welcome nice to have fellow reefers close by, looks like i may be able to get rid of some kenya trees and star polyps lol
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo
[quote=“moliken, post:22, topic:4445”]
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo[/quote]
+1+1+1
Ok thats the impression I had. I will be going to my favorite store this weekend.only problem is its in Virginia beach so I don’t get there very often only when I go to obx. Its called animal jungle if anyone is ever down that way its the best store ive been to
Lol isn’t it a good learning exp. To go through that when I was checking out ur tank one day moliken I dropped a Kenya tree in the back of ur tank lol
Oh I just realized you were saying no to dunk not the fish bowl or was it to the fishbowl
No it was to me lol I like most of us have Kenya trees and star polyps. They are very nice looking but grow like weeds. There are ways to keep them in check though. It is an easy coral that grows and grows. And when your tank evolves to say Sps you want to thin them out. When you don’t know anything and go to a Lfs they want to sell u something. I bought a Kenya tree and now I have many. But they do serve a purpose. I use them in a fuge and really think they help my water quality.
Do I need a refuge for a 30g I think its still considered a nano and nanos don’t need a refuge right?
It’s all a matter of opinion. I have one for more water volume, a deep sand bed, a place for macro, and to grow corals. Ur sump can be a fuge. Just drain the water into it treat ur water and pump it back. It also gives more water volume. I would personally do things different but not by much
A fuge can go on a 2 gallon tank or a 1000 gallon tank
It’s not if you need one it’s do you want one. With a 30 gal you are skirting on the edge of being able to manage water parameters with just water changes, have you thought about filtration ?
Keep in mind that a very very large percent of those that start with a power filter or canister move to a sump and overflow at some point, most advise if you have the chance to drill the tank for an overflow first even if you don’t have a sump you can cap it and then add your sump when your ready
Good point Hudson. I would definitely do something while drilling can be risky it would be worth it plus it is cheaper than an overflow. I have an overflow and am jealous of the built in ones, that is something I would do different I would love to drill my tank now but the risk/reward is too great for me now. I have too much to lose if I accidentally drill wrong. Being a part of this forum is awesome when starting out. While you have exp. In fw tanks salt is different. And if I were a member before I started I would have drilled!! Bit my overflow hasn’t failed in 7 years it does clog but I catch it before it stops up. With an overflow you have to be more precise with your water levels.
The only problem is where I plan to put it there isn’t room for a refuge and I definitely cant come up from the bottom its going on a piece of furniture as of right now . Also I originally planned for a 15 gallon so I have a little replanning to do now anyways since I got the ok last night for the 30
Hi Ben, :Welcome) to the club. One thing I would suggest is make sure it is a bare bottom (BB, no substrate) tank. There simply is not going to be enough filtration capacity without a sump, so your weekly chores will be to vacuum out all the detritus that accumulates on bottom and water changes, and you good to go with your first salt water tank. Look into BRS dry rock, Fiji Dry Aquarium Live Rock - Bulk Reef Supply.
Would using a skimmer help with my filtering or would it still not be enough. I have found some hob refuges but not sure If the budget will allow for it right now
IMO a skimmer more important than fuge really fugues aren’t a great gain really more water volume and a place to put a skimmer and other equiPtment so it doesn’t clutter the main display. With a sump u could light it. If no room I’m sure all would agree a skimmers the most important. I know you said u don’t have room and all but the deal of the century really is! I was gonna get it but I really can’t handle two tanks lol
[quote=“dunk, post:36, topic:4445”]
IMO a skimmer more important than fuge really fugues aren’t a great gain really more water volume and a place to put a skimmer and other equiPtment so it doesn’t clutter the main display. With a sump u could light it. If no room I’m sure all would agree a skimmers the most important. I know you said u don’t have room and all but the deal of the century really is! I was gonna get it but I really can’t handle two tanks lol[/quote]
+1
The most important piece of equipment for my tank is my skimmer. It makes my tank possible. Live rock is also a good filter. You would need lots of algae to filter the water.
My first tank had no sump no skimmer no fuge. Just a bio wheel. I couldn’t keep nitrates below 20. I still had a nice tank and some ok growth. I moved to my current tank with a skimmer fuge and sump. And the difference is night and day. Nitrates are below 5 and growth is insane.
If I could go back I would have went bigger, DRILLED the tank, and went with a sump to house my fuge and skimmer. If I had done the last 2 I might still have all my beautiful corals, unfortunatly it crashed. Lesson learned.
I have a 29 gallon Display Tank (DT), and currently have a 10 gallon sump. I am now upgrading to a 20gal sump, and wish I would have started with the 20 in the first place. IMO the refugium is unnecessary upon startup (for your setup). You can always add one later if you choose, and if you don’t have one it’s alot less to worry about. Some people even put their fuge on a stand as a secondary display, freeing up sump space. The key is to plan everything you WANT to do so that future additions/changes are simple to achieve.
I would definitely recommend a sump. With such a small DT the equipment is very noticeable, and you have to add water/suppliments directly into the DT. With a sump, you can hide your skimmer and heater, and slowly add (whatever it is you’re adding) without disturbing your critters too much.
I wouldn’t go smaller than a 15gal sump, simply due to evaporation factors. I learned first hand the difficulties with a 10gal sump.
I have an ASM Mini G skimmer, it works wonderfully for the 30 and pulls alot of skimmate.
. . . I think that is all for now, sir. :
:
so i stopped in va beach on my way back from obx and they had dry rock for 1.99/lb!! so i got about 22 lbs of dry rock one main piece is about 16lbs lots of holes and crevices and two more pieces that are 3-4 lbs a piece.
They also had live rock for 3.88/lb!!! and that wasnt rubble that was their price for all their live rock. unfortunately my tank is nowhere near ready for live rock and i dont have anyway of keeping it from having major dieoff before the tank is ready(right now its in my shed and hasnt even been cleaned from when it was taken down from being a FW tank) so i had to pass on the live rock for now. but if anyone is interested and heading down anywhere near there the store is animal jungle in VA beach and they have a huge livestock section. the freshwater section alone is bigger than alot of the stores around here. i did notice that fish bowl had liverock rubble for $3/lb so thats probably what ill end up using for the live rock. hopefully i will have the tank up and cycling by the end of the week but i’ll see how my week goes. when i get started setting it up i will start a new thread in the tank build section.