I missed the last 6-8 years - Need Help Getting Current

[angman]

Hello All,
I was an active hobbyist many years ago. I mainly kept a fish only tank, but did have good luck with a small reef tank until a rough winter and a 2 week power outage killed everything. But then I had kids and things just sort of got put on the back burner (health issues, bills, yadda yadda yadda). For the past 6-8 years my 120 gallon has pretty much sat in stasis. I had 2 clown fish in there - I just threw some flake to them, did water changes occasionally and that was basically it. A few months ago, I decided since the clown fish were still around, I would clean up their tank and start taking better care of them.........which ended up reminding me why I loved the hobby. Soon my husband and my kids were all involved, and now we have all been bit by the bug! But I screwed up and now I have to back peddle. I had NO idea how much the industry has changed in the last few years! So here is my dilemma:

I currently have a 120 gallon tank with built in overflows that has fish (those same ocellaris clown fish, 2 neon gobies, a brown heniochus, a yellow coris wrasse, a blue spotted watchman goby and 3 fire fish.), and live rock (only about 25 pounds). I am running off of a wet/dry, with a turbotwist UV light and a protein skimmer (the skimmer is new.) I have florescent lighting with coral 50/50 bulbs.

Now I need to update everything and get out of the stone age. I wish I had realized this BEFORE I started getting fish. But I have no idea how to proceed. I have read if I want to go reef, which my family is leaning toward, I need to upgrade my filtration and get rid of the bio balls. But how do I do this and not kill everything in the process? Also, what takes the place of the bio-balls? I also need to get new lighting, and am leaning toward LED, but I'm not sure how much lighting I need.

Any advice on how I should proceed would be greatly appreciated! I'm amazed how far things have come in the last few years and really wish I had kept up on things.

Thanks!
Jaya in FL

[BassMekanik]

I'm no expert by any means, but the first thing you need is more liverock. Usually about a pound for every gallon. That will become your filter and replace the bio balls.

How many bulbs do you have in your light fixture? Is it a T5 setup or just the standard aquarium top with flaps?

Can you post pics?

[drparker]

IT would help to see a full tank pic and sump / wet-dry equipment pic.

You need to add rock and then slowly remove bio balls while the bacteria move from the bio balls to the rock.

You'll need to address lighting, what kind of corals do you want to keep?

Corals need a certain level of Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium. These were not critical in your FOWLR but will be going forward. So read the articles Randy has put together in the Chemistry forum and ask questions.

You've got a good start, Good lights, proper chemistry and your on your way.

[eferna]

Welcome back! I was in the same situation pretty much. Had come back after 7 years and the best advice I can give you is read read read..
There are a lot of new products out there and lots of new corals. Check out some threads of 120s and see what they are doing for lightning. If your gonna get into corals I suggest t5 , MH or LEDs.
Add more rock you'll be much happier as well as your fish will appreciate it. Wet/Dry filters are ancient, get yourself a sump.

There is so much I can type, but its gonna be better for you to read and catch up.

Good Luck

[robertcedgar]

Don't panic. You're in really good shape. For starters, you have a very stable tank. And for a basic reef system, you don't need a lot more than you have. First, I'd buy a few more pounds of live rock. You may want to supplement that with Marco Rock (artificial but without any potential pests). In any event, put about 80 to 100 additional pounds of rock in....and this can be done slowly if the budget so mandates. At the same time you are doing this, I'd slowly remove your bioballs. Your aquarium should make the switch to natural filtration (the rock) as this occurs.

Keep up with regular water changes (using ro/di water) using a quality salt mix and buy a good basic reef test kit (API comes to mind).

With respect to lighting, you could consider power compact, metal halide (2 x 250 would be good for your tank), T5, or LED (a more expensive option). Combinations are also possible (i.e. MH and PC). If you search your local Craigslist, many good deals on lighting and other equipment can be found if you're patient.

One final recommendation....don't be in a hurry! Take your time in transition and keep your tank stable. Once all is in place and stability is achieved, you can get your first, easy to keep corals (Zoas, mushrooms, xenia, etc). As time progresses, you can get the harder to keep varieties.

Hope that helps......

[angman]

Here are some pictures of my dinosaur set up. The first is under the tank. The only thing that is new under there is the protien skimmer because my orginal one finally died. The second picture is of my tank. Everyone is actually doing very well and new critters are popping up on the live rock all the time. The final picture is of the lighting. I know it is definitely time to upgrade, get rid of the glass canopy and get some real lights. Sadly I only just heard of T-5 lights within the past few weeks, so these are the old standard flourescent lights with coral 50/50 bulbs. At least it holds 2 bulbs though - that was innovative way back when. LOL!

I will read up on sumps. If I get rid of the bio-balls, increase my rock, is that what my wet/dry will essentially be? A sump?

Thank you all SO much for taking the time to help me. I have been overwhelmed and just mortifyed at how little I know now.

[Putty]

I will read up on sumps. If I get rid of the bio-balls, increase my rock, is that what my wet/dry will essentially be? A sump?



Some say get rid of the bio balls, but I run them in my sump as well. I have a system much like yours. When I removed the balls and replaced with LR, the noise was out of control. My living room sounded like a urinal. I then extended the tube and added a filter sock to both feeds, but I had to clean them too often. I went back to bio balls and all is great.!

[angman]

I've been doing a LOT of reading now that I have been steered in the right direction. :thumbsup: I think first I will start adding more live rock and then start dealing with the bio balls. Though I admit, if this is going to cause a huge amount of noise, that may be troublesome. Is it possible to have enough rock so that it offsets any negative issue with the bio-balls? Is it possible I might not have issues with Nitrates now because back in my tank's heyday, I never had issues then....or am I just asking for trouble?

My husband is going to work on the lighting (he is an electrical engineer) so I figure this is a good project for him. I think he is leaning toward LED, and is already pricing things out. Though I am sure more questions will pop up the more he reads up on it.

I would like to eventually try my hand at zoas and soft corals. Though for now, I can patiently wait and build up my rock and start fixing all of my outdated issues. I guess the major thing is right now the fish are happy and healthy and the live rock is flourishing. We just recently discovered we have about 6 brittle sea stars living in our rock. What a treat when you find out you got something really cool for FREE! LOL!

Thank you all SO much!
Jaya in FL

[drparker]

Silent overflows thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1310585

Randy's answer on Bio-balls. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18498512&postcount=16

I would suggest slowly moving over to LR and sand only. Also look into replacing your glass lids with 1/4 mesh in screen frames.

New life! congrats that's what I love about reef tanks always something new going on.

You've a got a great start, take your time and enjoy the ride.

[imolaragazzo]

This is the order I would do things if I were you:
1. Add live rock or dry rock slowly. Dry rock will be cheaper, make sure it's cured.
2. Slowly remove the bioballs.
3. Sometime during 1 and 2 you should get a new lighting system going. LEDs are amazing.
4. Convert your wet/dry into a sump.
5. Add an ATO.
You'll be on your way to a reef tank then and can always add more gizmos.

As for the noise issue, just place the end of the drain line a little bit under the water line.