55g to 20g conversion

[ajm]

I was wondering what you guys thought of this setup and if you had some lighting/other reccomendations. Long story short I have a 55g that was started awhile back and due to not having lots of money to go spend on it and wanting to make my turtle happy I have decied to move the 55g to a 20 long and the turtle into the 55g.

Right now in the 55g I have 20-25lbs of LR which is looking great minus the diatoms, a seio 1100, 150w heater and 2 turbo snails as well as a fluval 305.

My plans are to build a simple stand and set up the 20g long with the 20-25lbs of LR, crushed coral substrate, seio 1100 pump, and 150 watt heater. I am very unsure what to do about lighting but found this (http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18360/si1378934/cl0/allglassfluorescenttwintubestriplight30black) fixture and planned on using some good bulbs with it. Underneath the stand will be a 10 gallon sump. For the sump I plan on using a via aqua 1200 for return, using crushed coral for substrate and putting some macro algea in it. I am also looking to add a nano skimmer such as the rio to the sump.

[stevelkaneval]

dont use the crushed coral, use argonite or something else. the cc will be a nitrate factory and require constant cleaning.

[00nothing]

If you are planning to keep coral that light fixture is not even remotly sufficient you need someting with a lot more wattage

[ajm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11504358#post11504358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 00nothing
If you are planning to keep coral that light fixture is not even remotly sufficient you need someting with a lot more wattage

thats kinda what I figured. Do you have any reccomendations as to what fixture and how much wattage I will need? From everything ive read about 100+?

[chem-e]

For lights, it'll depend on what you plan to keep. If you're looking for something cheap, I'd recommend these (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+16770&pcatid=16770) over the ones you were originally thinking of.

I'm planning to use one of these to light my refugium, but I haven't bought one yet, so I can't comment on the quality of these fixtures (yet).

Another thing to watch out for is the Seio 1100 that you're planning to use on the 20gal. This is a pretty strong PH for a 20gal. It's also quite large, so it'll look pretty big in a small tank, however if it's okay with you, then that's all that matters.

[ajm]

Thanks. The seio definetly concerned me as I just bought it about a week ago but im hoping to just cut the water flow on it and find a way to mount it w/o the bulky 6 suction cup mount etc. As for what I want to keep I am looking into some polyps and a few other soft corals.

[brandon7491]

if u want something that is small and produces 250gph get 2 of the hydrokorilla nano streams they will be perfect for softies and such

[ajm]

The tank is glass and everything ive read about drilling it seems kinda iffy. I was wondering if you guys ever heard of holes being cut with a glass cutter vs drilling.

[mathias999us]

Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't a glass cutter typically for scoring and snapping a straight line? I think only some sort of rotary tool like a drill or a dremel is going to get you a round hole.

For polyps and soft corals, you should be fine going with some cheaper T5's like chem-e suggested.

[ajm]

Thats what I have started to believe as well after doing more thinking. Drilling it seems a bit expensive as the bits are about $60. Would you guys have some sort of reccomendation for a bit that would work with a dremal?

[mathias999us]

Yeah, you need to get diamond-tipped bits for the dremel. I think the ball-shaped bit is the best one to use for this purpose. They can usually be had at local hardware stores for less than $10. I got a 20 diamond bit variety pack from a hardware store here recently for $3.99 (which is a steal). Search around, there are a LOT of threads about drilling glass tanks with a dremel and diamond tip bit. Gotta keep it cool with a garden hose continually flowing, and go slow and steady.