# newbie help please



## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

alright so in this new year i plan on moving on to the salt water realm. Due to the sale at big als and comparing prices to people locally... i've gone with a few purchases while i was there today. I'm totally a newb to the saltwater and i'd like to share my idea and purchases in hopes of some help and guidance.

i have a 33 gallon that i wish to turn into my saltwater setup. i have a 15 gallon that i wish to turn into a sump for the 33. I'm not sure what kind of things i need to purchase but i purchased a few things already because i know i'll need them. I bought a hydor koralia 3 to get movement and an oceanic biocube protien skimmer. Were these even the right purchases?

i'm gonna need some expertise for buying things like the return pump and maybe even a little help for my sump. i'm currently looking around online and doing a lot of reading... any advice?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Return the biocube skimmer - it's junk.

As for your sump, get your 33g drilled and use an overflow. It's the best decision you can make, and eliminates a major area of concern with siphon overflow systems.

As flow, a K3 is a good start - you'll probably want another smaller powerhead for your tank too, or perhaps two smaller ones (ie a 2x K2s).

For lights, I'd get a T5 system - I presume your 33g is a 3' tank?

In terms of a skimmer, you'll want something better than that - look into Vertex, EuroReef, Reef octopus, SWC, etc as good choices of slightly above entry level skimmers. Avoid sea clones, coralifes, and a few other pretty garbage brands of skimmers.

For a return pump, if you're going on a tight budget, look into the marineland pumps, then the danner-mags, then Eheim. I'd get a return pump to get close to your skimmer's capacity.

The best thing you can do is read lots, and ask lots of questions to make sure you don't waste your money on bad equipment or poor choices - that'll make sure you have less frustration and more enjoyment from the dark side...er, the salty side of things.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

Also, I recommend not relying on Big Als for salt water equipment supplies such as lighting or skimmers. They have limited selection on those, and custom parts are not easy to find.

Once you know what you're looking for, check out online stores if BA is the only LFS.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

thanks guys... i will return this skimmer right away and look into the other skimmers.

Yes my tank is 3 foot long.

And I guess i should buy a bucket of the salt?

Ad I didn't quite understand about the pump matching my skimmers capacity?

But I am looking at Danner-Mag pumps... Danner Mag-Drive Supreme 5 500 GPH Water Pump would this be too powerful or too weak? I figure the sump will be undernath the display tank by about 2'-3' so at the return head i see me getting about 380 gallons/hr. Is that alright? 33 gallon... that means the water will turnover a lil more than 11 times an hour? Is that ok?


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

breeze905 said:


> Ad I didn't quite understand about the pump matching my skimmers capacity?
> /QUOTE]
> 
> ok I get what you mean with the skimmer... i hear double the size of my tank is good? So a skimmer rated for 66+g/h should be good?
> ...


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

I have a coralife super skimmer 65 on my 20 G and it seems like its working fine and pulls out alot of junk daily, biocubes simply do not work, they are not long enough to create foam. BUT your best bet is to go with a Tunze Skimmer, I made a mistake and tried to save some money and got the coralife, 20 bucks more and would have got a tunze which is rated one of the best and got to see one working this weekend and wow those are nice. 

my advice : do not buy cheap stuff, the British saying of "Im not reach enough to buy cheap stuff" really applies here, lol
u'll just end up trowing it out and wasting twice the money ...


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## derekc85 (Oct 23, 2008)

Heres some terms I wish I knew when i started.

Google them and my suggestion is just read read and read
cycle - ammonia, nitrite & nitrate
make sure you cycle for ~4 weeks with LR in to "age" the water.

Live rock, cured vs uncured
pods
DSB, SSB, BB
Lights - PC, T5HO, MH

if you are starting a new system, 
a refugium would be a benefit.
macro algae

You will need to monitor
pH, temp, 

for reef tank add:
Calcium, Alk, Mg etc.


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## derekc85 (Oct 23, 2008)

Oh and I ran a Aquamedic turbofloator when I had my 75. Works great but its fairly big.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

Hey i'd just like to say.... this forum is *the best*. The speed in which responses come in are fantastic. Thanks for all your input.

So I returned the skimmer and ended up going with the "*marineland series pro 100*". I wanted to look for Ameek's suggestions but the guy there showed it to me running in a sump for quite a large tank and it looked like it was doing a good job. Lotsa bubbles, no noise. I went with it. Slightly under $200 so i figure it was within my price range too.

*I am probably gonna go with the Danner-Mag 5? Is that gonna work out?*



> if you are starting a new system,
> a refugium would be a benefit.
> macro algae


Well I plan on using a sump so i figure i can build that into the sump no?


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## derekc85 (Oct 23, 2008)

Hi, a lot of people on the other forum dont like mags but I have no problem with them. I've been running mag 5, 9, 18's with no problem. For sump designs you can go to Melev's site, its great for sump/ fuge design.

HTH


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## Octavian (Sep 30, 2009)

You can save some money by buying some base rock and place some nice pieces of live rock on top. Eventually, everything will grow on your base rock making it look pretty  I bought some at http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/brs-reef-saver-dry-aquarium-eco-rock.html. I am using an overflow box from http://www.lifereef.com/home.html. In terms of a sump, I made one from a Sterlite 92Q/87L semi transparent container from walmart ($14). Just make sure the return flow from the pump in your sump *does not *exceed the drain capacity of your overflow or else you will cause a heart thumping spill on your floor.  My 29g tank has been running for just over 4 weeks now. Every night there are new interesting creatures moving about. Like everyone says... read/research alot. Good luck in your new endeavour!


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## MichaelAngelo (Jul 6, 2009)

just to chime in you don't have to make it an expensive or complicated setup if you want to keep clowns and damsels and other hardy fish... a simple FOWLR.

I just use my regular aquaclear filter and cheap heater, no need for a sump or fancy lighting, unless you want corals.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

For more base rocks, check out Reefrocks.ca and eco-reefer.com for dry rock - I'm considering both these places for dry rock for my upcoming upgrade. Both good options both in Ontario


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> For more base rocks, check out Reefrocks.ca and eco-reefer.com for dry rock - I'm considering both these places for dry rock for my upcoming upgrade. Both good options both in Ontario


hey, a side question, u can add the base rock straight to the tank without increase in Phosphate, nitrate or ammonia right ?


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

A question about 36" t5ho... I've noticed that there are different sized fixtures?! Some are 90 cm and some are 100 cm...?! Which one should i get?!


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Doesn't really matter - the bulbs aren't even 36" long anyways. The longer fixtures probably have a little extra material on each side of the bulbs.


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