36 Gallon Corner or 24 Gallon Aquapod? Please Help!

texasfootball21 · 08-02-2007, 02:05 PM

Hello,
I am new to saltwater, very new. I have had a 36 gallon freshwater corner tank up and running for three years. I have always wanted some saltwater fish-keeping but have always been to afraid of the cost and difficulty to try it. Now i am ready to give it a try. My question is this, should i convert my 36 gallon or buy a new Aquapod 24 gallon tank (the cheaper one without the high quality lighting). My tank now has a Marineland Emperor 280 filtration system and some crappy fluorescent 15 W bulb. It also has a 100 W heater that hangs on the back. The glass on the 36 does not curve like a bowfront, so it isn't as nice looking as most. Sadly, I have little money to spend on the hobby. With the Aquapod i could buy the mini Skimmer and then I would be set, also I could fill it better with live rock and sand with my budget, and furthermore I could greatly benefit from it coming with decent lighting. But with that said I know nano-tanks can be very hard to keep. So once again, for a beginner, which is a better choice, converting the 36 gallon or buying the aquapod. Thanks in advance for your help

rroselavy · 08-02-2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texasfootball21

So once again, for a beginner, which is a better choice, converting the 36 gallon or buying the aquapod. Thanks in advance for your help

texasfootball-

I am a big fan of the all-in-one idea, but I have not seen one that people didn't want to modify after purchase. Some of the all-in-one designs cannot be modified effectively, which may make you frustrated months down the road.

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For example, I have been using a 24g JBJ Nanocube (Stock lighting: 72W total) + 2 powerheads as a FOWLR for over 14 months. It was pretty quiet with the lid closed, but had 3-4 degree temp swings each day. I could have added a ICA chiller, ran plumbing to an external $ chiller, propped open the top, or modify the fans to help keep it cool. I chose to prop the lid open, and cut a piece of egg crate to keep any jumpers in. Now my swings are around 1-2 degrees, but I have to add 2.5 cups of RODI water per day to keep up with evaporation, and have a lot of salt creep to clean.

I have since added a Remora HOB skimmer (bulky/noisy!), and replaced the sponge filters and bioballs with LR rubble, and replaced the factory pump with a Maxijet 1200.

More mods I am contemplating would be to lose the lid entirely and replace it with more powerful lighting (with moonlights). Also, to add a refugium - either in the center chamber, a HOB model, or one above the tanks.

The final mod would be to toss the 24G, or use it as a sump/refugium for a larger 30 or 40g display. I would like a tank with breeder dimensions if not longer.

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Also, I am not sure how suitable your 36g freshwater tank is for SW. It could have trace metals (ie.. copper) in the silicon or elsewhere that could leach into your SW later on.

You may be better served by purchasing an inexpensive 30 or 40G AGA tank and get a HOB filter/refugium and skimmer. That may give you more flexibility, but may not be as cheap as buying the $200 Aquapod model you mentioned.

-Scott

texasfootball21 · 08-02-2007, 05:03 PM

rroselavy,
Thank you for your comment, it is greatly appreciated. I like your idea of starting a 30 or 40 gallon tank. Can you tell me if my Marineland Emperor 280 Filtration system could be used if I did choose this option, or would I need to buy a new one? I like your idea but as I have stated, I don't have a lot of money to spend on aquariums, and as I'm sure everyone knows, aquarium-keeping can be a very expensive hobby. The reason the aquapod appeals to me is because it comes with almost everything I will need as far as equipment, and I really like the lighting system. How much do you think the 40 gallon you are proposing would cost me? A huge price difference from the aquapod? And also what would you suggest for a skimmer? I was looking at the CPR Bak-Pak 2. Thanks again for your help and all comments are welcome and will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for future comments.

**CarmieJo** · 08-02-2007, 06:07 PM

Hi Texas and

to TR!

I have both a 54 gallon corner and a NanoCube 24. It is an advantage to have the extra 50% water volume, especially for a first marine tank, but as Scott mentioned if you have ever treated it with copper you may have trouble getting the copper out of the seals.

Have you considered buying a used salt water set up? They are often available on aquarium club boards or craigslist. This would be a way to leverage your initial purchase funds into more and better equipment. I got a great deal on my 54, I paid $200 used for the tank, sump, return pump, skimmer, chiller and other misc equipment. This was probably $1500 -2000 worth of equipment. Even saving tons of money by buying used equipment this is not a cheap hobby. I have easily spent another $1000 on LR, sand, equipment, corals and fish. And, that doesn't include my Solaris light.

Many reefkeepers don't use a filtration system in the same sense that fresh water tanks are filtered. The LR and LS is our filtration system and we may add a skimmer. I have a skimmer on my big tank but not on my nano. A filtration system that uses bio balls is not good for marine tanks if you want to keep corals.

texasfootball21 · 08-02-2007, 06:17 PM

CarmieJo,
Thanks for your comment. I would love to find a good used aquarium. I often look at garage sales and check classifieds for them. I have never treated my tank with copper, but my father is the one who set it up for me so who knows. I am having some trouble finding aquarium groups in my area of Texas. Also I cannot drive and that greatly limits my options. I recently joined Maast.org and am looking at things for sale there, because it is located in the area. I do not live on a ground floor so I cannot have a tank too much bigger than my current tank. Thanks again for your advice, I think a used aquarium is a great option. Any other comments are welcome!

**CarmieJo** · 08-02-2007, 11:48 PM

Good luck. I looked for my nano for several months until I found one for sale at the price I wanted to pay.

texasfootball21 · 08-03-2007, 12:06 AM

Carmie Jo,
Thanks for your help

rroselavy · 08-03-2007, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texasfootball21

rroselavy,
Thank you for your comment, it is greatly appreciated. I like your idea of starting a 30 or 40 gallon tank.

I have only been doing SW for 14+ months, so take this with a grain of salt:

If I were to set up a tank all over again, I would get a AGA 40g Breeder tank 36"x18"x16" ($95), with a HOB Skimmer($140), HOB Refugium ($200 including light) and HOB powerfilter ($20). I would have a 4" DSB in the display ($20 Southdown-type Playsand), along with 40-44# of LR ($160). For lighting, I would at least get an Aquactinics TX5 Series 36" 5 lamp T5 fixture ($400 including brackets and bulbs).

So thats just over $1k!

Actually, I would probably get a rimless glass tank, a Solaris light fixture and have a custom in-tank refugium built for a total of $2k+, but that is _my_ problem... :-)

A great example of what one can do with a 40g setup can be found here.

Quote:

Can you tell me if my Marineland Emperor 280 Filtration system could be used if I did choose this option, or would I need to buy a new one?

I believe your Emperor 280 could be used for activated carbon (in a mesh bag), and possibly phosphate removal media (such as Phosban or PURA pads). I would throw out any sponge or other bio/mechanical nonsense in there. Change out the carbon and pads on a frequent basis.

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Quote:

The reason the aquapod appeals to me is because it comes with almost everything I will need as far as equipment, and I really like the lighting system.

The stock lighting (32W daylight + 32W Actinic) is fine for FOWLR setups or low-light corals, but nothing else. You may get frustrated with it if you wish to care for any medium to high-light corals or clams. I would definitely spend the extra $100 to get the open top 150W HQI version of the Aquapod. This money would be well spent if I later wanted corals or clams that demanded more light.

I would be careful to research the range of organisms you might wish to keep in your tank, and purchase a setup that satisfies that range so you don't have to spend even more $ down the road modifying or replacing your setup.

If you haven't already, search various tank threads in forums and see what mods people are doing to their nanos. Some are easy and great, others are more difficult and merely reveal the limitations of the tank design.

Quote:

And also what would you suggest for a skimmer? I was looking at the CPR Bak-Pak 2.

The Bak-Pak, Remora, and Tunze Nano skimmers may satisfy you quite well. Sapphire Skimmers are designed to fit within the back compartment of a Aquapod with the lid closed, which may be more desirable than a HOB skimmer.

Lastly, some people have turned their middle chamber of the 24g JBJ Nanocube into a mini-refugium. I am not sure how feasible this is in a Aquapod, but I would definitely recommend a DSB and some form of Macroalgae to help you reduce nitrates.

-Scott

texasfootball21 · 08-03-2007, 11:06 AM

rroselavy,
Thanks again for your help.
I like your idea with the 40 gallon breeder except for one thing, the 1K part. As I have stated I am on a serious budget, and I know that is a serious problem in this hobby.

Thanks for your advice on the filter.

I think your are right when you said it is better to buy the aquapod with better lighting. For know I want FOWLR and possibly a few corals that are relatively easy to care for, but later on down the road, who knows.

Thanks also for the input on skimmers and peoples modifications to nanos, I will look into them.

Also, I put a post out on maast.org looking for a 29-55 gallon tank with stand and accessories and am looking for some for sale. I used this web site because it is in my area. I think a used tank is a good option for me, as CarmieJo stated because of my lack of money. Do you have any input on this?

Thanks for your comments and all other comments are welcome and appreciated.

**CarmieJo** · 08-03-2007, 08:21 PM

Does the nearest big city have a craigslist? There are always aquariums like this heavily overstocked one 42 Gallon Oceanic Saltwater Aquarium w/ Fish on ours.

If I decide to get a skimmer for my nano I will definitely go for a Sapphire. They are well made, have great customer service and are a supporter of ProjectDIBS.