Help would be Great

[RIJohn]

Well first off let me say high to every one. HI!

I am undertaking my first fish tank, which is gonna be a salt water tank which also gonna be a reef tank. I have been doing research online, and even went out and purchased Salt Water for Dummies. The book explained a great deal but I still have a few questions. I have tried browsing through hundreds of postings looking for the answer which I have not been able to find.

So I was wondering if I am on the right track with supplies:

90 Gallon Reef Ready Tank with Overflow
ADHI Wet-Dry 30 Trickle Filter
Reef Octopus NWB 150
175lbs of live Rock
100lbs of live sand
Outer Orbit 48in 2x150w 10k MH, 2x130wDual actinic, 6moon leds

Now I know I need a return pump to return the water from my sump to the tank but I am unaware of what size pump. I would like to keep all types of coral, and reef safe fish. I have noticed mixed info on how much is to much for the tank set up.

Also if you can think of anything else I may need or feel some of my list beside the tank should be changed please let me here it.

Thank You
John

 

[andysgirl8800]

You're off to a good start! Something to keep in mind with your return pump is the GPH rating (gallons per hour) and the height to which you will be pumping the return water. Most pumps will have a chart on it that indicates what the GPH is at what height. For example, a Mag 7 return pump on this link has a chart. You'll want to determine how much water turnover you want for your tank.

In your equipment list, I didn't see an RO/DI unit listed. You will want to use RO/DI water ONLY for your aquarium. Never use tap water. You can usually buy RO/DI water from your local fish store, or even from Walmart, but in the long run, you'll apppreciate the convenience of having your own purifier at home and reduce the amounts of buckets you'll haul to and from your car! :^:

 

[yote]

Andysgirl pretty mush has you covered.
But something you might want to think about.DIYing a sump,would be a whole lot cheaper than that trickle filter.Plus a DIY sump would give you more room for stuff like the skimmer and heater,allowing you to get those out of the display.
For your return pump,This Pond & Fountain Pumps: Pondmaster Mag-Drive Pumps work great.Either the PM7 or 9.5 would be perfect for your tank.
BTW
Welcome to the site.Were happy to have you.

 

[RIJohn]

Well thank you for your insight on the pump.

Although how much is the average drop in GPH of pump per raised foot?

Also I will be using RO water from my LFD then will purchasing a an RO unit.

One more thing How big of a heater will I need, my stays with in 65-70 degrees?

 

[Bifferwine]

You will need to get the temperature of your tank between 76 and 82. It's better to use two smaller heaters vs. one large heater. That way if one fails, you've still got a back up ready to go. Two 150 watt or 200 watt heaters should do the trick, I think.

 

[andysgirl8800]

Here's what I'll say about heaters: always have a backup available. :twocents: Go with a titanium model. These will be more stable. An external adjustment control is ideal. Tank temps can vary greatly depending on where they are in your house and what time of year. Your tank lights and your other equipment, such as pumps, can also contribute to your overall water temp. For example, all of my equipment keeps my tank at about 70 by itself. I use only a 200 watt heater (with a second one running at the same time in case the primary fails) in the event that my overall house heat drops. I originally started with a 600 watt heater but it kept overheating my tank. I keep my tank between 76 and 79 degrees.

 

[RIJohn]

Well thank you for the insight.

One last question for today that is at least.

When you do DIY sump/fuge what do you use for chemical filtration(ex. charcoal) and mechanical filtration?

I understand the fuge should be in three section. Section 1 being the water from main tank flow into chamber with skimmer. Chamber two the fuge area???? Chamber three return pump.

Thanks again for all your help and I promise as time goes one I will stop asking so much.

John

 

[andysgirl8800]

I understand the fuge should be in three section. Section 1 being the water from main tank flow into chamber with skimmer. Chamber two the fuge area???? Chamber three return pump.

Yeah, that's the basic concept! :Cheers: Sumps, especially DIYs, are very custom to what YOUR tank needs. I built my own also. Personally, I prefer not to use chemical filtration, if at all possible. But that is a personal preference. There are many different ways to do a sump, but they also have many advantages too! I'd be happy to share my sump design, but I encourage you to research many different designs to determine what is best for you.

BTW, don't hesitate to ask as many questions as you want, even if they have been asked before, or if they seem "stupid". We'd rather you learn the best way to keep your tank healthy so that you can really enjoy this hobby to its fullest extent. Research your options, ask lots of questions, take lots of pictures, and take everything nice and slowly so you can avoid some of the common catostrophic mistakes that happen when you try to rush things. :bounce:

 

[Bifferwine]

When you do DIY sump/fuge what do you use for chemical filtration(ex. charcoal) and mechanical filtration?

Nothing, really. I think chemical and mechanical filtration are more freshwater concepts. Not really used in this hobby. The vast majority of filtration in salt water is biological -- from live rock and live sand. Protein skimmers will remove dissolved organics, so that's mechanical. If you want to run carbon for chemical filtration, most people do it for one day a month or something like that. Rarely is carbon run 24/7.

 

[RyanG]

For chemical filtration, you should look into a reactor. A GFO reactor(granulated ferrous oxide) is good to help keep phosphates down in you system. Bulk Reef Suppy sells a dual chamber reactor for running GFO and Carbon.

As for mechanical filtration, your skimmer and regular partial water changes, coupled with your live rock is going to be your bacterial and mechanical filtration. Power filters and canister filters will do more harm than good unless they are kept in spotless condition. The bioballs in the trickle filter you mentioned will also be a problem, they build nitrates. You live rock is the ONLY thing in your system that will continue the nitrogen cycle past nitrates and get into a denitrification phase...well unless you get into deep sand bed(which I don't recommend.)

Another book you might look into is The Conscientous Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner, its a great book and you can learn a lot from it, I know I did and so did many other members of this site.

 

[RyanG]

Gah I type slow when Im tired...Ninjaed by the biffster.

 

[RIJohn]

Ok thank you everyone for clearing those questions up. What exactly do use to make fuge, more refering to one sand, algea etc? Thank you everyone

 

[Bifferwine]

A fuge usually consists of live rock rubble and macroalgae (like chaetomorpha). Some people put sand or mud in the fuge as well, but that's optional. The rock rubble and macroalgae give a place for pods to reproduce where there aren't any predators to eat them. They eventually overflow into the main tank, giving your fish and corals some live food. The macroalgae helps keep up your water quality, but consuming nutrients in your water. Macroalgae in the fuge does a great job of out-competing any nuisance algae that may try to establish itself in the display tank.

 

[RIJohn]

Thank You..