Well, I Finally Got Clearance
- Thread starter aspguru
- Start date
read read read, go out and purchase atleast 3 different books on the subject and read tem all cover to cover, start with mike palettas new marine aquarium and 2 others of your choice, they will point you in the right direction for equipment ect, once youve read those come back to us and ask any questions that the books didnt clear up
good luck
Brahm
good luck
Brahm
Well...reading is a given. So I'll explain some procedures to keep in mind while planning a reef. Money, patience, and knowledge are key. You have to have a fairly large amount of money to set-up and maintain the reef. Patience, I have seen many people jump into the hobby and have a full blown reef in a few weeks. TAKE YOUR TIME! Its better to do something once then waste time and money to do it over again. Third is knowledge. Research for your sake and the fishes. I'm not saying all, but some LFS will try to manipulate and rip you off. If you know a little bit, that will eliminate that option for them.
With tha being said...three key peices of equiptment are a protein skimmer, lighting (power compacts or halides), and live rock. With these items you can set yourself up for success.
With tha being said...three key peices of equiptment are a protein skimmer, lighting (power compacts or halides), and live rock. With these items you can set yourself up for success.
Well guys, I got the set up. I went this weekend and got what I needed and set it up. You can see some pics here - http://blogs.aspadvice.com/dgottlieb/gallery/177.aspx. My salinity is a bit high right now but I'm not gonna worry about it until the cycle is complete. The gravity of the water is at 1.027. I've got 45lbs of live rock and 2 bags of live sand in there, a powerhead and a magnum 350 canister filter that I had with my previous fresh water set up. What do you guys think?
before everyone gets in a tizzy, if you delete the period from the link it works 
now down to bidness: a skimmer would be my first purchase. look into the AC Remora...its a really good HOT model...should set you back a couple hundered bucks...
what sort of lighting have you got on there? it looks pretty bright, but the hood looks like your average flourescent striplight, which isn't going to do it for a reef
the canister is going to be good for moving water...not sure how many gph it does, but in combination with the powerhead (maxijet?) you are going to want to push through around 550gph in theory
looks like it could use a few more pieces of LR to me...maybe arrange it something less like a clump, but of course that is a personal preference thing, its all about what you are trying to recreate...have you secured them together manually? or are they balanced? either way, just make sure they are stable!
looks like its coming along though! get that sg down to 1.024 or 5 ish and you will be cooking with grease
now down to bidness: a skimmer would be my first purchase. look into the AC Remora...its a really good HOT model...should set you back a couple hundered bucks...
what sort of lighting have you got on there? it looks pretty bright, but the hood looks like your average flourescent striplight, which isn't going to do it for a reef
the canister is going to be good for moving water...not sure how many gph it does, but in combination with the powerhead (maxijet?) you are going to want to push through around 550gph in theory
looks like it could use a few more pieces of LR to me...maybe arrange it something less like a clump, but of course that is a personal preference thing, its all about what you are trying to recreate...have you secured them together manually? or are they balanced? either way, just make sure they are stable!
looks like its coming along though! get that sg down to 1.024 or 5 ish and you will be cooking with grease
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Thanks guys! My canister does 350gph and yes, it's a standard strip light for my old hood. That is my dillema. I got clearance to get the lights as well but I'm not sure what to get. I asked at the LFS and I forgot what they told me to get for a 55 that won't get too hot. What do you recommend?
Right now I've got 45 lbs of live rock. I can get 10 more lbs to put in there. As you can see, I will probably add it to the right of the tank but honestly, right now I don't want toget too much more. The rock in there is pretty stable. I made sure.
I think the rock was already cured cause it didn't smell at all so hopefully my cycle will move right along quickly.
By the way, I think an algae bloom has started already. I'm seeing some green on the sand and on the rock. I have a feeling it came in with the LR. Is this a good or bad thing? Should I do something about it now or wait until the cycle is complete?
Thanks again!
Right now I've got 45 lbs of live rock. I can get 10 more lbs to put in there. As you can see, I will probably add it to the right of the tank but honestly, right now I don't want toget too much more. The rock in there is pretty stable. I made sure.
I think the rock was already cured cause it didn't smell at all so hopefully my cycle will move right along quickly.
By the way, I think an algae bloom has started already. I'm seeing some green on the sand and on the rock. I have a feeling it came in with the LR. Is this a good or bad thing? Should I do something about it now or wait until the cycle is complete?
Thanks again!
What about these: http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=29563;category_id=1873;pcid1=1843;pcid2=
I just ordered a canopy to mount them in. Are these mountable? These won't give me temperature problems will they? I want to make sure I get what I need to support coral.
I just ordered a canopy to mount them in. Are these mountable? These won't give me temperature problems will they? I want to make sure I get what I need to support coral.
I got some more pictures posted as of today, day 3. I bought a protein skimmer, the Marineland SeaClone 100. I'm not real impressed with it because it isn't quiet and it produces a lot of tiny bubbles. If you go to http://davidgottlieb.net/mvi_0937.avi you will see a video of them. Is this too many? Will this harm the fish or is this normal for a protein skimmer to put out this many bubbles? Just trying to get some things straight before I keep this thing. Thanks again guys!
I'm going to take this skimmer back. I found a leak already. There is a check valve on it but the less bubbles you let in, the more that come out. Strange. What is a good skimmer that isn't over $100? I need to find something that is going to be quiet. Right now, with the skimmer off, the tank is absolutely silent. I want it to stay at least close to that. Suggestions?