Reef virgin

[dark_stranger]

Hi, I plan to set up a reef tank in the next month or so, and need to clear a few things up in my head & therefore plan to ask you guys with the knowledge a few questions over the next day/weeks.

I have a plan in my head of what i want, but unsure how i go about it & therefore hoping you can point or even shove me in the right direction.

I want a mixed tank with fish & inverts & have been looking at 2 tanks, one 40 gallons (180liters) & one 57 gallons (260 liters). Would the 40 gallon tank be 2 small? I know i should always go for the best size tank, but there is no point over spending when the 180 gallon tank with be surficient.

Next, i want to have everything hidden away under the tank & therefore looking at a canister filter so that one I can place it inside the stand & two i would contain all the required filtration media.

Now, this is where i start getting a little confused. I take it the canister has to have access to the tank via rwo drilled inlet & outlet holes. But the inlet hole (feeding the canister), where does the water get feed from? I mean do you simply have pipe in the tank or can you use an under gravel filtration system (thus giving you even more filtration) or is there an easier way? remembering i want to hide as much of the gubbings as possible.

Does a canister provide protein filtration? also as the canister feeds water back into the tank, do it also remove the requirements for an aeration unit?

I think thats it for the moment, but I'm sure I will think of more stupid question soon,
Thanks in advance,

 

[ChrisRD]

Hi and :welcome:

I want a mixed tank with fish & inverts & have been looking at 2 tanks, one 40 gallons (180liters) & one 57 gallons (260 liters). Would the 40 gallon tank be 2 small? I know i should always go for the best size tank, but there is no point over spending when the 180 gallon tank with be surficient.

You're basically in the same size range here. For me, it would come down to what the actual dimensions of the respective tanks are. Generally a large footprint will be more useful as opposed to a tall tank with a small footprint. Of course the larger you go with the tank, the more options you'll have with fish choices.

Next, i want to have everything hidden away under the tank & therefore looking at a canister filter so that one I can place it inside the stand & two i would contain all the required filtration media.

Do you think you'll end-up getting into corals as well down-the-road? I'd say it's likely, and if that's the case I wouldn't use a canister filter at all. You could still hide all your filtration under the display tank in a small sump tank. This tank is then plumbed to the main tank.

Now, this is where i start getting a little confused. I take it the canister has to have access to the tank via rwo drilled inlet & outlet holes. But the inlet hole (feeding the canister), where does the water get feed from? I mean do you simply have pipe in the tank or can you use an under gravel filtration system (thus giving you even more filtration) or is there an easier way? remembering i want to hide as much of the gubbings as possible.

It's not necessary to have holes in your tank to run a canister filter. They are generally just plumbed over-the-side. Undergravel filters are a thing of the past and you don't see many reef or even saltwater fish tanks using them these days. There are much better filtration methods available now.

Does a canister provide protein filtration? also as the canister feeds water back into the tank, do it also remove the requirements for an aeration unit?

A canister filter and a protein skimmer are two different things. The latter is much preferred today on modern reef and saltwater fish tanks. Some use both, but generally this is not necessary if the tank has live rock and/or live sand in it (which will provide the necessary biological filtration). Canisters can still be useful for certain periodic maintenance or filtration functions, but are generally more trouble than they're worth if run continously.

I'd highly recommend you take a look in our library, for example check out our Beginner's Guide: http://www.reefs.org/library/newbieguide.htm

Also, a good book or two is worth its weight in gold at this point. If you're more interested in just fish and inverts, I'd recommend the Fenner book (4th down from the top), and if you're thinking of going for a reef in the near future, the Tullock book is another good choice (2nd from the top).
http://www.reefs.org/library/reading/beginner/beginner.html

The search function (top of the page) here on the board is very helpful, and of course, don't hesitate to ask questions as well.

HTH and welcome aboard!