Opinion Questions

I am in the first few weeks of setting up my first saltwater tank. (75 gallons)
I plan on starting FOWLR tank but after getting a hold of it, then moving to a reef tank.

I am looking for opinions of my tank so far and what my next moves should be.

Current tank



Do I have too much rock? I am planning on getting some live rock this week to seed the rest.

I have two 800gph circulation pumps on there way and working on plans for a DIY sump/fuge. Currently using a canister filter, but hoping to get my sump together so I can switch it over.

I have a ten gallon tank just sitting, would that be better then the canister filter till I get the sump together?

Any other suggestion for the new beginner?

Thanks,

hgillins

 

The amount of rock depends more on your preference. The recommended amount is between 1 and 1.5 lbs per gallon for adequate biological filtration.

The pumps should be enough for soft corals, but if you end up going with stony corals, especially SPS, you will need some more flow, but you're good for now.

The canister filter is a mixed bag, some love them, others hate them. If you use it, must make sure you clean it often to avoid the build up of nitrates.

You could turn that 10 gallon into your sump, but if you can fit a bigger tank underneath your stand, I would recommend just waiting and making the sump from that tank.

If you plan on going with a reef later on, I would recommend getting the lights you need from the get go. I had the original intentions of just a FOWLR and went reef which meant I had to buy a whole new fixture.

Hope this helped.

 

what kind of rock is that those are huge pieces? As for amount i would say you have about the right amount if you have about 1.5Lbs per gallon. I would steer clear of a canister filter i had one when i first start and now it sets dry in my garage lol.

 

Thanks for the input.

The rock is a combination of Utah lace rock, and once live rock. I am planning on picking up some live rock tomorrow to seed the rock I have. Also thinking about pulling out the largest of the rocks (it looked great for the freshwater setup I had, but looks out of place now.)

I am already thinking that I will ditch the canister filter asap, and just use a sump/fuge. I am looking for a 20 or 30 to use as the sump but no luck so far unless I want to buy a fresh water starter kit for $100 and get stuff I don't need or want, so till I find one I think i will use the ten I have now.

As for the lighting, I am looking for that as well, but not a huge hurry. I know I will need/want to switch it over to T5's, MH or both, led's are too much for me as of now, but it will be a little while till I try corals.

I am switching over my tank from freshwater, so I already had the tank, lights, rock, sand, and filter. So I don't mind have some of that to start with then switching it over later.

I plan on moving some rocks around tomorrow when I get the live rock. I will post what I come up with and see what people like better.

Thanks again.

 

personally, i love that huge rock. that's awesome.

what i would recommend though (and learned this lesson after my first tank) is to drill holes that fit frag plugs into and all over your rock b4 putting it in the tank. any masonry bit will do. just rinse the rock well. in your case, should be able to just remove it, drill it, rinse it, put it back if not in there too long.

I've even taken LR out of my tank and put it in a bucket of old WC water, and drilled in there (got a 2 foot bit for that job) without any problems.

It's surprisingly difficult to find good spots for your coral plugs. I drilled a ton of holes when I moved a few months ago. Sooo glad I did.

 

Be careful. If that rock was in a FW tank treated with copper, for example, might have problems later.

 

In regards to the filter. I am glad you are already thinking ahead and going for a 20-30g. Please make sure you get a sump that can handle what you may want to add to it. Some of there include reactors, skimmers, filter socks, and possibly a refugium.

There are enough posts in the refugium section to help you with advice/diy info etc.

The most important thing you can do IMO is to get a skimmer that will exceed you tank capacity. Do not buy a skimmer that just fits your sump. Most sites that sell skimmers also give there dimensions. Theres enough info on skimmers in the skimmer section.

+1 to the 1 to 1.5lbs of live rock.

 

I have never thought of drilling hole for frag plugs, that is a great idea. Is there one common size of plugs, or does it depend on where you get them?

I am one of those people who doesn't like to use chemicals, I would just watch my fish close and bump up the temp if I seen that any of my fish looked sick and that normally helped and if that wasn't enough I would add some salt. So copper left over shouldn't be an issue.

 

If I can find one larger that will still fit, I will get that instead. My current plan as of today would be to keep the ten and turn it into a fuge and have it above my sump, and split the water flow to both the sump and the fuge, then have the fuge flow into the sump and then back into the tank.

 

So I went and got my first pieces of live rock. I got it at a lfs for $3/lb. But after I got it in my tank, I noticed that it has stuff on it that I didn't see at the store. On one piece is a small Kenya Tree Coral, two or three pieces have sponges on them and another one I think has zoa/paly on it but not 100% sure about that one. Will know better when it opens up, it has been closed tight all day. I got some hermit crabs, and one rock has a bunch of red tube like stuff on it, wondering if it is a red algae or something.