Mrfresh
Valuable Member
I have noticed a lot of people joining the form and they are starting there first reef aquarium. What this thread is going for is to talk about the basic start up of a reef aquarium. The does and don't, what purpose things serve in a reef aquarium and you options. ( I will try to not to be bias about set ups ect...) there are a lot of books out there but books don't ANWSER questions, and that the beauty of a forum, so if you have any questions please ask, if you have anything to say, try to write it as a fact and not an opinion.
Aquarium. Glass or acrylic
The 2 most common types of aquariums will be made of either glass or acrylic. The reason these are used is because of clearity and strength. Glass is very strong but brittle, so if you were to hit it with a rock it might crack. Acrylic is durable but at the same time can starch easier, ( you can buff out starched in acrylic but not glass). Glass aquariums are glued together as to were acrylic aquariums are fused together though a glue/solvant that will bond them into one peice.
Filtration:
Carbon
Mechanical filtration, it is the removal of nutrients and waste from the water thought man made processes. This can be archived many different ways. Normally a mixture of several different ones are used. Carbon is a great source of removing organisms from the water, carbon must be changed out regularly to prevent it from release the organisms back into the water.
Over flows.
An overflow allows the top water to flow into a filtration system, a lot of the organic waste you want to remove will float to the top of the water so allowing the top water to flow into the filtration you will allow a great amount of waste to me removed. An overflow can be done in many different styles: hang on the back overflows ( no holes in you aquarium ) column overflows ( hole in the bottom), coast to coast, there s'more but these are some of the most common.
Filter bag
From there the overflow will drain into you sump. A great way to remove the large partials in the water is to use filter bags. Filter bags come in different sizes and styles. You can use pads or socks. They also come in different micron levels. The smaller the number the smaller the partials it allows to flow though it. A 200micron filter will stop anything 200 microns or larger from flowing though it, a 50 micron bag stops anything larger then 50 microns, the smaller the number the better it will filter out particals but it will need to be replaced or cleaned more often because they will clog faster.
Skimmer
The idea behind a skimmer is to pull waste from the water by creating bubbles and making the heaviest partials rise and the lighter ones sink and float away. Bigger partials stay on the bubbles longer and the clean water rolls off. As the bubble rises it carries the waste. It will pop and the waste will go onto another bubble making the bubble thicker/ stronger and raise more and carry more up. Once it reaches the top it will go into a collection cup so it will not return into the water. There are two main types of skimmers. Skimmers that go inside a sump of skimmers that hang on the back of your aquarium.
Hang on the back filters.
A hang in the back filter is the typical filter that sucks water up into it, from there the water will flow thought mesh to filter out the large partials then a type of carbon to remove the organic waste and water will flow down and back into the aquarium.
Organic Filtraion
Live rock is rock typically from the ocean, the reason live rock is considered live is because there are micro organisms on the rock. A good way to think about live rock is to consider it like your immune system in your body. It will help keep the tank healthy. These organisms break down the excess nutrients and prevent them from becoming toxic in your aquarium.
The cycle of waste.
When you feed your aquarium you put nutrients into the water. Some will be eattin and become waste though the fish the rest that is not eattin will become toxic and turn into ammonia. This can destroy a tank very fast. With filtering it out you have less chance of this happening, the biological filtration will take the excess and help move it to the next stage, nitrite. Nitrite is not as deadly as ammonia but corals will not be as happy as they can be if u have excessively high nitrite. From there it will become nitrate which is its safe form and easily removed.
Sand vs bare bottom
Sand does play a part in the filtration process, sand will allow small invertebrates and small organisms to live in it, in return they will eat waste that falls to the sand bed. Deep sand beds 6inches or more of sand also help filter the water, this is one way to remove nitrate from your water. sand is also an esthetic factor, some people like think sand beds as other like just enough to cover the bottom.
Bare bottom tanks have advantages as well. With a bare bottom tank you can have more flow in your aquarium and not worry about sand blowing around. Any food that is not eaten can easily be syphoned out with your next water change. Bare bottoms also have a more contemporary look to them.
[ I have ran out of time and will address these later with an update]
Lighting
Metal halides (MH) vs t-5 vs light emitting diode (led)
Metal halides
T-5
Led
Water movement
Salinity
If there is anything else you would like covered please post it and I will get back you or maybe someone else can.
I can mess up and it took a while to write so if I did miss something or wrote it wrong ( or wrong about the whole thing ) please let me know and I'll look into it.
Please remember this is to help novelist not experienced enthusiast.
Aquarium. Glass or acrylic
The 2 most common types of aquariums will be made of either glass or acrylic. The reason these are used is because of clearity and strength. Glass is very strong but brittle, so if you were to hit it with a rock it might crack. Acrylic is durable but at the same time can starch easier, ( you can buff out starched in acrylic but not glass). Glass aquariums are glued together as to were acrylic aquariums are fused together though a glue/solvant that will bond them into one peice.
Filtration:
Carbon
Mechanical filtration, it is the removal of nutrients and waste from the water thought man made processes. This can be archived many different ways. Normally a mixture of several different ones are used. Carbon is a great source of removing organisms from the water, carbon must be changed out regularly to prevent it from release the organisms back into the water.
Over flows.
An overflow allows the top water to flow into a filtration system, a lot of the organic waste you want to remove will float to the top of the water so allowing the top water to flow into the filtration you will allow a great amount of waste to me removed. An overflow can be done in many different styles: hang on the back overflows ( no holes in you aquarium ) column overflows ( hole in the bottom), coast to coast, there s'more but these are some of the most common.
Filter bag
From there the overflow will drain into you sump. A great way to remove the large partials in the water is to use filter bags. Filter bags come in different sizes and styles. You can use pads or socks. They also come in different micron levels. The smaller the number the smaller the partials it allows to flow though it. A 200micron filter will stop anything 200 microns or larger from flowing though it, a 50 micron bag stops anything larger then 50 microns, the smaller the number the better it will filter out particals but it will need to be replaced or cleaned more often because they will clog faster.
Skimmer
The idea behind a skimmer is to pull waste from the water by creating bubbles and making the heaviest partials rise and the lighter ones sink and float away. Bigger partials stay on the bubbles longer and the clean water rolls off. As the bubble rises it carries the waste. It will pop and the waste will go onto another bubble making the bubble thicker/ stronger and raise more and carry more up. Once it reaches the top it will go into a collection cup so it will not return into the water. There are two main types of skimmers. Skimmers that go inside a sump of skimmers that hang on the back of your aquarium.
Hang on the back filters.
A hang in the back filter is the typical filter that sucks water up into it, from there the water will flow thought mesh to filter out the large partials then a type of carbon to remove the organic waste and water will flow down and back into the aquarium.
Organic Filtraion
Live rock is rock typically from the ocean, the reason live rock is considered live is because there are micro organisms on the rock. A good way to think about live rock is to consider it like your immune system in your body. It will help keep the tank healthy. These organisms break down the excess nutrients and prevent them from becoming toxic in your aquarium.
The cycle of waste.
When you feed your aquarium you put nutrients into the water. Some will be eattin and become waste though the fish the rest that is not eattin will become toxic and turn into ammonia. This can destroy a tank very fast. With filtering it out you have less chance of this happening, the biological filtration will take the excess and help move it to the next stage, nitrite. Nitrite is not as deadly as ammonia but corals will not be as happy as they can be if u have excessively high nitrite. From there it will become nitrate which is its safe form and easily removed.
Sand vs bare bottom
Sand does play a part in the filtration process, sand will allow small invertebrates and small organisms to live in it, in return they will eat waste that falls to the sand bed. Deep sand beds 6inches or more of sand also help filter the water, this is one way to remove nitrate from your water. sand is also an esthetic factor, some people like think sand beds as other like just enough to cover the bottom.
Bare bottom tanks have advantages as well. With a bare bottom tank you can have more flow in your aquarium and not worry about sand blowing around. Any food that is not eaten can easily be syphoned out with your next water change. Bare bottoms also have a more contemporary look to them.
[ I have ran out of time and will address these later with an update]
Lighting
Metal halides (MH) vs t-5 vs light emitting diode (led)
Metal halides
T-5
Led
Water movement
Salinity
If there is anything else you would like covered please post it and I will get back you or maybe someone else can.
I can mess up and it took a while to write so if I did miss something or wrote it wrong ( or wrong about the whole thing ) please let me know and I'll look into it.
Please remember this is to help novelist not experienced enthusiast.
