dead spots in the tank are the bane of every reefer.
The HOB filter will give you mechanical filtration and perhaps a small amount of biological filtration, but the lions share of the denitrifying process takes place in and on the live rock. On that note, I'd suggest adding some more. It will, at least IMO, also improve the look of the tank while also adding more places for fish to explore and hide.
Is that the stock light? If so, it will be adequate for a fish only system (they don't care if there's a light at all!), but far from optimal for any but the least light demanding soft corals. Deciding on what your plans are for the tank will determine your lighting options, so if you'll fill us in on what's down the road we can help more with that.
With a tank that size, other equipment is nice, but far from mandatory. I kept a very successful 60g cube for 22 years with nothing more than a HOB and canister filter, a heater, a couple powerheads, and T12VHO lighting. Water changes alone can easily keep things in check for you. Thinks like skimmers and reactors are nice, but not necessary at this point for you.
HTH!
The HOB filter will give you mechanical filtration and perhaps a small amount of biological filtration, but the lions share of the denitrifying process takes place in and on the live rock. On that note, I'd suggest adding some more. It will, at least IMO, also improve the look of the tank while also adding more places for fish to explore and hide.
Is that the stock light? If so, it will be adequate for a fish only system (they don't care if there's a light at all!), but far from optimal for any but the least light demanding soft corals. Deciding on what your plans are for the tank will determine your lighting options, so if you'll fill us in on what's down the road we can help more with that.
With a tank that size, other equipment is nice, but far from mandatory. I kept a very successful 60g cube for 22 years with nothing more than a HOB and canister filter, a heater, a couple powerheads, and T12VHO lighting. Water changes alone can easily keep things in check for you. Thinks like skimmers and reactors are nice, but not necessary at this point for you.
HTH!
