the pump doesnt really matter. i would probably try to stay between 300-500gph. like Al mentioned, you can T off your return it its too much, but it wont be likely with a split return.
the most common algea is cheato. again, its something you can get for free form a club member. if no one has any extra i have some i can spare. yeah, pvc pipe. its VERY cheap, only
a couple of dollars for a 10’ section for the smaller piping.
If its newer most likely not. Older???
It use to be if it came in a kit with a stand it was tempered. Tempered glass costs to make but is lighter because of its strength.
If you wanted to use 1" for the drain lines you could get those bulkheads cheap from me.
i might take u up on that but i still have lost of planning and i still need to come up with some money lOl. the tank can’t be more than 5 years old. it may be more like 2 or 3. would u also drill the ten gallon?? do u think i could use acrilic, super glue it and silacone it together vs just having the glaas ten gallon??
Hmm, just a thought but maybe it would be a better idea to drill the 10g and have that overflow back into your tank. It would mean the 10g would have to be above your tank, however it would be much easier to set up and wouldn’t have to take a chance at drilling your tank. Then all you would have to get is a 10g, some tubing/pvc and a powerhead. You could put it on a small stand/cabinet next to the tank. Just a thought.
nothing is impossible, but drilling a 10g is close to it. even if you drill it sucessfully, it loses its integrity. i found out the hard way…twice!! even with an additonal piece of glass for reinforcement.
Im a newbie so take this for what it is worth.
But if I could do it again I would drill the tank. But I did get a good overflow box with an airline pump to help restart the pump during power outages. I haven’t had any major problems with the overflow box but you have to make sure you drill a hole in your return line and make sure you have a small return section. This allows for less of a chance of overflow.
There is an excellent post about page 3 with recommendations for skimmers. I love the ASM G2. I would go with that. I had a cheap one (seaclone) and because I am not as experienced as others it really didn’t skim too well.
"if you buy a newer 55g tank then only the bottom should be tempered. "
The reps have been telling us that all the new tanks from perfecto are going to be tempered all the way around. All glass, now know as Aqeuon or whatever, is going through a lot of changes as a company and could also soon be tempered. Tempered = safer = less law suites.
If you have not set up the 55g yet I would try to sell it and look for a drilled tank. They make 55s drilled I believe, but a 65 or a 75 would be a LOT more suitable as a reef tank. 99% of people who have run a 55g as a reef tank have upgraded in no time at all.
As far as algae I would REALLY encourage you to stay away from calurpa. Yeah I know we use it at DPA, but if it were up to me we wouldn’t. Chaeto is a million times better. If you would like to try several different kinds of algaes for variety Ken has some cool reds that won’t cause you any head aches and some larger leafed money plant would also work well.
I would really have to disagree with Shawn(logans_daddy) on the drain sizes. I would go with at least 1". The bigger the better. Less change of clogging, better flexibility with how much water it could handle, less noise… Bigger is better.
NEVER drill a 10g tank. I’ve drilled about 6-7 of them and I’ve thrown away about 5 of them so far. If they don’t crack right away they probably will later.(didn’t see Shawn already said this, but it should be said twice anyways)
rawdawg I really don’t think the seaclones are a matter of experience, I think the people that use them really don’t get that much skimmate out of them as they say and they play with them constantly adjusting the air going into them. Just my opinion.
bz you should swing by the shop on Friday so we can talk through some things. I’ll be there all day and if I’m not Charlie, Andy, or Tom could also help. It’s easier to show you something in person then it is to type through things. Glad to see you posting though. You’ll find lots of valuable opinions here from people who have been through the exact same set ups you’re thinking about.
One more benefit not mention in placing the fuge above the tank and gravity feeding it back to the DT. You won’t be limited to a 10g due to space constraints. You’ll be able to use a 20L with no problems. Which will also give you room for a larger skimmer.
Have you decided what you want to keep in the tank? A skimmer may not be an essential piece of equipment right away if you’re going to keep a low bio-load. This will enable you to save some money up front while you get the DT set-up, get the fuge going etc.
Once you’ve got everything up and runing and begin to stock the tank, then you will have saved some money for the skimmer - this will prevent you from getting the urge to skimp on a skimmer now only to have to replace it in a year.
I disagree with that last statement. Unless you are talking in the short term. Once people start stocking the tank, you will see tons of stuff you want to have in your tank. Besides most New Tank keepers overfeed.
When I was planning to do the 220 I figure I will hold off till I have all the equipment I need as I can afford it. Once I get it all ready and the baby is not so much work, I will set it up and get a stocking plan.
[quote=“a1amap, post:30, topic:644”]
I disagree with that last statement. Unless you are talking in the short term. Once people start stocking the tank, you will see tons of stuff you want to have in your tank. Besides most New Tank keepers overfeed.
When I was planning to do the 220 I figure I will hold off till I have all the equipment I need as I can afford it. Once I get it all ready and the baby is not so much work, I will set it up and get a stocking plan.[/quote]
Good point. But is he considered “new” - he currently has a “well running 25”. he only mentions corals so I don’t know if there is fish or not. he appears to be doing all the research and seems to be able to practice self control already. He can still start to stock the tank when he gets it set up, but we all know when we start looking at equipment prices we get a little sticker shock and our first impulse is to skimp. If he has a chance to consciously put money aside for the skimmer he should be in good shape. And knowing you can’t get that fish you want because you need the skimmer only makes you save harder.
I wouldn’t consider him a total newby and think he’ll be fine as far as feeding goes. He does a good bit of research and knows the right questions to ask which is critical.
The other thing about putting off the skimmer for a little while… perhaps a birthday or Christmas will role around in the mean time. Or a really good sale.
Jon
the other critical part to remember is that you dont NEED a skimmer. good husbandry(which is the DRC mantra) goes a long way. ive seen plenty of beautiful softy tanks that run skimmerless. however, if you decide to buy a skimmer, defintiely do it right the first time. a POS skimmer is pretty much the equivalent of going skimmerless.
funny u mention a birthday. october 26. the tank is over a year old. it’s running 2 65 watt pc’s. there is a sand sifting goby,naso tang, fire fish and a gold stripe maroone clown o yeah a cleaner shrimp that has not once cleaned my tang. there is also 2 stalks of candy cane with 4 heads each and at least one head is splitting on each. i also have 1 sepret head that already split. the tank will get set up after my room is painted possible next year. i will see if i can post some pics
It doesn’t really sound like you need a skimmer. if everything is healthy and growing then you’re doing something right. Use the B-day and Xmas to your advantage and ask for stuff for the tank, new skimmer, new lights, wave2k, etc. >LOL<
do you have the naso in a 25g? please, trade the naso in to a LFS! its going to be WAY to big for a 55g and is just plain cruel to keep one in anything smaller. These are one of the largest and most active tangs and shouldnt be kept in anything less than a 6’ tang.
i understand that they will get huge but right now he’s olny about 3 inches. he looks happy but eventualy he will need a new home.
with almost all tangs, and especially naso, they should never be kept in a tank that small unless it is very temporary situation. unless you plan on upgrading a 6-8’ tank(read 200+ gallons) i would trade him in.
TANG POLICE
TANG POLICE
Any time anyone posts they have a Tang you can expect someone to jump in and complain that the aquarium it is in is too small.
Shawn you need to jump on Ken, lol. He has kept a Hippo Tang in a 20g for years! It’s still only a couple of inches long at max, but will eventually need a bigger tank.
The 55 will last a while for the Naso, but it is a good time to realize though that you may need to give him a better home at some point. Unless you’re parents are willing to let you set up a fairly large tank in the future it may get big on you fast. I kept a French angel for a long time which forced me to upgrade tanks several times.
Now back to the 55. Is there anyway you might be able to sell that tank and upgrade to a 60 or a 75? You could talk with Charlie about selling it in the store. The way that a 55 is layed out it really doesn’t work well for a reef tank and with a tank that is wider(front to back) the Naso will last a LOT longer before an upgrade is needed. If this isn’t an option we can make the tank work.
Jon
the reason why i was going use the 55 was because it olny cost 0.00 dollars. how much does a 75 and stand cost?