Build Thread, help me get started!

Okay. I'm understand this more and more. I do still have a couple questions...

1. I found a t5 light that fits my tank. It has to bulb spots. What bulbs do I need?
2. For the sump, what do I need besides a return pump and protein skimmer?

 

1. My suggestion is an ATI Coral Plus and an ATI Blue Plus. I'm not a lighting expert. 2 bulbs is a good start but I think 4 is better. If this fixture leaves room for another it's perfect for now.
2. Eventually you may want room to install a reactor of some sort, but they don't take a lot of space and you don't need one initially.

 

I couldn't find one with four bulbs, that's what I was looking for. Will those bulbs grow coral?
What does the reactor do?
Thanks for all your help!

 

No worries, happy to help. The bulbs I named will definitely grow coral. I use them. There is nothing wrong with a two bulb unit as long as there is still room left on the top of the tank to add another if you need it.

A reactor is just a canister that holds filter media. There's a whole range of stuff out there that people use. My favorite would be biopellets (look up EcoBak). There are a whole range of options though. Don't worry too much about that part though. Just leave a little room in te sump to grow into.

 

I can't help with the lights but, as far as the sump goes, I've seen one as simple as just the skimmer and the return pump. One on each end. However, one thing that could crop up with that setup is small bubbles that make it into the tank. Not a huge problem but there is an easy fix, build a bubble trap using pieces of glass cut to the width and silicone them in. I'm still new to this so I imagine others would have better suggestions.

 

Awesome, thank you. I'll look into buying those this week

Thanks for the info, I was planning on putting bubble traps in.

Does anyone know if this is an efficient way of keeping the tank clean?

 

Okay, more questions!

http://www.petco.com/N_10878/Live-Rock-and-Sand.aspx?CoreCat=LiveFishHPLiveRockSand
Could any of these possibly work for my tank?

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-octopus-bh50-multi-mount-protein-skimmer.html
Will this work for my tank?

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/t5-ati-coral-plus.html
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/t5-ati-blue-plus.html
Confused here, my light dome is 30 inches I believe. Maybe I missed something...

For a return pump, what GPH should I get for my set up?


Thanks again to everyone who is helping me!

 

For your rock and sand: you have a choice of either going with live rock/sand or dry rock/sand. With live rock/sand you get the benefits of some live microbes that will help with biological filtering. You will probably also get some critters like feather dusters. You can also get various algae or invasive critters that you might not want. There are various opinions about each. With live rock you are also paying for the water that they are shipped in.If you are undecided on the live vs dry rock/sand you can also start a thread under live rock to help sort it out.
On to the skimmer: Reef Octopus is known generally to be accurate when they state how big of a tank their skimmer is capable of cleaning. I would read reviews on the particular skimmer you are interested in. Or start a new thread under skimmers to see if any others have experience with that skimmer.
Lights: can't help you there.

 

1. The Fiji live rock would work just fine. There is not necessarily anything wrong with aquacultured rock or dry rock, but as a beginner, I recommend plain old live rock.

2. Yeah, Reef Octopus works well. I've never used that model, but the size rating seems right. If you have your concerns, buy the next size up. The price difference is probably small. Having much too big a skimmer is a bad plan, but there no harm in a little more.

3. I suspect if you measure the actual bulb fitting area, it is 24 inches. If it turns out it's actually 30 inches, there is a brand that makes bulbs that fit and they should work fine.

4. For a return you just want a reliable pump that's not too big. 300+ gph is probably more than enough! though this isn't my field of expertise so another opinion can't hurt.

 

Today's update:

I have the tank! I also have a heater, hydrometer, digital thermometer, and water testing kit!

I have more questions....again.

1. I found a t5 system. Why would I need to buy a four bulb one?
2. I saw a reef testing kit. It tested things like calcium and phosphate. Do I need this?
3. I saw some things today about curing the rocks before you use them?

Thanks again everyone