Please help me to build 40Gal salt water tank.

[hungvanvo]

My daughter birthday tomorrow and she ask me " Can she have some Nemo or cloud fish " what can I say accept I say yes. I promise her she will have by this Christmas .
I have 40gal tank ( main tank ) and 29 gal (Sump tank ) I am waiting for the drill bit so I can drill tank ( Over flow) Also I have Skimmer Terminator II just put together yesterday and 25Watt Lifegard UV. a set of CO2 tank and filter Tom Rapids Pro Series. This weekend, I will try build a stand first.
I read some information on the salt water tank and I confuse because it require to much stuff to run right a salt water tank. Calcium reactor Phosphate reactor and so on... Please help and explain to me what need these for and what else need to make a great tank for my daughter . Also I have 3 stage filter and I will buy the refill cartridge and I don't know what media I need in 3 stage. Thank so much for Advance. here is the skimmer I put together yesterday.
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[Roshan8768]

It depends on what kind of tank you are trying to do. A fish only tank with just live rock would be a lot easier to start out with. I have a 40 breeder, but it's a full blown reef tank with corals. If you want a reef tank, it is doable- you just need better lighting, more research, and more $. You probably don't need to have all the equipment you list. Good lighting, a reliable return pump, power heads, skimmer, heater, refractometer, test kits, and a high quality test kit is probably all you need to get started. The UV is probably not necessary unless you have some kind of parasite in your system.

[hungvanvo]

Thank you Roshan, I just want to build a tank with a lot coral flower and just few fish and shrimp. please advise me what kind light I need where I can have a good buy the same with the refractometer and test kits. please have some pic or small video clip of your completed setup running. Thank you so much.

[Roshan8768]

Bulk Reef Supply and Marine Depot are reputable online stores if you don't have a very good LFS. And you may still get some of the Black Friday pricing if you order soon. I've found the pricing to be the same or better than any LFSs in Houston for equipment

Lighting is probably the most expensive piece of equipment for a reef tank. You can probably find a used 4 bulb T5HO fixture for fairly cheap ($100). This option would allow you to keep pretty much any coral once you replace the stock bulbs with a higher quality brand like ATI or Giessmann. (This is what I have on my tank) Metal Halides will work, but they add a lot of heat and chew through a lot of electricity so I'd stay away from those. If you have some more cash lying around there are some new LED fixtures coming out. Probably the cheapest option that will work well for a 40 breeder at this point in time is a reef breeder's value fixture for $180 I think? This can be dimmed and the color temperature can be adjusted to your personal preference. - don't cheap out on LED lighting and buy an off brand led lighting without reading up on it first... it most likely is cheap for a good reason, it probably grows algae better than coral.

I have a build thread up on Nano reef- this is a great place to read up or check for some beginner information, great resource.

Here's a link to my thread where it shows where I started, what I used, where I went wrong, and where I am today. GL

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/322670-all-hob-40-breedernew-pics-1127/

[hungvanvo]

Thank you so much Roshan, What is LFS mean??

[topout24]

Lfs= local fish store. or from what ive experienced

[hungvanvo]

Thank Topout. What kind sand I need use ??? can I use this from Petsmart http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

If I use this sand and turn light long time it will turn brown is it ok ??
Thank you

[TheHighestCrew]

check out aquatraders.com for cheap LED out the box lighting. I just got an awesome 5 watt/each led for my 30 reef that is great bang for the buck. They are not radions or anything but for a cheap led with good shimmer and decent spectrum will work fine for a 40b. I would look at the 3 watt/each led lights they have.

dual row 3 watt each led reef 36" is about 150 roughly 3200 lumens
quad row 3 watt each led reef 36" is about 200 roughly 6400 lumens
quad row 5 watt each led reef 36" is about 250

I would personally go with the 5 watt quad but any of them will work. I would say the middle option would give you awesome light too. The cheapest one would work but look how much of an output jump you get for 50 more. As I said these are not radions but they have served me well in my salt ventures.

Start off with some good base rock, live sand, a few pieces of live rock, and a domino damsel for 3$. As the tank fully cycles and stabilizes you can start to add some corals. Go cheap start with like 5$ frags from city pets. This way you can get a hang of what you like without killing anything really expensive. As you feel more confident you can start to pick up more expensive and interesting corals.

be warned once you cross to the dark side there is no going back.

[hungvanvo]

check out aquatraders.com for cheap LED out the box lighting. I just got an awesome 5 watt/each led for my 30 reef that is great bang for the buck. They are not radions or anything but for a cheap led with good shimmer and decent spectrum will work fine for a 40b. I would look at the 3 watt/each led lights they have.

dual row 3 watt each led reef 36" is about 150 roughly 3200 lumens
quad row 3 watt each led reef 36" is about 200 roughly 6400 lumens
quad row 5 watt each led reef 36" is about 250

I would personally go with the 5 watt quad but any of them will work. I would say the middle option would give you awesome light too. The cheapest one would work but look how much of an output jump you get for 50 more. As I said these are not radions but they have served me well in my salt ventures.

Start off with some good base rock, live sand, a few pieces of live rock, and a domino damsel for 3$. As the tank fully cycles and stabilizes you can start to add some corals. Go cheap start with like 5$ frags from city pets. This way you can get a hang of what you like without killing anything really expensive. As you feel more confident you can start to pick up more expensive and interesting corals.

be warned once you cross to the dark side there is no going back.

Thank you so much for information. do I need buy live sand and where I buy them. no local store around my area only Petco & Petsmart. Also I go detail on the equipment and test kit what you use and where you buy please

[TheHighestCrew]

Good cheap refractometer for 25$
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ES6MOQ/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2KU5BPCT RSW5I

I personally really like the CaribSea special grade reef sand - Pink Fiji. You can buy a 20 pound bag of the live sand for about $25 locally. here is the description of it on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/CaribSea-Arag-Alive-20-Pound-Special-Grade/dp/B00025YVGC/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1385837623&sr=1-1&keywords=pink+fiji+sand

[hungvanvo]

Again thank you. I will place refracetometer today or tomorrow what else do I need ?? what kind test kit I need ? Please let me know. Please check it and do you think it will work?? please

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pack-EVO-36-LED-Aquarium-Light-Coral-Reef-FOWLR-Cichlid-3-Watts-48x-3W/110990350523?_trksid=p2046732.m2060&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D3073832472036306134%26pid%3D100040%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D110990350523%26

[TheHighestCrew]

yeah that is the smaller light just two of them. that will work if you like it, then you can adjust them front to back.

[Geral]

I dont think thats the best light for a reef

[Bedlamer]

Howdy,

I just read through the thread. The main points are….

Your daughter wants a Nemo for Xmas. You have promised her one.

You would also like to keep corals.

You are fairly handy if you are going to drill your own tank and build your stand.

You are pretty much a raw novice on salt water husbandry.

You are seeking knowledge from others—that will help you a lot.


Here are my suggestions to you.

Start off with a FOWLR tank. Much simpler, less expensive, less to worry about, less equipment needed. As your knowledge base grows, and your disposable income allows over time, gradually add equipment/fish/critters/corals to mould the tank to your idea of perfect. Keep reading up on saltwater stuff & keep asking questions as you go.

These 2 links will take you to a total of more than 200 marine tank information videos. All top quality information.

http://www.mrsaltwatertank.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/BulkReefSupplyCom/videos

They specifically have some videos on how to step by step set up a SW tank for beginners. In the aquarium hobby as a whole there are many different ways to skin a cat, and many different opinions on the best way to achieve something. If you get conflicting info (and you will) post up here on your thread for a few more opinions--lol

You are starting off with a sump and a protein skimmer, so that’s a decent start.

Until you get corals/anenomes etc. in the tank that require light, any old light that’s good enough to see your fish will do. Clown fish do not require an anemone. Anemones seem to do better in a well aged tank. A good quality reef light can be fairly pricey.

You don’t need a filter per se. Have your overflow dump in a filter sock at the entrance to your sump. You need a return pump on the other end. You will need at least one small circulation pump in the tank. You need a heater in the sump and a thermometer.

The amount of equipment you can add to a setup up is only limited by your pocket book. I would recommend that you budget Maybe $100.00 for a small, (10 gallons would do, if you have space 20 gallon long would be nice) basic quarantine tank setup right from the get go.

To start off you can just buy pre-mixed saltwater from your LFS. You can get the stuff to make your own later. Frequent water changes will keep your FOWLR water quality good, without having to get into dosing pumps, kalk reactors etc. etc. until later on if that’s what you want. Basically the more money and complexity of gear makes it easier in the long run by simplifying maintenance and manual testing. If you really get hooked on the hobby, in a couple of years you are likely to be thinking, hmmm, my daughter has a tank—now its time for daddy to get him a big *** tank with all the trimmings!

Here is the best resource I know for a list of good quality test kits. You will at least want to be able to test for salinity, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. LFS will usually test a water sample for free to minimal charge until you gradually pick up your own stuff.

http://www.mrsaltwatertank.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Test_Kit_Checklist.pdf

As you will need a rapid cycle to have a tank running by Xmas, here is my suggestion. Get some dead rock from BRS, and some plain old aragonite (dead) for a substrate. Get a bottle of Dr. Tim’s online for $14.99. Here is the guide to do it http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resour...shless-cycling

Don’t use a fish to supply the ammonia. Just use ammonia. Most people have their tank cycled in a week, usually less. To do it the old school way can take weeks to months. If you do it this way you will have zero pests in your tank. Pests can take all the fun out of it especially for beginners.

Just shoot for getting the one clown fish in by Xmas. You could also order up a little CUC (clean up crew). A CUC is an assortment of snails, crabs etc. that help eat up detritus, food missed by the fish etc. and add interest to the tank. There are a few places online you can phone them up, describe exactly what your set up is, and they will custom assemble a package for a fairly nominal cost and overnight them to your door. You can add living things once your nitrite level gets to zero.

Then get your quarantine set up going and gradually add a few more fish.

By reading this I’m sure I will cause you to have even more questions than I answered. Starting off in SW the more you learn, to more you realize you need to learn. I hope the replies you get here soften the learning curve for you, and help to get your daughter her Nemo for Xmas.

[hungvanvo]

Geral, please let me know what you have or what your suggest thank you .

I will drill the tank tomorrow for the overflow and return please wish my luck. Thank you for advance.

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