26g bowfront- new setup question (and Intro)

[SaltyTX]

In a former life (about 5-8 yrs ago) I had a few tanks set up, but they were mostly freshwater. I had a filtered salt-water setup or two, but nothing complex. You're probably wondering whats with the name if the location is in SC. I am moving back to TX in less than a year and didn't want to have a name there that made no sense!

I recently purchased a 26g bowfront on a whim.

I have some live sand, only one 3lb piece of live rock and 2 damsels. On the live rock I have some anemones (appears to be aiptasia). I dont plan on putting any corals or anything in this tank, just fish and maybe a shrimp.

The tank has been going for about 2 weeks. Still in the cycling process it seems from the testing.

For filtration I just have a HOB type that came with the tank. I am sure this is woefully underpowered for the tank. Is there any chance I could just toss this filter, load up on live rock and throw in a powerhead and skimmer? Or do I still need to keep the filter? I never went the live rock method before, so its new to me...

Is it worthwhile doing a DIY for something this size? I am very adept at DIY projects...

I do have a powerhead that I'll be putting in the tank tomorrow just to get some more water movement in there. It is pretty still water which is not the best.

[Johnny C]

Hey Man...

You've asked a lot of questions, but I'll try to answer them as best as I can. I currently have a 36G bow-front tank so I can kind of relate to the aquarium itself. You'll definatly want to grab about 20-30lbs. of live rock which will maintain 75% or more of your filtration in a tank that size. While HOB skimmers CAN be worthwhile, if it were me I would ditch it and spend $100 on a CPR BakPak or the like (skimmer-wise).

A LOT of newbies buy damsels because they are very hardy. IMO, get rid of them if/while you can. They are VERY aggressive fish and if you plan to add any more fish (which... remember, a 26G tank won't hold much), the damsels will most likely kill it one way or another. Do NOT buy any more fish for at least a month... you are still cycling and will remain to do so for a bit of time. Besides... in this hobby, EVERYTHING takes time and you usually don't want to add more than 1 fish/month at max. For a powerhead, grab a Koralia 2. That will suffice well in a tank your size and unlike a standard PH, they are pretty safe with your tank inhabitants while adding random flow to your aquarium.

As for the LR and equipment, I HIGHLY recommend buying stuff off of a local forum. People are always changing/leaving the hobby so chances are you can save yourself a pretty penny.

Remember that my post is strictly opinion and others may feel differently. Reguardless, WELCOME TO THE HOBBY.

PS- Being a DIY'er is a great skill to have in this hobby. You can check out the dedicated forum to it here. (http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=3)

Link to where you can find local reef club by clicking here. (http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=535)

GOOD LUCK! :D

[Ranchhand02]

Welcome to reef central, you have come to the right place for top notch information.

[SaltyTX]

I understand about the damsels. They are in there because they are hard to kill. Since I have the move coming up, I dont want to go too crazy. I have moved aquariums cross country before and well frankly, there are more fun things to do if you ask me.

Thanks for the info and the welcome!

[w16227]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14315238#post14315238 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaltyTX
I understand about the damsels. They are in there because they are hard to kill. Since I have the move coming up, I dont want to go too crazy. I have moved aquariums cross country before and well frankly, there are more fun things to do if you ask me.

Thanks for the info and the welcome!

Best bet if you can - drain the water to a lever where you can catch them and give them pack to the fish store.

Most will recommend live rock and a skimmer for filtration. Great recommendations. The HOB can have some uses in fish only tanks - but once you start adding the rock and shrimp =- well, the by-products can cause more harm than good.

I see that you are planning a move - this can be an issue with SW tanks and liverock/sand. More difficult than FW.

When you move - you pretty much need to ditch the sand. Removal/replacing will stir up a ton of "bad" stuff - and no way you could quickly put fish back in. Many people run battery powered heaters and powerheads using 55 gal trash cans for their liverock and fish during a move. If not - the fish may be ok for a short move (many places ship fish with little ill effects). The rock - you need to be careful with. With no coral plans, you will probably not have a lot of die-off, but it still needs to travel in water. If not - you could lose most if not all of the good bacterial in the rocks (the stuff that helps filter waste) and the tank may re-cycle.

Not to discourage you - this is an awesome hobby and there are still ways to have a tank now - and at the new place. If you know other people in the area with SW tanks - you might just want to get a couple of starter fish and give them a good home when you move. Lest of a rush to get the tank set up again at the new digs.

The most important pieces of equipment for just about any tank are the skimmer - and a good RO/DI unit. For your tank size - the CPR backpack recommended is a good one, as is the Aqua-c remora.

RO/DI is a water filter system. Helps prevent many issues. Yes, they can be expensive up front, but well worth it in the long run if you plan to keep up with the hobby.

THANKS

[SaltyTX]

I may certainly give up the damsels when I move. That's about a year away. I plan on remaining disciplined enough to not purchase anything that would be hard to move. At most some snails and a shrimp on top of the damsels. I will likely have a tank set up in the new house before I move there, so it would be more a matter of transporting the animals (which isn't a huge problem) and the rock, again, not a huge problem.


I'll look into more rock and a skimmer this weekend. That seems to be the preferred method. Is 6 circulations/hour sufficient for a powerhead? Or should I aim for more? I can pick up another powerhead as well

[Johnny C]

Sounds like you've got a pretty solid plan.

My best advice to you is to buy the best stuff you can up front. If the tank you will have in your new home will be larger than your current setup, keep that in mind. Most products in this trade are targeted to a certain tank size, and it would be a waste to pick up stuff now that you won't be able to use a year from now.

Don't worry too much about transporting livestock... as long as your not moving across the country, you'll be ok! ;)

As for a powerhead, get a koralia. They are well worth the $! GL :)

[Sugar Magnolia]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14317091#post14317091 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CaliDreaminjC


Don't worry too much about transporting livestock... as long as your not moving across the country, you'll be ok! ;)
Just halfway across.SC---------->TX.

[tims28gnano]

[welcome]

[SaltyTX]

Heh, ya its a 17-18 hr drive from here to TX

I will probably have more than one tank in TX. I've prepared my wife for this already. hahaha. Just have to come up with a game plan when the time comes.

I like the koralia looks simple enough and seems to move a ton of water.

Keep the info coming! I am like a sponge always soaking up information- even if it is not entirely relevant to my specific tank.

[Johnny C]

oh boy, didn't realize you were moving out of state, my bad. anyways... hopefully others will also be able to chime in as well. make sure to post some pics!

[SaltyTX]

Is the red sea prizm skimmer any good? I saw one for 130 bucks (new) and good for a 100g tank..