new to the board saltwater help/advice needed

[Gloomisboy]

re-entering the hobby with only freshwater experience. currently have an empty 46 gallon bowfront and planning to set up a saltwater fish only with live rock/ and live sand. need equipment advise.

should i go canister with protine skimmer or sump?

I am leaning more for cannister just cause it's seems easier but from what i have read looks like a sump might be the way to go. which ever way i decide to go i am going to need help on what brands to buy.

what would be a good protine skimmer / sump ( what brand and how big?) / pump ( how powerful do i need it?) / etc. i am not a DIY type of guy so if i go sump i am buying one.

Also power heads. how many do i need for the size of tank and recommended brands / how powerful do i nedd them (gph).

doing research online has become overwhelming so i fugured i'd join the board and learn from experienced people who enjoy the hobby as much as i do.

thanks in advance for all your help.

 

[TRe]

Welcome to MFT! Start by reading ALL the stickies at the top of the forum, theres lots of great info.... a canister is a no no in saltwater tanks... Protien skimmer is the way to go! The liverock along with the skimmer will be your filtration. as far as the sump it all depends if you have the space for one... you can get by with out one and if later you decide you want one add it than! If your not going to have a sump from the begining youll have to go with a HOB skimmer (hang on back) both the AquaC Remora and CPR Bakpak are both decent HOB skimmers... for your flow (powerheads) you can go with a few Koralias. Id put one on each end of the tank facing each other . Id get a koralia #2 on one end and a koralia #3 on the other end of the tank

 

[Gloomisboy]

Thanks for the break down tre. Never thought of running the system with only a protine skimmer. Just one question, what will be my mechanical filtration or how will my water get cleaned of large particles? Will the protine skimmer take care of that?

Thanks again

 

[Lorna]

The protein skimmer will remove any dissolved organics, the live rock will provide the biological filtration and with good tank maintenance you should have minimal large particles. Keep your feeding to the minimum and with good flow any particulates should be suspended and taken out by the protein skimmer. The only downside to what Tre suggested is the size of the koralias as they may be large for a tank of that size. You may want to consider maxijets with modifications. These can be run on a alternate power supply to give you good alternate flow and they are relatively inexpensive. 2 maxijet 1200 with mods can move about 2400 gph. not bad for powerheads of their size.
What you really want to do before you start is decide what kind of tank you want. You state a fowlr which is a great start as you won't have high lighting demands. You could probably even start without a skimmer as fish are not as nitrate sensitive as corals and some inverts. If you do go without a skimmer just ensure you are diligent in your water changes. Once you decide to add corals you will need improved lighting and skimming. A sump is a good think to have to house skimmers and heaters etc. It also gives you an area to house macro algae which helps reduce nutrients. (ie. nitrates and phosphates) The sump also adds additional water volume which is a good thing in smaller tanks and for beginners until they are able to maintain stable water parameters as these are easier to maintain with larger water volumes. I hope this isn't confusing to you......if so keep asking questions.

Another thing you need to consider is your choice of fish......decide what type of biosphere you are trying to create and remember a 46g is not a large tank and it really limits you as to fish choices. The fish per gallon rule doesn't apply in saltwater as saltwater tanks need to be stocked very lightly and some fish have more space requirements than others. They are used to swimming in the ocean remember. Tangs are out as are many larger fish that require linear swimming space. Develope a list and throw it up here and we will give you our thoughts as to compatability and suitability. We have no motive other than your success..... good luck.

 

[Gloomisboy]

thanks for your input Lorna. will definately keep asking questions and keep you guys posted on my progress. i am still in my planning stage tring to find a local place with the best live rock price and ocean water price. so far i have found a place that sells LR for $2.99 a pound and ocean water for .49 cents a gallon

as for the maxi jets you mentioned...are these the ones you are talking about?

Maxi-Jet 1200 Powerhead / MP 1200 + Algae Free Sure Flow 1600 Maxi-Jet Upgrade Kit

thanks again for your input and will be getting a live stock list to get by you guys.

 

[quaddity]

Go for 2 #2 Koralias I have a corner 70 with two #3 Koralias. I them at near the top in the center pointing up slightly at each other. With the rounded tank it really produces a lot of random turbulence.

 

[TRe]

I think a modded maxijet 1200 is guna be a little too much in a tank this small... If you do decide to go with the maxijets make sure you get the "sure grip" magnet mounts aswell (I dont recomend using these without the magnets!)

 

[Gloomisboy]

Ok here is an up date. It's taken a while but things are finally coming together. got the tank in location that the wife and i agreed on. got a 200 watt heater and two koralia evolutions. i have 40 lbs of live sand with 50 lbs of cured live rock coming on friday. actually thinking of getting 20 more lbs of live sand...still debating. had to figure out how to get 40 + gallons of ocean water home. had to buy three 5 gallon jugs and will be making two more trips to the pet store as i picked up 15 gallons today. here is the first pic of my tank...things should be coming together on friday. more pics to come. thanks again for all the advise....