help on setting my reef tank, 3 different sources and still confused.

H

hdizzle89

Reefing newb
Location
Alsip, IL USA
Im starting a 55 gallon reef tank and over the past 2 weeks ive been hearing alot of info on how i should do it and the more i research online the more one contradicts another.

This is what i have:
- 1 emperor 400 filter
- the amount of salt recommended for a 55 gallon tank
- about 30 pounds of rock (20 live rock and 10 dead live rock)
- i bought a special made lighting for reef tanks giving me about 5 watts per gallon

I plan on buying:
- a Small Aquaripure Nitrate Filters: this helps to pump water back into the tank with waste and differen stuff that can lead to algae and you can add nutrients to it.
- i dont know which i will be getting yet but i will buy 2 powerheads to give the tank some currents that corals and fish like.
- about 40 plus lbs of live rock

this is what im planning on doing:
i already have sand and the live rock placed in my tank with salt water. the water has been tested and all levels are where they need to be except for i used tab water for the saltwater mix and the phosphate levels were a little bit high but im currently correcting it with PURA Phoslock. I'll add more live rock and purchase the powerheads and get my water tested again and if passes every test, i should be able to add coral and better fish. then after all that i was planing on adding the Aquaripure Nitrate Filter so that i always have good water with no phosphate going in but wouldnt the PURA Phoslock im correcting the phosphate levels with, cancel out the purpose of me buying the Nitrate filter? the filter is about $235 and would correct faster (i assume) and it reduces water changes. should i buy it or just stick to the PURA Phoslock?

the emperor 400 filter has 2 filter pads and 2 bio-wheels. the live rock is essentially my filters so i wouldnt need the pads and the bio-wheels right? i would want to keep the filter running with no pads ot bio-wheels just for water to circulate a bit more. would this be a good idea?

as of right now there seems to be some bubbles where the water falls into the tank from the filter, are those bubbles normal or could it because the splash of the water makes them or ive also read it could be ammonia. the guys that tests my water at a really good local shop told me that all my levels are good except for the phosphate but again its being corrected. also could it be that i need a skimmer?

im sorry for putting alot of information and making a new thread but im completely new and im hoping you guys can help me out. thank you in advance for any reposts and help i can get.
 
Instead of buying 40 pounds of Live Rock I would just buy Dry Rock, it is cheaper and in no time at all will become live rock. Check out Marco Rocks they have great Dry Rock.

Second you don't need the Emperor 400 filter at all. Your rock will be your biological filtration. You can run it with carbon on occassion to polish your water if you want, but not as a filteration device.

Also in my opionion I would skip the Aquaripure Nitrate filter and get a good RO/DI water filter instead. I think that would be money better spent and the RO/DI and frequent/regular water changes will help lower phospates (along with not overfeeding).

For the money Hydor Koralia powerheads are a good buy, I would look into getting 2 of them with a flow rate that will turn your water over at least 40 times an hour minimum.

For a 55 gallon tank I would also get a Protein Skimmer, Reef Octopus is a very good, reasonable priced brand. If you don't have a sump you can get a HOB skimmer.
 
I agree on the emperor filter if not cleaned regularly ( every few days) will actually cause you more problems with nitrates...
Marco rocks is a great place to get dry rock (Better to keep some money in your pocket for coral or fish) I recommend calling him and telling him the sizes you would like..
For powerheads I would get ( if you are getting koralia) two 1050's or a 750 and a 1050.. this will give you enough flow for just about any coral you would wish to throw in later.
Check out these guys for a nice ro/di system...
RO/DI Systems
 
Hello and welcome to the site...MikeG has you covered. Don't waste your money on more live rock, or the nitrate reducer. Dry rock will turn live in no time...and a protein skimmer will pull a lot of the crap (that cause nitrates and phosphates) out of your water. As long as you do your scheduled water changes, don't overstock, or overfeed, you'll be fine. Btw, which local pet store do you go to?
 
As others here have already said, you're mostly on the right track. I would also agree with the assesment that you do not need the nitrate reducer - spend that money on a good protein skimmer or an RO/DI system instead - it will be money much better spent
 
Check out the articles section of this site (Reefkeeping Articles) and the equipment list one in particular - you'll find it very helpful! If you want to add a sump at some point, you can easily make one out of a rubbermaid tub and hang-on-back overflow (don't bother spending money for a premade sump). Things that you want to spend your money on (e.g., buy high quality) are your protein skimmer, lights, and RO/DI unit (and lights in particular if you want to do LPS/SPS corals, clams, or an anemone, though you'll need to wait on an anemone until your tank has been set up for at least a year as they need pristine water quality). Small things you want to also invest in up front are a refractometer and test kit that doesn't use test strips (API and SeaChem both make good kits). Some decent sites that I've purchased from are Bulk Reef Supply (I personally love their pukani dry rock), Aqua Cave, and Drs. FosterSmith.

Welcome to the site & good luck! Keep us posted on how your set-up goes, and people here are great about giving feedback on equipment questions, etc., just ask!
 
Thank you everyone! Everyone's comments were very helpful. i will invest in RO/DI filter and a good HOD skimmer since i dont have a sump system.
if in the future i go with a sump system can i still use the HOB skimmer or will i have to get another one?
here is a picture of what i have so far.
P1040606.jpg


what do you guys think? and thank you for welcoming me! as soon as i get pass the rookie mode on saltwater and reef tanks i will be on here helping others.
 
To answer your question, yes, you can still use an HOB skimmer with a sump; though you'll probably upgrade once you experience your first skimmer overflow. A sump is nice because it gives you a place to place your heater and other equipment, such as reactors and ato stuff.

Also, see that water line in your tank in the picture? A sump system will eliminate that, because it keeps your tank in positive pressure. Instead, your evaporation will occur in the sump. That's another benefit.
 
Makes sense. About.10 minutes ago a friend of mine gave me the base of a sump and now I'm really considering using a sump system. I would just have to get and overflow box and an extra pump that will push water back to the tank right?
 
Yea I was just reading about DIY and since I'm really short on money $15 sounds great. Do you have a link or do u have a tutorial to where I can make one like yourself? I also seen a diy protein skimmer but I rather buy one just to know it'll work fine.
 
go on youtube...type in diy pvc overflow...theres alot of great videos on how to make u one. itll take 10 minutes.

i also have a diy skimmer. also made from pvc. its a workhorse. pumps out alot of nasty gunk everyday. i built a few out of plastic bottles and a couple out of pvc before i came up with something i was happy with....but yeah nothing beats the reef octopus skimmer....
 
A word of caution about the damsels, they are some of the meanest fish you can buy. Why they got the name damsel is beyond me, probably someone's idea of a bad joke. They are well known for harassing other fish many times their size to death and will often kill each other off until you are left with the biggest, meanest, ugliest one left. I would highly suggest getting rid of them now, so that way you can introduce fish to your tank that will play nice with others.
 
ill definitively look into diy overflow boxes and skimmers. again i pretty much spend more then i was planning on and everything I bough. I've done research to find the cheapest of everything and so far its been cheap but not too cheap haha. I've knew that i was gonna be spending money i just didnt know that i was gonna spend that much. also do over flow boxes have a pump in the box that goes inside of the water or is it just gravity that takes the water out?
 
little_fish said:
A word of caution about the damsels, they are some of the meanest fish you can buy. Why they got the name damsel is beyond me, probably someone's idea of a bad joke. They are well known for harassing other fish many times their size to death and will often kill each other off until you are left with the biggest, meanest, ugliest one left. I would highly suggest getting rid of them now, so that way you can introduce fish to your tank that will play nice with others.
Click to expand...

Once im done with a full cycle and perhaps have the aquarium mature ill get those damsels out of there, ive heard nothing but bad things about them. the place i bought them, i was told that they r just starter fish and i could have pick from another kind but i just thought they were cool looking and the other could of stay there with other fish i'll eventually get. i think they were general something they were blueish baby blue some like that.
 
eeek!!!!!!!!

Never cycle with a live creature! That is very cruel. If they are lucky enough to survive the cycle, the damage to their internal organs will shorten their life considerably.

Next time, toss in a piece of uncooked table shrimp. That will provided ammonia for the tank to cycle without cause harm to a living fish. I know this is very common advice from LFS which brings me to my next point. Never fully trust a lfs, they are there to make money. They make money when they sell you a fish that is likely to die in your tank and you go back and buy more fish, corals or inverts. Also just because they work there doesnt mean they have a tank or a tank that runs successfully. We arent going to make any money off of you here and we all have a lot of experience with the fish and the corals and know what it takes for them to thrive. Not every fish will do well in every tank and some fish and inverts have no business being in anyones tank.
 
Smitty said:
Hello and welcome to the site...MikeG has you covered. Don't waste your money on more live rock, or the nitrate reducer. Dry rock will turn live in no time...and a protein skimmer will pull a lot of the crap (that cause nitrates and phosphates) out of your water. As long as you do your scheduled water changes, don't overstock, or overfeed, you'll be fine. Btw, which local pet store do you go to?
Click to expand...

sounds good! and the store i go to is called Aquatica its in tinley park, Illinois. they are really knowledgeable about everything. i went there just to look at fish and ended up going out of there with alot of information that was very vital for me to know.
 

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