new 450 L Reef tank

shaunn

shaunn

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Hi All
I am new this reef keeping

so for what is have done

Tanks is in the house all my pumbing is complete

Sump is in place under the tank with lava rock/Crushed coral and filter spunge

THe LFS suplled me with 2500L/H return pump will that be stronge enough for the filteation

i also have a wave maker

and the proten skimer is pumbed in to the the return pump as is an exturnal skimmer

My questions

Do i have the right filter meidium for my tank

Can u use rocks collected from the the rock pools
 
shaunnorth said:
Hi All
I am new this reef keeping

so for what is have done

Tanks is in the house all my pumbing is complete

Sump is in place under the tank with lava rock/Crushed coral and filter spunge

THe LFS suplled me with 2500L/H return pump will that be stronge enough for the filteation

i also have a wave maker

and the proten skimer is pumbed in to the the return pump as is an exturnal skimmer

My questions

Do i have the right filter meidium for my tank

Can u use rocks collected from the the rock pools
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Welcome, it sounds as if you are off to a good start. the return sounds fine just be sure your overflow will handle it.. but in general for thats size display the size return quoted is adequate,

what is your intention for the system? basic mixed reef/ or something a little more advanced involving sps corals?

as for rock i would suggest getting a few Kg's of well cured liverock (LR) and making a basic structure with a combination of the LR and base rock to limit expense.. with a bit of paitence the dead base rock will become "live" as organisims and bacteria transfer and form on it..

be sure to stock the system slowly and preferrably use a bacteria additve such as cycle or stability to assit in getting the tank established..

please research the fish/coral you wish to add and make sure they are compatable with one another and the system size..

and pictures are always a help..

enjoy the forum and ask anything you have on you mind
 
Hi Shaun and welcome again, seems like you off to a good start. With regards to the skimmer being plumbed in with the return pump, personally i would change that as this may give you fluctuating levels in the skimmer. I would run the skimmer on its own pump. Unfortunatly you cant use rock from the rock pools as it is not porus and will not help with filtration at all.
 
JsPLAYn said:
Hi, remove lava rock as they are known to leach phosphates an other harmfull chemicals....
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Uhm, i have about 100kg's in my system and it has been there for the last 8yrs, never had a problem to date.
 
JsPLAYn said:
Hi, remove lava rock as they are known to leach phosphates an other harmfull chemicals....
Click to expand...

Alan said:
Uhm, i have about 100kg's in my system and it has been there for the last 8yrs, never had a problem to date.
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i think this is subject to the condition of the rock (ie was it used before dried out and then reused without washing? perhaps it was collected and poorly cleaned/)

generally i cant see a problem if its clean and as a preventitive measure some phos media can be added to the system to assist if there is doubt..
 
shaunnorth said:
Hi Leslie
my over flow is a 50 mm pipe and yes i what to do sps corals?

and what is consided base rock ?

so far i have spent 6k and i an think i am goin to be spending about another 10k on the tank
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cool, 50mm will allow you alot of scope for future, the 2500lt pumps will be no problem at all with an outley diameter of that size, i would go as much as 3500lt return in future..

base rock is a porus type rock that will eventually be able to hold bacteria and become part of the filtration system, it should be light in weight preferably and there are many synthetic types available.

as for the spending it never stops :)

shaunnorth said:
also i have been reading that u should not run the skimer for the first few 4 weeks so the tank can cycle properly is this ture ?
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the skimmer can ideally be run from the start but some people prefer to put it off at night to allow the pod population to multiply....ideally it should be run 24/7
 
shaunnorth said:
my question is lighting my tank is 900mm long x600 wide x 600 deep

do i need lighting while the tank is cyceling because @ the LFS they are about 2500 for a lighting rack that clips on to the side of the tank
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i personally would run lean if at all on lights in the beginning to help in subduing algal blooms, but you will ge some algae growing even without lights if the room is well lit by sunlight eyc..

take the time and save up for a nice unit or nice components to build your own DIY fitting. try get quality bulbs, you get what you pay for when buying bulbs so while not critically important in the begining as you will have little livestock (coral) the better the quality the bulb the better the light yield (in terms of spread and PAR).

i would aim for an eventual number of either 6 x 39w or 54w of T5..

there are other options such as hailide T5 combinations and LEd but T5 is the most basic and user friendly in terms of heat emmitted and light spread..

as with anything there are pros and cons, so research well before making a decision...
 
welcome again shaun:)

sounds like you have a nice tank and set up but please try get us a few pics as it sounds like you could chance the sump section around a little to maximse its efficinecy and make like easier for yourself. Its far easier for us to give you sound advice if we can see what you have and are planning.

LR vs Base Rock (also called synthetic rock, decrative rock or bio rock and google will be your friend here) is an ongoing debate. I personnally prefer the biological fintration of good quality cured live rock over anything else, but one can make your own bio rock or purchase it from good marine supply stores. Its much cheaper but you will still need a good base of LR to start the bacterial populations off which will then collonise the bio rock at a later date. I see you are in Gauteng, where abouts? perhaps we can point u in the direction of a sponsor that will stock both LR and bio rock.

i hear your concerns about the spending we do in marines and yes it can get expensive, although it need not break the back by any means. There are lots of ways to DIY things (if you are good with your hands) and upgrade at a later stage if you want to. One such area is lighting and many members (myself included) have DIY'd their lights with T5 fittings and ballasts. but if you go this rout then make sure that you have quality reflectors (indvidual is best) which go the length of the tube (assuming t5) and that u use good quality bulbs. Geiseman are my personal favorite. The good news is that you should be able to DIY that yourself easily, but we can see better once we have some pics:)

marine tanks are so much fun and so satisfying one just has to have a plan and understand what the end goal is going to be:)
 
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my setup please advice
 
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I would put little triangular supports in for the stand legs. Tank is heavy and you could find it moving as you move your magnet against the glass.

Just to prevent the stand from flexing.
10944c8dc0ec3791d.jpg

Some time ago.
 
hey man.. you will have to look into getting a better skimmer if you want to go sps... looking good so far.. If you need some base rock, PM me.. I have a bit laying around
 
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