Attempting to cross over

[endolith]

Hello everyone,

For the past 3 years I have been completly absorbed by fish from Lake Tanganyika. I'v also set up tanks for friends and family, but I'v always wanted to do a Reef tank someday.

I'v come across a free 55 gal. acrylic tank with a canister filter. I plan on making a reef tank in this.

Let me start by saying I am extremly patiant with tanks and I am in no rush to set this up, I want todo it correctly and have a great piece for my friends to enjoy as well. This is going to be my project for the new year.

I'v read a number of articles over the past week to start getting an idea for what I need, this is what I have gathered. After I find another suitable place for my tank I'm going to stock it with my live sand and around 50 pounds of live rock, put in a cocktail shrimp and leave it alone for several weeks. My first question is, do I use lighting during this time? i assume yes. After I have my tank cycled I can began adding more live rock and corals little by little. Eventualy adding a fish or two a week up until its done.

Okay for my set up, I know I need to get a skimmer, but do i need a sump if I'm running a canister filter? Also any advice on crossing over to salt would be helpfull. I consider myself to be a good fish keeper but having not dealt with salt before I want to prepare as much as possible.

[GlobaLPimP]

WELCOME to RC:)

Free is good but a bigger tank would be better as you are really limmited to a narrow tank with a 55. Consider going to at least a 75 because your getting ready to spend a LOT of money setting up a reef tank;) You will want to get at leat 1 lb. of LR for every gallon of water your tank is rated for, preferably 1.5 lbs. Get or build a sump and ditch the canister filter unless you plan on using it to run carbon only. They are nitrate factories. Get some "good" test kits for nitrates, amonia, calcium, phosphates, etc... For PH I recomment getting an electric tester which is very accurate due to the fact that all of the test kit color charts are hard to read for PH tests. You are ging to need power heads for enough flow so there are not any dead spots in your tank. If you get all your LR at the same time your tank will cycle with no need to add any dead shrimp. Lights during a cycle are fine and it will minimize loss of life on LR during the cycle period. There is a ton more stuff so ask a LOT of questions. Also, post threads about the equipment you want to buy and get people's opinions first. This will save you a lot of money in the long run by not going down bad paths that so many of us have aready went down;)

[Hoosier Reefer]

I'm just a relative "newbie" myself, but here's what I have learned about tank sizes. a 55 is just too dang narrow (front to back) to EFFECTIVELY stack liverock and have enough exposed sand bed if you're going for a full blown reef. I've got a 120 that's 18" front to back, and I'm wishing I had a tank at least 24". I've tried to use my space effectively, but I would have liked more area in front & especially in back of my liverock. As it is, I have had to stack rock against my back wall, and I'm sure you will too. Just my 2 cents.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a248/mcblp/fulltank.jpg

[HBtank]

I was a Chiclid keeper too, Kenya though. :) Love the mean little buggers.

I would try and run a sump. It definately helps in many areas in the end. Hide equipment, more rock, more water, refugium, surface skimming...

If you use the cannister, use it only for chemical filtration.. i.e. carbon and phosphate removers. I don't even use the foam pads in my fluval.

Try for a little more rock. Maybe 70 pounds.

Get a good skimmer. Do not go cheap.

LOTS OF FLOW. MUCH MUCH more than in your FW tanks. Wavemakers.. multiple pumps, powerfull pumps, either way you need great flow.. It what drives your live rock filter.

Light is very important if you want corals, or even coraline algae to grow. The fish do not care. I would spend some time planning what you want in the end, as you can waste a lot of money on cheaper lights that you will eventually replace as your interest in SW grows and coral collection with it.

In the end, you can get pretty far with a great skimmer, lots of rock and good flow. The light is dependant on what you want to keep in the end. I personally spent the most on my lights than anything else... I made the mistake of getting cheaper PC lights to start only to go all out in the end.

[akrimmel]

[welcome] just remember nothing easy comes quick in this hobby.

[GSMguy]

soo much what is your budget that would help with what is in the realm of possibillity

[Steverino]

I would recommend drilling a bulk head hole in the back, and you can just plug it if you don't do a sump right away. Otherwise, it is impossible to drill a filled tank, and you will wish you did it when empty. I never thought I would want mine drilled, but now I wish I did. (I was a Malawi guy for a few years, still have a few!)

[GSMguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8728817#post8728817 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steverino
I would recommend drilling a bulk head hole in the back, and you can just plug it if you don't do a sump right away. Otherwise, it is impossible to drill a filled tank, and you will wish you did it when empty. I never thought I would want mine drilled, but now I wish I did. ()
ditto

[endolith]

how do i go about drilling and plugging a hole?

What I'v gathered from this, is that if I get a nice skimmer and lots of live rock I wont need a sump tank at first?

[serpentman]

Its not too hard especially in a acrylic. You will need a hole bit designed for acrylic. A bit designed for drilling holes in metal can work as well. Once you drill the proper hole for the bulkhead fittings. you temporarily cap the outside. I recommend using a union fitting here so you can simply unscrew when needed.


DEFINITELY invest in a decent skimmer. A canister filter is ok for removing particulates from the display, however, they don't actually get stuff out of your water until you clean them. Skimmers are very efficient at removing proteins before they break down and create nitrates.

I am a big fan of lighting during the cycle. It does well to promote coralline growth. You will have an algae bloom over this time which is pretty standard. My attitude is don't fight it, let it go its course and be done.