No0B

JCheung

JCheung

Newbish
Hi new to the forums and new to the hobby. I have kept freshwater fish for 4 years now, i don't think i ever did it the right way though. So trying to avoid mistakes of the past and learn everything that i can and proceed slowly into this new hobby.

I am setting up a 90 gallon tank with fish and live rock, probably eventually moving into some corals, and strongly considering a refugium. Need some help with that and would be very appreciative if someone can help me with all of this.

I currently have 110 lbs of live sand, saltwater with a hydrometer reading of approximatly 1.021, an Eheim Wet/Dry 2229 Canister Filter, an Aquarium Systems Maxi-Jet 1200 Power Head, an all-glass 40watt flourecent lighting fixture (I know i have to upgrade if i want coral), and a Tetra Whisper 40 Air Pump. I also have several limewood airstones and other knick knacks laying around.

I need to find out how to sit my spare 20 gallon long aquarium, in a stable fashion, above my current tank and stand. And also how to drill glass so i can have an overflow from the refugium to the main tank.
 
Hi and welcome to the BRS!

Sounds like you're going to need a good protein skimmer.
You won't need that air pump and airstones. Eventually you're not going to want regular use of the cannister filter. Protein skimmer + live rock + sand bed will handle your nitorgen cycle. A refugium with lots of macro algae would definitely help. Cannister filters are good when you make a mess in the tank and need to quickly polish the water.
 
The eheim wet/dry filter doesn't take out dirt i think it's purely a biological filter. And if i don't use the airpump how does the tank get oxygen if it's covered?
 
JCheung said:
The eheim wet/dry filter doesn't take out dirt i think it's purely a biological filter.
Click to expand...
Right, we still don't use them. We call them "nitrate factories."

And if i don't use the airpump how does the tank get oxygen if it's covered?
Click to expand...
Any water movement will create gas exchange at the surface. So as long as the tank doesn't have an air tight seal, then with water movement you'll get the water oxygenated. On top of that, you're probably going to be using a protein skimmer which will really get the water oxygenated. If you're using a reef ready tank (built in overflows) and a sump, more oxygenation as the water moves between show tank, sump, and refugium.
 
Nope not reef ready tank, and i kind of don't feel like drilling my 90 gallon tank it is a giant pain in the a** to move around. Would like to practice on my 20 long though, it's kind of cracked and i resealed it with silicon, Don't mind if it totally breaks if i can get some experience or something out of it.

And yeah i know i need a protein skimmer, trying to ebay a remora pro, not having any luck though.

And my last comment was in reference to the polish the water thing, i don't think the eheim will polish, doesn't seem like it at least.

So if i don't need the airpump what should i use it for? I could use it for hatching brine shrimp or something. Can i use it in the refugium?

Oh and i don't have a sump, What is that? Any pictures of all three in a single photo?
 
For sump explanations and pics...
Go to the Reef Talk forum. Look for the thread stuck to the top of the forum called Usefule Threads. Here's a link: http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5034

See post #29 in this thread, and click on the link.

There is tons of great info within the Useful Threads links.

Oh, and a Remora Pro might be undersized for a 90 gal tank.
 
What kind of protein skimmer should i get then, i don't have a sump, and my tank is not pre-drilled. I thought the remora pro was up to 110 gallons. And i heard it was the best hang on skimmer available.
 
Welcome to the BRS. Don't worry about oxygen as long as water is moving, a protein skimmer works by blasting air through the water to bind proteins to the air-water interface. The only time I think oxygen might be a problem would be a system with no refugium, a tight canopy, a deep/narrow tank and no skimmer on a hot day with lots of fish.

Looking at your setup, a few things:

-Go slow!
-Increasing your salinity is probably a good idea, 1.025-1.026 is a good target.
-A refugium is highly recommended, mine really works well with just a bit of live rock rubble and a bunch of Chaetomorpha algae. If you're near Providence I'd be happy to give you a bit to start off.
-You're going to want more flow than just one MJ1200. The cheapest route would be just to get a couple more and mod them (maxijet mod threads are pretty common), but there are other powerheads out there, like the Hydor Koralias. Maxijets are solid and cheap (I use them) but there are superior models, depends on how much you want to spend. This recommendation depends a bit on how much flow you have moving water to the refugium.
-Kalkwasser! Starting a kalk dripper was what really made my tank take off. It's potentially a very cheap way to make a big difference.
-Don't slack off on the water changes, 15% every couple of weeks is probably a good idea with a 90G tank.

I'm sure there's lots more, but those are just a few things to think about. Welcome again.
 
Do i need the kalkwasser if i'm going with fish and live rock? And i'm in Waltham, MA. Anyone in or near Waltham MA want to come over and help me with this thing with your expertise? I don't have infinite space for this thing and i also have another 55 gallon tank on the same wall with turtles.

And still any suggestions on what i should do with the air pump that i have?
 
No need for the electric air pump.
Put it in a closet for use some day for some purpose we can't imagine, or sell it?
 
JCheung said:
Do i need the kalkwasser if i'm going with fish and live rock?
Click to expand...

Kalkwasser will help keep your calcium and alkalinity elevated.
You won't need to start dripping it until there's a demand for calcium and carbonate in your tank, but ince there's coraline algae in there, there's a demand. Kalkwasser will feed this demand.
 
Hey JCheung,
I know I'm pretty new to this forum, but I have some experience and can help you out on some of ur questions.

That Remora is a little undersized, it's always good to get a skimmer that is rated for alot more than your tank volume. My friend and I have had great results with Octopus Skimmers. They're pretty affordable and are great workhorses, I'd check them out!

As Lockeoak said, maxijets are good! I swear by them. Later on down the road you can look into other ones, but maxijets are great little powerheads!
 
Welcome to the BRS.....not sure if I am close to Waltham...but have some useless knowledge and know where to get the useful knowledge :) I'm usually around
 
Welcome to the club. You've been asking lots of thought provoking questions in the Reef Talk forum. A great thing to get people thinking about stuff. A fresh perspective is always good. I hope you can make it to the party at the end of the month in NH.
 
I'll try, and thanks i always want to try to push the boundaries. And having some pretty insane dreams also really helps. Like not only winning the Lotto but also being able to buy enough space to build a museum quality tank/room.
Oh yeah the dream would be even more cool if i could like scuba dive in the tank.
 
Oh yeah do i have to pay the $5 shipping and handling if i order the membership online? Or how about if i just pay at the meetup?
 
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