Upgrading My 45gal Fish Only to a Reef Tank

[Nemesis84]

Hello all!

I have had a 45 gal fish-only tank for about 12 years. I am in the process of planning the conversion to a reef tank. I would like to start simple with corals to ensure slow success. I am planning to start the conversion with a custom sump (in order to maximize the size inside the stand, the base of the sump can't be larger than 11"x30") that will include a refugium and protein skimmer (I have a CPR protein skimmer I will use). I have also identified a T5 kit with 4 bulbs I can refit on the hood and I have a RO/DI system still new in the box. Looking for some guidance on a couple of things:

 

1. I am considering a Mag 5 for my return pump. Thoughts?

2. What 4 T5 bulbs should I select?

3. Haven't thought too much about calcium yet - what should I be considering?

4. Any recommendations on how to monitor critical parameters?

 

Thank you for any help.

Frank

[Happyfeet]

Hi Frank!

 

1. I am considering a Mag 5 for my return pump. Thoughts?

2. What 4 T5 bulbs should I select?

3. Haven't thought too much about calcium yet - what should I be considering?

4. Any recommendations on how to monitor critical parameters?

 

1. I may not be the best person at all to answer this, I've certainly been having my trials with plumbing. I have a mag 7... or 5 (Got it through a trade I had a mag 9.5) on my 75gal +20gal sump, and it's still too powerful, have it throttled back with a ball valve.

 

2. I recently got some Giesemann bulbs and they are fantastic.T-5 Midday 6000 K Giesemann,T-5 Aqua Blue + by Giesemann. Going to replace my Actinics with Giesemann too.

 

3. I had a friend give me 2 bottles of her "Purple up" and I just dose that when ever my calcium levels start to drop. I don't have any SPS though.

 

4. I started off monitoring every param 3 times a week, but I've slacked off to once a week unless I notice the tank acting differently then I run the full battery of tests.

[Inspector]

All good questions Frank, I'm using a couple little giants, one for return and one for skimmer, I have heard only good about Mag pumps. Just think, any in-sump pumps can add heat to your tank. I do use Giesemann bulbs, The corals seems to like them also. Last time I bought new bulbs I opted out for the Midday, too yellow for my taste. I would suggest, if you don't already have, a fan in your hood. It's that heat thing again. Even T-5's can add a fare amount of heat to any tank, in winter it can be a plus, but summer. The fan can also help with gas exchange in the water. I use B-ionic two part for supplement for now. And a couple good test kits for calcuim, alkalinity and magnesium. As will as nitrate, nitrite, ph and ammonia. Go talk to your LFS, most of the time they won't steer you wrong. Like BRK.

[Jon Lazar]

Frank,

 

Is your tank already drilled for an overflow into your new sump? If not, I would consider drilling it during your transition from FO to reef.

 

Jon

[amos]

Frank,

 

I used a Mag 5 on a 55 and then when I moved to a 90 for about 5 years. Some folks say that was a smaller pump than I should have used- but gives you (hopefully) another perspective. The mag pumps are good choices. Mine ran continually without fail.

 

I run a 4xT5 setup on my 90. This site (http://sites.google.com/site/tfivetesting/) sums up a lot of the good experiences/recommendations out there. I recommend considering at least 2 Blue+ bulbs (folks recommend ATI, the Giesemann equivalent is Actinic+). For the other two, I have seen recommended: aquablue/actinic; midday/actinic; or even two aquablues. I use three blue+ and a GE6500K (you are welcome to take a look). It depends on what type "color" you want your tank to show. There was a good link out there where people posted their combinations and pictures of the tank... I'll do a search.

 

Jon

[Brian Ward]

Hello all!

I have had a 45 gal fish-only tank for about 12 years. I am in the process of planning the conversion to a reef tank. I would like to start simple with corals to ensure slow success. I am planning to start the conversion with a custom sump (in order to maximize the size inside the stand, the base of the sump can't be larger than 11"x30") that will include a refugium and protein skimmer (I have a CPR protein skimmer I will use). I have also identified a T5 kit with 4 bulbs I can refit on the hood and I have a RO/DI system still new in the box. Looking for some guidance on a couple of things:

 

1. I am considering a Mag 5 for my return pump. Thoughts?

2. What 4 T5 bulbs should I select?

3. Haven't thought too much about calcium yet - what should I be considering?

4. Any recommendations on how to monitor critical parameters?

 

Thank you for any help.

Frank

 

1- Mag 5 should be fine to feed for return pump. I would also look at the Eheim pumps. They run cooler and quieter than the Mags. A 1260 should be fine for you.

2- The bulbs will depend on the color you like on the tank. I would recommend 2 Super Actinic and 2 Actinic White. I prefer tending toward the blue side of the spectrum because it makes the florescent colors pop.

3- For calcium on a 45, I would recommend dosing 2-part. You can buy it in bulk from www.bulkreefsupply.com and mix it yourself in gallon jugs.

4- Monitoring parameters means testing regularly. pH, NO3, Alk, and Ca are most critical.

 

Something else to consider is the current condition of the water in your system. I'm not sure what kind of reef you're going with, but depending on the water you've been using, if it hasn't been RO/DI or distilled since you started, then you could have heavy metals in the water and rocks that will leach into the tank and cause problems for your corals over the long term.

 

Also definitely consider drilling your tank if it isn't already. It will save you a lot of headache over the long term.

[Nemesis84]

Thanks for all the great info. The tank is drilled on the back right side with an overflow. However, I expect with the upgraded return pump the overflow might be too loud (I took out the filter long ago claiming it as a nitrate trap). Since I have to empty the tank anyway when I insert the new sump, I think I may have to replace the overflow with a wider one (more room for the Durso) and look into a Durso. Two more questions:

 

1. Where can I find an overflow to glue into the tank?

2. I have not been using RO/DI water. Once I get the RO/DI set up, should I continue to run it as fish only for awhile to leach out the metals?

3. Ok, three questions - I have no idea how to set up the RO/DI filter. The tank is not near a water source. I wanted to set up something near the deep sink that could fill a 5 gal bucket for water changes. Not sure how to start this.

 

Once again, thank you for all of the info. Frank

[Brian Ward]

Thanks for all the great info. The tank is drilled on the back right side with an overflow. However, I expect with the upgraded return pump the overflow might be too loud (I took out the filter long ago claiming it as a nitrate trap). Since I have to empty the tank anyway when I insert the new sump, I think I may have to replace the overflow with a wider one (more room for the Durso) and look into a Durso. Two more questions:

 

1. Where can I find an overflow to glue into the tank?

2. I have not been using RO/DI water. Once I get the RO/DI set up, should I continue to run it as fish only for awhile to leach out the metals?

3. Ok, three questions - I have no idea how to set up the RO/DI filter. The tank is not near a water source. I wanted to set up something near the deep sink that could fill a 5 gal bucket for water changes. Not sure how to start this.

 

Once again, thank you for all of the info. Frank

 

For an overflow, check out Glass Holes: http://www.glass-holes.com/Complete-Overflow-Kits_c3.htm

 

Regarding #2: What has been your water source? What did you do to treat the water? What kind of corals do you want to keep? For best results, I would actually start using the RO/DI, do several large water changes and continue to run as FO for a couple months to purge the existing water of any bad stuff. Give some easy corals a try - softies and some basic LPS. If you don't have any problems, then try some easy SPS just to try it out. Just keep in mind that if you have problems there could be metals leaching into your tank. Once the rocks get the metals in them, it's nearly impossible to remove them. If you do have problems, then I would do some large water changes again and swap out all your rock with "new" - look for a breakdown sale or someone on the board selling rock. It's not a hard rule about the metals - you may not even have them, but it's a risk factor and something to remember down the line if you have corals dying and you can't pinpoint the source of the problem.

 

3- The RO/DI should be fairly straightforward - very similar to connecting an icemaker. You probably have a saddle valve for the waste water and a faucet connection or hose connection, or another saddle valve for the source water. Connect the input to the source, waste water to the drain, and product water to whatever you want. You should be able to fit it under your sink. If you don't have all the parts you need, check out www.airwaterice.com - they are a club sponsor and virtually everyone here has an RO system from them. They should be able to get you going.

[Nemesis84]

Brian,

Do you have any recommendations on starter corals? Zoas and hammer/anchor seem nice although maybe my final selection of lights, among other things, makes a difference. How/what do you feed them? Thanks, Frank