PDA

View Full Version : My plan, any good?


Stefanm
12/13/2016, 12:43 PM
Ok, i'm a newbie/beginner with salt water, however I do have experience with water keeping for Koi's, I had a very nice pond back in England, now I live in India, coastal tropics.

Anyway, I want to set up a reef/mixed aquarium, dimensions in inches 46 L x 22 W x 22 H, these are the outside measurements, it should be around 300 litres or 90 US gallons in 10 mm glass. Sump in 6 mm (quarter inch) glass will hold approximately half the volume. My check list is as follows:

1) Tank-DIY Build
2) Sump-DIY Build
3) Lighting-Have decided and researched on a DIY build, with a HurricaneX controller, should cost me around $350 and be around 220 watts max
4) Sand, not sure what to use here, I can take from the sea, buy branded or maybe use swimming pool filter sand?
5) Live Rock-Sourcing this, not easy here, trouble is the transport.
6) Protein skimmer, looking at a model for double my tank size.
7) Test kits-Will look for a package kit to start me off.
8) Salt-Sea salt or branded packaged salt-not sure, advice would be nice.
9) Wave maker pumps-Going to buy 3, 2 to use and one as a spare, can be used for quarantine also.
10) Return pump-I think something around 5000 LPH would be good?
11) Hydrometer
12) Nets
13) Reactor? Do I need this?
14) Chiller Unit-Will be modding a water chiller, the copper pipe will be replaced with stainless steel, this will sit in the return chamber, will be hooking up to a thermostat and probe.
15) Macro algae for the refiguim.
16) Cleaners-Snails etc. please advise?
17) Stock, fishes and corals, would like advice for a beginner, what to stock? I don't want heavy stock of fish, 6-8 max, one tang would be nice.
18) Filter media, activated carbon? Do I need this or anything else?

Any advice (whether I take it or not) is most welcome.

Thanks for reading,

Stefan

Stefanm
12/13/2016, 12:51 PM
19) Heater-It can get quite cool here in the tropics.

Hal
12/13/2016, 01:18 PM
I'd try to get live rock, even if it's tricky. It's a great filtration media for your tank.

BlackTip
12/13/2016, 01:28 PM
Do you have experience building fish tanks?

Stefanm
12/13/2016, 01:36 PM
^^Nope, but I install/fabricate a lot of shower cubicles, I'm pretty ok with silicone and measurement are spot on, glass will be cut and polished with my regular supplier, so no issues there.

crawlerman
12/13/2016, 01:46 PM
Ok, i'm a newbie/beginner with salt water, however I do have experience with water keeping for Koi's, I had a very nice pond back in England, now I live in India, coastal tropics.

Anyway, I want to set up a reef/mixed aquarium, dimensions in inches 46 L x 22 W x 22 H, these are the outside measurements, it should be around 300 litres or 90 US gallons in 10 mm glass. Sump in 6 mm (quarter inch) glass will hold approximately half the volume. My check list is as follows:

1) Tank-DIY Build
2) Sump-DIY Build
3) Lighting-Have decided and researched on a DIY build, with a HurricaneX controller, should cost me around $350 and be around 220 watts max
4) Sand, not sure what to use here, I can take from the sea, buy branded or maybe use swimming pool filter sand? You should use sand for a reef aquarium, don't substitute here
5) Live Rock-Sourcing this, not easy here, trouble is the transport. You should be able to get dry Pukani and cure it, do the research as it holds a lot of phosphate and needs to be cured. Marco rock would be a good option too. you want to get at least a little bit of live rock to seed the tank
6) Protein skimmer, looking at a model for double my tank size. The ratings are not very reliable on some makers. Get a quality skimmer. One of the most important parts of your system. Everyone has an opinion, I like my reef octopus
7) Test kits-Will look for a package kit to start me off. A cheap API kit will get you through the cycle, but you will want something better (red sea or salifert
8) Salt-Sea salt or branded packaged salt-not sure, advice would be nice. packaged, instant ocean is fine to start. Usually pretty cheap and is fine unless you are trying to keep some tougher corals
9) Wave maker pumps-Going to buy 3, 2 to use and one as a spare, can be used for quarantine also. I used to always cheap out here and recently bought 2 Ecotech MP40's. They are awesome love the programing and control. You can just get a cheap MJ1200 for mixing. No real need to keep a spare
10) Return pump-I think something around 5000 LPH would be good? I'd recommend a DC pump, quiet and more efficient. Get one that is controllable. If on a budget check out the Jebao DC pumps
11) Hydrometer They are not accurate, get a refractometer
12) Nets
13) Reactor? Do I need this? I would recommend a dual chamber reactor. One for carbon and one for GFO. You may not need it right away, but you will
14) Chiller Unit-Will be modding a water chiller, the copper pipe will be replaced with stainless steel, this will sit in the return chamber, will be hooking up to a thermostat and probe. Unless you are going with metal halide, you will not need a chiller. Fans work just fine. I have LED and I don't even need a fan. But my aquarium is in a basement/gameroom so it is cooler year round
15) Macro algae for the refiguim.
16) Cleaners-Snails etc. please advise? Mix of snails and crabs. Wouldn't get turbo snails unless you have a hair algae outbreak.
17) Stock, fishes and corals, would like advice for a beginner, what to stock? I don't want heavy stock of fish, 6-8 max, one tang would be nice. Too many options to comment on, yellow tangs are a good option for that size, stay away from aggressive fish like damsels. As far as corals go mushrooms are by far the easiest but can spread and become a nuisance. Same goes for Paly's. As long as you keep your water chemistry right; which takes time to figure out, you will be fine with most Softies and LPS. After your tank matures and you are up for a frustrating challenge you can move to SPS
18) Filter media, activated carbon? Do I need this or anything else? The live rock and skimmer will cover your filtration. Use the reactor to run carbon if needed and GFO if phosphates get high

Any advice (whether I take it or not) is most welcome. Just do a lot of research on each purchase before you make it. Take it slow, rushing things always leads to problems and dead animals. I am far from an expert and everything above is just my opinion. Good luck

Thanks for reading,

Stefan

Stefanm
12/13/2016, 02:10 PM
Thanks, well the ambient temp gets to around 37 C here, approx 98.5 in summer, my flat is kind of cooler than most, I have seen a video of a tank with a large industrial fan, not sure how effective it would be in the tropics, some guys I have been in touch with, from cities with micro climates advise the chiller option, though I live in a village around half a mile from the coast.

I'll be doing everything slowly, but surely, learn't my lesson with keeping Koi, this is actually a father/daughter project. The tanks will be made this week, as it's a Christmas gift, the rest will take a few months, the LED light is the main singl expense, but having a DIY/Custom build if I have any issues, I can repair fair on the spot. I also have to make the cabinet/stand, will be doing a factory finish as I also make kitchens as part of my business, this will be in marine ply with laminate, was going to do teak with louvred doors but works out too expensive.

Also GFO is not available here, however I have found a manufacturer who offers a phosphate removing media, was thinking about keeping some socks on hand for these medias if parameters are an issue.

crawlerman
12/14/2016, 03:47 PM
The phosphate removing media is fine, I've used polypads in the past too. in filter sock will work, but reactor is just more efficient

Stefanm
12/15/2016, 01:36 PM
^^ Thanks.

Stefanm
12/15/2016, 01:38 PM
I have found a source for live rock, locally, awaiting the pricing, the guy actually makes some very neat tanks, he's just getting into salt water as well.