Back to the Hobby: Help me Plan My Life!

ReefNole · 03/07/2014, 06:32 PM

Hi All,

A little background:
It's been 5 years since I've been in the hobby. I had a 55 reef (T-5s and wet/dry) back in high school, and had to shut it down for college. Well, now I'm graduated with a job lined up and am planning on getting back into the swing of things.

I still have all of the gear from my 55, but managed to pick up a freshwater 29 gallon setup off craigslist for $45. I sold the neon gravel and shipwreck/skull/etc. decor for $50...so essentially someone paid me $5 to take a 29 gallon, stock plastic hood, standard fluorescent (not even PC fluorescent), and bio-wheel filter.

Here's where I need all of your help:
My long-term future plans are to set-up a 135(ish) reef and 300 FOWLER (I know, I know, LONG term goals). Before I get there, I plan on setting up one (or 2) smaller tanks. However, I'd like as much gear to transfer over to the larger tank as possible. My plan for this is to perhaps use my 55 for a sump/refugium and the 29 for a QT or frag or other down the road.

So, knowing all that, what gear would you suggest for my first 29 setup? I am only hoping for some low-light corals (shrooms & polyps) and small critters (shrimp, gobies, etc). But, I know that cutting corners will get you eventually, so I'm willing to buy the gear I need to for this tank, but not go overkill on anything (unless it can be used on a bigger setup as well).

If you hung with me through all that, thank you for reading, and any sump, skimmer, controller, light, etc. suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Mg4life0331 · 03/07/2014, 07:13 PM

Like seminole aquarium and tallahassee aquarium club on facebook for deals on equipment.

ReefNole · 03/07/2014, 09:21 PM

Thanks mg4life, I'll actually be leaving Tallahassee and heading up to Charlotte in May, so I don't know how much help they will be in the next month, but I'll check it out.

And I guess I can get the ball rolling by asking: If I get a skimmer rated to 50-60 gallons, and keep the Aquaclear HOB for carbon/live rock rubble, would that sustain the tank? Or is a 10-20 gallon sump recommended even for a 29 gallon tank?

Thanks!

jdstank · 03/07/2014, 11:29 PM

Sump isn't required, but does make things easier for adding things you don't want sight of (like HOB skimmers/dosers,etc) - your choice. Lights will be the first thing you need, being a significant cost try to go with something you can use down the road, otherwise it's another expense later for any "upgraded" tank size. The good news is lighting has come down in price for the most part so you can get into some really nice LED fixtures or T5 setups that are more than capable of sustaining softies, even most LPS and the LED could handle SPS and clams depending on which LED is used.

One more thing, get a skimmer rate at least 2x your water volume, but again, try to use the logic above and go with a larger skimmer if you can swing it so when you likely upgrade to a 75g or 90g you can use it. Unless of course you plan on jumping from a 29 to a 135 or 300 - but I know how those things usually go.

SmoothSmoke · 03/07/2014, 11:32 PM

Im just starting a 29g build too. I will be using a 15g tall for the sump.

ReefNole · 03/08/2014, 12:32 AM

jdstank, thanks for the info. I'm not opposed to a sump setup. It would just come with the cost of an overflow, ~10 gallon tank and return pipe. Although, the additional water would add a little more stability to the system.

As for the LEDs/T5s, what is the up-and-coming craze for them now? I know there are dimmers, retrofits, DIY kits, etc. How do they require watt/gallon compared to T5s? And is there a "cheapest" way to do them right? (Or if there is an all-powerful article with this info...link please??)

03/07/2014, 06:32 PM	#1
ReefNole Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 111	Back to the Hobby: Help me Plan My Life! Hi All, A little background: It's been 5 years since I've been in the hobby. I had a 55 reef (T-5s and wet/dry) back in high school, and had to shut it down for college. Well, now I'm graduated with a job lined up and am planning on getting back into the swing of things. I still have all of the gear from my 55, but managed to pick up a freshwater 29 gallon setup off craigslist for $45. I sold the neon gravel and shipwreck/skull/etc. decor for $50...so essentially someone paid me $5 to take a 29 gallon, stock plastic hood, standard fluorescent (not even PC fluorescent), and bio-wheel filter. Here's where I need all of your help: My long-term future plans are to set-up a 135(ish) reef and 300 FOWLER (I know, I know, LONG term goals). Before I get there, I plan on setting up one (or 2) smaller tanks. However, I'd like as much gear to transfer over to the larger tank as possible. My plan for this is to perhaps use my 55 for a sump/refugium and the 29 for a QT or frag or other down the road. So, knowing all that, what gear would you suggest for my first 29 setup? I am only hoping for some low-light corals (shrooms & polyps) and small critters (shrimp, gobies, etc). But, I know that cutting corners will get you eventually, so I'm willing to buy the gear I need to for this tank, but not go overkill on anything (unless it can be used on a bigger setup as well). If you hung with me through all that, thank you for reading, and any sump, skimmer, controller, light, etc. suggestions are greatly appreciated! __________________ - Andrew

03/07/2014, 09:21 PM	#3
ReefNole Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 111	Thanks mg4life, I'll actually be leaving Tallahassee and heading up to Charlotte in May, so I don't know how much help they will be in the next month, but I'll check it out. And I guess I can get the ball rolling by asking: If I get a skimmer rated to 50-60 gallons, and keep the Aquaclear HOB for carbon/live rock rubble, would that sustain the tank? Or is a 10-20 gallon sump recommended even for a 29 gallon tank? Thanks! __________________ - Andrew

03/07/2014, 11:29 PM	#4
jdstank Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: MD Posts: 182	Sump isn't required, but does make things easier for adding things you don't want sight of (like HOB skimmers/dosers,etc) - your choice. Lights will be the first thing you need, being a significant cost try to go with something you can use down the road, otherwise it's another expense later for any "upgraded" tank size. The good news is lighting has come down in price for the most part so you can get into some really nice LED fixtures or T5 setups that are more than capable of sustaining softies, even most LPS and the LED could handle SPS and clams depending on which LED is used. One more thing, get a skimmer rate at least 2x your water volume, but again, try to use the logic above and go with a larger skimmer if you can swing it so when you likely upgrade to a 75g or 90g you can use it. Unless of course you plan on jumping from a 29 to a 135 or 300 - but I know how those things usually go. __________________ 37x33x18 95g Shallow Reef Current Tank Info: 150 gallon reef

03/08/2014, 12:32 AM	#6
ReefNole Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 111	jdstank, thanks for the info. I'm not opposed to a sump setup. It would just come with the cost of an overflow, ~10 gallon tank and return pipe. Although, the additional water would add a little more stability to the system. As for the LEDs/T5s, what is the up-and-coming craze for them now? I know there are dimmers, retrofits, DIY kits, etc. How do they require watt/gallon compared to T5s? And is there a "cheapest" way to do them right? (Or if there is an all-powerful article with this info...link please??) __________________ - Andrew

03/07/2014, 07:13 PM	#2
Mg4life0331 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Tallahassee Posts: 353	Like seminole aquarium and tallahassee aquarium club on facebook for deals on equipment.

03/07/2014, 11:32 PM	#5
SmoothSmoke Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 411	Im just starting a 29g build too. I will be using a 15g tall for the sump.