Proposed Setup... opinions?

I am fairly new to saltwater. I have been doing a lot of reading and research. I'm almost at the point of Information Overload. However, I have recently purchased a Oceanic 46g Bow Front tank & stand. It is their Contrast Collection, and very attractive. Here is what I'm considering:

40lbs of Live Sand (2 to 3 inches?)
4 or 5 damsels (just something to create waste for the cycle process. I have a gift certificate for $20 in free fish).
Cyclone CPR 192 System (sump, skimmer, overflow, etc..)
Fluval 404 (already own, for mechanical filtration)
2 Zoo Med Powersweep 226 (190GPH, for circulation only)
Existing hood light with 35" 25W bulb (5500K ?)

As time progresses, I will probably add live rock and upgrade my lighting, perhaps with a higher K bulb or PC lighting. I'm open to suggestions on a better sump or wave maker.

Thanks,
Rob

 

Robby,

Welcome to the hobby. I think its great that you have been doing your homework and that you have found this website. I hope you have hours of enjoyment watching your own personal saltwater family.

At the risk of more information overload, read Matt Roger's articles on starting up a marine tank. The links are at the 3Reef home page, bottom of the page.

Are you going to have fish with live rock, or a reef tank with coral? Anemones? Anemones and coral will need more lighting than one 35 watt bulb. Fish usually don't care, but some fish, like the lionfish, do not like bright light.

Don't get 4 or 5 damsels. You don't have to have more than 1 "guinea pig" fish when you start up a tank. Many in 3Reef will say you don't need any, just patience. It will take 4-6 weeks for the nitrogen cycle to run its course. Do not add any more fish until the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates are zero/zero/nearly zero.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Enjoy your tank!
-- Steve

 

I would replace the (one) damsel with a blue or green chromis as they are far less aggressive. Also keep in mind that if you add live rock to your set up after it has already cycled, you risk starting another cycle, unless you cure your live rock in a separate container before adding it to the main tank. I would rethink the Powersweeps as they will jam on your eventually. Remember, if it has "moving parts", it will most likely jam up sooner or later.

 

I agree with the 2 previous replies. You will need more powerful lighting and I would go with some other brand of powerhead like maxijets or Seio pumps because they pump 620 gph with only 6 watts of power. You should also consider doing a 2" or less sand bed or 4" or more for a deep sand bed. Good luck and welcome to 3reef and the hobbby!

 

Thanks for the opinions. I did find out a little bit more about my lighting. It is an All-Glass hood and the 25W bulb is 8000K. The inside of the lamp hood is polished aluminum and looks like a mirror, so reflection back should be good. Although that probably doesn't make much difference when it comes to live rock. As for the Power Sweeps, I'm going to stick with them, as I have had 4 of these in the past and they work great. Never had a jam as long as I used the prefilter. Older Power Sweeps did have a problem but I hear Zoo Med has redesigned them, so I'll give them a go. Wish I hadn't let them go with the old tank.

I'm curious about the sump choise. My LFS recommended the CPR Cyclone 192 but it's more expensive than the tank combo was. Do I really need a sump, or would something else be a better choice? Someone in a previous post (Matt?) called SW aquariums a "money pit" and I'm begining to understand that now.

I read another post that said I could use "regular" sand in my tank, seeded with some live sand. I believe 50/50 mixture was mentioned. This would certainly help lower my expenses, especially if I go with the CY192.

What are the advantages or disadvantages to a DSB vs. less than 2"? And I was only guessing at how deep 40lbs of LS would cover in my 46g bow front.

Thanks again!

 

You could build your own sump using a 20g tank and then add a skimmer and save yourself some money. As far as the sand bed goes it's personal preference. I have a DSB in my 120g but am switching over to a 2" bed and putting the DSB in my sump. IMHO I think the DSB is harder to keep clean. Lets hear what others think!

 

I'm not very crafty so building my own is probably not something I want to take on. I'd hate to see $$$ go down the tube if I did something wrong. My wife would kill me if my creation leaked and damaged the hardwood floors. I'd prefer to spend a little extra and go with a commercial sump.

I would be curious to hear other thoughts on sand bed levels.

I like the idea of adding live rock for filtration but it sounds like then I would have to upgrade my lighting because my 25W 8000K bulb is insufficient.

thanks again!

 

You do not need strong lighting to keep live rock.

 

Really? That seems contradictory to what people have said in this and other forums I've been reading. Personally I'd love to use the light that came with the tank, at least until it burns out and my wallet gets a bit fatter.

 

RobbyReefer,
Amcarrig is right. The things that make a live rock "live" do not need the high intensity light that anemones and coral do.
There's a discussion thread, although it wanders a bit, talking about lighting in a fish only, with live rock (FOWLR) tank (darn it. lost the thread). Anyway, use the search tool at the top of the page to search on FOWLR and Lighting.
Karma to Amcarrig!