just picked up the tank

[Gietz]

ya doesnt anyone have any say on this lol 

 

[Blob-79]

Ive seen a few tanks online done like that. However I have no clue as far as if it may stir conflict..im kind of doubtfull though. possibly if you had a huge tank with a big gap between reefs..even then..Most fish that actually stray from their immediate home areas (even in the wild) are either large, very dosile fish..or predators, if you have a predator you might see more aggression. as for the dosile fish...well they're dosile

 

[Gietz]

well thanks all for the help ill be running around this weekend to pick up stuff my first big buys are bulkhead and RODI unit
i live in Windsor anyone know where i can get a good one??

thx 

 

[xxmurrxx]

im not 100% sure about local RO units, but from what I have seen it would be a lot cheaper / better to order one online.

 

[Blob-79]

I just got mine in from http://www.aquasafecanada.com/online_store/aquarium-filtration-systems-c-2

I like it  ;D , pretty much all online places you can get a good system for 150. But if you order canadian shipping is cheeper and no duties. pending how much you want to spend, you have two options in the link above, Full reef ready RODI system, ready to be automated for ATO for 150, or if you buy the one that is $271 you get a 3.5 years worth of filters(if you change filters twice a year), a TDS meter, pressure guage. if you can swing the $271 its the best deal out there that I could find. if you take off the price you would spend on filters over 3 years your getting the full system for $90 or somthing.

7 stage RODI for $90...cant beat that, and shipping was $20

 

[Blob-79]

..oh ya and whatever you do...dont buy a culligan RO system...just trust me

 

[shayneh]

I agree....junk! Mine is an Aqua Safe unit also...just old school compared to blob's.

 

[Gietz]

OK so i went out on the weekend and i didnt see anybody selling RODI units so instead i got a Koralia powerhead rated at 1050. this seems like a lot but thats what the box said, is this too much?? also i got a heater measured in a 150. i know thats lower but i plan on having two heaters becasue i have had a problem with one dieing out and i lost some fish.

let me know if im on the right steps,

thx

 

[shayneh]

There is no such thing as too much flow in a reef tank...for example I ran a 950gph return and a 1500gph powerhead in my little biocube 29. If anything you might need to add more flow if you eventually decide to keep SPS...The 2 heater rule is good because when they die they either quit or stick wide open and if one dies the other can help maintain temp and if one sticks open it won't heat the water as quickly.

 

[Gietz]

OK so now I worried I won't have enough flow so the 1050 isn't good? On the box it rated for up to 70 gals and the guy at the fish store said that the higher one would be to much pressure on corals and stuff. What size return would be good then?? I mean in GPH and thx for the sump advice you just cleared up alot of things. so basically I'm confused with water flow clear with sump lmao

 

[Blob-79]

The flow required in your tank is very dependant on what corals you plan to keep. sps like high flow, softies and lps like moderate to low flow.

 

[shayneh]

.....yeah what blob said..... Another thing to consider is that you don't want all the flow to come from one source (aka laminar flow) corals aren't too fond of that. So by adding another source of flow you will create some turbulence or random flow. As for your return from the sump there are a few different schools of thought. Some believe in high flow through the sump (oxygenation effects) and others believe in slow flow through the sump or matching the flow to the skimmer pump (nutrient uptake). Again there is no right or wrong way just what works best for you. Cal stir has high flow through his sump with a remote(seperate) refugium and I plan to have slower flow through my sump (500gph) to match my skimmer and give the mangroves/chaeto maximum contact time. (I also need some energy savings/efficiency as I will be running a 2600gph closed loop in my display....ha ha ha.... my crazy laugh). Both methods have merit!


Glad you got the sump figured out and hope the link helps with the diy filter socks. I don't even wash mine in the winter now for the $10 in fabric and an hour of my time (usually while watching the idiot box aka tv) I can make 20 socks (with my wifes help when I forget a step on the sewing machine). In the summer I'll take them outside and hit them with the hose. 

 

[Blob-79]

lmao..haha the picture I got in my head of you sitting in front of a sewing machine was definitly worth the time it took to read your post!!

 

[shayneh]

lol... :-[... I always considered myself fairly mechanically inclined....but a sewing machine is hard to figure out all the steps (foot thingy up foot thingy down... forward on pedal then reverse...). When you screw up it makes a big mess and your wife will roll her eyes when you tell her what you did and she has to take it all apart and redo it just so you can screw up again 5 minutes later.

It's actually fun playing with a machine that has a sharp needle going up and down right near your fingers....lol!

 

[Gietz]

the more you learn the more confused i get lol  so what would be a good return pump size as i wanna get a mag return pump. also what is SPS and the other stuff you guys are talking about i dont know the short forms any way will i good with just a 1050 overhead and say a 1200 return pump ?? 

 

[Blob-79]

sps=small polyp stoney coral, LPS=large polyp stoney coral, softies=leathers, mushrooms..stuff like that.

You need to do some google searches my friend. From now untill your tank is stocked, google is your best friend. To research purchases your thinking about, livestock as far as compatibility and conditions required for coral. (dont believe the LFS..some can be crooked) research everything you buy, before you buy it.

 

[Gietz]

ha ha ha  i was just thinking that and if my knowlegde is correct Softies are the easy right then SPS then LPS, and LPS you have to hand feed is my google search correct or did i find a bad website

 

[Blob-79]

soft corals yes..they would be the easiest. However sps are harder to keep then lps. SPS are much more reliant on pristine water conditions. You can lose a whole colony in a matter of a day. LPS isnt hard to feed. some require target feeding, some will be fine filter feeding and munching on copepods and amphipods at night. Thats what the research is for. So you know the amount of care required.  Basically a good rule of thumb is if the coral has a symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae it can survive without constant feeding. Different corals will have different levels of this zooxanthellae..hence what the reasearch is for Some will have none..gonna wanna stay away from these ones for now anyways.

 

[Gietz]

well the plan is to go FOWLR until i feel comfortable with them can i also ask you what size return pump you think would be good ?? im thinking about getting 1200 beforeits cut down by 4 feet of plumbing

thx

 

[fishit]

you will b fine with an 850 when i used a 1250 on that tank i had to dump allot back into the sump do to two much flow