sorry but i am confused and i am going to ask again anyway

[marinesport]

i am new to this and i have been reading books about it for about a month. i saw a post on this site about tank size sorry for beating a dead horse, but i am limited to a 29gal 36" tank in my house some of the books i have say this is an ok size some say not. i dont know who to belive i am looking to have a reef tank with lots of rock, coral, other inverts and just a few fish. can this be done in a tank of this size? if so my other big question is what kind/ brands of stuff to use? if possible i would like to avoid the sump system. i am not super rich but i am willing to spend what it takes to get good stuff that i dont have to worry about breaking all the time. i have no lfs here in traverse city mi to go ask questions. is there dome where i can go to get a complete list of the products i will need to start my tank. i am going to have to order everything online. any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
dan

 

[holry7778]

Well first things first welcome

29gal is just fine, No problems in size, alot of people put it in teh Nano tank size so check out that forum for some ideas. You don't need a Sump but I do suggest a great skimmer and good filter. That is where to spend you money first. Then get some good lighting, Hellolights.com seems pretty good for prices and service, and the are in CA.

I'm not sure about a really outstanding poer head or closed loop system but ask here in the forum and you'll get plenty of responses, you'll just have to sift through it to find what may work best for you.

Again welcome and let us now how things go for you best of luck.

 

[Len]

Hi Dan,

You can certainly do a successful reef tank in a 29 gallon. I have done it personally and have had friends with this tank size as well. I believe the main reason why some people do not like this particular size is because the 29 gallon is a tall, narrow tank. Generally, a tank whose front-to-back width is similiar to the height is preferred because of lighting and aquascaping concerns. If you can go with a 40 gallon breeder tank (also 36" wide, a bit wider front to back), that would be my recommendation.

I recommend you read through the material posted in the top four annoucement and sticky posts at the top of this forum. They contain a lot of very good, easy to understand information for new reefkeepers.

Basically, what is recommended is a good set of lights, a heater, some powerheads for circulation, and a good protein skimmer for filtration and aeration. There are other equipment that can enhance the functionality of your system, but the ones I listed are what I consider the bare essentials.

For lights, you can go with metal halides, PC (power compact) fluorsecents, VHO (very high output) fluorescents, or T-5 fluorescents. Halides will require the most attention to design since they need a certain clearance (8-12") above the tank . These are the single lamp lights that are very bright, and when used with a good reflector (many are available), they light a reef tank very well for about a 2 x 2 feet span. MH also comes in pendant styles where you can hang the pendant above the tank (attached to the ceiling or wall). The three fluroscent lighting types are a lot less daughting to use, especially if you have an existing canopy for the tank. For a 29 or 40 gallon, fluroscent lights will do just fine.

I, along with many others, recommend the AquaC Remora hang-on skimmer. It will work great with a tank your size and is extremely easy to set up. I can understand why you don't want a sump right now.

I like Maxijet powerheads. They're affordable, reliable, and powerful. As for heaters, most major brands work equally great. I use titanium heaters myself because I have had some breakage with the glass/ceramic kind in the past. Check out Reefs.org's sponsors (www.reefs.org/sponsor.html) for your equipment; they're all well respected and reputable.

Hope that helps. Of course, ask any questions you have along the way. We're here to help ya suceed

 

[Anonymous]

marinesport:

I don't blame you for being confused. Many many differing opinions out there.

29g can support a very interesting system. Just that a lot of fish like tangs need a lot more space.

What I would recommend is play sand ($3.00), same limestone rocks (drilled to lighten and make porous) (~$3.00), a light difusser egg crate to form an in-tank refugium(0-10$), some chaeto macro algae between the tank glass and the egg crate ($5.00), utility lights cut down to 36" with a glass top. ($10.00). a powerhead and some type of filter to move 5 times the tank volumn through crushed oyster shells.

But that's the budget approach.

I do agree the larger tank you can afford the easier it will be to maintain.

Bob

 

[Anonymous]

:sigh: Do you just cut and paste this stuff? :|

 

[Juck]

lol Sharkky

29g is a great size for a first marine tank. My first tank was a 37g which is the same footprint as yours,,, just a bit taller.

If you're creative when stacking your rock then you can have a great looking reef. If you don't want a sump then get yourself a good hang-on skimmer like a CPR Bakpak or Aqua-C remora,,, I got a used BakPak skimmer on Ebay for a great price.

Throw in a couple of good powerheads (I recommend Maxijet 900's or 1200's) and you're good to go.

Husbandry is the key to successful reefing,,, follow tried-and-trusted methods for your first tank,,,, things like:

Weekly 5-10% water changes
Aragonite Sandbed, which will help with Calcium levels and denitrification
Buy the best lighting you can afford
Buy a refractometer for testing Salinity,, it's money well spent.
Test your parameters (A,N,N,Ca,Alk,Ph) weekly for the first couple of months until things get settled.
Don't overfeed the tank
Give your corals room to grow
Don't listen to anything Beaslbob posts here
Buy a Reverse-Osmosis/De-Ionized water filter,,,there are things in your tapwater that you don't want in your reef
Don't overstock,, if you're careful you can keep 5 or 6 smaller fish happy in a 29g (no Tangs though!)

I kept 2 pajama cardinals, 2 firefish, 2 clown gobies and a pygmy angel in my 37g and they all got along great. If you're concerned about the compatibility of two fish then just post a question here,, someone will already have tried it.

Good luck,, post pics for us!

 

[Len]

I'd like to temper the negative sentiments about Beaslbob's methodologies by saying that they might work for him (has not been proven), but they're unorthodoxed and not recommended by most (actually all) experienced hobbyists I know. We recommend new reefkeepers stick with tried and true methods like those successful systems you've seen featured in print and online magazines.

 

[Juck]

Give me a break Len,,, what he's doing here is analogous to some nut turning up on my Porsche BB and saying he can run his car just fine on Pepsi.

Hey,, he says it works for him,,,, anyone out there gonna put Pepsi in their Porsche and prove him wrong?

: )

 

[Len]

Before the advent of skimmers and affordable high output lights, I used to have reef tanks that were very low-tech. Certain species thrived in these tanks, but admittedly they were no where near as successful as my "modern" tanks. I don't want people to be entirely dismissive about beaslbob's methodlogy, but I firmly do not believe it's a good path for new reefkeepers to take. His ideas are best discussed in the General Reef Discussion with experienced hobbyists.

 

[Anonymous]

i am new to this and i have been reading books about it for about a month. i saw a post on this site about tank size sorry for beating a dead horse, but i am limited to a 29gal 36" tank in my house some of the books i have say this is an ok size some say not. i dont know who to belive i am looking to have a reef tank with lots of rock, coral, other inverts and just a few fish. can this be done in a tank of this size? if so my other big question is what kind/ brands of stuff to use? if possible i would like to avoid the sump system. i am not super rich but i am willing to spend what it takes to get good stuff that i dont have to worry about breaking all the time. i have no lfs here in traverse city mi to go ask questions. is there dome where i can go to get a complete list of the products i will need to start my tank. i am going to have to order everything online. any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
dan

My first Marine tank was a 10 gallons. That was 20 years ago before many of todays products were available. My Damsels did just fine in that tank. My next succesful tank was a 29 gallon. BTW these are 30" inches not 36". If you have room for a 36 inch tank go with a 30 or 40 gallon breeder. You will not be disappointed and you will have nore water surface and your tank will look better. I would forget the corals until you get at least a years experience with the hobby. I recommend a Remora Pro Skimmer......30 pounds of cultured liverock,Remora Pro Skimmer,Dual Satellite Power Compact Light,150 watt heater,and at least 1 inch of Cariblife Sugar Sized Aragonite. I like to add a powerfilter for water movement and the extra biological filtering. You can get most if not all the items here.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... 004+113176