newtoreef August 1, 2011 Share August 1, 2011 New to this hobby and I need help plz !! I got a 90 Gallon tank reef ready with corner overflow plus a stand. I would like to have this tank running soon but there are so many different opinions about pretty much everything on this world that makes me more and more confused! I understand that my next step will be picking a sump system. What would you guys recommend for a 90 gallon? how many power head should I install? Lightning? anyways I think I need help with everything.... srry.... Hope somebody can guide me and help me finding all that I need to get my tank running... Thanks a lot to you all ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k August 1, 2011 Share August 1, 2011 You should spend $20 and join WAMAS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randumbwit August 1, 2011 Share August 1, 2011 Newto, it sounds like you've picked up a tank and stand, but haven't quite done enough research to jump into a full tank set up just yet. I would recommend a lot of internet reading, and I'm sure several members can suggest good books for beginners. You don't want to spend a lot of money on this hobby only to have your first tank fail. All of the questions you're asking are things that you should really get figured out before getting your tank running. As zygote pointed out, the $20 investment in the club is a good move. You'll get to see a lot of experiences other people have already had, which will help in decision making. Also, the Buy/Sell/Trade forums are great for picking up those remaining pieces of equipment. As far as your specific questions go, a lot of that stuff is personal preference, and how much money you're prepared to spend. New LED set ups are really nice, and will save you money on your electric bill, but have a higher initial cost. Some people prefer the way metal halide looks, and some people still swear by T-5 lighting. What you want in your tank should also play into that decision. For amount of flow, most sources recommend a turn over rate of at least 10 times tank volume per hour, with SPS tanks leaning toward the higher end. Choosing your sump has a lot to do with what equipment you plan to put in it. Are you going to have an external or internal skimmer? Is there going to be any other equipment inside the sump? Also, a larger sump just adds water volume to your system, making it more stable. I have a 150 gallon sump, but space isn't an issue for me. A lot of these decisions have to be made based on your situation, and on what kind of tank you plan on setting up, so planning is key! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua August 1, 2011 Share August 1, 2011 I have to agree with the guys above WAMAS is a great tool. I personally like Metal halides. I have had T5's, they just don't penetrate far enough into the tank. Especially if you want SPS(small polyp stonies). Although they do add more heat, that normally means a chiller and more electricity. But I haven't seen the LED's really prove themselves yet. I cant wait for when they do. But right now, MH(metal halides) have my vote. I would suggest two 250W MH lights with a good reflector. Power heads are one place that what your money is well spent. I have had tanks run with low flow a couple times, and never got the kind of healthy coral or happy fish I could have. The biggest problem I have in my tank now is flow. I would suggest go with the best you can afford. Lighting and flow are top. But first you have to get filtration, which is rock. Live rock is key. There are bacteria that live deep inside the rock, these break down the chemicals(ammonia, nitrate, nitrite). It takes time for them to grow and be able to handle the waste that is produced. Unfortunately there is no true way to speed this up, there are some cultures you can add. But I have never heard of these taking more than a couple days off a cycle. So there is no "quick" way. Except the right way, it takes time to do right. But in the end you will have to. Or just give up, which many people do. That is why this club is here, to help support conservation, and teach new comers to the hobby. As well as of course letting us "geek" chat with everyone else who loves these tanks. You would be amazed how much attention some pictures of PVC and plywood would get. Over all, you may spend a lot of time with a dry tank. But you will have it set up right in the end. As opposed to trying to upgrade while its running, I can tell you first hand. I would prefer just taking my time. If I ever start another system, I want to have EVERY piece of equipment I want BEFORE I set anything up. That is what I wish I was told when I started, unfortunately I joined WAMAS a bit late for that. Also, most of the B rate stuff...isn't even that good. I bought things thinking it would save me money, and ended up spending a lot more. So for me, I am only buying the top of the line. Best stuff I can find. Not the overpriced crazy stuff. But user approved and trusted stuff(MP40ES, mogul Elite fixtures, lumitec balast, Mag 18 pump). So If you want to get going quickly you have to invest in the right gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward August 1, 2011 Share August 1, 2011 We're glad you found WAMAS and are asking these questions. That's a good first step. Remember to take everything slow. In this hobby nothing good happens fast. 1- You'll find that everyone has different opinions on what is the "right" thing to do. When you get advice, be sure to understand the why so that you can make decisions for yourself. The hobby has developed a lot over the last 20 years so there is outdated information floating around to confuse you in addition to personal preferences that people like to preach as gospel. If you understand the "why" you'll be able to better understand what's going on and make more informed decisions. 2- Based on the questions you're asking right now and assuming setting up this tank isn't your full time job, don't expect to have water in the tank for at least 3 months. Things could move slower or quicker depending on how much research you do, but I strongly recommend spending time reading, visiting the tanks of some people in your area (most WAMAS members welcome others into their homes regularly), and talking to everyone to understand their opinions. 3- There is a lot of DIY in this hobby - not everything is something you can run to a store and buy. There are people here that can help you understand what you may need to build and frequently people that will either help you build or refer you to someone that will build things for you. 4- Dig through the archives on this site. There is a ton of information on similar topics to what you're asking as we've all been there and asked similar questions. Read through this information and refine your questions so we can give you better answers. Good luck and remember to ask questions when you're confused. We're all happy to help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps August 1, 2011 Share August 1, 2011 Check out the dedicated tank forum and look for a similar size set up. This will let you see what others keep in their tanks for livestock and what equipment they use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaineer August 1, 2011 Share August 1, 2011 A location is helpful to share and you may just find that you have a reefer as a neighbor that can give you some hands on help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w August 2, 2011 Share August 2, 2011 There are a lot of different ways to go. You may be able to pick up some good used equipment from people on WAMAS. I have found people here very free in giving of their advice. What are you trying to do? Reef or fish or combination? I recommend that you put the tank where it can get some sunlight and that you err on the side of larger filters rather than small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtoreef August 7, 2011 Author Share August 7, 2011 Thanks everyone for all the information! I am going to get the membership for sure. I got a book this week (the salt water Aquarium Handbook by George Blasiola) hope has good info... I am going to have somebody from a local fish store give me a quote for a sump. He believes a 30 gallon sump under my tank would be nice and he could build one with skimmer. As far as the power head goes I heard The Koralia ones are pretty good but a little pricey ( not outrageous) and I am thinking about buying 2 to have a nice water agitation.. One lady from a local store also said something interesting about the heater. She has on her tank 2 heaters that combine supplies enough heat for her tank just in case the heater dies. What you guys think about that? I love the idea of saving money with the electric bill if I would go with LED light but it looks like most of the people I talk to believes that LED light didn't prove for themselves yet and for this reason they are still lots of T5 lighting fans. I want to set up a Reef tank btw. Is there a brand of T5 that you guys like the best? Btw I live in Manassas. You all have a great weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua August 7, 2011 Share August 7, 2011 I have seen some good T5 tanks. Not nearly as many as I have seen of the metal halides. You may want to look into these if you haven't already. Unfortunately they produce LOTS of heat. So your bigger issue would probably be having a chiller. I have a 195 gal system and my heater can only "handle" 100 gallons. My lights bring the tank up to 80 degrees after 7 hours, and the heater keeps the temp around 77 during the night. I also have to have a fan on the sump constantly. The reason lots of people prefer metal halides is that it penetrates further through the water. Maintaining much higher PAR further down. I have kept SPS with T5's in the top 5-6". But MH let you do that sometimes at the bottom of the tank. I now have monti's that are happy on the sand of a 21" tall tank. Just some things to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stankyd August 11, 2011 Share August 11, 2011 LanglandJoshua provided some great advice. Unless you have unlimited funds, I would strongly reccomend you take your time, do the research expecially into what you want to have in your tank. What kind of fish do you like? Are you interested in corals? How much time and money do you plan to put into the hobby on an ongoing basis and do you consider yourself a do it yourselfer. Before I bought ANYTHING, I bought many books and researched like crazy. Joined a club like this FMAS attended meetings. People in the hobby are proud of what they have accomplished and are very willing to show it off and give advice. What you risk from moving quickly without support from groups like this is a lot of disappointment in the form of unexplained fish death, a tank that is cloudy or overgrown with algae or any number of mishaps.. Good luck! SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcePuck35 September 16, 2011 Share September 16, 2011 Newtoreef - I am in the same boat you are. I have my tanks (display and sump) and I just bought my return pump. I have bought the materials for my stand that I am building myself. I am DIYing as much as I can to save money. I joined WAMAS about a month and a half ago and as you can see I am still not that close to having water in my tank. I am doing as much research as I can and taking it slow because I know how much of a disaster it can be if you don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua September 16, 2011 Share September 16, 2011 Anyway, that is my two cents, I hope it helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtoreef September 20, 2011 Author Share September 20, 2011 A little update: Like I said before i am not very handy so I got this guy from a LFS to set up for me a custom made refugium sump . He is working on a 30 gallon sump and I also got some items such as heater, Rio pump, live sand, salt. I still need to buy a skimmer and light,powerhead... and the list goes on... hopefully i will have my tank fully running in the next couple months.. thanks for all the info and help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtoreef September 26, 2011 Author Share September 26, 2011 Newtoreef - I am in the same boat you are. I have my tanks (display and sump) and I just bought my return pump. I have bought the materials for my stand that I am building myself. I am DIYing as much as I can to save money. I joined WAMAS about a month and a half ago and as you can see I am still not that close to having water in my tank. I am doing as much research as I can and taking it slow because I know how much of a disaster it can be if you don't. I have previously had 2 salt water tanks. The first was a 46 (I think) bow front, no sump. This was doomed from the beginning because I just through it together. I had two clown fish, and anemone, a sally light foot crab and clean up crew with live rock, no corals. I let the tank cycle and then added the fish and things. Within two or 3 weeks everything was dead. I never set it back up and wasted a lot of money. My second tank was a 10 gallon tank (again with no sump) with live rock, live sand, clean up crew, a peppermint shrimp and a neon goby. I had different coals this time (soft, SPS and some zoos). With this tank I took my time a little more and things worked out well. It was running for about a year with no problems, the corals were growing, the shrimp and goby were active and happy. But one day it just crashed out of the blue, still not sure why. This time I am taking things super slow and trying to do things correct from the start because it really sucks loosing the entire tank. This time I am setting up a 40 gallon breeder with a 20 gallon sump with a refugium in the sump for extra filtration. My current goal is to just get the stand built, the sump put together do the plumbing and get water circulation through the system. I am not even thinking about stocking the tank yet. The reason I have not gotten to this point yet is because I don't have all of my equipment I am still doing research. I have changed my mind on light, pumps, skimmers and overflow systems a bunch of times because of the different things I have read and responses to questions that I have asked other members. I have asked a lot of questions and have gotten a lot of really good answers. Sometimes I ask questions that I am 99% sure I already know the answer to just to confirm that I am doing things correctly. My advise, which is pretty much the same as what has already been said, is to take things slow. Ask as many questions as you can think of even if you are pretty sure of the answer. Plan ahead decide what you want to do and do your research around that plan and don't be afraid to adjust it if you need to. When you think you know what item you want to purchase like pumps or skimmers and things, ask people in the forum what they think about them, you might find out some valuable information that will point you in a better direction. Anyway, that is my two cents, I hope it helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtoreef October 2, 2011 Author Share October 2, 2011 Second day after getting the tank running... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable October 3, 2011 Share October 3, 2011 Congrats on getting water in your tank. Be careful with that phone. I'm sure there is ample space behind the tank, but in the picture it looks like it's sitting right above it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtoreef October 4, 2011 Author Share October 4, 2011 Yeah I just took the phone down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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