I'm new, please help.

Hello everyone,

This is my first post and I’m a newbie. I wanted to setup my first salt/reef tank.

So far these are the items that I have purchased so far:

90 GAL tank and Stand
2 x 250W HQI
Hydor two of #4 and one of #3 (Total 3 powerheads)
MSX200 skimmer
Heater
Refractometer

I’m building sump/refugium using a tank size of 36 x 12 x 18. The sump will have 3 sections, left section will be for the skimmer, middle section for the return pump, and the right section for the refugium.

I want to buy some Refugium Mineral Mud, how many gallons do I need. If the space is 12 x 12 does that mean I need 2 gallons of Mineral Mud? How algae do I need to buy, someone told me I need cheato?

If my overflow can do 700gph, then the pondmaster mag-drive 9.5 is good enough at 5’ return or I need stronger pump?
If I’m missing anything please let me know.

Any help are greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

if you open the box they have a chart with water flow to head height and the gph you will get i think mag 9.5 run 900gph at zero ft for you ref you want to skim after the water goes thru it or you will be starving what ever you have inside of it i used live sand from a friends tank that had been running for two years i think the mud is for mangroves not positive on that one i use chaeto in my ref because it is less likely to go sexual and its not banned anywhere yet i have a two and half inch bed of sand in my ref and there are a lot of copepods growing so i think the amount is up to you i just wouldn't go less than a inch and a half if you ask for a salt type you will get a lot of different types from everyone i used coralife salt i would pick a salt that you can get a good price on but always be able to get it quickly i get mine form petsmart

 

you welcome

 

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Get some pictures posted STAT or Luna (AKA picture police will soon be knocking at your door.

Glad to have you aboard 3Reef!!!!

 

do forget about nano hes a chip of luna lol

 

What? I felt that my name was being used. lol Welcome to 3reef. Sounds like a great set up. The refugium "should" be the first thing that the water comes into contact, but it doesnt have to be. I have my skimmer first and then the refugium and both my mangroves and cheato are fine. BTW, if your planning on having mangroves, dont bury them in mud. They will die, use sand better or let the mangroves "hang" with their roots out in the open.
As for the pump, do your HW before you get anything. Every pump has a chart that shows you the different gph at the different head heights. Remember that every 45 or 90 deg. elbow equals to 1' of head. Keep us posted and dont forget the pics! Luna

BTW, that tank sounds like a 29gal, try getting a bigger one. I had the same tank as a sump and replaced it with a custom 47"Wx18"Hx15"D. That gives you more room to play with.

 

Sounds like your off to a great start.

If you have not bought your overflow and mag pump I would suggest going up to the mag 12 and a larger overflow. Flow is such an important part of a healthy system and moving as much water through your system can only be benefical. What you are proposing will work ok but I would prefer more.

Make sure you let your tank cycle by testing your water before adding livestock. Also look at your local fish store and other sources and plan your fish. Many new reefers end up with damsels and other fish that they later regret buying.

Also use only ro/di water when adding or filling your tank. If you dont want to buy a ro/di unit now you can usually get water from your local fish store for a small fee.

Good luck with your system and keep asking questions there are lots of very knowledgeable people hear that are glad to help you.

 

Howdy! and welcome to 3Reef

 

Hi MTips,
I read about chaeto, should I use chaeto with mud or sand? I bought 5 x 200gal Red sea salt, I hope that should last me awhile.

Can t5 actinics fit into my fixture?

Thank you. I just found out from others that I'm far away from getting it running. Now I'm really not sure if I'm got all the right items.

Thank you. I learned something new today, what is mangroves?
What people use on this forum, sand or mud for their refugium?
The open space I have under my tank is 40 x 14 x 31.

Thank you
Reef is so difficult. I really want to do it right the first time. I have seachem 35gpd 3-stage RO unit, is that good for corals or I need to upgrade to 5-stage?
Do I cycle the tank with live rock and live sand?

Thanks, this is a great site. I love it.

 

four(number of letters i need to submit a post outside the qoute)