Greetings from new member

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Greetings to all,

Have just joined the community as a new member.
So, let me kick off immediately with a request for some assistance/advice.

I've been keeping tropical fish for approx 12 yrs and I tried my hand at marine fish for about 2 yrs ( We moved , so I had to give up my marine tank).
Anyway, even though I have a good basic understanding of fishkeeping , I have been out of touch with respect to advances in equipment technology etc. insofar marine fishkeeping is concerned.

I really wish to start up a marine tank again, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
My current tropical tank ( which I wish to convert to marine) is approx 240 liters (63 gallons , I think). It is a corner tank with trapezoidal layout (If that makes sense).
My initial thoughts are to have both fish and live rock with maybe a few corals at some later stage ?

I also have a separate old 2 ft tank which I was thinking of using as a sump.

Question : Ideally what equipment should be contained in the sump and what should the layout for a sump look like ?

Equipment wise, what would you consider a "must" and what can be added on later ?

Best regards:wave2:
 
welcometomasa

Here is a basic design of a sump, hope it helps

STANDARDSUMPflowdirection.jpg
 
Welcome:wave2: That pic that Warr posted is the most basic design. You could add more compartments for Chaeto, Frags, Holding area etc.

Live Rock/Skimmer and water movement is the most essential in the beginning.Rember the bigger the skimmer the better:p . You can add better lighting (T5/Metal Halides/ LED) later on if you plan on keeping corals.
 
Welcome to MASA!!
 
A very WARM WELCOME to MASA Apollo! I hope you enjoy our company! Here are MANY knowledgeable folks on MASA!

A quick question - what skimmer did you have in mind?
If you have not thought this far yet - think of the ReefTek or Reef Octopus ranges.... Very good value for money!
 
Hi Apollo - yes - it makes a HUGE difference.

You want the DSB to be between 120mm and 150mm deep, with the sand particle sizes varying between 0.05mm and 1.5mm in size.

The more the variety, the more different micro fauna will "move in", and make it their home.....

The an-aerobic bacteria starts growing below +-55mm (from the top, not from the bottom)..... This is the area where nitrates are converted to nitrogen and oxygen....
 
Thanks for the welcome jaquesb .
I actually haven thought much about the skimmer as yet. With my last marine tank ( many moons ago ... he he he ) I had actually built my own skimmer . It was fun, but I think it's time to make a proper purchase. Will keep the Reeftek range in mind.
 
Apollo - the latest craze in DSB sand, is CaribSea Pink Aragonite.... This is really awesome stuff, BUT very expensive. It depends on the size of your DSB whether you would want to go for this or not.

Another alternative that was found to also work quite well, is Reggies or Toys-R-Us Playsand (the type used for kids play-pens)....

The playsand is inert and does not leach anything. It does not offer any buffering capabilities either...... BUT - it does cost a LOT LOT LOT cheaper than CaribSea....
It is also the ideal size....
 
Welcome Apollo, one small step towards the hobby, one giant leap to Reef Keeping :D
 
Andreas - Thanks for the additional info on the sump layout.
Question : If I will be using live rock in the main tank and DSB filtration in the sump, do I still need another form of mechanical or biological filtering ?

Lastly to all Joburg members : Any suggestions as to where I can find quality LR ? I live in Sandton. Is it a must to cure the LR before placing this in the tank or can I cycle without curing the LR ?
 
Jaquesb - Thanks for the note. Stupid question : Will I be using the same sand in the DSB as in the main tank, or does the main tank require different sand/gravel ?

You could use any finish sand for your sand bed, about a half inch spread around the base will be fine, the caribsea sand is excellent, i believe the playsand looks good too.
 
If I will be using live rock in the main tank and DSB filtration in the sump, do I still need another form of mechanical or biological filtering ?
Mechanical-Skimmer, Filter wool(but you would have to change this very often,at least once a day).Mechanical is without a doubt the most important because it removes the organic matter before it becomes nasties.

The basic rule that I was tought is first mechanical, biological and then chemical removal.(In that order).Hope this helps:)
 
You could use any finish sand for your sand bed, about a half inch spread around the base will be fine, the caribsea sand is excellent, i believe the playsand looks good too.
Check out WARR's thread (warr machine) in the members systems. He uses playsand as his substrate in the display tank.It's very white and the particles are very fine:p
 
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