Need Feedback on planning reef setup

[jjj010203]

Hello Everyone!

I am new here (obviously :lol: ) and I wanted to get your feedback on my aquarium plans. These are just equipments, no water in aquarium yet.

Here is what I have right now:

1 - 45g Truvu Plexi with built in corner overflow.
2 - Top Fathom 110a Skimmer which I plan to replace with ASM mini skimmer which should be enough for the 45g
3 - 80lbs of CaribSea live aragonite sand (bought really cheap).
4 - Eheim 1250 for a return pump through a SCWD.
5 - Visijet Thermometer 150watt
6 - 2 Maxijets 1200 --- which I might not use if the SCWD is enough to make waves. Might use one for auto-topoff.
7 - SEIO M820 --- which I might not use either ... or should I?


Planning to DIY:
1 - sump with space for refugium and skimmer
2 - "fake" live rock and seed it with a few pounds of "real" live rock
3 - Auto-topoff to sump.
4 - moon lights


Questions:
1 - What is a pod? I want a mandarin in the future and they feed on this, right? How do I raise food for these beautiful fishes?
2 - Can I keep the 150watt heater in the sump or leave it in the tank?
3 - Does purple up really help in coralline growth?
4 - How important is kalkwasser for a new setup?
5 - Why do people place their fans in the sump/refugium area and not the canopy?
6 - Would I be successful in keeping a reef coral tank without the Halides and stick with actnitic (spelling?) lights?
7 - How big of a sump do I need for a 45g?
8 - Should I still use any of my other powerheads to help with detritus control even with the SCWD system?
9 - Has anyone used the ASM mini? How do you like it?

Sorry for the numerous questions ... any answers will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Rowena

 

[Anonymous]

Hi there and...
:welcome:


You put a lot of questions into one post, so I'll try and address a few of them, but here's a tip to start with, learn to use the search feature here at RDO to look for specific threads on the info you are looking for-there's lots of great stuff here! Sounds like you have a good plan, but besides the Mandarin you need to have an idea of what type of other fish and corals you want to keep, and plan the mechanics (lights etc) accordingly.

So...

#1 a 45 gallon tank isn't really big enough to support a copepod ("pod", small critter that lives in live rock) population large enough to support a Mandarin. Those guys eat an enormous amount and unless you plan on raising pods separately I'd have to recommend you research that idea a bit more...here's a great site with many good articles.

http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html

#2 I'd keep the heater in the sump, and ditch the vistherm for a titanium heater. They aren't that expensive and are more reliable IMO.

#3 Not familiar with that product, but having good live rock to start with helps corraline growth. Search the forums for more threads on how best to encourage the growth of corraline algae.

#4 Depends, in the curing stage Kalk isn't that important; depending on what corals you plan to keep it can become very important

#5 people have fans both places, it depends on the setup. Most enclosed canopies have a fan because the lights kick out a lot of heat.

#6 Again, it depends on the coral you want to ahve in the tank. Research the requirements for what you "must have" and plan accordingly. But yes there are corals that thrive under actinics.

#7 Always always get as big a sump as you have room for. The more water in a system, the more stable. Usually that is limited by the amount of space under the stand.

#8 again, a general rule is more flow is best, but again that depnds on what corals you have in what spot in the tank. You will have to tweak any system once its set up as rock formations, etc can make for dead spots. I've never used the SCWD sp I cant comment on that.

#9 Dunno, never used it.

Hope this helps...sorry to be so general in my answers :lol:

 

[cindre2000]

I will add/copy to what Lawdawg posted.

#1 - Copepods, Amphipods, etc. They are little critters that live on your live rock and look kind of like bugs. Above all else you need a good mature system to beable to keep a mandarin. You most definatly need a refugium were pods can grow with out being preyed upon.

#2 - Put the equipment in the sump so the tank looks nicer.

$4 - You don't need calcium supplimentation until something starts using calcium. Usually sps corals.

#5 - More room I guess. Though canopy fans are good for hot lights.

#6 - Depends what you are growing. Think it over.

#7 - 45 gallons

#8 - You will probably find out when you are cycling, however, more flow is usually better. Especially the seio and alternating flow.

#9 - I have an ASM mini running on my 30ish gallon tank and they are completly worth it. I am pulling out a whole bunch of junk.

 

[jjj010203]

thank you for the feedbacks ... i hope more experienced hobbyist will leave their feedback because there is SO MUCH 8O to learn and I am starting to neglect my schoolwork! :roll:

thanks again!

 

[Anonymous]

1 - pods have been covered well. Mandarins need well established systems with a sustaining pod population. I would not reccomend one in a tank less than 100 gal.

2.- Put all the gear you can in the sump. It will make your tank look nicer

3 - Don't know about the purple up. I have never had a problem growing coraline by just keeping my ca and alk levels where they need to be and regular water changes.

4 - kalk is not necessary for a new set up. In a 45gal I would start with a two part aditive like b-ionic or seachem reef advantage calcium/reef builder.

5 - need more cooling. I have run tank with fan in both the hood and sump.

6 - depends on what you want to keep. If you want to stay away from MH I would suggest a 4 VHO bulb set up with 2ea actinic and 2 ea actinic white. You would not be able to keep the more light demanding SPS but you would still have lots to choose from.

7 - The biggest you can fit.

8 - leaving them in would help. I like to see minimum of 20X turnover per hour in my tanks. that should be fine for softies. If you want to keep SPS I would shoot for 30x plus.

9 - Have not used one, I hear it is a good skimmer. Better than the Top Fathom.

 

[biotech_chris]

5 - Why do people place their fans in the sump/refugium area and not the canopy?

I agree, mines in the stand running on low. In summer it get turned to high. This increases the evaporation rate in the sump, and I can aim it to cool the hood also.

 

[Meloco14]

I agree with the above. But honestly, the answers to most of your questions really depends on what you want to keep in the tank. You should plan a list of what fish, inverts, and corals you want to have. Then let us know and we can recommend what type of lighting and flow you need. And let me stress again that having a mandarin in a 45 gallon tank will be very difficult. At the very least you will have to wait many months to get your system stable and have a decent pod population. You will need to make sure you have no other fish that will compete with the mandarin for food. You will need some sort of constant supply of live food to supplement your natural pod population. This can be done with a refugium, pod pile, or separate live food culture tank. And you should also try to get your mandarin to eat frozen food, which is difficult. So, it is not impossible, but a lot of work. It is not recommended for anyone to try keeping a mandarin in a small tank, and it will be even harder for a beginner. But, it can be done with a lot of dedication and effort. Research it a lot and make the decision for yourself whether you can do it or not. HTH