Just getting started

bullock111 · 10/01/2018, 06:46 PM

Hi guys first time saltwater. Tomorrow night i am going to look at a 90 gallon reef tank with a corner overflow. it includes 2 Current brand leds lights, 2 current brand wave makers and a current brand dc return pump. They have something called loop??? not sure what that means i am researching it now. the sump is set up for socks but i don't know much else about it yet. Oh and it has a dual media reactor. My questions are starting with, what kind of heater and skimmer would you recommend? how much sand for a deep sand bed, how much weight in rock, what should i gather for the sump? i want to try zoas, EASY corals, maybe some shrimp, and for fish i want things that are relatively inexpensive for the hobby and i would like ones that stay smaller in colors like red, blue, yellow bright primarys as i am color blind. I will be awhile before i set everything up as i am going to redo the flooring in the room first so i want to get all the dry items together so i am fully ready to go when i start. Oh and what would i need for a small quaranteen tank? OK OK i see i am running long so i will stop and wait for replays for a bit.... thanks guys, Sean

cvrle1 · 10/01/2018, 07:18 PM

Welcome!

1st off, I dont know much about Current USA LED fixtures, but a really quick search makes me question if they are good for anything but fish only tanks. Their site lists one of the units that has 82 LEDs, but it only produces 18 Watts. This means they are using weak LEDs, that cant get proper PAR for corals. If you are planning on corals, I would look into some better lights. Read up on Chinese Black Boxes for cheap lights that work well. You are looking for fixtures that are using 3W LEDs

For heater, Eheim Jager is popular choice in these parts. Skimmer, there are way too many choices, so so your research and ask questions about specific models you have in mind.

For deep sand bed, use the following to get a good idea: https://www.marinedepot.com/md_educa...alculator.html

Rock will all depend. Some is light and porporus, while other is heavy and well condensed. You would need different amount weight wise for different rock types. To get you started off, look into Pukani and Marco Rocks

Fish wise, clowns, angels, wrasses and a lot of other choices in many different colors and sizes.

bullock111 · 10/01/2018, 07:42 PM

thank you for the info, I have looked into the Chinese lights, I might even be able to get them cheaper as I have close friends that are from there and they have the family send us stuff all the time. you wouldn't believe how cheap stuff is there. I was worried that because they are cheap they might not be any good. I will try and find some people that are using them so I know what ones are good

cvrle1 · 10/01/2018, 07:50 PM

Truth be told, majority of them are fine. For example you can go with something as basic as Mars Aqua, Viparspectra or Bloomspect to something more expensive like SB Reef or Reef Breaders photon V2. A lot of people dont consider Photon V2 as a black box because it is sleeker looking and it offers a lot more features than BB usually would.

bullock111 · 10/01/2018, 07:54 PM

so most people just hang them over the tank from wires? are they able to simulate sunrise and sunsets? moonlight? I think my friends boy would like to see the lights change

cvrle1 · 10/01/2018, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bullock111

so most people just hang them over the tank from wires? are they able to simulate sunrise and sunsets? moonlight? I think my friends boy would like to see the lights change

Some come with legs, like Photon V2. Some can only be hung, however you can mount them on brackets so that they hang other over the tank, so in the end it is as they have legs.

Take a look at this thread for pics on what I mean. These are BBs that are made to be hung, but are mounted to the brackets: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2622878

In terms of sunrise/sunset, from the ones I listed only Photon V2 can simulate sunrise/sunset. Others cannot, but you can set 2 channels to turn on and off at different times, so it dos have some differences. I will let you read more about that.

tjm9331 · 10/02/2018, 07:40 AM

Welcome to the addiction!

The amount of rock you need will depend on what kind of rock you decide to go with, for example if you decide to get Fiji rock you will probably need close to 90 pounds but if you decide to go with Pukani or Marco rocks you could probably get away with much less, closer to 70-75 pounds of it because there is more surface area on these kinds of rocks.

You could also go for a minimalist look and get just a few pounds for inside the display tank and then get several marine pure blocks and put those in the sump, these have excellent surface area as well.

For a quarantine tank, something simple like a 20 gallon long with a hang on back filter and a heater would suffice for a QT, no need for lights or anything special. If you wait until Petco has there $1 per gallon sale you can get your QT real cheap.

The Current brand wavemaker and return pump are of decent quality but the lights are not all that great. I agree that looking into the black box lights is a good place to start especially if you're only looking to keep easy corals such as Zoas.

Good luck and have fun. Read and research as much as you can and remember we're always here to help out.

cvrle1 · 10/02/2018, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjm9331

...If you wait until Petco has there $1 per gallon sale you can get your QT real cheap.

It is on now. Up to 29 gallon tanks are $1 a gallon, everything over is 50% off the regular price.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/fish

hkgar · 10/02/2018, 01:00 PM

Are you buybe inclined to buy the individual parts independently and research and get what you want based on the type of tank you want.

bullock111 · 10/02/2018, 02:33 PM

I am buying a whole system from someone cheap, so I can adjust things as needed. what kind of filter and extras for a qt? I will get them while the sale is on

hkgar · 10/02/2018, 03:01 PM

For my QT I just use an Aquaclear HOB and a small powerhead on the side. I put the Aquaclear sponge and biomedia in the DT sump for a week or so so they can function as the biofilter rather than using live rock.

I would do TTM before putting in QT to eliminate Ick

bullock111 · 10/02/2018, 07:47 PM

Sorry TTM? I am going to try and get to the 1 dollar a gallon sale tomorrow so I will see if they have the items you describe and if they are included in the sale. I just got back from picking up the tank so in a few weeks I may have things running

cvrle1 · 10/02/2018, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bullock111

Sorry TTM? I am going to try and get to the 1 dollar a gallon sale tomorrow so I will see if they have the items you describe and if they are included in the sale. I just got back from picking up the tank so in a few weeks I may have things running

Tank Transfer Method: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2672310

Other message board has big thread on it with lots of info.

bullock111 · 10/03/2018, 12:42 PM

do you recommend 1 20 gallon tank or 2 10s for qt?

hkgar · 10/03/2018, 01:00 PM

I use two 10G for TTM. Many just use 5 G buckets

bullock111 · 10/03/2018, 05:37 PM

I am going to set up 2 10 gallons I think, they are cheap enough and I think when I start to stock it will make things faster. I will be able to qt livestock from separate locations at the same time, what kind of salt does everyone recommend? I hear instant ocean isn't the greatest from several sources

hkgar · 10/04/2018, 07:43 AM

I use red Sea in the blue bucket

bullock111 · 10/04/2018, 12:35 PM

ok I will start looking for deals on that, what kind of heater setup should I use?? I keep it cool in the house in winter, sometime 55-60 degrees during the day

tjm9331 · 10/04/2018, 01:23 PM

Best to go with two heaters rather than one, if for nothing else but redundancy but it also doesn't make them work as hard.

For a 90 gallon I'd go with two 150 watt heaters, Eheim makes nice heaters, Fluval and Aqueon Pro make some good heaters to.

To be honest you really can't go wrong with any name brand heater just steer away from the cheaper knock off models, those tend to fail more times than work.

hkgar · 10/04/2018, 02:31 PM

I prefer titanium over glass, no chance of breakage.

bullock111 · 10/04/2018, 02:45 PM

What brand titanium heaters are recommended? and i would think 2 would be better than 1?? everyone thank you for all the help. after the weekend i am going to start ordering things i need so i want to get all the info i can

bullock111 · 10/09/2018, 04:48 PM

got my 6 stage rodi ordered today and am planning on ordering heaters tommorow

bullock111 · 11/06/2018, 08:16 PM

well ro system is working, got the plumbing done and am filling for the leak test. I ordered 50lbs of marco rock and am going to find something different to add to get to around 90lbs, what kind of sand would you recommend. I have been looking at the carib sea fiji pink...is the size right for sand dwelling creatures?

bullock111 · 11/08/2018, 03:46 PM

Now that everything is running the overflow into sump sounds like a waterfall, how does everyone plumb into filter sock for noise abatement??

hkgar · 11/09/2018, 02:10 PM

Extend the drain tube about 1/4 inch into the sump water level.

10/01/2018, 06:46 PM	#1
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	Just getting started Hi guys first time saltwater. Tomorrow night i am going to look at a 90 gallon reef tank with a corner overflow. it includes 2 Current brand leds lights, 2 current brand wave makers and a current brand dc return pump. They have something called loop??? not sure what that means i am researching it now. the sump is set up for socks but i don't know much else about it yet. Oh and it has a dual media reactor. My questions are starting with, what kind of heater and skimmer would you recommend? how much sand for a deep sand bed, how much weight in rock, what should i gather for the sump? i want to try zoas, EASY corals, maybe some shrimp, and for fish i want things that are relatively inexpensive for the hobby and i would like ones that stay smaller in colors like red, blue, yellow bright primarys as i am color blind. I will be awhile before i set everything up as i am going to redo the flooring in the room first so i want to get all the dry items together so i am fully ready to go when i start. Oh and what would i need for a small quaranteen tank? OK OK i see i am running long so i will stop and wait for replays for a bit.... thanks guys, Sean

10/02/2018, 01:00 PM	#9
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	Are you buybe inclined to buy the individual parts independently and research and get what you want based on the type of tank you want. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

10/02/2018, 03:01 PM	#11
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	For my QT I just use an Aquaclear HOB and a small powerhead on the side. I put the Aquaclear sponge and biomedia in the DT sump for a week or so so they can function as the biofilter rather than using live rock. I would do TTM before putting in QT to eliminate Ick __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

10/03/2018, 01:00 PM	#15
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	I use two 10G for TTM. Many just use 5 G buckets __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

10/04/2018, 07:43 AM	#17
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	I use red Sea in the blue bucket __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

10/01/2018, 07:18 PM	#2
cvrle1 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Surrey, BC Posts: 454	Welcome! 1st off, I dont know much about Current USA LED fixtures, but a really quick search makes me question if they are good for anything but fish only tanks. Their site lists one of the units that has 82 LEDs, but it only produces 18 Watts. This means they are using weak LEDs, that cant get proper PAR for corals. If you are planning on corals, I would look into some better lights. Read up on Chinese Black Boxes for cheap lights that work well. You are looking for fixtures that are using 3W LEDs For heater, Eheim Jager is popular choice in these parts. Skimmer, there are way too many choices, so so your research and ask questions about specific models you have in mind. For deep sand bed, use the following to get a good idea: https://www.marinedepot.com/md_educa...alculator.html Rock will all depend. Some is light and porporus, while other is heavy and well condensed. You would need different amount weight wise for different rock types. To get you started off, look into Pukani and Marco Rocks Fish wise, clowns, angels, wrasses and a lot of other choices in many different colors and sizes.

10/01/2018, 07:42 PM	#3
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	thank you for the info, I have looked into the Chinese lights, I might even be able to get them cheaper as I have close friends that are from there and they have the family send us stuff all the time. you wouldn't believe how cheap stuff is there. I was worried that because they are cheap they might not be any good. I will try and find some people that are using them so I know what ones are good

10/01/2018, 07:50 PM	#4
cvrle1 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Surrey, BC Posts: 454	Truth be told, majority of them are fine. For example you can go with something as basic as Mars Aqua, Viparspectra or Bloomspect to something more expensive like SB Reef or Reef Breaders photon V2. A lot of people dont consider Photon V2 as a black box because it is sleeker looking and it offers a lot more features than BB usually would.

10/01/2018, 07:54 PM	#5
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	so most people just hang them over the tank from wires? are they able to simulate sunrise and sunsets? moonlight? I think my friends boy would like to see the lights change

10/02/2018, 07:40 AM	#7
tjm9331 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 340	Welcome to the addiction! The amount of rock you need will depend on what kind of rock you decide to go with, for example if you decide to get Fiji rock you will probably need close to 90 pounds but if you decide to go with Pukani or Marco rocks you could probably get away with much less, closer to 70-75 pounds of it because there is more surface area on these kinds of rocks. You could also go for a minimalist look and get just a few pounds for inside the display tank and then get several marine pure blocks and put those in the sump, these have excellent surface area as well. For a quarantine tank, something simple like a 20 gallon long with a hang on back filter and a heater would suffice for a QT, no need for lights or anything special. If you wait until Petco has there $1 per gallon sale you can get your QT real cheap. The Current brand wavemaker and return pump are of decent quality but the lights are not all that great. I agree that looking into the black box lights is a good place to start especially if you're only looking to keep easy corals such as Zoas. Good luck and have fun. Read and research as much as you can and remember we're always here to help out.

10/02/2018, 02:33 PM	#10
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	I am buying a whole system from someone cheap, so I can adjust things as needed. what kind of filter and extras for a qt? I will get them while the sale is on

10/02/2018, 07:47 PM	#12
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	Sorry TTM? I am going to try and get to the 1 dollar a gallon sale tomorrow so I will see if they have the items you describe and if they are included in the sale. I just got back from picking up the tank so in a few weeks I may have things running

10/03/2018, 12:42 PM	#14
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	do you recommend 1 20 gallon tank or 2 10s for qt?

10/03/2018, 05:37 PM	#16
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	I am going to set up 2 10 gallons I think, they are cheap enough and I think when I start to stock it will make things faster. I will be able to qt livestock from separate locations at the same time, what kind of salt does everyone recommend? I hear instant ocean isn't the greatest from several sources

10/04/2018, 12:35 PM	#18
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	ok I will start looking for deals on that, what kind of heater setup should I use?? I keep it cool in the house in winter, sometime 55-60 degrees during the day

10/04/2018, 01:23 PM	#19
tjm9331 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 340	Best to go with two heaters rather than one, if for nothing else but redundancy but it also doesn't make them work as hard. For a 90 gallon I'd go with two 150 watt heaters, Eheim makes nice heaters, Fluval and Aqueon Pro make some good heaters to. To be honest you really can't go wrong with any name brand heater just steer away from the cheaper knock off models, those tend to fail more times than work.

10/04/2018, 02:31 PM	#20
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	I prefer titanium over glass, no chance of breakage. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

10/04/2018, 02:45 PM	#21
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	What brand titanium heaters are recommended? and i would think 2 would be better than 1?? everyone thank you for all the help. after the weekend i am going to start ordering things i need so i want to get all the info i can

10/09/2018, 04:48 PM	#22
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	got my 6 stage rodi ordered today and am planning on ordering heaters tommorow

11/06/2018, 08:16 PM	#23
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	well ro system is working, got the plumbing done and am filling for the leak test. I ordered 50lbs of marco rock and am going to find something different to add to get to around 90lbs, what kind of sand would you recommend. I have been looking at the carib sea fiji pink...is the size right for sand dwelling creatures?

11/08/2018, 03:46 PM	#24
bullock111 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: maryland Posts: 55	Now that everything is running the overflow into sump sounds like a waterfall, how does everyone plumb into filter sock for noise abatement??

11/09/2018, 02:10 PM	#25
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	Extend the drain tube about 1/4 inch into the sump water level. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels