Marine tank Newby

[Irma]

dude take out the zeo stones! you need a good efficient skimmer if you want to run zeo or np pellets. You should rather take out some water and drill the tank to make an overflow. You rather do it now or later on when you have a stocked tank you will be super sad. Im running zeo on my tank and even with a very low bio load my skimmer pulls out crazy crap!

hang on skimmers are not the best things in the world. Best is to make a little sump then you can put a decent skimmer in it and then you can think about putting a zeo reactor in

There is always going to be a debate about having a sump or going sumpless. There are pros and cons on both sides. Sumpless tanks can and do work but you do need a decent HOB skimmer which is what I have. Not all HOB skimmers are bad. I prefer to keep it simple. Some people like to go hi-tech. Neither is wrong. People need to decide which way they want to go and what works for them.
I would do away with the internal filter though but again this is just my opinion and maybe I am wrong.

 

[B00tCamp]

I see that you are also in Midrand. I have a sumpless tank which you are welcome to come and see. I am battling cyano at the moment so please excuse that. I use the Deltec MCE600 HOB skimmer. No internal filters, only powerheads.

@Irma,
Would love to check it out some time
@blackghostknife,
Thanks dude

Looking good, I digg the scaping. Juwel has a skimmer out now that fits in the filter compartment. Dont know how good it is though.

@2time,
Saw the Juwel skimmer, didnt know it fits in the filtration comp...will check it out and read some reviews...Thanks dude

dude take out the zeo stones! you need a good efficient skimmer if you want to run zeo or np pellets. You should rather take out some water and drill the tank to make an overflow. You rather do it now or later on when you have a stocked tank you will be super sad. Im running zeo on my tank and even with a very low bio load my skimmer pulls out crazy crap! hang on skimmers are not the best things in the world. Best is to make a little sump then you can put a decent skimmer in it and then you can think about putting a zeo reactor in

@Tremayn,
I was under the impression the Zeo stones were good for removing those nasty phoshates? Will pull them out tonight...do they cause negative effects? As for drilling the tank, seriously considering it...was my original idea but got a bit limited by budget Guess I will try make a plan...Thought of using a syphon overflow but have serious doubts about it as i've read some bad things about it overflowing or the syphon stopping...in wich case the tank will most probably overflow as the return pump would still be running...So from that I guess drilling is the only "Good" option...Hehe

How much of a trainsmash would it be if I kept the tank as is and used a HOB skimmer? I understand they are less effective but shouldnt using one that is rated for a 200 or 300 liter tank be sufficient on a 120 liter tank?

Good advice is always appreciated
@mandarinman,

Thanks man Ill be sure to keep adding pictures and keep the thread going!

 

[Irma]

My HOB skimmer is excellent. It also has a side chamber where I can add other media. You can run the tank as is but do not skimp on the skimmer. It is very important.

 

[B00tCamp]

There is always going to be a debate about having a sump or going sumpless. There are pros and cons on both sides. Sumpless tanks can and do work but you do need a decent HOB skimmer which is what I have. Not all HOB skimmers are bad. I prefer to keep it simple. Some people like to go hi-tech. Neither is wrong. People need to decide which way they want to go and what works for them. I would do away with the internal filter though but again this is just my opinion and maybe I am wrong.

Thanks @Irma, How difficult is it to maintain a tank with no sump VS with sump? From what i've read the biggest game changer is water changes and having a larger volume of water.

 

[B00tCamp]

My HOB skimmer is excellent. It also has a side chamber where I can add other media. You can run the tank as is but do not skimp on the skimmer. It is very important.

What skimmer are you using?

 

[Carter-PE]

Welcome Bootcamp! Tank looking nice. I love those Juwel Lido tanks! I picked up a second hand Lido 120 around June last year for my bathwater tank and been trying to convince the wife since October to let me convert it to marine but not getting anywhere. So for now my little 2-footer will have to do. Juwel have a skimmer that looks identical to the filter unit, expensive though. Last price I saw was around R1700 i think.

Last week I also found a bristle worm that looks just like yours. A couple of the local LFS guys said that they are safe but would also like some more info.

 

[Gesiggie]

A little Bristleworm...hope this is the good kind of life that I would want in my tank?

Yes, you definitely want bristleworms! They are part of your clean-up crew (CUC for short) and are detritus eaters.
Just a note. While small ones have little / no effect, the bigger ones can sting, so do not try to touch them!

 

[Tremayn]

@B00tCamp Its the best thing in the long run to have a sump. You could keep all your rock in a container with the salt water to cycle and stuff in the mean time.

HOB skimmers are ok, but I guarantee that you will need better filtration as you will increase your bio load..

This is the zeo guide. Read it and you will know what you will need. You can ask me questions about zeovit as I am currently running zeovit

http://www.korallen-zucht.de/files/zeoguide_english_1_03.pdf

Its better to postpone the tank now and get an overflow. Rather do things the right way the first time otherwise later on you are going to become frustrated. No rush boet

check the forsale forum, you can pick up a little tank to use as a sump for next to nothing. Ask one of the guys near you if they can drill your tank and the glass to build an overflow box is pretty cheap

 

[Irma]

Thanks @Irma, How difficult is it to maintain a tank with no sump VS with sump? From what i've read the biggest game changer is water changes and having a larger volume of water.

This is my experience so please note that everyone has different experiences and points of view.
My first tank was a 500L tank with a sump containing the usual stuff and an NP pellet reactor. The tank was awesome! But I had to have someone else do the maintenance because I could not reach the other side of the tank and because of the volume of water that needed replacing. We run on borehole water so an RO unit was not going to work. Plus my sister was not happy with the 'waste' water that would be produced from the unit.
The noise level was also a problem as the tank was in the lounge. This probably could have been sorted out though.
Thirdly, was the stress level. All my own concerns. Our power would fluctuate quite badly and this resulted in the level in the overflow changing. In my mind was always the worry of the tank overflowing which probably would not happen but still it bugged me constantly.
The big plus of this system is the fact that the hardware is hidden away and the sump increases the water volume of your tank which makes it more stable.

I sold this tank and now have a smaller sumpless one. It holds around 330L of water. I have a Deltec MCE600 HOB skimmer which is fantastic. It skims extremely well and as I mentioned, it has a chamber which can hold other media. I do my own maintenance. Once a week I do a 15% water change and I clean the skimmer out every 3 days or so. I do have an Auto Top Up tank sitting in the cabinet which helps keep the maintenance down.
The noise level is almost zero.
More importantly is the lack of stress that I now feel.

Please let me stress that the decision is yours and yours alone.

Do some more research and read as much as you can. I do not want to sway you in any direction.

If you decide to go sumpless then you must get an excellent skimmer and you must keep up with your water changes.

You can also go the sump route - most reefers do it that way and it works perfectly and has many benefits.

 

[B00tCamp]

Thanks everyone,

Guess I got a bit to think about with regards to Sump VS no Sump...will bang the idea around in my head and make a decision after sleeping on it

I also dont want to rush my tank and end up frustrated in the end....lol

 

[Irma]

Thanks everyone,

Guess I got a bit to think about with regards to Sump VS no Sump...will bang the idea around in my head and make a decision after sleeping on it

I also dont want to rush my tank and end up frustrated in the end....lol

Sensible idea! Take your time, plan well and above all - enjoy your new hobby!

 

[2balive]

Can be a confusing time, best it to go and look at a few tanks and understand what you want from a tank, how much you want to spend and how much time you can spend looking after one.

Let me put a good word in for a "small", sump less tank.

What i like most about it is that it is relative simple to setup and run.

If you get a closed one (e.g. Boyu 550) , managing the salinity is easier, I do mine once a day with a manual topup. You however got to keep an eye on temperature if you have a closed system without fans.

It is also much cheaper to run, and you can do large % water changes weekly without breaking the bank or needing your own RO unit.

I do 18L on my 128l tank weekly. I buy my RO water from a LFS at about R1 per liter, so my water cost me about R80 a month and a bucket of salt last me about 3 months.

In terms of filtration, there is good (perhaps not great) small skimmers now and if you combine it with chemical filtration and good flow you can have a stable system that can handle many type of corals.

Adding bacterial products (Special Blend etc), works well for my tank.

However, in a small system, you will have to a keep a very close eye on things and things can go wrong quickly. Space is also a big issue and you will quickly run out of space, both for corals and fish (of which you will only be able to keep a very small number).

Good luck and enjoy it.

 

[B00tCamp]

Hey all,

So just a sneak preview of an update...

Ive decided to get the tank drilled and build a small sump for my tank...will upload pics of the build progress soon

Only sucky part is that I have to take my tank apart for now...will be putting water/sand/rock into storage containers for now with some flow pumps and heating so hopefully I wont desturb the cycling too much...any advice on this would be awsome

 

[Tremayn]

Hey all,

So just a sneak preview of an update...

Ive decided to get the tank drilled and build a small sump for my tank...will upload pics of the build progress soon

Only sucky part is that I have to take my tank apart for now...will be putting water/sand/rock into storage containers for now with some flow pumps and heating so hopefully I wont desturb the cycling too much...any advice on this would be awsome

Good choice man! Yeah if you have your rock in a container with a skimmer and heater then the rock will cycle and bla bla lol...

Find out whats the required water level for a TS2 so you can make sure that your sump is deep enough.

In terms of filtration, what else are you going to keep? I think @dallasg said he runs np pellets with a TS2 .. If its cool I would say leave some space in your sump for a np pellet reactor. That way you can save yourself from buying more LR. Bacteria actually grows on the np pellets

 

[B00tCamp]

Hey All!

So...it's time for a long overdue update...

First off...Need to give a special thanks to Adriaan and the rest of the guys @ Idol Marine for my slim black overflow...Looks Awsome! I just love it!

Hope my plumbing isn't too bad...couldn't get 45 degree thus I had to use 90's

One of the little Xenia frags from @Helga

Been busy...and sometimes a bit frustrating...but it seems to be coming along quite niceley

 

[2balive]

Wow, very neat.

What is the tank dimensions?

 

[Clownfish9906]

awesome - coming along smartly!

 

[B00tCamp]

Thanks Guys
@Len, Details as follows:

Juwel Lido 120, Dimensions 61x41x58 cm
Sump is 30x40x40 cm if I recall correctly...Will have to double check

Still need to put the cabinet door back....lol

 

[Helga]

Wow Jovan, It looks supergood! Its going to be really good when its all matured. Cannot wait to see it! Congrats!!!

 

[B00tCamp]

hehe
Thanks Helga

Those small Xenia frags took nicely...got a piece of really soft LR and cut it into 4x small pieces, then made a hole in each with the knife and placed the frag inside...They all seem happy

Still need to figure out where I am going to put the macro algea...lol Was actully thinking of mimicking your refuge...