I am setting a new 37 gallon with the intent of making it a reef tank over time.
I have gotten a lot of different opinions on filtration and lighting and flow.
I am going to list the equipment I have and ask for any suggestions that any of you are willing to offer.
37 gallon glass rectangle 30x12x22
1 hydor circulation pump at 550 gph
1 hydor circulation pump at 425 gph
1 aquaclear 50 gallon filter
1 24" current light fixture with 10k and actinic and night led
1 fluval heater
25 pounds of live rock
20 pounds of live sand
I have been told by lfs that I need a Eheim Cannister with substrat rather than a skimmer
I have been told by lfs that a protein skimmer is a must
Also that no sump is needed and that a sump is definitely needed
Also that i need a mechanical filter wit UV for 100 gallon aquarium
I plan on a 4X gph flow and have been told this is not enough and also this is too much
My plan is to keep 3 or 4 fish and ultimatly zoa's and similar corals
I figure that the best answers will come from people with the everyday knowledge and experiences.
I very open minded and patient and would really appreciate any help or advice
There are many ways to have a successful reef aquarium. Here is my opinion on the things you mentioned above:
The Eheim canister filter is not needed and would probably become a nitrate factory for your tank due to catching detritus that will break down into ammonia.
A protein skimmer is not required. IMO small skimmers are junk anyways (although it should be noted I haven't tried one in quite a while maybe someone has finally made a good one). If you keep your fish stocking levels to 3-4 small fish that don't require constant feedings, you'll be fine without one. Also the type of corals you want to keep plays into this as well. Zoas will do fine with no skimmer. Acros would be a lot more difficult. I have no skimmer on my 30 gallon tank and have 4 fish with a tank full of soft corals.
A sump is not needed. I like the back sump area of the all in one tanks (when designed correctly). They hide the equipment without having to have a separate tank. But you can accomplish similar things in a large hang on the back filter or refugium which has been modified to work like a sump. One of the most important things you need is to break up the water surface to get the "film" that will float there from animal waste. Typically this is done with a surface wier on the intake into a sump...but again, can be accomplished with modified hang on the back filters or a back chamber area. Given the that your tank is only 12-inches front to back, I doubt you want to occupy that much space for a back chamber/sump area. If the hang on the back options don't thrill you, then you may want to consider a sump.
You don't need UV. UV can be handy to prevent disease in fish and keep the water crystal clear. However, there are those that feel it robs corals of food that should be available in the water column.
I would say 4x is on the low end of for flow. That would be okay for flow through a sump, but your over all flow should be higher than that. In addition to a Sicce 0.5 pump (185 gph through my back sump area), I also have a Vortech MP10 running on my 30 gallon. Granted the MP10 is dialed back most of the time.
Good approach! Pjr-ette has a breeder 50 that has now run sumpless for over 3 years. Hang on power filter, korilia 1, and an internal skimmer. It can be done! Happy fish, happy corals, and a pretty stress free tank that gets a water change about every 6 month (unlike my sps tank that gets 10% every Sunday).
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Detroit's oldest large LED tank! Est'd Jan 2005, went LED June 2009. 6' wide 130g reef, Sunbrite T10 LED tubes (3xGen 3 and 1xGen 1), mostly SPS, but chalices, other LPS, and a few softies too. http://pjr-reef.blogspot.com/
Thank you.
I definitely did not feel good about the eheim from lfs. Glad to know about UV and I meant 40x gph flow. Bad typing finger alert. I am still considering a reef octopus hot skimmer as I would like to keep nitrates down and a really clear t5ank. Really good reviews on bh 1000