15gal, Again.

[Cichlid-Man]

Ok a little background info. I have a 15gal tank, 15" wide, 15" long and about 17ish" tall. I originally started this tank about a year (? give or take) back. I rushed into it, and now i realize that was a mistake. So i'm starting over. I'm a total noob at saltwater so go easy on me guys.

My overall plan with this tank is to be able to support at least a few forms of corals and a couple of small fish. As far as salt goes my dad has a 55gal FOWLR and he usually has mixed SW all the time so i will probably get it from there.

My plans:
Substrate - I'd like to go with something like CaribSea Fiji Pink sand
Lighting - I have a 36watt power compact 50/50 fixture over the tank currently but am looking to add another fixture, probably being the 20" Coralife 1x96w.
Filtering - I have a small Aquaclear (30?) on it, i forgot the size...gives good water flow.
Powerheads - I'd like to get one, something small...just to put more flow downwards while the filter handles the top portions. Suggestions?
Heater - Meh, have a nice stealth that will work fine.
Live Rock - I have about 15-20lbs of it already that i am going to use, after i get rid of some bristle worms.

Well...thats a start. I'd like to wait to think about live stock until i can get the equipment in place. I know i'll be using a cleanup crew of hermits and snails.

If there is anything i missed for now let me know, and let me know how my plan above looks.

 

[kevin4052002]

Looks good C-man.

Substrate: Start with 20lbs, that should be good there. CaribSea will be my next sub purchase.
Lighting: You will be pleased with the 96w unit and should be able to keep lots.
Filtration: You might want to replace some of the floss, as this becomes a nitrate factory...replace with algae and LR rubble. Your pump is rated at 150gph.
Powerheads:Hydor has some nice powerheads that are small. Some ppl swear by others...look around.
Heater: *thumbsup2
Live Rock: *thumbsup2


Good luck and take your time.

 

[amd]

awsome
Substrate:I have a 12 gallon eclipse 21L 16Deep 12 front/back and i used a full bag. 30ish lbs. bag was like 20$ agronite foot by foot and a half. i think it was caribsea. i love the the pink fiji, just cant get it round here
Lighting: Im jealous
Filtration: You can use the pump u got, there is a little truth in the nitrate thing. its not the fiter media that causes it. its the crap it catches and gives good contitions to create nitrates if it isnt cleaned regularly. so take this into concideration whichever way u decide to go. http://forums.fishindex.com/archive/index.php/t-5720.html
Power heads:I havent got one but want one, the aqua sweeps that move side to side. give great wave effects. can add air injection too!
heater and live rock sound good.

 

[Igor The Cat]

its not the fiter media that causes it. its the crap it catches and gives good contitions to create nitrates

HAHAHAHA the whole point of filter media is TOO CATCH CRAP! lol but TMan already knows that lol

cheers

-Java

 

[Igor The Cat]

Power heads:I havent got one but want one, the aqua sweeps that move side to side. give great wave effects. can add air injection too!
heater and live rock sound good.

also, if you want real waves get a wavemaker, not an aquasweep as the are a POS and are always Jamming. and air injection wont do much as SW doesnt absorb O2 as fast as pure water and you should have enough O2 in the tank with out powerhead injection.

thought you might need some help TMan, this forums can be SOOOO confusing dagnabbit

cheers

-Java

 

[amd]

right, like i say if he wants to have mechanical particulate filtration, concider that he will need to clean it very regularly, and I have gone reef diving before and really was amased by actually seeing the currents from the little micro bubbles and besides that if sw wont absorb 02 as much as fast as fw, the WHY wouldnt you want to help increase o2 dissolved in the water for the o2 reliant creatures? but anyway the o2 wasnt what i was driving for, just the bubbles in the current, that brings me to wave machines, so ok, dont use cheap pos aquasweeps for 15 dollars, they jam, so go out and buy a 200 dollar wavemaker if you want. i have better ways of burning up money un nessisarilly. hey i could go buy a spell cheker yall. tried to help, but i mades everthin' so cunfeyuzin'

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Thanks for the replies. I don't exactly want waves in my tank....espeically with it being open topped. Just something to push a little more water around then my HOB is right now. This is surprisingly pumping me up. I'm ready to do this right!

And yes, there were some questions in chat tonight...i am putting 2 power compact fixtures above the tank not just the 96watt. I measured tonight and i believe i can fit both on there with no problems. More light is good! Technically speaking i will have about 8.8w/gallon. But with the depth of the tank and the light loss i doubt it'll be quite that high. Just waiting on them to get in stock and i'll order one.

I've narrowed my mind down to either 2 percula clowns (i'd love black), OR 2 Ocellaris clowns, and a skunk cleaner shrimp as far as livestock goes. But i'll take that step when it comes.

Any other comments or suggestions are welcome.

 

[fish outa wata]

oh so you are going have a three lights, cool. yeah just get a powerhead or two and you'll be good.

 

[amd]

wave makers actually wont make WAVES it just alternates underwater currents like a real wave does to the reef , lol thatd be *bad word* if they really made waves, witch gives me an idea for a 55 gallon with only 25-30 in it and a hole crapload of powerheads............. good thing my house has flood insurance

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Update: Ok so my new 96w light arrives Tuesday.

I'm still up in the air about substrate. Talking with different people have led me astray. I was originally going for the Fiji Pink reef sand but looking more into it i'm scared it might be not as fine as i had suspected or wanted. But i am scared if i go any finer the sand will blow or have some other problems. Am i just over reacting? lol Any personal suggestions for substrates? Specifically i want something a good bit finer then my crushed coral that will not only look good but won't cause me many problems in the long run.

 

[kevin4052002]

I just use CaribSea's basic aragonite sand. Its nice, and does well settling. If you like pink, I think they have some sort of Florida Pink Sand.