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tony53176
01/09/2012, 08:30 AM
Well as embarrassing as this next statement maybe, I found out last night that my tank is in fact 75 gallons instead of 55 gallons. Long story short the guy I bought the tank from advertised it as a 55 and I never really measured it or anything that would make me think differently. My wife and I went to petco yesterday to pick up a 40 breeder for my daughters turtle and I happened to see a 55 sitting there and thought to myself "wow thats a bit smaller than what mine looks like (ok I gave you the long version anyways)

All that said, all my equipment that I've bought so far has been with the thought that I had a 55 all along, there isn't much more money in the aquarium fund and I was wondering if someone could take a look at my sig and let me know if what I have running right now will still allow me to house LPS and softies or should I start considering just having a FOWLR tank?

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

capschamp
01/09/2012, 08:38 AM
What type of light fixture? From what i understand a batter fixture will get more out of the 216 watts than others. Also depends on the bulbs. Check the lighting and eqpt forum for help with the lights. The rest looks ok as long as your skimmer is pulling out dark not too wet skimmate and your nitrates are low.

ReeferEric
01/09/2012, 08:40 AM
Your fine, some might say it's overkill for what your keeping. You can still keep LPS and maybe some SPS. Those T5s are powerful compared to power compacts and VHOs, that's what I was running back then and I was able to grown SPS and LPS without a problem. If anything you can add LEDs to your existing lights later on if you feel like you need more power.

You might want more rocks. LOL, it's a 75 after all.

tony53176
01/09/2012, 08:44 AM
Your fine, some might say it's overkill for what your keeping. You can still keep LPS and maybe some SPS. Those T5s are powerful compared to power compacts and VHOs, that's what I was running back then and I was able to grown SPS and LPS without a problem. If anything you can add LEDs to your existing lights later on if you feel like you need more power.

You might want more rocks. LOL, it's a 75 after all.


yeah I was thinking about picking up another 20lbs from reefrocks.net, at 2.00 a pound its not going to bust the bank lol only problem is that its all dry rock which most likely put into another mini cycle or maybe full cycle.

capschamp
01/09/2012, 08:57 AM
Dry rock will not put your tank into another cycle. If there is nothing to die off, no ammonia would be created. If it was dry rock, you could add some live to seed it. Thats where you should be careful of another cycle. If youre already cycled, adding a few more pieces of live rock, even with die off, shouldnt have too much of an impact.

WetShepherd
01/09/2012, 09:08 AM
I think your choice of dry rock is excellent - don't second guess it. If your current rocks/tank are already cycled, then you shouldn't see much of an impact with the new stuff. If you already have fish in the tank, then I'd just add the rocks slowly instead of all at once - one every couple of week, nitrates permitting. GL!

rogermccray
01/09/2012, 09:45 AM
I would agree with WetShepard, I don't have enough rock in my tank and I plan on adding dry rock a few pieces at a time to not get another cycle. I believe I read something on Reef Central to just look at it as another hit to your bioload for a little while.

tony53176
01/09/2012, 11:49 AM
well my tank isn't fully cycled right now as it is but my fear is that adding the extra rock would just prolong the process. But then again I suppose it would be best to add it now and get it outta the way rather than later and have possible issues.

The other thing is too is that the Pukani rock that is in there doesn't leave much room for adding any more rock so I don't even know if I could add another 20lbs without it looking/getting crowded. I had heard that if you use all pukani rock that the 1-2lbs per gallon rule doesn't really apply cause the rock is so porous is that true?

tony53176
01/09/2012, 11:53 AM
sorry double post

Sk8r
01/09/2012, 12:03 PM
Well, more sand, definitely more live rock, and you probably can dispense with the cannister filter and uv sterilizer: if you go for anything but sps corals you'll be fine. Lps, softies, all good. A sump would let you have all the equipment down there. It's actually good: a 75 is easier to stock and keep than a 55. I know.

ironman187
01/09/2012, 12:03 PM
well my tank isn't fully cycled right now as it is but my fear is that adding the extra rock would just prolong the process. But then again I suppose it would be best to add it now and get it outta the way rather than later and have possible issues.

The other thing is too is that the Pukani rock that is in there doesn't leave much room for adding any more rock so I don't even know if I could add another 20lbs without it looking/getting crowded. I had heard that if you use all pukani rock that the 1-2lbs per gallon rule doesn't really apply cause the rock is so porous is that true?

I have 40 lbs of dry pukani in my 75 G, it is the perfect amount imo. But I also have about 40 lbs of fiji live rock (purchased wet) in my sump. Also I have a 3" deep sand bed. I wouldn't bother with more rock, your sand will also be live and act like the LR for the most part, and you want swimming room for your fish. You may want to trade the canister filter in for a decent skimmer, I have been running a Bubble Magus NAC-6 on mine with good results. Canister filters can be nitrate factories and require more maintenance in salt water tanks.

tony53176
01/09/2012, 12:53 PM
thank you everyone for you quick replies.

I will be hanging on to the canister filter, I'm not using it right now but will be setting it up to use as a reactor, I would have just gotten a reactor lol but my wife bought me the canister filter for christmas and rather than disappoint her by returning it I'll just keep it and put reactor media in it.

I do have an aquamaxx HOB-1 skimmer, its not running right now as I am still cycling, its rated for 50-75gallons I bought it thinking I had a 55 gallon tank, I know I'm pushing its limits but hopefully it will work well

The other thing I have been considering is with Petco having their $1 per gallon tank sale, I was thinking of buying a 20gallon tank and making my own sump/refugium but I'm not that handy and am not sure if I myself would be able to drill holes in the tank, I could buy a hang on back overflow but those are like 40/50 bucks plus shipping, I think what I'll do is see how things go with my set up as is and if the money is there in the future then make a sump/fuge, idk, how much would making my own sump cost? I know I would have to get the tank so thats $20, then the acrylic/plexiglass for the baffles thats gotta be another $20, hose and a pump + sand and macro algae. Could I use the canister filter as the return pump? have a hose siphon to the sump and then have the suction line of the canister in the fuge and the return of the canister go to the tank? or is there not enough gph from the canister to do that?

Zappo
01/09/2012, 04:44 PM
thank you everyone for you quick replies.

I will be hanging on to the canister filter, I'm not using it right now but will be setting it up to use as a reactor, I would have just gotten a reactor lol but my wife bought me the canister filter for christmas and rather than disappoint her by returning it I'll just keep it and put reactor media in it.

I do have an aquamaxx HOB-1 skimmer, its not running right now as I am still cycling, its rated for 50-75gallons I bought it thinking I had a 55 gallon tank, I know I'm pushing its limits but hopefully it will work well

The other thing I have been considering is with Petco having their $1 per gallon tank sale, I was thinking of buying a 20gallon tank and making my own sump/refugium but I'm not that handy and am not sure if I myself would be able to drill holes in the tank, I could buy a hang on back overflow but those are like 40/50 bucks plus shipping, I think what I'll do is see how things go with my set up as is and if the money is there in the future then make a sump/fuge, idk, how much would making my own sump cost? I know I would have to get the tank so thats $20, then the acrylic/plexiglass for the baffles thats gotta be another $20, hose and a pump + sand and macro algae. Could I use the canister filter as the return pump? have a hose siphon to the sump and then have the suction line of the canister in the fuge and the return of the canister go to the tank? or is there not enough gph from the canister to do that?

Holding on to the canister filter is a good idea. They're great when you need to run some carbon.

Building your own sump is easier than you might think. Just make sure you plan ahead and check that everything will fit. And use glass for partitions if it's a glass tank. Flexible partitions are a bad thing. Cut glass at the hardware store is fairly cheap.

As for using the canister filter as a return pump, that's not going to work. They're not made to push water uphill like that. They're basically just a small closed loop circulation system with some filter media built in. They rely on the weight of water pushing down the drain hose to help force water back up the return hose, so they generally need to be set up with both hoses being equal in length and height. If you're low on cash, ask around at the LFS. Used mag 7's are usually pretty easy to come by at a good price.

Also, keep an eye on your water parameters. Your skimmer is pretty small (you usually have to cut manufacturers suggested tank size in half) and you won't be able to load the tank full of fish. It'll be fine as long as you keep the bioload low, though.