September 4, 200719 yr comment_181269 Right i have decided to get going on a marine tank My native tank just looks crap so out come the plants in a few weeks What i have: 220L tank 2 metal halide fittings and lots of different k ratings in bulbs. What k should i use? 20,000k for a nice blue? What i need: Skimmer- was thinking of a red octopus one Build a sump- use a plastic container? Return pump Coral for a base Make over flow Make lid for tank Get a few hundred L of water from the sea to help cycle tank Water filter- what to look for and how much will they set me back? Heater Saltwater test kit Power heads Dam it all adds up Im planing on going sandless and doing a lot of corals Prob missed a few items Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181270 You'll be wanting about 20kg of coral rock - approx 12+ KG Definately want a sump. 100L fishbin from the warehouse would do quite well, just brace it a bit first, they are about $25 from memory, Return pump, check your PMs Filter is part of the sump, use filter wool, and change it weekly. Power heads - expensive lol AND YES IT ADDS UP. My 3 foot tank, which is around 200L has cost me approx 1700, and I still don't have the skimmer running......... (DOH!) Report
September 5, 200719 yr Author comment_181272 You'll be wanting about 20kg of coral rock - approx 12+ KG Definately want a sump. 100L fishbin from the warehouse would do quite well, just brace it a bit first, they are about $25 from memory, Return pump, check your PMs Filter is part of the sump, use filter wool, and change it weekly. Power heads - expensive lol AND YES IT ADDS UP. My 3 foot tank, which is around 200L has cost me approx 1700, and I still don't have the skimmer running......... (DOH!) I can get cheap marine products such as power heads, skimmer and bulbs What sort of l/h return pump and power heads do i need? Dont think a fish bin would get in my stand's doors. May have to use two smaller bins and join them I was think about a REEF OCTOPUS DNW-200-6540 SKIMMER needle wheel Size: (mm) 800x770 Foot print: 540x230 Air intake: 600 l/h Pump power: OTP-3000 65W Max size of tank: 1500L Place for installation: Exterior doh i dont think my stand is going to fit that in. Anyone want a brand new 220L tank and stand? Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181275 Have you considered just buying a red Sea Max tank instead? When you consider the cost of the individual components they aren't too bad value, and seem to be OK for most corals. Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181276 Hi HaNs, I have never set up a marine tank so havent done this for myself but on a thread some where I saw a chap who used plastic pipe and plastic mesh from a fluoro light to bulid little shelves which he stacked his rock on and around. This ment he could hide circulating and tidal pumps behind the rock to give it good water flow and also meant there was less weight in the tank with a good amount of rock. Also less water diplaced for the "look" on a heap of rock. I guess it depends on Fish or Coral tank. HTH Navarre Report
September 5, 200719 yr Author comment_181285 Hi HaNs, I have never set up a marine tank so havent done this for myself but on a thread some where I saw a chap who used plastic pipe and plastic mesh from a fluoro light to bulid little shelves which he stacked his rock on and around. This ment he could hide circulating and tidal pumps behind the rock to give it good water flow and also meant there was less weight in the tank with a good amount of rock. Also less water diplaced for the "look" on a heap of rock. I guess it depends on Fish or Coral tank. HTH Navarre Fish and corals Yeh iv seen a idea like this in the Rotorua pet store They have a plastic mesh sort of thing, ill try and get some pics tHEcONCH: what are the tanks worth? Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181288 I paid $1750 with a stand and starter kit including sand, test kits, salt, etc. - its a bit of money to drop in one lump, but you get everything you need and the components seem quite well matched. I think you can buy them without the stand too, which might save you a few bucks. Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181302 What i need: Skimmer- was thinking of a red octopus one Build a sump- use a plastic container? Return pump Coral for a base Make over flow Make lid for tank Get a few hundred L of water from the sea to help cycle tank Water filter- what to look for and how much will they set me back? Heater Saltwater test kit Power heads You can use a plastic container just make sure it's a good strong one. Best plan is to get your skimmer first, then make sure you set up the sump to accomodate it, plus a bit of spare room you may wish to add more equipment in the future, it's good to have the room if you do. Nearly all sumps are glass or perspex but i used a plastic tub on my propagation set up it was fine. If your skimmer is a type that releases bubbles into the sump, you may wish to fit some baffles between the skimmer and the return pump to prevent bubbles getting pumped back to the main tank, in this case a glass sump is good as glass baffles are easy to silicone in. Return pump, any pump that has enough pressure rating to get the required turnover of water back up to the main tank. Coral for base, you mean rock? If so, get about a kilo of coral rock to each 10 litres of water in the main tank. Read up about curing rock. This will supply the filtration for the tank. Don't put a lid on the tank. Few marine tanks have one because of heat issues plus to get gas exchange at the water surface. Water filter, don't need one in a marine tank, this job is done by the coral rock (liverock), and the skimmer. In fact, cannisters, hang on filters and similar have a harmful effect on a marine tank, save the money it would have cost and put it into a quality skimmer. Test kits, if you plan on growing hard corals you should get a calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium kit. If you want to monitor the cycle you need ammonia and nitrite. For ongoing monitoring you need a nitrate kit, plus you need a way to measure salinity, which in a tropical marine tank should be around 1.025. Don't get a swing arm hydrometer they are unreliable, get a sinking hydrometer or best of all a refractometer. Powerheads, the best thing for a marine tank is some tunze streams, or nano streams. they make heaps of flow and clip to the side of the tank with a magnet, never fall off. K rating of halides, 14,000k is a good balance of useable light for the corals, while looking good for us to look at. As per Conch, all this can add up, a Red Sea Max can be a cheap option, just depends how big you want to go. Report
September 5, 200719 yr Author comment_181307 I was not talking about canister filters. I was talking about the "other" ones(cant remember their names) as i dont haver access to salt water One major set back is that my base is low and doors are small=cant get a sump and skimmer in Not keen on making a new base. May sell it and make a new one. FFS Who deals in Red Sea tanks? Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181311 You mean RODI? A 4 stage RODI will set you back roughly $350-400 Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181312 Oh a RODI filter, yes, you go. One of the essential investments, plus hold their value well if you ever want to sell. Report
September 5, 200719 yr Author comment_181351 Weipro skimmers? Good or rubbish? (Edit Alan, You know better that that HaNs :evil:) With skimmers. Do i pump water into them with my return pump or what? Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181378 Weirpro is regarded as cheaper end. Except for ultra cheapo skimmers, most of them come nowadays with their own pump. For the needlewheel ones, you just put them in place, some of them have to be primed with some water, and turn them on. Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181380 Rubbish... depends what skimmer. Some have a pump attached to circulate the water within the skimmer and are fed water from the tank overflow (direct from display tank) while some have a pump in the sump which pumps water into the sump Report
September 5, 200719 yr Author comment_181387 Yeh i was thinking they would be shit Who makes a skimmer under 400mm high? anyone? lol If noone does either ill have to put this project on hold or sell/rebuild tank/stand Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181389 Is the tank going to be in a lounge? if its somewhere else then do you mind having the sump on the ground? how tall is the red sea berlin turbo? Another option may be the Aquamedic T1000 or Shorty- I dunno check out the sizes. otherwise go for a hang on mce600 by deltec or similar Report
September 5, 200719 yr comment_181390 You have a couple of options at least, there is a Deltec 500 or 600 which i THINK might fit although I'll measure mine when I get home & double check. Or alternatively a Reef Octopus is taller but can run outside the sump, you can put it behind or beside the tank stand, connected to the sump with pipe. Report
September 5, 200719 yr Author comment_181419 To be honest id rather sell the tank a base as a working tank with the filter and make up a frame that everything fits in with a massive sump and get a tank built again It hasnt cost me much, just need to convince to old man to help me build a lid for this one and help me build a new one :roll: Give me a few days lol Got a 1.3 x .5 x .5 freshwater to build a base and lid for :roll: May start a frame for the big freshwater in the morn Iv got some thinking to do I could put it in the living room....but still new tank would be easier long term Im not going to get a red sea tank i have decided Think ill start with a over sized RO filter and wait for a deltec. Where are deltec made? Report
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