Tank selection

[carpediem212]

Hey MR family,

Been browsing for alteast 4 hours and got some great information.

Here is my situation. I currently have 75gal planted tank and looking to get into a salt tank. I am thinking about keeping the planted tank and adding a 120gal for the salt tank.

I know on a planted tank that the deeper the tank is (in this situation 24" in.) the better your depth and rock choices.
How about height? The 120 is 24"in high and I am sure I will need strong lighting to reach the bottom.

Here my question.

What is my set-up for a 120gal and is this a good starter for a salt tank nooby?

wet dry or ref/sump and other things like that.

Also lighting for me is very important as I want to highlight the colors as much as possible. I saw a guy post about his $1g light setup, but that is a little for me, but how is PC lighting for salt tanks? It works great planted tanks. I am also worry about the heat given off from MH lights and also the UV too.

Anyone can lend me some books about how to start a tank.

Thanks in advance. Any comments are appreciated.

 

[reefman]

120 is a very popular size n for many reasons. but i can't say that's a very good size for a starter tank. i'm sure there r others that will disagree.
i would gain more knowledge n experience with something smaller. it'll be better on your wallet too.
go with ref/sump n lighting is very touchy subject. i would take a look at other tanks with diff types of lighting be4 u decide. all has pros n cons. however with looks is like the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Hi, there

I personnaly thinks if you are going to have tangs or large fish, I think something 120G would be a good start but if you only want to do reef, a 75 should be a good start-never ever get anything with less than 18" depth. You cannot put your arms in the tank nor can you do much aquascaping.

I sell rocks and they come bigger and bigger each shipment.

 

[drunktank]

try your hand at turning ur 75g into saltwater first- why spend the moneyas a beginner and possibly fail? my first tank was a 46g bow , after that i upgraded to a 125. Use the 75g to learn the do's and donts then upgrade to a larger tank when your ready. Personally i dont like the 120, the 125 is better b/c the 6feet give ur fish more swimming space. But the setup cost of larger tanks is higher. Lastly, read read read read read and read, you can never have to much information on reefing . get some books , ask lots of questions before you touch a bag of salt

 

[cali_reef]

120g is one of the best tanks I have seen as a reef, it has the right hight and width for rocks and coral. I would suugest one if you think you are willing to invest the time at few thousand to get one going.

Go for a 40 breeder if you are not sure about this hobby.

 

[carpediem212]

I was able to get a 120 stand and canapy for a really good price. So my next thing would be to get a really good ro/di unit.

Do you guys have any suggestions on that?

Thanks

 

[kwanlp26]

how about this one?
http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUA-SAFE-AQUAR...9455536QQihZ001QQcategoryZ20684QQcmdZViewItem

 

[cali_reef]

Get one with clear filter housings, this way you'll know when the filters needs replacement.

 

[ezee]

Carpe,

Get one with clear filter housings, this way you'll know when the filters needs replacement.

Can't stress this enough. Also don't buy dirt cheap or used on this one. Makes a difference.

E

 

[scumonkey]

This ones much better !
Standard size filters (easy to replace) and Top Quality membrane

http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-2-110G...hZ002QQcategoryZ20756QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

 

[tomzpc]

Welcome to the hobby!! =)

I would avoid the unit in the link just posted because that unit has horizontal DI canisters which are no good. The water tends to move through the media unevenly and is prone to channeling. Also, you don't want a membrane rated over 75 gpd. A 100 gpd doesn't have as high a rejection rate as a 75 which is the only reason that it produces more. So you'll speed up your production but eat through your DI resin much faster since it has to remove that much more.

Check out Air, Water & Ice http://airwaterice.com/

Great company to deal with with fair prices and customer service that can't be beat. Give them a call and talk to Walter or Brad. One of our club members recen't got an amazing deal on a refurbished model from them.

 

[scumonkey]

I beg to differ on your last comment.
The DI part can be turned up if you want it that way.
you can also easily open it up and replace just the spent part of the DI resin...but I havn't had to.
I have been using one for almost 6 months and it works PERFECT!
I have not had to replace my DI at all, (even after filling up my 112 g.tank)!
I get no channeling (even horizontaly).
With the water pressure in the city, you do get a high rejection rate (like 4 to 1) and the the gpd is more like 75- not 100. TDS meter reads at 0-yes even after 6 months.
So you can pay more money or.......

 

[reefman]

i would get 1 with High Silicate removal.

 

[carpediem212]

Is high silicate ncea concern for Queens, NY or Long Island?

 

[meschaefer]

Welcome to the hobby!! =)


Check out Air, Water & Ice http://airwaterice.com/

Great company to deal with with fair prices and customer service that can't be beat. Give them a call and talk to Walter or Brad. One of our club members recen't got an amazing deal on a refurbished model from them.

I am very happy with the RO/DI I purchased from the above referenced company. It was basicly plug and play, as it comes with every thing you could possiably need to get it going. THe only addition I purchased was their float valve. With that I hooked it up to a large container, so that it makes more water for me as I use it.

 

[carpediem212]

Thanks for the great help guys.

I will post up pics of the set up once I get it going.

I think I will go with a sump and a lifereef skimmer.

What would I use as a sump. How about Berlin systems?

What is your opinion on the lifereef, Tunze DOC, or the Deltec?
I am looking in the skimmer thread and it has over 100 pages and I am only at page 14.

The pump has to be quiet and use minimal electric, like my ehiem pro2 2026.

 

[cono]

Lifereef have one and it kicks @@$#@. Jeff builds the best stuff on earth

 

[ZZROCOOL]

Hey MR family,

Been browsing for alteast 4 hours and got some great information.

Here is my situation. I currently have 75gal planted tank and looking to get into a salt tank. I am thinking about keeping the planted tank and adding a 120gal for the salt tank.

I know on a planted tank that the deeper the tank is (in this situation 24" in.) the better your depth and rock choices.
How about height? The 120 is 24"in high and I am sure I will need strong lighting to reach the bottom.

Here my question.

What is my set-up for a 120gal and is this a good starter for a salt tank nooby?

wet dry or ref/sump and other things like that.

Also lighting for me is very important as I want to highlight the colors as much as possible. I saw a guy post about his $1g light setup, but that is a little for me, but how is PC lighting for salt tanks? It works great planted tanks. I am also worry about the heat given off from MH lights and also the UV too.

Anyone can lend me some books about how to start a tank.

Thanks in advance. Any comments are appreciated.

The best thing you could do is find a local fish store that you like and trust try Aquatic Express or Wonderful World of Fish (both in Queens) and follow there advice to the letter until you reach success and then and only then should you start experimenting. There are like 500 f ways to approach this hobby and following the lead of somebody who has already achieved success will make your journey much more enjoyable. If you want to learn from the best then check out Greenwich Aquaria Masters of the Fresh Water Planted tank and the Salt Water Reef tank www.greenwichaquaria.com
Keep in mind the reason for following 1 persons method is that if you take advice from to many people different technics don't work together and you will have no baseline to evaluate from if something goes wrong.

www.greenwichaquaria.com BEST OF THE BEST well worth the 35 min drive from Queens on a weekend

 

[meschaefer]

you guys realize that this thread is a year and half old..right?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

you guys realize that this thread is a year and half old..right?

:lol2::givebeer: