Help me design a new tank!

[Chris Dobbs]

Was doing a nano reef for about a year but had a light quit, and then a couple days later the filter sprung a leak so now i've lost my coral. My one fish lived through this, so basically it's time to start over. I would like to put together the tank I've been wanting since I got into salt water. Here is what I want to have in it:

1 ocellaris clown w/host anemone
Green clown goby (already own)
Ricordeas
maybe some other corals down the line, not important right now.

Here's what I own-
Current tank:
Glass 3 gallon JBJ Pico tank
adjustable tiny heater
rubble and filter floss as media in the hob filter that leaks.
Baseball sized ball of Cheato
4 lbs. crushed coral sand
2.5lb chunk of live rock (probably dead by now)
lots of little starfish
3 hermit crabs
one serpent star and a handful of small random common hitchikers may still be in the rock.

other items I own, I realize some of it will be useless I was a betta breeder for a while so I have lots of extra equipment, but mostly freshwater type stuff:
3 gallon eclipse plastic tank (complete lights and filter)
3 gallon or so octagonal plastic tank with light
3 one gallon plastic tanks
2 five gallon preset type heaters
20 gallon long glass tank
10 gallon glass tank
30 gallon heater
20 hallon heater
10 gallon heater
and 3 or 4 air pumps.

let me know what you think, maybe someone needs some of my extra gear for something I could use. Hopefully I can build something with what I have.

[jimsflies]

What size is your current tank...3 gallon?

What size are you thinking you want?

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

ah IDK how i logged in with facebook, but i can't again. Thankfully i found my old account info.


current tank is 3 gallons

Size of the tank is flexible. I just want my clownfish with an anemone, and my clown goby, and maybe a couple rics or some other coral down the road but that's not as big a deal for me as those first couple things.

[dlhirst]

You could we the 20 gallon tank. It would be a lot easier if you plumbed the 10 gallon tank to it - as a sump. That would increase the water volume. Better still, buying a new 30 gallon tank (and using the ten or twenty as a sump would be better. You'll need o price out lighting, and that might help decide what size tank you end up with. Once you decide on the tank, folks here will be able to help you out more.

[ebushrow]

If your looking for a commercial type tank, and want to start over from scratch, I would look at the CADLIGHTS site....May give you some ideas...there tanks are amazing. I might be able to get you better info if it helps too...just a thought...I got some great ideas from it myself.

Anyways....lighting and water volume will be 2 important items that can make or break a project....more water= more money. As does larger tank= more money in equipment ( costs on protein skimmers, sumps, overflows, etc). I would suggest coming up with a size you are comfortable with then go from there...used equipment also can help lower the cost....but beware .... I would suggest against used tanks, unless they are set up when you buy them....then it safer since they were holding water, just my2 cents though.

[jimsflies]

I'm a fan of the all in one setups...they are easy, quiet, and energy efficient.

I've been running a 29 biocube and its one of the nicest tanks I had. I use a DIY LED setup for lighting. I also modded mine and took off the rim stock so it looks a lot nicer. You should be able to pick up a used one pretty easily.

If I were buying a new tank, I would look at one of the Innovative Marine tanks.

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

basically i'm looking to have the minimum size, cost of equipment, ect. I can spend money if need be, just want to take a minimalist approach.

Innovative marine tanks look nice, just a bit pricey

Bio cubes look pretty good, any size i should look for, and what would i need to change right off the bat?

[dlhirst]

I have been very pleased with the performance of my Red Sea Max tanks. I have owned two now (actually, still own both), a RSM 130D and a RSM 250. The former is a ~34G tank and sump all in one system. The benefits of the all in one system are simplicity in set up and standardization in performance. The downsides are you don't LEARN as much going in, so you have to try to learn how all of the components interact without really touching any of them. The other is (and you may read this a bit) there are compromises selected for you in making a small all in one system, and fitting it all into what I think is a very attractive package (tank and stand).

As you have found, the all in one tanks are not inexpensive - but a big part of the sticker shock is that you are only given the final bill. Not all of the small purchases adding up to (that same) final bill. The package includes tank, stand, sump, lighting, a (modest) skimmer, salt, test kits, etc.

Every once in a while, I get the itch to kit bash the tank and do some customization. But, everytime I start to look into it, I decide that any upside to the mods will only be minimally improving the system. And, by then, my corals go on a growth spurt and I decide the mods can wait... I will admit, I have ONLY run RSM tanks for the years that I have been reefing, so I can't really say they are better (or worse) than anything else out there. But, I am looking enviously at one of their new (bigger) tanks!

[jimsflies]

I'd recommend the 24-39 gallon range...there are several nice tank options in this size range with all in ones.

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

I see a nice deal on a Red sea tank i might look into.

Are the stock lights on the biocube/ max good enough for what i'm trying to do?

[MizTanks]

Check out jimsflies 29g bio-cube. That'll make your mind up for you :)

[dlhirst]

Absolutely. I have no trouble with LPS and softies in the RSM 130D, and I am growing montis and even some sticks in the 250. However, you should probably plan to replace the lights on the one you are looking at... Folks don't usually replace lights as often as they should. And likely, never do on a tank they are selling.

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

The red sea one was sold and all the used broken stuff I can find on Craig's list costs more than new.

So if I get a new Biocube, what all do i need to get with it?

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

So i ended up buying a jbj Nano cube 24 locally, it came with a pro series 28g LED hood (same size). Got it running now to cycle it...

Tank is as follows:
24g jbj nano cube
28g jbj pro series led hood
100w heater
Maxi jet 900
Nano glo fuge light
Carib argonite live sand
6lb chunk of coriline-covered live rock
5 hermit crabs
4 snails

The lfs guy tried to talk me into doing another fish-in cycle like i did with my 3 gallon, but I decided to hold off for now.

Goal of the tank: clownfish in a host anemone. Although I might do some other coral later, it all takes a back seat to that.

need help sorting the fuge out, right now it goes overflow into two sponges (maybe putting chemi-pure in there when i can find some?) also have the filter floss out of my 3g to help seeding. middle chamber has a media rack, and i put my cheato from my 3g in there, in view of the fuge light. my heater is also in there, and then my pump is in chamber 3.

also bought a couple timers, one for the daylight, one for the fuge light (opposite light cycle), not sure how long either of those should be on. also have no idea what to do with the dawn/dusk lights. Moonlights stay on all the time (for now)

Things I have... said some of this before:
extra tanks... 20g glass, 10g glass, 2 3g, lots of 1g
Extra heaters... 30g, 10g, lots of 5g
air pumps... lots, one pretty heavy duty
cans of brine shrimp eggs
extra filter floss
FRESHWATER master test kit
prime and stress coat
Generic salt mix
Reef crystals

current running tank to eventually be combined (3g):
Unfortunately ran without lights for a while, and then the filter started to leak, leading to the loss of most of the life in the tank, including all the coriline algae. Got it lit again recently and it's having a daitom explosion atm.

HOB filter with rubble (also some amphipods and isopods hide out in there)
crushed coral sand
chunk of (formerly) live rock
Green clown goby
some kind of feather duster - like thing that came with a frag (lost the coral on it)


So anyway new tank is up and running, just looking for help moving forward. Thanks

[MightiesKeeper]

Wise idea on fishless cycle. I had a 24 gallon four or five years ago. I put a glass lid on it with t5s, pretty neat tank. I always wanted to upgrade to AIO with leds. You have a great start going, how about posting pics of your tank?

[MizTanks]

One thing is you may want to put your heater in the 1st or 3rd chamber. When it turns on it gets pretty hot and your chaeto will not like that.

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

9544

need more rock, so i've got to start keeping an eye out for anyone selling for sure

will move the heater, but it's not real close to the cheato as it's in a media rack on one end of the 2nd chamber and the heater is a good 2-3 inches from it.

[dlhirst]

That looks like a fun size tank! Look forward to seeing the clown/nem couple down the road...

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

thanks. Having a diatom explosion as of this morning. rust everywhere.

Can anyone fill me in on what my photoperiod should be? As in, how long should my lights be on?

[MizTanks]

I never turned mine on during the cycling period. Nothing in there that needs it.

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

how about after?

[dlhirst]

A lot depends on the lights you have - how much par they put out - and what you have in the tank that needs light. I have seen guys on here with as short a photo period as 6 hours, and others running lights for 10. I have T5 light fixtures with quality bulbs, and mine turn on at noon, and turn off after 8PM. I have run them as late as 10PM, but I scaled them back. I have a broad array of corals which all seem to do well enough, and a maxima clam that probably would grow better with more light, but it never shows any displeasure in what he gets.

I still consider myself a novice at all of this, so take my advice with a grain of salt...

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

Quick update, moved heater, swapped one of the sponges in the back for filter floss. Ordered some chemi-pure elite to also add in there.

Nothing has died thankfully as I've had 4 snails and 5 hermit crabs in there since start. Pretty sure I have a serpent star/ brittle star in there that came in the rock.

Diatoms might be falling off bit now I have some kind of plant like algae or something growing all over ( but not on the LR).

Hoping to get some more rock this weekend and test the water/ do a partial change.

[Detroit Giant Bettas]

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