Getting back into marine tanks

[Guest owl28]

I have kept a salt water tank about 10 years ago and looking to get back into the hobby. I have read many books about marine tanks. I need some advise on where to start. I am looking to keep a reef tank. I know that bigger is better but I like the 30 gallon tank I saw or I could move up to the 55. I am on a budget and can't spend a whole lot of money. What is the best way to go about this. ???

[michaelg]

Welcome Owl28, glad you found your way to WAMAS!

 

A 40 breeder is a better size than either a 30 or a 55 IMO.  For a 3 foot long tank, a 40 gives more front to back room.  For a 4 foot tank, a 75 gallon is great.  Hunt around for a used tank if you have some patience- You can find one with a stand for not too much.  Things have changed a lot in the past 10 years, in many regards, things have become simpler with a tendancy to let nature do the hard work.

Sand (I recommend southdown sand from home depot seeded with live sand) and Live Rock will be the primary filtration.  I personally like to hand pick the rock.  The Reef tank, in herndon VA,  is my favorite place as they have a huge vat, and don't mind you picking the pieces up to look at them.  The price is good as well.  Several members have posted that they have live rock as well for sale- as cheap as $2/lb.

For a tank that size, a CPR backpack skimmer would be perfect and you won't need a sump.  Again- look for one used.

Avoid RIO pumps.  You could easily use 2-3 maxijet powerheads on a tank this size and it would be fine, or you could put in a closed loop external pump for added flow/higher volume.  

 

Lighting- here you need to really look around to save some money.  Don't be discouraged from finding halide lights.  They are simple, the bulbs last long, and give the best quality of light for the corals.  A 175 or 250W would be good for a tank that size.  My first "pendant" I made out of an oak desk drawer and just hung it from the ceiling.  There is an article I wrote several years back over at Reefs.org in the archives from the #reefs talk series when that tank was about a year old.  The one problem with open top tanks is that some fish are know jumpers, so really look into this, though otherwise you don't have to deal with heat issues as much, and it is easy to generate a fair amount of evaporation (useful when adding calcium and alkalinity back to the tank in the form of limewater- these are 2 very key ingredients needed for coral growth).  

 

In addition to this resource where you can find a lot of local help, be sure to check out reefcentral.com and reefs.org.  They are huge internet sites and have been around for quite some time and have a lot of resources.  Both of these sites also have great forsale forums.  We have one on this board as well, but it is currently restricted to paying members (long story as to how this developed).  Feel free to post requests for what you are looking for either here or in the general discussion areas, unless you want to become a formal member.

 

Think out the corals you would like to keep.  I would highly recommend picking up a book, such as Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman, for a good reference on care requirements and photos.

 

What area are you in?  Definately find some people close by and visit their tanks to get a better idea of all that is involved.

 

Michael

[xeon]

This one is probably too big, but here is a 125 gallon for $150 plus lightstrips.  

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=240927

 

Here's another good package of goodies for $500.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=240864

 

Probably more tank than you want, but I'd keep an eye out... used tanks come up alot.  Espcially after you buy one, LOL.  I could have had a 110 and two 40's for less than what I paid for my 75 gallon... missed the boat on that one.

[Sph2sail]

Try to make it to our 18.Oct Workshop.  You will meet a lot of folks and have opportunity to discuss what's changed since you got out.  Great way to take advantage of the WAMAS members' collective expertise...

 

s

[Guest owl28]

I want to thank you for the information. I actually bought myself a 75 gallon fish tank and now looking for a protein skimmer and a wet dry filter. I live in NW DC near Van Ness. If possible I would love to see a reef tank in action. I am planning to go to the next meeting in October. Again thanks for your help.

 

Aaron

[Sph2sail]

Do NOT pick up the wet/dry filter.  If you intend to do a reef, you do NOT need one.

 

In a wet/dry system, you might actually call it a nitrate factory.  It solves the Ammonia to Nitrite to Nitrate, but does nothing to solve what happens to the Nitrates.  They grow without restraint, eventually killing stuff.

 

Live rock and deep sand bed (live sand) act as the filter system in place of the wet/dry.  They solve ammonia to nitrate to nitrate and finish going to nitrogen and carbon dioxide, leaving you with a complete cycle and no nitrate buildup.

 

This is critical for running a successful reef.

 

Check the thread in general discussion called lone clown

 

s

[michaelg]

You will likely want a sump though!  Which a lot of people have used old converted wet-drys for.  They can be a simple as a rubbermaid tub, to a custom acrylic job.  I recently made one out of acrylic and hope to get it into place sometime soon.  An appropriately sized glass tank will work as well.  Not sure the biggest size you could put under a 75.  Given that size of tank, any of the hang on skimmers will likely be undersized.

 

Maybe you can swing by one of the tanks near the meeting- either before or after? If you can see something by then.  Seeing how one is all plumbed up and running make a huge difference in understanding how this works- drains, valves, returns....

[Aquariareview]

if you need a sump I have a 20 long that you can have. Call me at 703 926-4147

[Guest reefchic]

If you are interested in getting back into the hobby, I have a great setup that is ready to go. I had to leave the hobby last year due to health problems and have had my complete set up sitting waiting for someone to start her back up.

 

It is a complete tank with the following:

 

45 gallon tank

stand

10 gallon sump

wet/dry filter

skimmer

over flow

custom hood

PFO 250 watt Metal Halide Ballast

2 month old 12k Sunburst bulb

base rock

Test kit

etc, etc, etc.

 

$500.00

 

email me if you are interested: ladyballplayer@excite.com

[Guest owl28]

I have decided that I am just going to keep an invert tank and not a reef tank. I just do not have the time for it at the moment nor the money. I am interested in keeping sea stars and sea urchins. Are there any other inverts out there that do not need special lighting? I am trying to cut down the costs. I do not have that much money. I am still looking for a skimmer and what type of filter do I need for this tank. I have been told to stay away from wet/dry filters. I would like some help on this. Again all I have right now is the 75 gallon tank itself.

[michaelg]

You will want some live rock (about 30-40 lbs) in there as your biofilter, source of bugs and critters, as well as to make it look natural- and to establish a live sand bed (cheap if you use sand from home depot and score a few scoops from different people) and a few powerheads for circulation.  That's about it- no other sort of filter is needed, though you could pick up some sort of hang on the back power filter to run carbon in (only run carbon in a bag- leave out the bio-media).  You can also keep a variety of shrimp (the coolest ones I have were from dr. Mac- a mated pair of golden coral banded shrimp).  Snails you will want, a variety of crabs you can keep (such as an arrow crab).  Might I suggest a few carefully chosen fish just for some variety?

Avoid sea apples!  They will poison your tank at some point.

One concern to keep in mind, you will still need to pay attention to water evaporation- which requires a couple minutes every day.  Some inverts can be the most sensative to salinity swings.  

 

There are a couple of skimmers that were forsale in the selling forum that were not expensive and are of the hang on type, so you won't need any fancy plumbing and would adequately handle the load you are considering.  

- contact Larry Grenier

Skimmer

      CPR Bak-Pak with internal bubble trap.  It has a brand-new Rio900

      (comes standard with a Rio600)

      Can be purchased at Marine Depot for $147 plus shipping.

      $70          

and Bemmer has this one-

This is an AquaLink acrylic hang-on protein skimmer using a Tetra Luft High powered Air Pump for the wooden airstone (stone not included) to create exceptional frothing action. The protein skimmer uses a Maxi-Jet powerhead for water intake.  

 

Asking $75 for protein skimmer, air pump and powerhead.

 

You can contact either of them through the PM system (click where it says your messenger) and address it to their names as typed above, they will get a notification through e-mail.

[michaelg]

Owl- if you haven't found a skimmer yet- try contacting iceman.  It may be a bit oversized for your tank, but IMO would work fine.  It is a becket type- foams like a mad-dog.  There were also some very affordable ones over on ReefCentral.  Most need a sump though.

 

Michael