beginner questions

[Matrajeous]

hey there I have a few questions, 1 about pumps and flow, 2 about live rock, and 3 about skimmers.

first question:how do you determine how much head you are loosing for a pump when you are determining pump strength and plumbing?

second question: I have some old live rock from my dads old system he took down the rock is dried out for a long time ( i would assume it to be dead) can i re-seed this rock with new during a curing period? or will it take a long time for the rock to regain its natural bacteria?

third question: how do you know ho big of a skimmer to get? is there ever to big of a skimmer?????

thank you for all the help i'm trying to read up on everything before i dive in.

Matt

[Matrajeous]

i also had one more question I have seen display tanks that have the heater in the sump and not the main tank, by doing that would i need to use a heater with a higher wattage to maintain the temp of the display tank????? or do i just use a heater with high enough wattage to cover the entire water volume of the tank only???

thanks
Matt

[jformani]

Yes you can seed the dead rock with new live rock. In a few months it will all be the same. In 6 months you wont be able to see a difference. Many people will use lets say 50 pounds of dead or base rock and through in 10-15 pounds of live rock and that ratio will work.

All skimmers on the vendors website will have how many gallons the skimmer is rated for. Most of the time you go with a bigger skimmer. So if you were to set up a 125 g tank, usually go with a skimmer rated for atleast 125, but most go with skimmers rated up to 180-200 and some even bigger yet.

I personally think some people get to big of a skimmer and it doesnt produce consistant skimming.

In reference to heaters. I usually like to have one in the display and one in the sump. Or two in the sump, but I always like having two in case on dies on you and your tank doesnt go into shock.

[PerezAF01]

Question 1: Not sure what you are asking and Im no pump whiz. I know those specs should be listed in the box.

Question 2: You can use old live rock or dead rock if you want to call it that. There is plenty of dead matter that will throw your tank into a cycle. I'd add live rubble rock (FRESH ONLY FROM GOOD LFS) once your tank finish cycling. I guess you can add initially but I didn't do it that way when setting up my tank. This is what worked for me.

Question 3: Always get a bigger skimmer than you need. I was once you cant over skim because the skimmer wont pull anything if the water is clean. I rather overskim if possible than underskim.

Question 4: Buy multiple heaters with lower rating. So if you have a 100gallon tank, buy two rated for 75 gallons. If the heater thermostat breaks you wont end up with 90 degree water and if it stops working all together, you can replace it in time.

You can put it all in the sump if you'd like as long as you have good circulation. I keep one in my overflow and two in my sump for my 90gal.

[Mavrk]

1. Use the following calculator and plug in your stuff: http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php...oss-calculator
If you want more flow, then a larger diameter pipe is usually indicated. I have been reading up on this a lot lately, so feel free to ask questions. One thing to note is that many people don't add more flow across the sump than the skimmer can handle. So if you skimmer is rated for 300 gph, then you should keep the return pump underpowered accordingly.

2. If you cure it, that will be fine. I would run it in its own container first to clean it out more, then add the live rock.

3. Most people at least double the total volume (including sump but subtracting displacement). It depends on what you want to keep. This is what Tunze says:

Low Sensitivity
In soft coral aquariums with long-polyp corals and anemones, for example, the share in dissolved organic matter may be higher, sometimes it may even be vital. In this type of aquarium, the recommended aquarium volume can be used without deduction.

Medium Sensitivity
A medium organic stability is usually found in mixed aquariums inhabited with soft and stony corals (LPS). Filter-feeding animals, sponges, et cetera, are found there frequently as well. For these aquariums, a reduction of about 20 percent of the skimming capacity is calculated. A skimmer for 1,000 liters (264 gal.) should thus be used for an aquarium of about 800 liters (221 gal.) which has this kind of reef design

High Sensitivity
Aquariums with primarily small-polyp stony corals (SPS) require an especially high degree of purity. They should have no load of phosphates or nitrates worth mentioning. Good oxygen saturation and very clear water are the prerequisites. This type of aquarium should be reduced by about 40 percent in volume for the skimmer volume mentioned.

High Sensitivity and High Load
Hard coral aquariums with a high population of fish require an extremely high skimming capacity. The skimmer has to ensure the degree of purity for the hard corals at an above-average high fish load. This type of aquarium should be reduced by about 60 percent in volume for the skimmer volume mentioned.

4. The heater should cover the entire volume no matter where it is located. You can combine 2 heaters to add up to the needed wattage as mentioned above.