Aquaone 980T marine setup

[AquaCraig]

Hi All 

 

First post on here, and quite excited to learn from peoples points of view and understanding of aquariums.

Ive been in the fish hobby for 2 years now, ran smaller freshwater aquarium with guppies, mollys, tetras, danios & cichlids. 

 

My girlfriend bought me a Aquaone aquastyle 980T (245L or 62 gallons) tank & stand . Im looking to go FOWLR saltwater tank intially. But as i  dwell more into the topic and gain a better understanding from reading & surfing the net. I eventually want to add corals. From what I see with the tank I have now is: 

1: There is no slot for the skimmer - Would it be best to cut away part of the back of the filtration set up and try fit a skimmer in? 

2: Is dry/wet filtration adequate to run - Would i need to get rid of the whole built in filtration and go with a canister? allowing me to run the skimmer also? I would put a perspex top of this area and cut holes for the lines to go into the water. If anyone has adapted these photos would be great, i saw a post on here but could not access the photos.

3: Is the standard lighting in a aquaone aquastyle 980T no adequate for corals? or is it rather the position of the lighting sitting at the front of the tank the problem? - If i removed this I would have a full open top aquarium, i much prefer having the light setup at the front and remove the filtration so it looks tidier. 

4. Soft corals, and beginner corals - Ive heard a few mixed reviews as per what lighting requirements these so called beginner soft corals need, would the factory lighting in the 980T provide enough light for these? Would a change of purple to blue shaded light help? or be capable enough to sustain coral life in the tank?

5. Is it necessary to have a sump - If my filtration and skimmer are up to par is it necessaary to have a sump, ive spent good money on  a good heater also. 

6. How many fish & what types - Ive been to a few fish stores and been told different quantities of fish to buy, From what  I have taken from it, i would get 5 fish in total. I also want to add a cleaning shrimp. Would a shrimp sway the biological load in the tank to have 1 less fish? I was potentially looking at a pair of clowns, fire fish, possibly a mandarin/green dragonet. Any other unique looking fish that is quite passive? 

7. Dimensions of tank & fish - Further to the question above, could i potentially keep a tang, or butterfly fish in my tank. Its  dimensions are 99W x 47D x 86H cm

 

I currently have bought all the equipment necessary to start my FOWLR tank, just need to cure my live rock for a few weeks. 

 

I would love to hear anyone's input, as the amount of information from the internet can be alot to take on. And i guess i wouldnt be the first person whos tried to adapt this type of tank before. 

 

Waiting in anticipation =)

 

AquaCraig

 

Edited January 28, 2016 by AquaCraig

[Adrienne]

Still relatively new to marines myself (16 months) so I can only offer a small amount of advice but yes, you are not the first person to adapt a tank.  In fact, if you go to HFF Albany they have a Juwel tank converted to a marine which runs through a cannister filter.

I believe you can get HOB (hang on back skimmers).  If the tank is new and you cut it you will cancel the warranty on it.  The overhead filtration that comes with the tank is not suitable for a marine tank.  You could look at putting a sump in the cabinet but you do not have to have a sump.  People do do it by removing the majority of the centre partition, slotting the sump in and then replacing the front part of the division for bracing.  

The standard T8 tubes will not provide enough light.  The 980T is relatively tall and insufficient light will get through - you would need a minimum of T5 lighting for corals, even the easy care ones.

On the fish front mandarin or any dragonets require a tank that has been running for a minimum of 12 months.  Their food source is live copepods and the population of these needs to establish properly in order for them to thrive.  I have a copperband butterfly in my tank - it is 250 litres.  Once again they are a very difficult fish to get to thrive.  Personally I think the tank is too small for a tang but I know others will disagree with me and some keep them in tanks smaller.

Hope that helps a bit