I finally took the plunge

[skozzy]

It's been just talk for me for years but today I finally went from talking
to acting. I went to my L.F.S. and with a big wad of cash I bought all my
toys for my soon to be reef tank set-up. The advice from the guy at the
L.F.S. seemed to be complete. We talked for over an hour about hardware
combinations and my expectations of the tank in the future and I walked out
of the shop with $1264aud of hardware. I can only assume the prices of the
parts I got was ok as I have dealt with this shop for many years and is
about the best place I know of for parts.

I will list the equipment I bought just so someone with a comment can let me
know if I went overboard or not far enough.
4 foot x 18inch x 18inch tank (LxWxH) $75
High PH Test Kit (about 125 tests) $22.00
Otto TP-2100 (2100 litre/hour internal pump, used for water return from sump
to tank) $85
Otto TP-1500 (1500 litre/hour internal pump, used for the skimmer) $65
Tota TIF-1100 (1100 litre/hour internal filter, used to circulation in the
main tank) $59
Tota 300 watt heater $39
AKS Venturi Skimmer (about 50cm tall and 8-10cm wide) $125
Sump Tank with 150+ bio cubes and drip tray, 2 foot x 12 inch x 18 inch
(LxWxH) $150
Under Gravel Filter (will be used for anaerobic not aerobic) 4 foot x 12
inch $40
40kg Crushed Coral $59
Salt for 300 litres (wet mix of synthetic formulated salt) $45
Holes drilled in the main tank for water in/out $30
Pipes and connectors (all plumbing) $50
Aqua Pro HLD-1250A Light (2x 40watt daylight fluoro's 5700k and 1x 150watt
metal halide 10,000k) $495
Total without the tank is $1264 ausy dollars.

I am eager to get this tank up and running, but I have to wait for my
cabinet to be finished, could be a week or so. But it gives me time to read
up on more marine/coral/reef tank set ups and also look at pictures of how
people have laid out the live rock and so on. The idea is to set it up once
only and not have to move things around too much if any at all. I am also
hoping that the equipment will mean I will get a mostly maintenance free
tank. I believe that I will need a cooler for the tank one day, but I will
have to see how the temperature goes after it's up and working.

So, did I go over board or did I not go far enough ?

[Chris Taylor]

Sounds like you got some reasonable kit for the money (or Oz is much cheaper
than UK?).

"""4 foot x 18inch x 18inch tank (LxWxH) $75"""
This sounds pretty cheap for a tank. Is it acrylic or glass? if Glass, how
thick is the glass? If around 10mm, should be good.

- You may wish to purchase Ammonia and Nitrite test kits, so that you can
monitor the tank cycling.

- A Nitrate and Phosphate test kit may prove usefull once the tank has
cycled.

- Calcium and Alkalinity test kits may be usefull if you're going for a reef
set up (sounds like you are with the lighting).

- At a later stage an additional heater may bring some peace of mind.

- You may wish to exchange one (or even both) of your daylight "flouros" for
actinics.

Welcome to the hobby, and good luck with your purchases.

Chris


"skozzy" > wrote in message
...
> It's been just talk for me for years but today I finally went from talking
> to acting. I went to my L.F.S. and with a big wad of cash I bought all my
> toys for my soon to be reef tank set-up. The advice from the guy at the
> L.F.S. seemed to be complete. We talked for over an hour about hardware
> combinations and my expectations of the tank in the future and I walked
out
> of the shop with $1264aud of hardware. I can only assume the prices of the
> parts I got was ok as I have dealt with this shop for many years and is
> about the best place I know of for parts.
>
> I will list the equipment I bought just so someone with a comment can let
me
> know if I went overboard or not far enough.
> 4 foot x 18inch x 18inch tank (LxWxH) $75
> High PH Test Kit (about 125 tests) $22.00
> Otto TP-2100 (2100 litre/hour internal pump, used for water return from
sump
> to tank) $85
> Otto TP-1500 (1500 litre/hour internal pump, used for the skimmer) $65
> Tota TIF-1100 (1100 litre/hour internal filter, used to circulation in the
> main tank) $59
> Tota 300 watt heater $39
> AKS Venturi Skimmer (about 50cm tall and 8-10cm wide) $125
> Sump Tank with 150+ bio cubes and drip tray, 2 foot x 12 inch x 18 inch
> (LxWxH) $150
> Under Gravel Filter (will be used for anaerobic not aerobic) 4 foot x 12
> inch $40
> 40kg Crushed Coral $59
> Salt for 300 litres (wet mix of synthetic formulated salt) $45
> Holes drilled in the main tank for water in/out $30
> Pipes and connectors (all plumbing) $50
> Aqua Pro HLD-1250A Light (2x 40watt daylight fluoro's 5700k and 1x 150watt
> metal halide 10,000k) $495
> Total without the tank is $1264 ausy dollars.
>
> I am eager to get this tank up and running, but I have to wait for my
> cabinet to be finished, could be a week or so. But it gives me time to
read
> up on more marine/coral/reef tank set ups and also look at pictures of how
> people have laid out the live rock and so on. The idea is to set it up
once
> only and not have to move things around too much if any at all. I am also
> hoping that the equipment will mean I will get a mostly maintenance free
> tank. I believe that I will need a cooler for the tank one day, but I will
> have to see how the temperature goes after it's up and working.
>
> So, did I go over board or did I not go far enough ?
>
>
>
>

[Mort]

Welcome to the hobby Skozzy!

The NEXT thing you should figure out is what do you want to keep in your
tank? That will greatly effect how you should proceed.

If you want a reef tank, many people (including myself) will suggest you
take back the crushed coral and the UGF and go with a deep sand bed.

Also, you may want to rethink that wet/dry with the bio cubes. Those things
are a nitrate factory. You could always use it without the bio cubes and
convert it to a refugium if it is big enough.

It sounds like your lights should be reconsidered too but again, that really
depends on what you are going to keep.

I dont mean to discourage you or anything. You ARE off to a good start.

Good Luck!

~Mort


"skozzy" > wrote in message
...
> It's been just talk for me for years but today I finally went from talking
> to acting. I went to my L.F.S. and with a big wad of cash I bought all my
> toys for my soon to be reef tank set-up. The advice from the guy at the
> L.F.S. seemed to be complete. We talked for over an hour about hardware
> combinations and my expectations of the tank in the future and I walked
out
> of the shop with $1264aud of hardware. I can only assume the prices of the
> parts I got was ok as I have dealt with this shop for many years and is
> about the best place I know of for parts.
>
> I will list the equipment I bought just so someone with a comment can let
me
> know if I went overboard or not far enough.
> 4 foot x 18inch x 18inch tank (LxWxH) $75
> High PH Test Kit (about 125 tests) $22.00
> Otto TP-2100 (2100 litre/hour internal pump, used for water return from
sump
> to tank) $85
> Otto TP-1500 (1500 litre/hour internal pump, used for the skimmer) $65
> Tota TIF-1100 (1100 litre/hour internal filter, used to circulation in the
> main tank) $59
> Tota 300 watt heater $39
> AKS Venturi Skimmer (about 50cm tall and 8-10cm wide) $125
> Sump Tank with 150+ bio cubes and drip tray, 2 foot x 12 inch x 18 inch
> (LxWxH) $150
> Under Gravel Filter (will be used for anaerobic not aerobic) 4 foot x 12
> inch $40
> 40kg Crushed Coral $59
> Salt for 300 litres (wet mix of synthetic formulated salt) $45
> Holes drilled in the main tank for water in/out $30
> Pipes and connectors (all plumbing) $50
> Aqua Pro HLD-1250A Light (2x 40watt daylight fluoro's 5700k and 1x 150watt
> metal halide 10,000k) $495
> Total without the tank is $1264 ausy dollars.
>
> I am eager to get this tank up and running, but I have to wait for my
> cabinet to be finished, could be a week or so. But it gives me time to
read
> up on more marine/coral/reef tank set ups and also look at pictures of how
> people have laid out the live rock and so on. The idea is to set it up
once
> only and not have to move things around too much if any at all. I am also
> hoping that the equipment will mean I will get a mostly maintenance free
> tank. I believe that I will need a cooler for the tank one day, but I will
> have to see how the temperature goes after it's up and working.
>
> So, did I go over board or did I not go far enough ?
>
>
>
>

[BruceJ]

And he is doing his research!
I also agree with your take on the BIO Balls, UGF and crushed coral. In the
"old days" that is the way that a tank was set up, but go with live rock and
a deep sand bad and you will avoid most problems! and it is EASIER!! If you
want to use the UGF for a plemium, well... it seems the eveidence is in th
elong run against them...

Don't put much in it for about 2-3 months (longer if you can!) Just
something to add ammonia to the water to start grow the bacteria.
As for the lights, something stonger would be better. Since you are posting
this in the REEF NG, I presume that is your interest. You should have
something stronger that what you spec'ed out. I do feel you probably do have
a honest dealer, as it does not look like he threw in a lot of useless crap.
Probably 2 150 Watts and the flours would be good. For better advice, let us
know what you plan on keeping!

I would probably get most of the plumbing stuff at a hardware store, as most
LFS docharge a lot, as they do not get as much discount on the plumbing
since they don't buy it in as large of a quanity.

Many people will also recommend no lights during this period, but that has
to also take into consideration what is on the live rock.

Good luck! And welcome to the hobby!

Bruce


"Mort" > wrote in message
y.com...
> Welcome to the hobby Skozzy!
>
> The NEXT thing you should figure out is what do you want to keep in your
> tank? That will greatly effect how you should proceed.
>
> If you want a reef tank, many people (including myself) will suggest you
> take back the crushed coral and the UGF and go with a deep sand bed.
>
> Also, you may want to rethink that wet/dry with the bio cubes. Those
things
> are a nitrate factory. You could always use it without the bio cubes and
> convert it to a refugium if it is big enough.
>
> It sounds like your lights should be reconsidered too but again, that
really
> depends on what you are going to keep.
>
> I dont mean to discourage you or anything. You ARE off to a good start.
>
> Good Luck!
>
> ~Mort
>
>
> "skozzy" > wrote in message
> ...
> > It's been just talk for me for years but today I finally went from
talking
> > to acting. I went to my L.F.S. and with a big wad of cash I bought all
my
> > toys for my soon to be reef tank set-up. The advice from the guy at the
> > L.F.S. seemed to be complete. We talked for over an hour about hardware
> > combinations and my expectations of the tank in the future and I walked
> out
> > of the shop with $1264aud of hardware. I can only assume the prices of
the
> > parts I got was ok as I have dealt with this shop for many years and is
> > about the best place I know of for parts.
> >
> > I will list the equipment I bought just so someone with a comment can
let
> me
> > know if I went overboard or not far enough.
> > 4 foot x 18inch x 18inch tank (LxWxH) $75
> > High PH Test Kit (about 125 tests) $22.00
> > Otto TP-2100 (2100 litre/hour internal pump, used for water return from
> sump
> > to tank) $85
> > Otto TP-1500 (1500 litre/hour internal pump, used for the skimmer) $65
> > Tota TIF-1100 (1100 litre/hour internal filter, used to circulation in
the
> > main tank) $59
> > Tota 300 watt heater $39
> > AKS Venturi Skimmer (about 50cm tall and 8-10cm wide) $125
> > Sump Tank with 150+ bio cubes and drip tray, 2 foot x 12 inch x 18 inch
> > (LxWxH) $150
> > Under Gravel Filter (will be used for anaerobic not aerobic) 4 foot x 12
> > inch $40
> > 40kg Crushed Coral $59
> > Salt for 300 litres (wet mix of synthetic formulated salt) $45
> > Holes drilled in the main tank for water in/out $30
> > Pipes and connectors (all plumbing) $50
> > Aqua Pro HLD-1250A Light (2x 40watt daylight fluoro's 5700k and 1x
150watt
> > metal halide 10,000k) $495
> > Total without the tank is $1264 ausy dollars.
> >
> > I am eager to get this tank up and running, but I have to wait for my
> > cabinet to be finished, could be a week or so. But it gives me time to
> read
> > up on more marine/coral/reef tank set ups and also look at pictures of
how
> > people have laid out the live rock and so on. The idea is to set it up
> once
> > only and not have to move things around too much if any at all. I am
also
> > hoping that the equipment will mean I will get a mostly maintenance free
> > tank. I believe that I will need a cooler for the tank one day, but I
will
> > have to see how the temperature goes after it's up and working.
> >
> > So, did I go over board or did I not go far enough ?
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>

[skozzy]

> """4 foot x 18inch x 18inch tank (LxWxH) $75"""
> This sounds pretty cheap for a tank. Is it acrylic or glass? if
> Glass, how thick is the glass? If around 10mm, should be good.

Glass, and is 8mm

> Welcome to the hobby, and good luck with your purchases.

Thanks, I can't wait to get it all going now.

[skozzy]

> The NEXT thing you should figure out is what do you want to keep in
> your tank? That will greatly effect how you should proceed.

Well rocks, coral and some fish but not too many.

> If you want a reef tank, many people (including myself) will suggest
> you take back the crushed coral and the UGF and go with a deep sand
> bed.

I never thought much about that, I did notice the display tank at the shop
had all sort of alge type growth on the substrate, If I did choose sand,
will it help buffer the water ?

> Also, you may want to rethink that wet/dry with the bio cubes. Those
> things are a nitrate factory. You could always use it without the
> bio cubes and convert it to a refugium if it is big enough.

Thats something for me to look into. I will google it shortly.

Thanks guys for the reply too. Over time I will post my progress of the tank
as it grows.

[Raymond]

"skozzy" > wrote in message
> Well rocks, coral and some fish but not too many.
>

This isn't really specific enough for people to make much in the way
of recommendations.

Rocks: Live rock? Or just dry rock from the LFS?

Coral: There are so many types of coral that you will need to decide
which to keep or you will not be able to set up a tank with the
correct lighting and circulation. Mushrooms for example will be
perfectly happy under NO fluorescent lighting and little or no
circulation. If you try keeping SPS coral or clams under NO or with
poor water circulation, you won't do anything but kill corals and
clams. And of course there are lots of corals that are somewhere in
between.

Fish: There are lots of compatibility issues with fish. Some will eat
the corals. Some will kill other fish if you don't choose carefully.
Some simply can't be kept alive in a fish tank and should not be
purchased. Some hide all the time and you may only see them a couple
times per week.

> > If you want a reef tank, many people (including myself) will suggest
> > you take back the crushed coral and the UGF and go with a deep sand
> > bed.
>
> I never thought much about that, I did notice the display tank at the shop
> had all sort of alge type growth on the substrate, If I did choose sand,
> will it help buffer the water ?
>

I would also highly recommend the DSB (deep sand bed) and live rock
approach. It is less critical for fish only tanks but is still
helpful. The sand will buffer the water to a degree. If the bio-load
gets to high the buffering capability of the sand is over powered. The
buffering capability of sand is pretty small. This is all assuming
that you use aragonite sand.

> > Also, you may want to rethink that wet/dry with the bio cubes. Those
> > things are a nitrate factory. You could always use it without the
> > bio cubes and convert it to a refugium if it is big enough.
>
> Thats something for me to look into. I will google it shortly.
>
> Thanks guys for the reply too. Over time I will post my progress of the tank
> as it grows.

Bio balls/cubes are a bad thing in a reef tank as they almost always
drive up nitrates. A refugium is a good use of the sump area but go
slow. You can start with just some sand in the sump and add to it
later. Make sure you seed your sand with some good quality live sand
or purchase a sand kit.

There are lots of people here willing to help. Just ask lots of
questions. On some subjects you may need to ask more than once....

[Chris Taylor]

> I never thought much about that, I did notice the display tank at the shop
> had all sort of alge type growth on the substrate,

Blue Cheek Gobies are great for keeping Coral Sand clean and are peaceful in
a tank too. Youll need to keep corals away from the substrate though as his
mining activities throw sand all over the lower portions of the tank.

They amuse no-end too.

Regards


Chris

[Chris Taylor]

Forgot to add, may interfere with your undergravel if you go ahead with
this....



"Chris Taylor" > wrote in message
...
>
> > I never thought much about that, I did notice the display tank at the
shop
> > had all sort of alge type growth on the substrate,
>
> Blue Cheek Gobies are great for keeping Coral Sand clean and are peaceful
in
> a tank too. Youll need to keep corals away from the substrate though as
his
> mining activities throw sand all over the lower portions of the tank.
>
> They amuse no-end too.
>
> Regards
>
>
> Chris
>
>

[skozzy]

Chris Taylor wrote:
> Forgot to add, may interfere with your undergravel if you go ahead
> with this....
>
>
>
> "Chris Taylor" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>> I never thought much about that, I did notice the display tank at
>>> the shop had all sort of alge type growth on the substrate,
>>
>> Blue Cheek Gobies are great for keeping Coral Sand clean and are
>> peaceful in a tank too. Youll need to keep corals away from the
>> substrate though as his mining activities throw sand all over the
>> lower portions of the tank.
>>
>> They amuse no-end too.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>>
>> Chris

Thanks again guys, today I got the tank drilled and set it up on a table
under the house and will let it run for a few days to make sure the stuff
don't leak, then I will move it all upstairs and get the whole ball rolling.

[wolfhedd]

I was going to add this, I would try not to use the UG filter, would take
that back, and also the CC. would go DSB. I had CC and bio balls, started
with bad Green Hair Algae Bloom. Had to switch out substrate in mid bio
cycle(about 6 mos into it). After this i slowly removed bio balls and
converted to a refugium. Everything else sounds good, your lighting sounds
ample for soft corals. I would just avoid buying ANY hard corals until you
upgrade your lighting or if you can exchange now, that may be best if you
want hard corals. Anybody that starts off with Soft Corals will prob
eventually want to upgrade to keeping Hard Corals. Take the more experienced
advice in the news group for lighting issues, but i think strongly on the UG
filter and Crused Coral that they will cause unwanted maintenance and
difficulties in teh near future. Also when they say use aragonite, i
believe Sugar Fine Marine would be just as good, or you could mix it if you
want to sacrifice that beauty of SugarFine. Also i would definetly seed the
Sand bed with a few cups or more of LFS LiveSand. Bio filtration will kick
in quickly this way. Remember, dont make the mistake i made, get rid of the
foam filters as soon as possible. You might run your tank, cycle with bio
balls, and DSB and Live Rock, then pull the bio balls out half, then the
other half a few weeks later when the bio kicks in in the sand and rocks
before or when nitrate becomes a problem. at that point, or long before, i
would think about getting rid of the foam filters cause they skim plankton
out of the water which is what the rock and sand inhabitants eat for food,
this will further establish your bio filtration system. Viola, instant
biological reef that feeds itself(micro-ecosystem)
WH
"skozzy" > wrote in message
...
> Chris Taylor wrote:
> > Forgot to add, may interfere with your undergravel if you go ahead
> > with this....
> >
> >
> >
> > "Chris Taylor" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >>
> >>> I never thought much about that, I did notice the display tank at
> >>> the shop had all sort of alge type growth on the substrate,
> >>
> >> Blue Cheek Gobies are great for keeping Coral Sand clean and are
> >> peaceful in a tank too. Youll need to keep corals away from the
> >> substrate though as his mining activities throw sand all over the
> >> lower portions of the tank.
> >>
> >> They amuse no-end too.
> >>
> >> Regards
> >>
> >>
> >> Chris
>
> Thanks again guys, today I got the tank drilled and set it up on a table
> under the house and will let it run for a few days to make sure the stuff
> don't leak, then I will move it all upstairs and get the whole ball
rolling.
>
>