Frag Tank question

[bimmer01]

I'm setting up a frag tank tonight and need your input.

I have a tank, stand and T5 lights. I'm planning to put couple of my frags in this tank.

Besides a salt water, heater, pump and my T5 lights what else do I need in the frag tank?

Do i need any live rocks or skimmer?

[returnofsid]

All depends on what you want to accomplish. What types of corals do you plan on growing? Will you have fish? If no fish, how do you plan to feed the corals? How do you plan on removing nitrates, if not with a skimmer? How often do you plan water changes? How do you plan to reduce problems associated with ammonia and nitrites without live rock? Will you have a refugium or sump? What will you be testing for? How will you be dosing Ca, Alk and Mg?

You can do without a skimmer, by doing extra water changes. I'd recommend live rock though.

[Rouselb]

It depends on how you set it up. If you connect it to your main tank or sump then you only need a tank, PHs, and lighting. If its stand alone, then returnofsid is correct. You will need allot more.

[bimmer01]

Well, i'm only planning to keep coral frags only. Mainly zoas, softs and LPS. No fish or inverts. I will feed the corals daily. I do not plan to use a sump or refugium. I'll add a few live rock in the tank as well. With that said, can it be done?

[Rouselb]

In general i would say no. But there is a clause. It could be done if you have LR and do weekly WC. There are reefers that keep softies and low stocked tanks without a skimmer. You will still need a light and heater and PHs. A skimmer would really help, but its not an absolute. Even if you planted some macro in the frag tank, this would help.
I personally would not do it this way. I would connect it to my main sump or fuge and use a skimmer. But it could be done.

[bimmer01]

Thanks for the advice Larry but I plan to do weekly WC. The only problem is I dont have plumbing set up to my sump or fuge. I also dont have an extra skimmer./

I plan to run coral frags with live rock (from my display tank), lights, PH and pump in the frag tank. I'm 50/50 on this frag tank.

[Rouselb]

I would just start slow. Maybe add a few frags and see how they do. It could be done, just plant some macro and keep up with the WC. If you have LR and feed very minimum you should be okay. I used to have many softies, and carbon was a real plus in the system. You might want to run a bag of that in there also.

[kingfisher62]

If it was just coral how much bioload would they really produce?

[Rouselb]

It really depends on the LR you put into the frag tank, the type of food or bacteria that you dose with, and what types of coral you try to keep. Most softies expel or shed and this can really irritate other corals. Thats why i suggested carbon. Most independent tanks have either a skimmer or a sump with lots of LR, or a fuge. Walk through any fish place, now they run bare bones, they cant afford to run all the equipment we do, and you will see that most tanks have some sort of biological filter.