Checklist of supplies for new tank

[Mushroomman]

Ok Ive been planning this out with help from a friend of mine at work (LFS) and we composed a list of stuff I need to get to set up a 20 or 30 gallon salt tank (most likely 30). So I thought Id run it by you guys and see what you think. ive decided to go salt because from what I have seen, its a more challenging and rewarding side of fish keeping.

Tank
30 gallon aquarium
Home made canopy
Stand, or something to put it on


Lighting
250w Metal Halide Retrofit (I know its overkill, but he said to go with it because lighting is the most important aspect of a reef tank)

Filtration
Aqua-clear 300
Maxi-Jet Powerheads

Accessories
Hydrometer
Calcium Pro
Alk & pH
Thermometer
Heater (200w)
Calcium additive
Alk Additive
Strontium
Kalk

Biology
Live Rock (8ish pounds)
Live sand or Crushed Coral
Mushroom corals and Acropora
Invertabrates

Fish arent decided yet, Im not focused on that part, they come later down the road. But obviously will be small and reef safe, most likely a goby, blenny, or wrasse of some sort, about 2-3 total. (I think thats all I can put in)

In your opinion, is there anything listed here I dont need, or anything not listed here that I need? And, what about the heavy lighting? (he has heavy lighting on his tanks and says he likes the results)

 

[lordroad]

If you elect the 20 gallon, I'd be concerned about the heat. Maybe a lesser MH bulb?

I was confused by your poundage of live rock. Are you going to start out with 8ish pounds, or is that going to be your total number, or are you going to look for big 8ish pound pieces?

If you go with the 30, you could squeeze four small fish in easy.

I'd personally wait on all the trace element additives until you're ready for corals.
Also, it may be quite possible you won't need pH buffers. My salt mix (IO) keeps the tank at a steady 8.4.

I'd also like to recommend reverse osmosis water. I believe that and my powerful lighting, as well as weekly water changes, are big factors in my nano's success.

Be sure you have the high end (salt water) pH test kit, same for ammonia.

 

[Mushroomman]

Yes that was the worry with the 20 gallon but Im almost posotive I am getting the 30 (but you never know till its set it stone). So if i went smaller Id get less wattage.

Oh sorry, starting off with around 8 pounds and add more untill it looks nice and full.

Allright, 4 fish.

Yes I was planning on waiting for the trace elements until I had something growing in there. Ok, Ill see if I need the buffers when its up, if I dont, I wont bother.

As for RO water... My friend is giving me some of the water from his tank and I might get some from another friend who has an RO unit. (No way Im buying from work, they charge a little over a buck for a gallon, and that will total to alot, and Im tight on money)

Yes good idea... Ill make sure its all saltwater test kits

Thanks for your insight

 

[1979camaro]

i would reccomend a protein skimmer for filtration not the AC300...just use powerheads, live rock, and a skimmer...

mushrooms and acropora are a sort of odd combination in a small tank...any particular reason you chose those two corals alone?

 

[Mushroomman]

Ok then Ill look inot a protein skimmer instead.

Kind of, actually the corals are just some of what I may get. Thats up for change. Im getting a good deal on all sorts of frags (which includes mushrooms and acropora) but not sure what Im getting yet (he sells corals online and is offering to give me some)

Thanks.

 

[aresgod]

Yea I would try A 150 Watt MH, a friend has one on a 30 gallon and its still almost too much light, he had to put a glass top on it, Coralife makes a clip on MH lamp that is a 150 watts 10K spectrum, I would go with that. And definetly a skimmer, forget the aquaclear its a waste of money, with that setup you could keep almost any coral.
good luck

 

[Mushroomman]

Ok yes I hear ya on the lighting thing. Im going with 175 watts, and most likely a 25 gallon tank.

Thanks.

 

[wayne]

I'd get a 150 Watt double ender. 250 is a bit of a waste i.m.o. I don't know what powerheads you're going to get, but realistically you should be looking at at least 20 times turn over, so get a couple of 250 gallons per hour jobs + the AC 300

So you're going for mushrooms and acro? Well it's a good shallow water mix, of possibly one of the easiest and one of the most demanding sps corals. I think if you're asking thesebasic questions you'll find acro's downright tough to keep going so I'd go for something esier like monti's, porites or turbinaria. Plus you'll find the chemical products of fast growing softies (and in that light they will be) will really hammer the sps so be prepared to run 24/7 carbon and def. get a good skimmer like a remora, no seaclone junk please.

I see you plan to run calcium plus plus calcium something else + kalk + some other additives and I really don't see why. Can you please explain. I would be looking to do a regular water change (10% weekly I suppose) + for your size tank I'd likely use a bi-ionic supplement. I'd only use kalk if I had an urge to get my pH up or I really did run low on Ca (unlikely), with all the stuff you're adding in that list you'll inevitably endup with you Ca nad alk out of whack.

I assume this is in an airconned room, else, with a little tank and a big light , you might end up using/needing a chiller

 

[Mushroomman]

Allright, 150w. So you want me to run the AC and a skimmer? Or would just the skimmer do?

Yeah for corals Im gonna wait and see what is best, like some of the suggestions you listed. Ask around and see whats up with them.

For skimmer I was thinking the Red Sea Prizm.

I was recommended to use the additives, and if I dont need them, like you said, I wont bother. More trouble than its worth.

A chiller is out of the budjet, and probably not necessary. The tank is going in my basement (turned into an entertainment place), and is actually right underneath an AC duct.

 

[aresgod]

Well you will probably need a Buffer, a 2 part one that does alk and Ca. I like B-Ionic, its good stuff, I would personally use just a skimmer but thats just me, I don't have any practical experience with the prizm skimmers, but I can recommend a aqua-c remora, they are great, easy to set up, and easy to maintain. I would also put a glass top on this tank, it will help with evaporation and the amount of light too

 

[Mushroomman]

Ahh yes, I was planning on a glass top, it just slipped my mind when making the list.

I see... thanks.

 

[wayne]

My prizm works quite well, but it called for a lot of fiddling and tuning, so if you've never done this before, spend the extra moneyon the Remora.

Yes, most additives are a complete waste of money. Good to know the tank will be in a cool position as the halide will cause some warming. I would run everthing pump I had, but as you're going SPS I would run carbon and rowaphos full time in the AC300 with not much other media.

 

[Mushroomman]

Allright. Unless I get someone who knows what they are doing to fiddle with the prizm, Ill just invest in that Remora.

Ok on the additive as a waste and AC media.

Now as Im going SPS, is that all I should put in? No other types?

Glad Im planning this out or I wouldve made mistakes...

 

[1979camaro]

It is difficult to mix SPS and soft corals in a small system because the toxins excreted by softies tend to be very potent and can kill SPS rather quickly

 

[wayne]

What do you want to start with? Any preferences?

 

[Mushroomman]

Oh I see.

I really have no preferences besides mushrooms, dont know enough about all the different types yet, just any nice looking easy SPS corals. Id like to get a bunch of varieties of mushrooms going and other easy corals to make this tank look great, but not insanely hard to keep running. The main focal point on this tank is going to be the corals

 

[wayne]

The start with mushrooms, zoanthids and some other tougher softies. Maybe an easy lps as well. You'll need to research what else is going to be ok, but for stonies porites are quite tough.

However.....
I think you'll have problems keeping mushrooms in a small tank with most sps - they just do no do well under the sort of light intensity you're going to be getting, unless you shade them. Also softies tend to produce some pretty strong chemicals that are not good for the health of sps. That's why I would go with continual carbon, to try to remove these.

I can assure you most sps, and acro in particular is not low maintenance. Montipora is much more forgiving than acro., porites is ok. Turbinaria ok but needs good water conds. Heliopora is easy but weird (it's a hard octocoral, the only one, so it's like a hard softie genetically)

 

[Mushroomman]

Ok, yes Ill do research before I grow anything.

Thanks.