My new fish tank

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creyneke

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Hi Everybody

I bought a tank from Julie's Pets in Gateway in Durban and am worried I have bought the wrong equipment.

I am not sure of the makes of all the equipment but will update and post pictures as soon as they deilver the tank, hopefully today.

Here is a list:

Corner tank (Will give the size later approx. 900mm radius x 750mm high) R4900
Powerheads x 2 R458
Crushed Coral 20kg R380
Protein Skimmer R 1650
Canister Filter R890
Canister Filter Inserts R250
4 x T5 24W Lights R1400
15kg Bio Rock R885
20kg Bio Rock R1275
Salt R220
Marinvit & Calcium R300
Installation R500

Grand Total R13000.00

The thing that worries me is that everybody is stating that it is imperative to have a sump. I want to have a reef tank with a few fish.

Have I wasted my money with this purchase?
 
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julies is a good place, i go there often and so does mekaeel. they would cheat you. did you shop around at all? cause some things are cheaper at other places, it may have been better for you to shop around, you should always ask here first before going out and getting somethin. check out my thread, did everything for under 5000. so you should of asked first. i dont use half that stuff so i couldnt tell you straight off.

anyway, welcometomasa
 
welcometomasa

I wouldn't say total waste, sounds like an interesting tank.

Things I would question:

What is the canister filter for ?

What brand skimmer and what type, if you have no sump where is this skimmer being installed ?

Lights look good

The sump would help out nicely.

All bio-rock ?, need to have Live rock, especially if you not going have a sump with DSB.

If you have good quality Live rock and enough of it you could get away with no sump and DSB, as long as you keep your fish bioload relatively low and have a decent skimmer

Good Luck
 
Hi and thanks for the quick response!

I have been looking around but only found your site after I paid for everything I was told I needed.

Can I run a reef setup with the equipment I have been supplied?
 
creyneke said:
Hi Warr

No there is 20kg of Live Rock and 15kg Bio Rock
Click to expand...

Great, good quality live rock will allow you to run a reef setup but with low fish stock. What I would also suggest is install a DSB (Deep Sand Bed) in the display 120mm deep. Also you should do 10% weekly water changes
 
you'd need to upgrade your lighting, skimmer and powerheads depending on what you want to keep. is there a possibility that you could stop the order even though you have paid for it, and tell them you wont take the money back but will rather buy different stuff using the same money so you will just be taking different goods? i'll help you out to find all the stuff you need. but seeing as you've paid it would have to all be from the same shop, hmm, you could do a sort of tab thing there maybe. i'm not saying julies is bad, but the complete systems you get are more standard stuff. so just explore your options, and ask here first
 
Warr7207 said:
Great, good quality live rock will allow you to run a reef setup but with low fish stock. What I would also suggest is install a DSB (Deep Sand Bed) in the display 120mm deep. Also you should do 10% weekly water changes
Click to expand...

Hi War

Should I not let him put the 20kg of crushed coral in then. Where do I get the sand from. Is this normal sea sand or is it a special sand.

I have a couple of bags of my daughters play sand that hasnt been opened yet.
 
creyneke said:
Hi War

Should I not let him put the 20kg of crushed coral in then. Where do I get the sand from. Is this normal sea sand or is it a special sand.

I have a couple of bags of my daughters play sand that hasnt been opened yet.
Click to expand...

Don't use the crushed coral. Playsand will work but it must be washed very well.

Another product is aragonite. You could use seasand, but collect below the tide level and in a very clean area, away from rivers and large human populations. Basically no pollution.
 
Hi fella,
Just my take on your set up, the tank and kit is cool, bio rock - not for me but some like it (personal preference as opposed to good or bad) cannister, very handy to clean your water of phosphate with rowaphos or other organics with carbon, i didn't see a heater in the list, you may not need one but i would get one anyway, it helps to keep the temp stable. Crushed coral, no, it can trap uneaten food or fish crap and cause problems, play sand needs rinsing, get a large container, fill it with R/O water or sea water if you live cles and stir it until all the dust comes out of the sand, then it is safe to add to your tank.
A sump, a very handy recepticle to keep all the crap out of your display tank, but not an essential item, although as you progress in the hobby you might regret not getting one, have a look through our members tanks and see what you might achieve with what you have, and what you might be able to add, this is a very confusing and tricky hobby but well worth all the pain and hardship when you see what you can aspire to, good luck.
 
Hi Wee-Man

Thanks for the advice. He has put the crushed coral in and insists that this is the right way to go.

The Cannister Filter is a Jing Long Bio Canister XP900B
The powerheads are Astro 1000 x 2
The Protein Skimmer is a Reef Octopus

I will post pics as soon as everything is setup and will definitely update the pics as I progress
 
creyneke said:
Hi Wee-Man

Thanks for the advice. He has put the crushed coral in and insists that this is the right way to go.

The Cannister Filter is a Jing Long Bio Canister XP900B
The powerheads are Astro 1000 x 2
The Protein Skimmer is a Reef Octopus

I will post pics as soon as everything is setup and will definitely update the pics as I progress
Click to expand...

Ok, i'm from the UK so i don't recognise many of the makes you have bought, other than the reef octopus, which i understand to be a decent skimmer. The crushed coral WILL trap stuff (as i pointed out previously) so i would not use it myself, now it is worth pointing out that there are many ways to get this hobby right and i would hesitate to say your shop is wrong, i stress however that you may want to ask the question to as many members as you can before deciding what to have, and read all you can, then read again, and make up your own mind.
 
creyneke said:
He has put the crushed coral in and insists that this is the right way to go.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Masa!!!

You'll have nitrate problems later on with that crushed coral, believe me, Warr also said so.I would take it out now if I were you.He will say it's the right way cause it's money for them if you buy stuff like crushed coral, bio-balls and ceramic rings. All uneaten foods and fish poo will get trapped in the crushed coral causing your nitrates to climb later on. Corals and fish don't like nitrates!!! :nono:

They will die!!:(
 
Hi Everybody

Thanks for all the replies!

Here are some pictures of the setup before Any water or LR has been added
124448eb763712303.jpg

Here is another one showing the Bio Filter
124448eb777eaec5f.jpg


Here I have tried to show you the Power Heads and the skimmer
124448eb763721143.jpg


I will be putting the LR as well as the water in later
DSC00195.JPG
 
Looks good, did you replace the crushed coral or is that the "crushed coral" they gave you?
 
That is unfortunately the "crushed coral" that everybody is moaning about. I must be honest it is extremelly fine. Came in plastic bags.

Like I said he doesnt want me to change it and has gone back to the store to get my water and LR. I dont know what to do as he says his display tank has crushed coral and gives him no problems.

I have told him to up the LR to 40kg in stead of 20kg, will that help
 
I would say that the crushed coral looks very fine, does it feel like sand? if so it should be ok.

I need to ask - do you intend to use sea water or an R/O mix, if R/O then did you buy an R/O filter.
Do not use tap water or anything other than sea water or R/O.
 
Hi Wee-Man

It is extremelly fine, almost as fine as play sand.

I will ask him when he gets back what water it has. He has told me not to use any water, but to rather come and get water for topping up from him free of charge. Says he will only charge me for the water changes that he will come and do for a nominal charge once a month (R200)
 
creyneke said:
Hi Wee-Man

It is extremelly fine, almost as fine as play sand.

I will ask him when he gets back what water it has. He has told me not to use any water, but to rather come and get water for topping up from him free of charge. Says he will only charge me for the water changes that he will come and do for a nominal charge once a month (R200)
Click to expand...

Sounds like R/O water, but do ask him, just in case. If you bought your own R/O filter then you could do it yourself for less than the figure he is offering, but at least he can help you get started, he will be able to guage how your sytem is progressing.

Sorry, missed the bit about the coral/sand issue. it does look fine, the crushed coral we are used to tends to look like a bag of shells hit with a hammer, rather than the stuff you have :)
 
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