Godly3vil Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 Hey guys I am starting to plan turning my 130ltr tank into a small marine tank and was wanting to know a few things about lighting and filtration etc. 1. How much l/r and l/s would I have to use to go without running a sump or filter? How much should I be using anyway? 2. I have access to buying another eheim 2227 which is a wet/dry filter that is supposedly a good choice on a marine tank because of its pulsating wave type output, would this be a better idea than running a sump taking in mind I would have to drill the tank to run a sump? 3. What size hob skimmer would I need to use for a tank this size? 4. Ideally I would like to have some nice colourful corals and anemone, how powerful would the lighting need to be for these? Should I go led, mh or T5HO? 5. Main livestock will be a pair of clowns, what type of clowns would be suitable for a tank this size and what are some other livestock that would be suitable to go with the clowns? 6. What sort of clean up crew should I be looking at getting that will work with the corals and fish? There is more I want to ask but I think that is enough for now as this is still in the brainstorming stage, best part is my girlfriend is actually quite happy at the prospect of having a marine and 6th tank running as long as it has clowns and corals which suits me fine. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted February 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 Your welcome to come see my 130ltr any time for ideas and to pick my brain for what I have learnt so far. The 800ltr tank is also in progress now. I just gotta sort out plumbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 I might be able to answer a few of your questions, even though I'm no marine expert. I read a lot of reef keeping forums such as Reef Central and Nano-Reef.com. Take everything I say with a pinch of salt though as I have had no experience with caring for a reef aquarium 2. I have access to buying another Eheim 2227 which is a wet/dry filter that is supposedly a good choice on a marine tank because of its pulsating wave type output, would this be a better idea than running a sump taking in mind I would have to drill the tank to run a sump? I fail to understand why most people have it in their heads that if you want a sump you have to drill the tank :dunno: IMO if your tank isn't already drilled then it isn't worth the hassle to do so You can buy (or DIY) an overflow box like this :thup: These are the nasty ones that you want to avoid though. I have read that canister filters can be a bit of a hassle when it comes to cleaning time. If you spill any water when you are cleaning it, remember it has salt in it From what I've read on other forums, most people who have replaced their canister filters with sumps seem pretty happy. Also the advantage of having a sump is that the water in the display tank needs to reach a certain level before it flows into the overflow box/chamber. This means that you will always have a constant water level in the display tank, and the water level in the sump will fluctuate. You will need to use some sort of auto top off device to combat evaporation, and it is much nicer if you can hide this in the sump as opposed to having it visible in your display tank. Sumps also allow you to fit a lot more equipment into your system and provide higher water quality from what I've read. 4. Ideally I would like to have some nice colourful corals and anemone, how powerful would the lighting need to be for these? Should I go led, mh or T5HO? It depends on what corals you want. A 4x24w T5HO unit should be sufficient for most soft corals and large polyp stony corals, and some types of small polyp stonies. IMO LEDs aren't yet advanced enough to provide a complete lighting solution. Although there is not doubt that LEDs do an awesome job at growing corals, I have read that a lot of people who have purchased LEDs have switched back to halides and T5s because the latter provide a broader spectral output and are more aesthetically pleasing to view corals under. LEDs are still great for supplementary lighting and moonlights though 5. Main livestock will be a pair of clowns, what type of clowns would be suitable for a tank this size and what are some other livestock that would be suitable to go with the clowns? Perculas and ocellaris will be fine. A lot of the other species of clowns can get quite big and aggressive from what I've read. Here's some suggestions fish that should be happy in a 130L tank with clowns. Amblyeleotris wheeleri Centropyge bispinosus Chromis retrofasciata Chrysiptera parasema Cryptocentrus cinctus Elacatinus oceanops Gobiodon citrinus Gobiodon okinawae Nemateleotris decora Nemateleotris magnifica Opistognathus rosenblatti Stonogobiops nematodes Synchiropus ocellatus Synchiropus picturatus Synchiropus splendidus Pseudochromis fridmani Pterapogon kauderni I hope I could be of some help to you. I am looking forward to seeing this tank up and running :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doddle69 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 These are the nasty ones that you want to avoid though. whats wrong with that type of overflow box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted February 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Thanks for the replies guys, Simon I will take you up on that offer in the next few weeks, Joe, thanks for all the info pretty much exactly what I was thinking. Another reason I wouldn't mind using the canister filter is the stand that the tank sits on isn't really suitable for a sump, would only be able to fit one around 15-20 litres anyway. Also can get the filter for a really good price and it's pretty much brand new, is there any good reason why I shouldn't use one? I am also wondering what is it about that type of hob overflow box that people don't like, is it the noise they make because it's not a full syphon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 whats wrong with that type of overflow box? They get air in the siphone very easily, which caused it to break and the tank to overflow. To maintain the siphone you need one of those aqualifter pumps. The pet shop here used to have one of those overflows with an aqualifter on the old display tank and the noise was unbearable :sick: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 You can buy (or DIY) an overflow box like this I would all overflow boxes. too risky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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