God I hope this is in the right place, and isn't too pathetic. (first post, salt tank n00b, forum n00b and impatient due to circumstances)
I feel the need to ask a single question about my tank. I (now) know most of my setup is soon going to be useless, as far as my future plans go. But my only current unknown is the 2' undergravel filter in my 4' 90G tank, lift tubes are off and
it's under 2.5" of calcium carbonate substrate. I was told by more than one LFS attendant this could be used as a fuge.
I'm currently about to peak the ammonia stage of cycling and wondering if I am better off getting rid of it right now to cause least impact in the long run? Rather not cause myself any more problems/questions than I have to, and I can't seem to find a yes/no for this question. (my BS meter is still uncalibrated)
Long term plans are reef tank. Big plans, little clue. I can't wait.
4' x 18" x 24", Sacem Marathon 1500 CF (I know...), Jebo 180 Skimmer w/1500lph powerhead, 2300lph Tota power head, 2x Fluros 1 white 1 coralstar.
Thanks for the site/podcast, Rob, you da man Thanks to the members for being 'The Community'
first of all welcome to our corner of the universe Thadius
glad u could join us!
second, where in brisbane are u from, i was born there?
3rd that ug filter plate could cause problems latter in marine, definatly dont activate it if u can help it, but im kinda thinking towards stagnent spots under the plate itself and on top of that the health of any of the burrowing animals, im not really the person to give advice on the substrate questions, we have experts here that can help u though.
4th that jebo 180, i have one of these units in the collection, they are great little units,really work the treat. but a few proplems with them. they are designed for hang-on functions. u can get around that by putting the whole unit in the sump with a cut to size cross member to support it. they are venturi, so a couple of things here. loud running to the max,the air is drawn into the prop housing and then plumbed into the vortex chamber. sound proofing the area is a good idea! one thing i do like about hearing the unit is that u know when you water/air ratio is not quite right! also because they are a venturi unit with a slide output, they produce alot of bubbles that need trapping. and lastly, drill a hole into the collection cup about 3/4 the way up and add a decent waste tube leading to good sized vessile, because sometimes the ratios can stuff up, and the water is going to keep overflowing within the collection cup.
5th, be aware of the min lighting needs for the animals u plan to keep ok buddy!
if i was any help thats all good, if not as i said earler others here will be able to answer your questions. good hunting!
the UG filter you have is goign to put you in whats called a plenum style system. however, plenums are usually build to be a bit larger. there are mixed reviews on them. some peopel haev been very successful with them, i persoanlly do not use them. i would research plenum filtration, or remove the UG filter all together.
Thanks for the replies guys, my question is answered and more
I'm from the bayside/redlands area, veriann. (500m from the coastline)
I'm in a catch 22 kind of situation with my newfound hobby, I need it as a distraction, I don't have the money to buy/make the stuff I know my planned tank will need, but it's going to cost me 3x as much in the long run if I don't.
Once i've got a few more fish, some live rock and a bit more knowhow I'll probably take the plunge on a double retro MH setup and make and plumb in my own ~40G sump. (that could be up to 18 months away with my current debts)
Thanks again guys, glad to be apart of this great group of people.
Thadius, welcome to the Talking Reef. As for your financial issues don't think of this as a terrible setback but rather view it as an opportunity to allow you time to properly plan for your aquarium setup as well as inhabitants. The best things to have in this hobby other then a large wallet or deep pockets is patience... which in my opinion is weighs heavier and will provide you more success in the long run!
Welcome Thadius to our little Talking Reef community! Glad you jumped in! :-)
Have you listened to the podcasts yet? HOpefully they'll help you with some of your questions and save you from making mistakes that will end up costing you a lot of money.
Go slow...be patient....and research every step along the way.
If you can work with acrylic, then you should be able to DIY a lot of stuff on your own - and much cheaper. We've got several great DIYers on the forum, so post your questions! Also, depending on what kind of setup you want to go with (not sure if you're planning on corals or just fish), but you might be okay with just T5 lighting, which is a bit more efficient and energy-saving.
Welcome to TR. It's good to have you aboard. Right now I am running my tank with 20 w or regular fluorescent lights and 18 w PC fluorescents. I'm looking to upgrade my lights so I can keep a BTA to go with my maroon clown (yes I know he may or may not host) and some softies. I think the big thing is when you are on a tight budget is to not get ahead of yourself. Like not buying the anemone until I have the appropriate lights.
The recent passing of my father was my main reason to get myself a hobby, especially one that created and sustained life. So I really did rush into it with only perhaps two weeks of research and the reading of a 10 year old saltwater aquarium book. I'm quite happy now to settle right down buying things my tank will soon grow out of (34w fluros/canister filter/undergravel filter) but they have let me get my tank wet and cycling so they did serve a purpose.
As for the podcasts, they're amazing! I found them almost a week back now and have listened all the way up to ep36 so far. They've brought me more info and ideas than browsing a handful of forums and reading a book ten fold. Great work Rob and the TR community, the podcasts are a godsent.
I'm a worker in a medical manufacturing facility. I'm also a fitter and turner (machinist) with access to CNC machines of all types and a whole room full of other cool stuff like 10,000lph RO/DI units. So I've no doubt all you DIY folks out there will be hearing from me soon
Thanks again for the warm welcome everyone, aswell as all the very helpful info and tips.
im sorry to hear about your father, my condolances!
on the subject of your equiptment, a couple of questions if u please.
....>is your intention only the have a live rock reef fish only tank, no corals?
did you buy these pieces of equiptmant from the LFS recently and you had explained what u were hoping to achieve with your marine tank?
Because the equiptment list im sorry to say buddy, sounds more towards fresh water keeping than marine. and if u told the LFS your plans and they still sold u these items, i would suggest finding another store as of yesterday.
i know where u are, but im not up to date with the stores up there anymore.
but if your answer is yes to the last question above, and u do find another store. i would start looking at how nice , how big , and how many instore display tanks they own. the more they have, the more passionate they are for the hobby. and the less likely they are to give u wrong advice.
have a look, ask what something is, or what something is used for, come online, have a search, or ask in the forums, once your up to speed ur not going to be a sucker when u buy.
I basically bought all my gear after two weeks of research. Basing my list of things I took to the LFS, on a book " The Saltwater Aquarium Handbook by George Blasiola" I now know this book is 10 years old and all it told me was, now, basically useless.
As for the LFS, I got my tank from one, and all my 'running gear' from another. I did walk in to buy all the 'running gear' with a list I'd compiled of my own accord, but I also told them my long term intentions. Guy there sold me the Sacem Marathon 1500 Canister Filter and said I should put bioballs in a filter bag, fill it up so it takes up 3/4 of the space of my CF and place 2" of foam ontop of it (I've still got no idea why he said that, there are no other places I can seem to find even mention such a setup (So probably BS). That LFS is now a 45 minute drive away and my new LFS seems much better as far as advice and salespeople.
I now feel quite happy with the equipment I need to get for the tank I'm planning.
(Reef tank. Plenty of whatever I can get my hands on I won't kill or mame too easily) I've been doing plenty of research on sumps/fuges, SSB/DSB filtering and other such things. I've even gone so far as to research how I could develop my own Peltier cooling system, as I have access to medical grade 316 stainless steel tubing (which won't rust and has *reasonable heat transfer properties) cheap peltier elements and enough skills with both manufacturing and electronics to do so. Though price wise, and efficency wise, I'm seemigly better off with compressor based cooling. But that's kind of off topic.
Good to see another Aussie interested in marine aquariums too, veriann. Despite the fact we've got the Great Barrier Reef close enough to go for a swim in, there doesn't seem to be too many of us.
GBR is still a couple hour straight drive my friend, under an hour by plane though.
but i get your point . because its in our back yard maybe its easer and cheaper to see it in person .lol
a note to keep in mind if u dont know it already, try to source what metals wont react with SW and the conductivity thats prevelant.
but do share ok, im interested in what u can create
Thanks to the members for being 'The Community'
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