New to the hobby

jloschen · 04/27/2010, 01:21 AM

Hi im new to the hobby and have had my tank for a year i have a 40 gal tank a bio wheel filter, power compact flor 96 w light, and about 25 pounds of live rock, wave maker. In my tank i have 2 clown and a yellow tang i banded shrimp 3 e crabs and a lawnmower blenny. Ok so someone plese tell me what else i need as far as a sump new filter skimmer etc. or can i even use these on a take this small and will that light be good enough for reef or should i not use it.
thanks
and if i do need a sump how do i build one or where is a good site that will help me

Tuscaquatics · 04/27/2010, 04:35 AM

First off, ditch the bio-wheel, it's a nitrate factory. Take out any media in the filter and put in a bag of Chemi-Pure Elite. Secondly, your tank is way too small for a tang. If he's real small he might be OK for right now, but he's gonna get huge and need a lot of swimming room. I have a 75 gallon and am debating long and hard about a tang.

You could use some more rock, about 1-1.5 lbs. per gallon. As for a sump, you could use one, mainly so you have a place to put a skimmer and other equipment and so you can grow some macroalgae to help with nitrates and phosphates.

And your lights are a little weak for a 40 gallon. Just for comparison I have a 96w PC on my 10 gallon and it's not too much.

Building a sump isn't hard. But you're gonna have to figure out how you will get the water down to it. Unless the display tank is drilled, you will need a HOB overflow box to feed the sump. You can use like a 20 long and go to your local glass shop and have them cut you some baffles for a few bucks.

Fizz71 · 04/27/2010, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuscaquatics

First off, ditch the bio-wheel, it's a nitrate factory. Take out any media in the filter and put in a bag of Chemi-Pure Elite. Secondly, your tank is way too small for a tang. If he's real small he might be OK for right now, but he's gonna get huge and need a lot of swimming room. I have a 75 gallon and am debating long and hard about a tang.

You could use some more rock, about 1-1.5 lbs. per gallon. As for a sump, you could use one, mainly so you have a place to put a skimmer and other equipment and so you can grow some macroalgae to help with nitrates and phosphates.

And your lights are a little weak for a 40 gallon. Just for comparison I have a 96w PC on my 10 gallon and it's not too much.

Building a sump isn't hard. But you're gonna have to figure out how you will get the water down to it. Unless the display tank is drilled, you will need a HOB overflow box to feed the sump. You can use like a 20 long and go to your local glass shop and have them cut you some baffles for a few bucks.

+1 on ALL that. I love it when somebody else does the work.

04/27/2010, 01:21 AM	#1
jloschen Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Danville IL Posts: 117	New to the hobby Hi im new to the hobby and have had my tank for a year i have a 40 gal tank a bio wheel filter, power compact flor 96 w light, and about 25 pounds of live rock, wave maker. In my tank i have 2 clown and a yellow tang i banded shrimp 3 e crabs and a lawnmower blenny. Ok so someone plese tell me what else i need as far as a sump new filter skimmer etc. or can i even use these on a take this small and will that light be good enough for reef or should i not use it. thanks and if i do need a sump how do i build one or where is a good site that will help me

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04/27/2010, 04:35 AM	#2
Tuscaquatics Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL Posts: 1,324	First off, ditch the bio-wheel, it's a nitrate factory. Take out any media in the filter and put in a bag of Chemi-Pure Elite. Secondly, your tank is way too small for a tang. If he's real small he might be OK for right now, but he's gonna get huge and need a lot of swimming room. I have a 75 gallon and am debating long and hard about a tang. You could use some more rock, about 1-1.5 lbs. per gallon. As for a sump, you could use one, mainly so you have a place to put a skimmer and other equipment and so you can grow some macroalgae to help with nitrates and phosphates. And your lights are a little weak for a 40 gallon. Just for comparison I have a 96w PC on my 10 gallon and it's not too much. Building a sump isn't hard. But you're gonna have to figure out how you will get the water down to it. Unless the display tank is drilled, you will need a HOB overflow box to feed the sump. You can use like a 20 long and go to your local glass shop and have them cut you some baffles for a few bucks.