Hey all I am new to the salt water family but I have owned a freshwater tank and when I shut it down to move I swore I would not set up a freshwater tank but a saltwater tank. My question is does anybody recommend anything to clean this tank with before I start it up? It has been sitting for about a year now. I also would like to build a refugium out of a tank I had picked up from my local pet store the measurements are 20L 16H 12W. I would like to drill my tank but I am not sure of what size holes I need to have. the pland i had for my refugium is the water comes out of the tank into my protein skimmer then into the refugium baffle section into the refug then pumped back to to tank with a mag7 pump. Does anyone see any problems with what I would like to accomplish and does anyone have any plans I could maybe go by. I feel I have done so much surfing the net and reading I feel my head about to burst. Please HELP if possible.
NORTH EAST PA. YES MY TOWN IS REALLY CALLED NORTH EAST
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well first may i say welcome to cr truely the best reefing site on the web.
most of the questions you have asked i am afraid i cant answer seeing that i myself am new to salt 1 month and 14 days hehe anyhoo.......there are those here that can give ya a step by step diy on dang nere anything
Mag 7 will probably not cut it, you'll probably need a mag 9.
A 20L 16h, 12w would be big enough for a sump, but you might wanna consider a slightly bigger one if you're wanting to use LR rubble, macros, and pods. I say this because this tank is only ~16Gal. and you're probably gonna need more area to house more macro, sand, rubble for better filtration. Not to say it won't work for you, but its just my sugguestion... Someone else here will chime in, i'm sure and give you a more detailed explination.
Also, what type of livestock are you wanting to keep? Are you goin Mix, FO? FOWLR, or just corals? And, if corals or mix, what kind of corals are you wanting to keep?
Other questions we'll probably need answered:
- What equipment do you have so far?
- What equip. do you plan on getting?
- Do you already have plans for your overflow?
- Is your display tank glass or acrylic?
This should help us get an idea of what you're wanting to accomplish, and direct you accordingly. You've definitly taken the right first step, read, read, read, read, ask questions, and read some more!
Thanks you gave me good detail I still have allot to consider. I would like to have a little bit of everything in the tank ie. corals, fish and live rock. The other equipment I have been scouting are the coral life 4x65 48" light and the coral life protein skimmer 125 gal. I have not really decided on an overflow I have seen the corner overflows and have looked at the kit that you can get the (overflow accessory kit). The plans look easy enough I could probably make it if I can find the parts, I have looked at Home Depot in the plumbing department but haven't seen what I need. For my display tank it has no markings on it so I could not tell you if it is glass or acrylic. My local glass shop said they could drill it glass or acrylic it didn't matter what it was. the price was $8.50 a hole. Any info you can supply would be an awful big help. I am just treading water right now and anxious to get r done. Sorry about the length of the refugium it is 24L not 20L. Thanks again.
Ahh! I figured! (on the refuge) Its whats known around here as a 20High (20H) then. With it being 24" L that makes it a 20gal. That is a lil better. It should help you skimmer run a lil more stable.
The coralife ligts do real well. I'm assuming you mean T5 lights. You can keep just about anything under those. You really might wanna try to buy a light setup that is used (if money is an issue). Because, your lights are by far going to be your biggest expense, and if you don't get good enough or just enough lighting in general, you're gonna end up upgrading. I'm in the process of setting up a tank the size of your refuge and I spent 150.00 on used lights (retro kit). I am by no means a guru on lighting, Dakar or Perpetual98 can guide you real well on them. Graphixx can too. I will point you to www.myreffshop.com. For lights, especially. While it is owned by one of the guys here, he does have very competitive prices and good products! (I bought my lights from him).
The skimmer will be great for you. I've got a coralife 65 right now that came highly recommended.
As far as an overflow is concerned, there are TONS of options. You can go DIY with a variety of options. Some of the parts, you may have to order online, but most of them can come from home depot. The plumbing is kinda hard to find for this stuff there, but I know of many ppl here who have bought their stuff from Home Depot or Lowes, but its all diy stuff. You can get "The real deal" stuff online, but you're gonna pay for it.
Keep in mind that you really can't drill tempered glass (which is what 99.9% of tank bottoms are). Maybe, your local glass shop can, but I'd double check before I had them drill the bottom.
Feel free to keep askin questions! I'll tell ya the same thing I told Hummer the other day. When you have a question, look through the forums here (and even elsewhere if you want) for the answer. Even if you don't find the answer, the odds are that you gained some other valuable knowledge by searching. Then, if you don't find the answer, just ask! And we'll all chime in to help ya.
Thanks for the info, if I were to have my tank drilled what would be the best hole sizes I would need are they 1.50 and 1.75 one of each? Again I am greatful for the info you have provided I think used equipment is not my first choice but it is an option I just don't want to get stuck with anybody elses s%&t that is where the research come in to play.
It is late, and I know I am WAY tired... I got the part about the 20g sump/fuge, but did I miss the size of the display/main tank? How far from the sump to the display?
75GAL TANK
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