450 gallon setup. HELP NEEDED!!

[vinc]

yea, i read that on a different forum somewhere. they said to add a couple uncooked shrimp to the sump and just wait for the changes to all spike. the article said wait until after all spikes have gone down to slowly add livestock and that levels will spike again after each new addition of livestock. is there a difference? i know live rock is good since it has healthy bacteria and critters but what's base rock? is it just regular rock? if so then i think i'm starting with live rock since that seems to be better for the health of the whole aquarium

[nightster]

Yes it will spike after each new addition due to added bioload. The beneficial bacteria that live in the sand and live rock have to catch up to the extra bioload. Me personally, I'd start with base rock. That way you know there are no unwanted hitch hikers. Not all the little creatures are good. Only thing is, with base rock the cycle will take longer. Base rock is the same thing as live rock, just no living organisms.

[vinc]

oh ok. is it cheaper that way? i don't mind waiting longer to add fish if that'll be better for the tank in the long run. that thing was way too heavy to imagine moving again! lol

[nightster]

Using live or base is personal preference. Yes base is much cheaper. There are a few websites you can order it off of. The 2 that I know of are macrorocks.com or net lol Idk, and then reefcleaners.org.

[vinc]

oh ok. i'll have a look around online. i still gotta get all the pumps, hoses, pipes, etc. set up (including the whole sump)!

[nightster]

Well I wouldn't worry about rock then. Lol good luck!

[vinc]

thanks!

[Darbex]

would the pump i have be enough for a closed loop? Yes it can be made into a closed loop, but you will still need a pump for your sump

i was thinking about doing a closed loop with the two open holes in the bottom to encourage some type of movement from water at the bottom of the tank toward the top. that's supposed to help circulate and keep the water more clean right? It can but a really good powerhead can do the same, I use 1 MP60 on my tank at 50% power. http://ecotechmarine.com/products/vo...ropeller-pump/

and what's cheato? A type of algae that is good at sucking up nitrates http://www.reefchaeto.com/

i actually have no idea what i want to put into the sump. from what i've seen at other pet shops, they usually have some live rock and some type of algae growing. Thats more than likely Cheato

the skimmer i was looking at was the one for sale by fishlover79. i think it's an external but from what i've been reading, an internal would be better right? Doesnt matter IMO. I have my external because I want more water volume and easier access to it.

my dad wants to keep big fish in the tank since it's such a big tank. he also wants to do some corals for coloration in the tank. and sure, i'd love to come take a look. when would be a good time? I am off of work Friday give me a call. Depends on what fish you want to keep. Make sure you find out if any fish you get is reef safe before you get them. Otherwise you will be wasting money on corals.

[vinc]

would the pump i have be enough for a closed loop? Yes it can be made into a closed loop, but you will still need a pump for your sump

i was thinking about doing a closed loop with the two open holes in the bottom to encourage some type of movement from water at the bottom of the tank toward the top. that's supposed to help circulate and keep the water more clean right? It can but a really good powerhead can do the same, I use 1 MP60 on my tank at 50% power. http://ecotechmarine.com/products/vo...ropeller-pump/

decided not to do a closed loop anymore so i won't have to worry about the risk of it leaking. i'm going to use this maxi jet 1200 powerhead instead to get a current going and use my mag12 as the return pump. the maxi jet is rated 1300gph in circulation mode so that should be about enough turnover in the tank to start up right? planning to just get it ready for fish only then add the lights and additional powerheads whenever we decide on doing corals.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/productDetailsPage.mtw?productId=11050241&source=ComparisonShopping_Nextag

and what's cheato? A type of algae that is good at sucking up nitrates http://www.reefchaeto.com/

i actually have no idea what i want to put into the sump. from what i've seen at other pet shops, they usually have some live rock and some type of algae growing. Thats more than likely Cheato

going to stick that in my sump with live sand and maybe some live rock then!

the skimmer i was looking at was the one for sale by fishlover79. i think it's an external but from what i've been reading, an internal would be better right? Doesnt matter IMO. I have my external because I want more water volume and easier access to it.

i think i might actually do internal since i don't want to have to drill a hole in the sump and i've gotten a few price quotes on a reef octopus (around $300-$350) if anyone knows a better price for a protein skimmer that will work for my tank, let me know!!

my dad wants to keep big fish in the tank since it's such a big tank. he also wants to do some corals for coloration in the tank. and sure, i'd love to come take a look. when would be a good time? I am off of work Friday give me a call. Depends on what fish you want to keep. Make sure you find out if any fish you get is reef safe before you get them. Otherwise you will be wasting money on corals.

got your PM, will be calling hopefully tomorrow to come by and see your setup

[vinc]

I'll hopefully have some pictures of the tank and stuff i have up tonight, if not then I'll try to post them during class tomorrow afternoon

[rage]

450 g?
Hmm, it's going to cost. You'll need ~300-400 lbs of live rocks at the minimum. Where do you get your salt water? How do you plan on making water changes? Such a big tank ought to be pretty deep, deep tank requires lots of lighting to keep corals. You also need lots of water movement, 10, 20x the water volume.

[trbkrb]

That is a BIG tank for a first time SW tank! I have a 60gal with two sumps and I probably have over $1,500 into it including everything, tank, corals and fish, and it is all used stuff. Water changes will be a big cost too, 50 gal at a time will run you $15 or so on salt. Get a RO/DI filter for sure to filter your water if you don't have one, probably the best $150-200 you will spend. If you haven't already been, come on over to www.marshreef.com and look at some of the setups we have on there. Lots of helpful SW people over there.

[vinc]

450 g?
Hmm, it's going to cost. You'll need ~300-400 lbs of live rocks at the minimum. Where do you get your salt water? How do you plan on making water changes? Such a big tank ought to be pretty deep, deep tank requires lots of lighting to keep corals. You also need lots of water movement, 10, 20x the water volume.

yea, i know (about the live rock/sand). and about the salt water, i'm planning to mix the first batch myself. salt for about 300-350 gallons will cost around $100. don't think we're going to do corals yet so i can wait for the lighting. stuff's wayy to expensive. about the water movement, i think that maxi-jet 1200 should be enough in addition to the mag12 pump i'm using as a return pump. if anything, i'll get another maxi-jet 1200 after setting up.

That is a BIG tank for a first time SW tank! I have a 60gal with two sumps and I probably have over $1,500 into it including everything, tank, corals and fish, and it is all used stuff. Water changes will be a big cost too, 50 gal at a time will run you $15 or so on salt. Get a RO/DI filter for sure to filter your water if you don't have one, probably the best $150-200 you will spend. If you haven't already been, come on over to www.marshreef.com and look at some of the setups we have on there. Lots of helpful SW people over there.

yea, i know. it's gunna be a big first tank but doesn't seem like it'll be too bad. we've spent almost that much already and still not done setting up. about the RO/DI filter, is that really necessary? i've done some reading that says it's good to have one but would using regular tap water be ok as long as i check measurements? planning on having someone come over and do maintenance (including water changes) so that isn't too big of an issue right now

[vinc]

picture time!!

the tank:


bottom of the overflow with 4 holes drilled, 2 for drainage and 2 for return pipes:


empty CO2 tank in case we decide to have a calcium reactor:

[nightster]

1. Even with the mag 12 and both maxi jets that still wont be enough water movement IMO.
2. Ro/Di isnt a must for a fowlr, but Ro water is. I would stay away from tap, mainly BC of the algae it will cause. Now some people will come on here saying all they use is tap water. They are the Lucky 10% (if that high of a percentage) who's water district is awesome.
3. $1500 isnt even skimming the surface of the price it will cost to properly set up a saltwater tank of that size. IMO.