|
New 4ft Tank Equipment Planning
Well I have decided to setup a new tank a 4ft x
18" x 20". It used to be a African cichlids fresh water
tank. I found them a new home and cleaned up the old tank. Yuck!
The old cichlid tank.
|
Draining & scooping out rocks |
3 hours later... Ta Da!!! |
I will keep my nano running
as a quarantine tank for when I introduce new fish to the tank.
So the next step is put together a shopping list of equipment I
need for the 4ft tank;
|
Need to Get
|
Already Have
|
| |
Stand
Might build a custom one |
|
Tank
L-48" W-18" H-20".
74 Gallons or 284 Litres |
| |
Hood
Might build a custom one |
|
Lights
I have bought two 150 watt
Metal Halide lights for $300 including ballast Will also have
one actinic mounted in the hood. |
| |
Powerheads
Will wait till tank is full of water then judge how many
I will need for water movement. |
|
Heater
One 300watt heater, was able
to heat the old tank consistently. |
| |
Chiller
I have air-conditioning so we will monitor the temperature and
see if I need one. |
|
ProAqua external canister filter
1500L/pH
My alternative to a sump,
I have filled it with reef
balls and one filter sponge. It cost $100 off ebay. $40
for 100 reef balls.
|
| |
Crushed
coral
For substrate. |
|
Skimmer
Jebo 180, Not the best skimmer, but should work for a while
till I get some more cash. |
| |
Live Rock
How much? I have no idea...
|
|
Hydrometer |
| |
Water
Storage Container
Large water tub/bin for storing water |
|
Test kits, pH, nitrite, nitrate,
ammonia, calcium , alk |
| |
Water Collection Containers
I have a lot of 5L water containers I use for my nano tank
water changes, but I think I will need larger ones for the new
tank. |
|
Buckets, syphon, backup salt
mix |
So before I even get close to live stock &
coral I have some serious shopping to do.
Beginner Questions
Even though I have set up a new tank before I am finding I have
more questions now than when I first started.
Sumps
What is a sump?
How do I build a simple sump?
Reefkeeping Magazine has an article 'Everything You Always Wanted
to Know About Sumps'
Click
here to read the article
Melevs Reef has some great photos of a sump's construction.
Click
to view
Can I run a tank sumpless?
From my research yes you can, basically you will
loose a bit of extra water volume, all heaters and pumps will need
to be in the display tank and that's about it. The flood risk and
cost of a return pump was just too high for me. Instead I have decided
to buy a large ProAqua external canister filter 1500L/pH($100 off
ebay), I have filled it with reef
balls (kind of like live rock but compact) and I have left 1
filter pad that I will rinse weekly.
Setting up a quarantine
tank:
The ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site has the best & simplest write
up on how to setup a quarantine tank.
Click
here to view.
How long to cycle?
ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site has some interesting points
on how to setup a new aquarium.
Click here to view the article.
Do I do water changes
during cycle?
I have heard mixed reports about whether to do water changes
or not during the cycling process. Some say no water changes will
help your tank cycle quicker, but you will loose a lot of organism
on the live rock. If you do a lot of water changes then you wont
have as much die off on your liverock.
How much live rock?
Tanks
run well when a minimum of a third of the tank is full of rock.
How much crushed coral?
I bought large bag, about 20kg I think. I covered the bottom
of the tank about 3cm deep.
About MH lighting?
Metal halide lights are a type
of light bulb which burns very white and very bright. They require
a special fixture and ballast. They are the closest thing we have
to artificial sunlight, and are typically used on reefs and planted
tanks. They are very efficient in terms of lumens/watt. Do not confuse
these with halogen bulbs, which have a very yellow light not appropriate
for aquarium use.
General rules for basic reef aquarium lighting
(source: http://www.coralplantations.com/pages/lighting.htm)
- Tanks up to 45 cm deep 4 fluorescents (2 white
2 blue or 3 white 1 blue).
- Tanks 45cm to 60 cm deep 150 watt metal halide
lights per 60 cm of tank length.
- Tanks 60 cm to 80 cm deep 250 watt metal halide
lighting per 60 cm tank length.
- Tanks deeper than 80 cm use 400 watt metal
halide lighting or more depending on application per 60 cm tank
length.
More advanced lighting for reef aquarium lighting
- Tanks up to 45 cm deep 150 watt metal halide
lighting.
- Tanks 45 cm to 55 cm deep 250 watt metal halides.
- Tanks 55 cm to 70 cm deep 400 watt metal halide
lighting.
Ultimate lighting for reef aquariums
- Tanks up to 30 cm deep 150 watt metal halide
lighting.
- Tanks up to 50 cm deep 250 watt metal halide
lighting.
- Tanks over 50cm deep 400 watt metal halide
lighting.
Building a custom hood
?
Connecting
computer fans to extract heat
?
|
