Just started need advice on my equipment and what I've done so far.

Hi my name is paul. This is my first post, will try to keep it short as not to waste your time. First I'll start out with my equipment.

I have been vigorously trying to research every thing I have bought over the last 4 months and have noticed a common tip to beginners not to go cheap and buy quality equipment. I hope I've reached a balance of quality and still save in some places. I could of gone super cheap and almost pulled the trigger a couple of times, but restrained and did not want to purchase items twice. So instead of jumping in with crap, I saved and went the slower route By buying better items here and there.


TANK. Jbj 30 rl..........wanted bigger but the wife limited to this size due to our apartment size.

FILTER AND SKIMMER. Hydor slim skim nano and intank media basket. I plan on using floss, chemipure elite, and purigen.

POWERHEAD. Jebao rw 4

LIGHTING. Reef breeders Super lux

CONTROLLER. Reef keeper lite

HEATER. Eheim jager 100w and 150w........I was given the 100 w by my lfs in a raffle.

BIOFILTER. 30 LB of live rock and 20 lb of the the live sand stuff that comes pre packaged.

AUTO TOP OFF. tunze osmalator nano

MISC. marinedepot refractormeter and plan on using instant ocean salt.

Please review my equipment and tell me what you think....It was hard to get this stuff on a military man's wages. And my wife was surprisingly supportive about it. Thank god for taxes to recoup some of the Benjamins back.

NOTE. I plan on keeping 3-4 small fish and also soft a d LPS corals. Sps down the road after I get my feet wet.

The tank has only been cycling for a week due to marinedepot having to send me 4 tanks before getting one that wasn't demolished. I have a few noob questions.

1... Do you suggest I stick with the 1 lb lr per gallon rule. When I put all the rock in the tank it is extremely crowded. I prefer a good balance between open space and rock. But I don't want to negatively affect my bio filter.

2. My brother in law works for a local water delivery service and I'm planning on getting distilled water delivered to my house for water changes and top off. the price he is giving me is really good at .65 cents per gallon delivered to my front door (Family discount). He has verified that there is no copper in the distillation of the water and I've tested 3 different 5 gallon jugs of water with a Tds of 0. I know a lot of you guys are going to crucify me over this, but I feel that my water changes will only be about 4-5 gallons a week so it is not that big of a deal.
What are your thoughts About using distilled water?

Sorry for making this so long but I have invested alot of money into this and i want to be as succesful in the beginning as possible.

 

Didn't mean to bash marinedepot. There customer service was fantastic and sent new tanks no questions asked and shipped out new tanks within 3 hours of initial contact.

 

That seems like a great start.
Here is my thought on using distilled. 1 I have nothing negative or positive to say about this as I do not use it and know no one who does.
However at .65 cents a gallon and 5gl changes a week that is 52 x5 x.65 which is 169.00 for the year. So if you continue to use distilled your cost would out way the cost of purchasing a good RO/DI unit.

Just my thought..

Anyways we love pics.. and welcome to 3reef

 

i also think getting a RODI unit is a must. I started out with tap water believe it or not, then started buying from LFS, then got a RODI unit and thank god I did. If I need urgent new water I can just make it myself at 0 ppm. It takes a day or so to install and then you have water for life.

I like chemi pure and purigen. Good choices. Regarding the live rock, I think it depends on how stacked you will make your tank in terms of livestock. I do not have 1 lb/gallon, because as you say, it makes it way too crowded and I have fish who like to swim in open space (ie powder blue tang, canary fang blenny)....its not fair to them to make it so crowded. I have about 0.6 lb per gallon and ive not had any issues with wastes building up...

and welcome!

 

You have def done your homework and like all of your choices with the very small exception of the use of filter floss. You will need to change it more frequently than it is worth. I would look for some sort of sponge that will fit into that unit.

I think a tank your size going with distilled water vs buying a RODI is fine. Sure at 1.5 years you would break even , but you also need the space for it and it needs some degree of monitoring. I'd consider looking into one after you have had the tank for some time and know a bit more about your long term goals.

The pound per gallon rule is tough and really depends on the density of your rock. I initially did the same thing and had an ugly rock wall. I ended up pulling out about 1/3 and made the tank look the way I wanted it. Your bio load will dictate if you have enough rock. I suggest adding no more than 1 fish per month and check your parameters before you buy another. You just may have to go with less fish. There are some alternatives to increasing your bio capacity that you can look into down the road.

If you are on a budget, check out your local fish board and Craigslist. People are always breaking tanks down and you can find some really nice used stuff for cheap.

Post some pics!

 

I agree with the RO/DI due to its convenience, I have used distilled in a pinch with no problems. I only do 5g WCs weekly and i have ~60 gallons of water in my DT, sump and plumbing and I have no issues with water quality unless equipment is not working, which is usually my problem.

I would recommend Instant Ocean Reef Crystals if you are going to have LPS or SPS but if you already have the regular IO, don't waste it just use it and make the switch. the RCs will give you the parameters you need for stony corals.

Your equipment list looks better than my current equipment so it shows you have really done your homework. I hope this info helps

Welcome to 3Reef!

 

The one pound per gallon rule would crowd out any all-in-one, your equipment list looks fine but I would have to say buy the RO/DI, Chris' estimate did not include top off water of around 10% a week. I would start with the distilled water and buy the RO/DI unit in the future.

 

great point ++++1

See that is what is great about three reef. A group is always better than any one individual!!

 

Great Point - We all end up upgrading and selling and buying and selling as we go along the way.

+1 on this - use what you have, dont waste it but as you add corals you will need it.

This is a great forum to ask questions and get help - start a build thread post some pics, read some of the great build threads. I cant tell you how many tweaks I have made in my year + that the tank has been up.

 

First and foremost thanks for taking your time and helping me out. ro/di may be in my future but or place is so small it's crazy.
@AnotherMike. Will definitely look into some sort of sponge media, but will probably wait till I use up the three gigantic sheets of what I have first

I was told while cycling to run all mechanical filters as if I had a cycled tank. Is that good advice?

Which heater do I use?

Will post pics tommorrow