Brand new to saltwater

Ian14 · 03/15/2015, 06:12 PM

I have a couple large systems that hold freshwater species and I have gotten really interested in starting a reef/fish tank.

I am in the process of getting a reef ready 220 gallon tank. There are a few available of craigslist that are drilled and have the wet dry filter, but I really would like it to have starphire glass.
Any general suggestions?

I still have lots of research to do. I want to keep in relatively basic but I don't want to cut corners.

With a wet dry filter, protein skimmer, lights, powerbeads, what kind of major equipment would I need?

Are RODI systems necessary?

Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks!

stingeragent · 03/15/2015, 06:54 PM

I don't have a tank anywhere near your size but have some tips. Your gonna need the protein skimmer for sure, lights, powerheads, a heater or 2 and a thermometer. I'd also ditch the wetdry and setup a traditional sump. The filter media can harbor gunk and give you nitrate problems in the long run. Most people ( I say most but i have no idea if its most), would run a traditional sump and a filter sock on the intake to the sump. ( is basically just a sock you hook your intake to and it catches the debris. Same function in essence as a tradional filter, but its far easier to pop a sock off, turn it inside out and give it a quick spray to rinse it. You could do the same thing with your wet dry, its just gonna be a lot more time consuming on your part to clean. Forgot to add you'll also need salt, and a refractometer(spelling). And yes to the RO/DI. I don't think you'll get any responses saying to forgo that piece on a reef tank.

Darth Polymnus · 03/15/2015, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian14

Are RODI systems necessary?

Yes they are. You may hear that people use tap water and have experienced no issues. I liken that to smoking. Just because the damage isn't immediate, doesn't mean its not damaging. What you put into your tank is what you'll get out. Use good quality water.

Ian14 · 03/15/2015, 07:29 PM

Thanks guys.
So no trickle/bioballs?

I have a 265 gallon freshwater with a diy 90 gallon wetdry/sump. It is a bit overkill and runs almost 2000 gallons per hour after the head pressure and all.
The water enters the tray and trickles down on through about 40 gallons of bioballs and then is sent back up the the tank, I tried filter socks, even large ones. and they would clog up very quickly and I found it easy just to make a little tray and put some filter floss on it.

Would you guys recommend buying a professional sump or getting an old glass or acrylic tank and doing it diy again?

stingeragent · 03/15/2015, 08:37 PM

DIY is the way to go. Then you can have exactly what you want. With your clean up crew and all the miscellaneous stuff in live rock there isn't usually a terrible amount of junk going around that you need hardcore physical filtration like bio balls. All normal media be it bioballs, filterfloss, etc, removes physical particles from floating around, but they are left to decay in that same material and the water just keeps on cycling through it leaving all the biproduct in the tank. A good skimmer and flow is really all you need. I've got a HOB skimmer on my 55gallon. No other mechanical filtration and my water is always crystal clear. Algae is a different story but thats what I get for using tap water for a year. A 200+ gallon reef tank is a large investment. You really don't have any room to skimp on that.

Sn8kbyt · 03/15/2015, 09:43 PM

Here is a link to my 210 gallon display tank and 90 gallon sump build. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2464238

I had planned the build for over a year and have been actually building it an additional 4 months now. It may give you some ideas as to what you are getting into and how to proceed going forward. Skip the bio balls though I have seen very few comments about them being good and many about them being bad.

Good luck and feel free to send me a message if you have any questions.

Ian14 · 03/16/2015, 12:05 PM

Thanks a lot guys.

Do you think it would be smart to first set up a fowl tank with a bunch of live rock and get that going... and then in the future start add some soft corals to the live rock?

I read that those are generally the easier ones to care for.

I would like to know, would I still need to dose for those corals? Or would water changes with instant ocean be suitable?

Ian14 · 03/16/2015, 12:28 PM

Also... what do you guys think of this tank?

Drilled and comes with the stand and sump. Has bioballs though but could always put something else in there. It says 180 but if the dimensions are correct it is a 210.

Mishri · 03/16/2015, 01:56 PM

Fish only is how I started. get parameters stable then add corals. water changes are all you need. Whether or not you need to dose anything depends on the corals you are currently keeping. Most softies you don't need to give them anything, although they could benefit from phytoplankton. (Such as Marine Snow).

Skimmer is something I'd highly recommend as well. I don't even have a sump.. just skimmer, the gyre (You'll want lots of water movement), lights, heater, sand, live rock, salt, refractometer.

One interesting thing about saltwater fish is ammonia, ph, and salinity is all you need to watch. The levels of nitrite/nitrate you'd get in your aquarium shouldn't be toxic to fish. you can have tons of nitrates and the fish will be fine.

Ian14 · 03/16/2015, 02:16 PM

http://m.ebay.com/itm/321693619454?nav=SEARCH

Here is the link to that tank I'm looking at.

Thanks for the advice, I think I will go that route

Mustang67 · 03/16/2015, 05:54 PM

If you have not read through this already then this is a great starting point, I learned quite a bit from it. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074

Whether you go with Fish or reef mix, I would first focus on a DIY sump. Buy a used tank and build one yourself. You can drill the glass (provided its not tempered) and build your own baffles. Its easy and I highly recommend it. A 220 DT and a 90 sump is not overkill IMHO. I would think that for a 220 you would want a 50 gallon or better. I mean if it comes with a 90 and a good price and you have the room for it... go for it.

If you start off with a good sump, a solid return pump, and a great skimmer then that is your foundation. From there you can go in any direction, but no matter what you decide to do these are always the initial limiting factors. When you get into a reef or reef mix that's when things get a bit more critical like lighting, dosers, reactors, controllers... etc.

Ian14 · 03/17/2015, 06:02 PM

Will do.

Do you think there is a big difference between sapphire glass and regular tank glass when viewing saltwater aquariums?

Mustang67 · 03/17/2015, 06:14 PM

I will have an idea on Thursday, I ordered a Marineland 300 tank with Starphire glass in the front. Instead they sent me the standard tank. The replacement with Starphire will arrive on Thursday.
Search the key word "Starphire" and you will find numerous posts on the topic.

Ian14 · 03/20/2015, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang67

I will have an idea on Thursday, I ordered a Marineland 300 tank with Starphire glass in the front. Instead they sent me the standard tank. The replacement with Starphire will arrive on Thursday.
Search the key word "Starphire" and you will find numerous posts on the topic.

How did it work out for you?

03/15/2015, 06:12 PM	#1
Ian14 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 199	Brand new to saltwater I have a couple large systems that hold freshwater species and I have gotten really interested in starting a reef/fish tank. I am in the process of getting a reef ready 220 gallon tank. There are a few available of craigslist that are drilled and have the wet dry filter, but I really would like it to have starphire glass. Any general suggestions? I still have lots of research to do. I want to keep in relatively basic but I don't want to cut corners. With a wet dry filter, protein skimmer, lights, powerbeads, what kind of major equipment would I need? Are RODI systems necessary? Any advice would greatly be appreciated. Thanks!

03/15/2015, 07:29 PM	#4
Ian14 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 199	Thanks guys. So no trickle/bioballs? I have a 265 gallon freshwater with a diy 90 gallon wetdry/sump. It is a bit overkill and runs almost 2000 gallons per hour after the head pressure and all. The water enters the tray and trickles down on through about 40 gallons of bioballs and then is sent back up the the tank, I tried filter socks, even large ones. and they would clog up very quickly and I found it easy just to make a little tray and put some filter floss on it. Would you guys recommend buying a professional sump or getting an old glass or acrylic tank and doing it diy again? Last edited by Ian14; 03/15/2015 at 07:38 PM.

03/15/2015, 09:43 PM	#6
Sn8kbyt Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Manitowoc, WI Posts: 607	Here is a link to my 210 gallon display tank and 90 gallon sump build. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2464238 I had planned the build for over a year and have been actually building it an additional 4 months now. It may give you some ideas as to what you are getting into and how to proceed going forward. Skip the bio balls though I have seen very few comments about them being good and many about them being bad. Good luck and feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. __________________ 220 gallon DT and 90 gallon sump, all DC powered, APEX gold with DOS, feeder, and a few extra modules, Avast Marine swabbie on Skimz Monster 258, 6 Rapid LED Onyx fixtures, BRS dosers, 4 Jaebo RW-15. Current Tank Info: 220 Gallon, 29 Gallon, 2-20L QT, and a 20 gallon tall octogon tank waiting to be setup for a seahorse tank.

03/16/2015, 01:56 PM	#9
Mishri Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Great Falls, MT Posts: 1,404	Fish only is how I started. get parameters stable then add corals. water changes are all you need. Whether or not you need to dose anything depends on the corals you are currently keeping. Most softies you don't need to give them anything, although they could benefit from phytoplankton. (Such as Marine Snow). Skimmer is something I'd highly recommend as well. I don't even have a sump.. just skimmer, the gyre (You'll want lots of water movement), lights, heater, sand, live rock, salt, refractometer. One interesting thing about saltwater fish is ammonia, ph, and salinity is all you need to watch. The levels of nitrite/nitrate you'd get in your aquarium shouldn't be toxic to fish. you can have tons of nitrates and the fish will be fine. __________________ 300 gallon 8ft long, 2x xf250 gyre, reef octopus 250-int - work in progress Aquarist since 1986 Last edited by Mishri; 03/16/2015 at 02:41 PM.

03/15/2015, 06:54 PM	#2
stingeragent Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 1,032	I don't have a tank anywhere near your size but have some tips. Your gonna need the protein skimmer for sure, lights, powerheads, a heater or 2 and a thermometer. I'd also ditch the wetdry and setup a traditional sump. The filter media can harbor gunk and give you nitrate problems in the long run. Most people ( I say most but i have no idea if its most), would run a traditional sump and a filter sock on the intake to the sump. ( is basically just a sock you hook your intake to and it catches the debris. Same function in essence as a tradional filter, but its far easier to pop a sock off, turn it inside out and give it a quick spray to rinse it. You could do the same thing with your wet dry, its just gonna be a lot more time consuming on your part to clean. Forgot to add you'll also need salt, and a refractometer(spelling). And yes to the RO/DI. I don't think you'll get any responses saying to forgo that piece on a reef tank.

03/15/2015, 08:37 PM	#5
stingeragent Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 1,032	DIY is the way to go. Then you can have exactly what you want. With your clean up crew and all the miscellaneous stuff in live rock there isn't usually a terrible amount of junk going around that you need hardcore physical filtration like bio balls. All normal media be it bioballs, filterfloss, etc, removes physical particles from floating around, but they are left to decay in that same material and the water just keeps on cycling through it leaving all the biproduct in the tank. A good skimmer and flow is really all you need. I've got a HOB skimmer on my 55gallon. No other mechanical filtration and my water is always crystal clear. Algae is a different story but thats what I get for using tap water for a year. A 200+ gallon reef tank is a large investment. You really don't have any room to skimp on that.

03/16/2015, 12:05 PM	#7
Ian14 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 199	Thanks a lot guys. Do you think it would be smart to first set up a fowl tank with a bunch of live rock and get that going... and then in the future start add some soft corals to the live rock? I read that those are generally the easier ones to care for. I would like to know, would I still need to dose for those corals? Or would water changes with instant ocean be suitable?

03/16/2015, 12:28 PM	#8
Ian14 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 199	Also... what do you guys think of this tank? Drilled and comes with the stand and sump. Has bioballs though but could always put something else in there. It says 180 but if the dimensions are correct it is a 210.

03/16/2015, 02:16 PM	#10
Ian14 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 199	http://m.ebay.com/itm/321693619454?nav=SEARCH Here is the link to that tank I'm looking at. Thanks for the advice, I think I will go that route

03/16/2015, 05:54 PM	#11
Mustang67 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Utica, NY Posts: 245	If you have not read through this already then this is a great starting point, I learned quite a bit from it. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074 Whether you go with Fish or reef mix, I would first focus on a DIY sump. Buy a used tank and build one yourself. You can drill the glass (provided its not tempered) and build your own baffles. Its easy and I highly recommend it. A 220 DT and a 90 sump is not overkill IMHO. I would think that for a 220 you would want a 50 gallon or better. I mean if it comes with a 90 and a good price and you have the room for it... go for it. If you start off with a good sump, a solid return pump, and a great skimmer then that is your foundation. From there you can go in any direction, but no matter what you decide to do these are always the initial limiting factors. When you get into a reef or reef mix that's when things get a bit more critical like lighting, dosers, reactors, controllers... etc.

03/17/2015, 06:02 PM	#12
Ian14 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 199	Will do. Do you think there is a big difference between sapphire glass and regular tank glass when viewing saltwater aquariums?

03/17/2015, 06:14 PM	#13
Mustang67 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Utica, NY Posts: 245	I will have an idea on Thursday, I ordered a Marineland 300 tank with Starphire glass in the front. Instead they sent me the standard tank. The replacement with Starphire will arrive on Thursday. Search the key word "Starphire" and you will find numerous posts on the topic.