Starting a new reef tank? (FAQ for you!)

[chimera]

This is a copy/paste of a list of information from another forum about the basic's of starting up a marine tank. It is from an american forum so maybe slightly USA-biased. However, in general I found it to be quite a good overview so anyone looking at starting, have a read of this to give you some ideas on what you'll be needing...

Intro:

This is a short bit of information that will hopefully address many of the frequently asked questions about Saltwater aquariums.

Books:

It is highly recommended that you do a lot of research before you even purchase the first piece of equipment for your saltwater aquarium. The following are some great books.

The New Marine Aquarium By: Michael S. Paletta

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist By: Robert M. Fenner

Reef Invertebrates By: Anthony Calfo

And anything written by Eric H. Borneman

Abbreviations: (most commonly used)

Cyano = Cyanobacteria, red slime

DI = Deionized or Deionisation

DIY = Do it yourself

DSB = Deep Sand Bed

FO = Fish Only

FOWLR = Fish Only with Live Rock

FW = Freshwater

GPH = Gallons Per Hour

Kalk = Kalkwasser, calcium hydroxide, limewater

LPS = large polyp stoney coral

LR = Live Rock

LS = Live sand

NSW = Natural Sea Water

RO = Reverse Osmosis

SPS = Small Polyp stoney coral

SG = specific gravity

SW = Saltwater

Water:

For top-off and for mixing new saltwater use an RO/DI unit, at a minimum an RO unit.

RO = reverse osmosis

DI = deionization

Tap water will just cause diatom, algae, and red slime algae outbreaks.

Tap water also contains metals, nutrients and the worst thing, phosphates.

With an RO or RO/DI unit there is no need to add dechlorinator before use.

RO water is OK for human consumption too.

RO/DI is not recommended for human consumption.

So your RO unit could also be used to provide pure water to be used in cooking, drinking, etc.

Synthetic salt mix:

Get a good salt mix and stick with it.

Do not constantly switch salt mixes, as they are really not all the same. Some have more trace elements than others. Some will mix to a higher pH than others.

These variations are not good for your fish and especially not good for your corals. Just by switching salt mixes you can cause bleaching and coral death.

The most common and widely used salt mix on the market today is Instant Ocean made by Aquarium Systems.

Oceanic has recently came out with their own salt mix, so far, it seems to be a superior product to Instant Ocean.

Natural Sea Water:

In some states you can purchase filtered Natural sea water. Or you could collect it yourself. It is recommended you go a few miles off shore to collect. This is done to get away from run-off pollutants.

Substrate:

· Crushed Coral:

Can be used but it will trap detritus, allow it to decompose and foul your water. Using a thick layer of this will only compound the problem. It is highly recommended not to use crushed coral.

· Fine sand or fine Aragonite:

The depth is up to you, but be prepared to take care of your sand bed as if it was a living creature if you plan on going 3"-4" or more. Sand beds 3"-4" and over are considered deep sand beds (DSB) and can act as biological filtration. Fine sand will pack down tightly with the weight of water on top of it. The first 1" of sand will be full of life to sift the sand and break down left over food and waste. The deeper layers are anaerobic and aid in de-nitrification.

A sand bed of 3"-4"" or more will require to be inoculated with a varied host of tiny creatures to sift it and keep it from becoming a "big pile of sewage waste", which over time will start releasing toxins, phosphates, nitrates, and metals back into the water column.

From time to time you will need to replenish these creatures that take care of your deep sand bed.

Unfortunately no one knows exactly how much life and exactly what types of worms and critters you need to have in your sand bed. These DSB critters can and will be eaten by other tank occupants so a careful eye must be used to make sure the DSB is always working.

Purchasing live sand or getting it from an established tank will help get your sand bed started. Only the top 1" of sand is what you want, any deeper and you are just putting the toxins from the anaerobic part of the DSB in your tank.

· Alternative to using a deep sand bed (DSB):

Use a ½" layer of fine sand. The Este’s reef sand is very white and fine. It is not live sand, but if you purchase this sand before you put in your live rock, the live rock will seed the sand with critters and it will become live, whether you want it to or not. There are other fine sands and the Este’s was just used as an example because it is known not to cloud the water.

· If you go with a thin layer of sand:

Stir the sand weekly when you do your water change, and/or lightly vacuum it.

Over the course of time you may have to add a little sand back to the tank due to siphoning. The Este’s reef sand will sink almost immediately, with only a few floating pieces that can be scooped up with a net.

· Bare Bottom:

Pretty much what it says, no substrate.

Over time the bottom will become encrusted with coralline algae, tube worms, maybe even corals, and you wont see the glass. To protect the glass a high density polyethylene board could be used on the bottom of the tank. The whole idea behind bare bottom is to remove detritus and waste instead of leaving it for the DSB to take care of.

Biological Filtration:

· Live rock:

If you are setting up a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) or REEF tank, live rock should be your choice of main biological filtration.

Not all rock is the same.

Tonga branch is very dense and heavy, which you don’t want. A few branches for aquascaping purposes is OK.

Fiji and Vanuatu is very lightweight and very porous, which is good, it will hold a lot of good bacteria.

Aquacultured rock can vary.

www.Tampabaysaltwater.com/ has great aquacultured live rock.

www.drmaccorals.com/ has transshipped and aquacultured live rock.

Then there is cured and un-cured.

Un-cured rock is rock that is fresh out of the ocean, and by the time it gets to you, it is full of dead sponges, seaweed, un-wanted critters as well as good things you want to keep. Before placing this rock in your tank, you will need to remove all of the dead items from it.

Some people cure this rock in trash cans outside, because the smell can be pretty strong.

There are some benefits to using un-cured rock. It is cheaper, and the diversity of life that can survive the curing will be much greater than that of cured rock.

Cured rock is ready to use out of the box. There will be some die off especially if the rock has sponges on it. These rocks are already cleaned of unwanted inhabitants. Naturally this rock is more expensive.

The amount of rock to put in the tank is up to you but 1 to 2 pounds per gallon is a general guideline. The pounds can really vary depending on the type of rock used.

· Wet-dry with bio-balls:

The use of a wet-dry filter is pretty outdated, but if used along with a large refugium and large water changes this method will suffice for a FO (fish only) tank.

· Refugium:

The refugium is another means of biological filtration. A refugium will not work well by itself for tanks over 20g in size, but is great when used in addition to other filtration methods.

A Refugium is a lighted tank that holds small pieces of rock, live sand, and marine plants, mainly Caulerpa species and/or Chaetomorpha linum. As these plants grow they take up nutrients from the water column. Harvesting the plant when it grows excessively is called "nutrient export". The plant is then allowed to grow more, and the process repeats itself. There really isn’t a size chart that corresponds a refugium tank size for a given display tank size.

Mechanical Filtration:

· Protein skimmer:

A protein skimmer removes biological waste before it can decompose.

The skimmers that are designed for in sump use perform the best. I believe it has to do with their height and cylindrical shape.

Hang-on skimmers are available also.

For in-sump use, the Euro-Reef brand is an excellent choice.

www.Euro-reef.com This skimmer was originally designed and manufactured in Germany only. It is now manufactured and sold in the U.S. as well.

For hang-on use, the AquaC Remora is an excellent choice.

Skimmers do remove some trace elements that are needed in the water column. These elements are replenished though, when you do your water change. This is another reason why water changes are important.

· Filter pads:

Do not use filter pads or filter socks unless you plan to clean them weekly, twice weekly would be better for a heavily stocked tank.

· Hang-on filters and canisters:

They really don’t have a place in a Saltwater aquarium that utilizes live rock for biological filtration, except to provide waterflow. They can also be used to hold media bags of activated carbon or a phosphate sponge.

Chemical Filtration:

· Activated Carbon:

Activated carbon is optional. The argument to use it and why not to use it is lengthy. Carbon can remove compounds from the water column that you need. Carbon even has the ability to remove a small amount of calcium from the water column, but if you have corals you will most likely be dosing some type of calcium anyway.

Alot of corals can release toxins, they use their toxicity to keep other corals from invading their territory. Nudibranches, flat worms and sea cucumbers leach toxins when they die. Activated Carbon can remove these toxins.

High quality Activated Carbon will not leach things back into your tank. Make sure you purchase phosphate free activated carbon.

Black Diamond made by marineland and Granular activated carbon made by E.S.V. are great choices.

· Phosphate sponge:

If you cannot control your phosphates there are phosphate sponges that can help. Currently Salifert, a company in Holland, is the only one you should use. All other manufactures of phosphate sponges use a heavy metal to absorb the phosphate. This is something you definitely don’t want in your tank.

Other manufactures have realized this and are taking steps to develop a new sponge. I would just stick with Salifert brand.

Lighting:

The "watts per gallon" rule is outdated and should not be used.

Your lighting needs should be determined based on what type of fish and/or coral you plan to keep and the depth of the water column in your tank.

Live rock does not need special lighting, normal output florescent bulbs are fine.

For a FO or FOWLR tank, any type of lighting is suitable.

For Corals, it depends on what you plan to keep.

SPS and LPS require more intense lighting than soft corals.

General rule for lighting types based on coral types.

Power compact lighting = low light corals such as soft corals, and some LPS.

Metal halide lighting = LPS and SPS corals, soft corals will also thrive under this lighting if acclimated to it.

There are other forms of lighting such as VHO and T-5. VHO (Very High Output) lighting is "old technology". T-5 is very new technology. T-5’s do not have the intensity to keep LPS or SPS corals. They are very energy efficient though, but initial set-up is more costly than power compacts.

Since metal halide lighting is so intense, it creates a lot of heat. Sometimes a chiller is required to control water temperature.

· Wattages:

Metal Halide:

For tanks keeping SPS and/or LPS corals that are up to 14" in height, a 150w SE (single end) bulb can be used.

For tanks 16" to 22" in height, a 250w SE bulb should be used.

For tanks 22" up to 30", a 400w SE bulb should be used.

These wattages can be exceeded if desired.

There has been a few studies that have indicated that a 250w double ended MH bulb gives off as much par as some 400w SE bulbs.

Metal halide bulbs effectively light an area 2 feet x 2 feet.

A single MH bulb can be used on a 3ft tank, but the ends of the tank will have a lower light concentration. This may work well if you plan to keep some low light as well as high light corals.

Power compact:

The wattage of standard power compact bulbs increase as their length increases.

There is a "quad" power compact bulb that does don’t follow this rule. This bulb is only useful in certain conditions since it is only 18" long.

Some of the most common sizes used is the 24" 55/65 watt bulb and the 36" 96watt bulb.

55 and 65 watt bulbs use the same ballast and are interchangeable.

Different manufactures use one of the two common pin arrangements. 4 Pin straight or 4 pin square.

The length and width of your tank will dictate how many, and what wattage bulbs can be used. There are retro-fit kits that can be installed in a canopy and "plug and play" fixtures.

The best advice is to pick the highest wattage, along with the most amount of bulbs that can fit onto your tank.

· Bulb replacement:

Metal halide bulbs should be replaced every 12 to 18 months.

Some bulbs that are being overdriven should be replaced at no more than every 9 months.

An common example of "overdriving" is running a 20,000k Radium bulb on an HQI ballast.

This scenario is done on purpose as the Radium bulb is manufactured for German use.

Power compact bulbs should be replaced every 6 months to 1 year. The manufactures of PC bulbs recommend a much more lengthy replacement period. PC bulbs start loosing their intensity at the 6 month mark, if not sooner. The length of your photoperoid will affect bulb longevity.

· Photoperiod:

Photoperiod really does not matter for a FO or FOWLR.

For a reef tank, the following example is commonly used:

Actinic light(s) come on.

After 1 hour, Metal Halide or Daylight Power compact comes on.

If multiple MH or Daylight PC bulbs are used, stagger the starting of these bulbs by 30-60 minutes.

After 10-12 hours Metal Halide or Daylight powercompact goes off.

One hour after Metal Halide or Daylight powercompact goes off, the actinic bulb(s) turn off.

LED Moonlight on during times lights are off. (if applicable)

As you can see a dawn to dusk affect is being achieved.

· Kelvin ratings:

The kelvin ratings are ratings that are given to a bulb to indicate the temperature rating.

These Kelvin ratings can also be used to describe what color of light it produces.

6500K = the approximate color of sunlight, very yellow.

10,000K = very white.

14,000K = somewhat violet.

20,000k = very blue.

The colors can drastically vary between manufactures.

For a reef tank, 10,000K and 20,000K bulbs with actinic supplements are most commonly used.

Any color is suitable for a FO or FOWLR tank.

Basic water parameters:

The following are water parameters that you need to keep your tank water at.

Temperature: 78 to 82 degrees.

Salinity: 1.023 - 1.026 specific gravity or 35 ppt (parts per thousand)

Calcium: 400-440 ppm (parts per million)

Alkalinity: 2.9 meq/L or 8dKH

pH: 8.0 to 8.3

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 0 to 5ppm

Phosphate: 0

Strontium: 8 ppm

Magnesium: 1300 ppm

Iodine: .06 ppm

Tanks:

Acrylic or glass is a personal decision and they both have their pros, and cons.

The one advantage that acrylic has over glass is the ease in which holes can be drilled into it for use on a closed loop. A closed loop is a loop of plumbing that is connected to a pumps suction and discharge. When keeping SPS corals flow is very important an a closed loop is commonly used to provide extra flow in lieu of using powerheads.

Whether you choose glass or acrylic, a tank that is manufactured with an overflow would be a good choice. This gives you a three fold advantage. First, it will allow the use of a sump. By using a sump this will give you a place to put equipment that would normally be hanging in or on the tank. Second, it promotes good gas exchange at the surface of the water by skimming off the "oil slick" that floats at the top. Third, this allows better light penetration since it is not being diffused by the "oil slick". A tank with a larger foot print is always the best when considering a tank for a reef. A 30g breeder tank would be much better than a 30g standard.

The standard is only 12" wide, which makes it difficult to aquascape. The 30g breeder is wider and shorter than the standard tank which allows more light intensity to reach the bottom of the tank, and will be much easier to aquascape.

Maintenance:

Testing your water is very important. Even though your water may be crystal clear, it may have some serious issues that need to be corrected. For a reef tank weekly testing of at least Nitrate, Calcium, and Alkalinity should be performed. An Electronic pH monitor should be used to monitor pH. A refractometer should be used in lieu of a hydrometer to check the salinity of the water. Weekly water changes between 7 and 10% should be performed.

An auto-top off system should be in place to replace water lost due to evaporation. This system will keep the salinity constant. Salinity swings can be detrimental to corals, and can stress fish.

The Key to success:

Patience and planning are the two things that are extremely important.

The successful aquarium is one that is planned out in regards to what species of fish and/or coral are going to be kept. This way the appropriate habitat can be provided. With some species of fish, the choice of substrate is critical. Research should be done for any and all tank occupants you wish to have. Building a beautiful reef tank takes time. New reef setups can take months to complete the "break in" period, and start maturing.

[reef]

good stuff .

Hopefully the aquaculture pricing is in nz dollars not us dollars. that is expensive.

[reef]

t-5’s do not have the intensity to keep LPS or SPS corals. They are very energy efficient though, but initial set-up is more costly than power compacts.

Thats incorrect, i have easy kept acropora under t5s and found that some hard coral did much better under t5s than metal halide.