Still Researching, but have a few questions!

Looks like you did a great job on the back.

If you have enough LR you can let that be your biological filter. IMO I would get the skimmer first.

With regard to flow, there are several different options. Koralia is a good brand, if you want the best high tech IMO that would be vortech. The powerheads should be in place while you cycle the system.

Happy Reefing.

 

are you going to drill this tank..since your going all out on it, then i would, its better in the long run and will give you added water volume in a sump and are able to hide the skimmer and hob fuge..i didnt read the whole thread, so if its been mentioned then im sorry.

 

All in one systems look great, and they do their job. One of my SW tanks is a 28G nano-cube. With that being said, you could probably build your own tank cheaper than buying an all in one, while also getting better equipment and leaving options open down the road for upgrading and replacing equipment. Don't get me wrong though you can still have a GREAT tank with an all in one system.

As far as cycling, I leave the lights on and the skimmer off. Don't worry about doing water changes during this time.
Also, you don't HAVE to seed with live rock. It will just take a little longer to establish a strong colony of bacteria. You could also just seed with mature live sand instead of live rock. You could probably ask your LFS for a cup of live sand to seed with. If you choose to use sand you should go with about 1.5lbs per gallon, or depending on the dimensions of the tank, 2 inches of sandbed is just fine.

As far as sand. You don't need sand. It does add to your biological filtration as well as aesthetics, and some fish require sand so sift through and burrow in. But I have seen several beautiful bare bottom tanks. I personally use caribsea reef aragonite sand in my tanks. Some fish require a specific grain size but other than that its personal preference.

Oh, and WELCOME TO THE HOBBY!!!!! ;D;D;D;D;D
It looks like you already have what most of us don't. (PATIENTS!!!!!) lol

 

Thanks for the replies everyone! And the advice. I have considered drilling... However I really dont have much room in my stand. I think the hob should work fine, since I do have room directly behind my tank, and I think with that I should have enough room for plenty of cheato which is really the biggest reason I was looking into a fuge at all.

Also, a Saltwater only LFS just opened up. Got me all excited when I visited. I now know that am def going to look into some easy corals once my tank has matured!

BTW I am looking at getting 30 pounds base rock. I am hoping that's enough!

 

I just remeasured... I could fit a 10 gallon in I think. But it would LITERALLY take my entire cabinet. Would this be worth it? I wouldnt have any other room in the cabinet (So I'm guessing if I had an insump skimmer it would literally need to be IN it, lol)

 

i would say yes, the more water volume you have just makes your tank soo much more stable,,i will never set up another tank without a sump area, its gonna make your tank way cleaner(by not having a bunch of powerheads) and work more effeciently..plus you can add ATO(automatic top offs) and other things that is hard to do when you dont have a sump giving you that extra room too add stuff, like reactors and stuff in the long run when your tank gets to that time..

since you are gonna go the whole nine yards with your setup, which is how you should be doing it, then i would go with a sump..or even a bean setup..also with that hob fuge, if that power goes out then it will empty the fuge water into your tank and could overflow your tank and be even more of a mess...plus adding a sump and plumbing it you can create better flow and stuff..its just all around better for your setup..its not needed, but its a luxury and many people swear by it for long term tanks..

if you do set up a sump, in that small of a tank you could prolly just use your return pump for flow and you can adjust to whatever flow you want with a valve..

 

I'll Have to keep this in mind! I'll give it some thought

 

I think I am leaning away from the sump. The difficulty of getting it to fit into the tight space (as well as getting plumbing and lighting in it) seems to outweigh the benifit. I have plenty of room on the top (and behind the top) for a HOB refigium and HOB Skimmer.

I think, mixed with religious weekly water changes (and a couple powerheads), I should be ok going this route instead of the sump.

I found a vender on ebay selling (what I think are) oddessea HOB Refugiums + skimmer combos for cheaper than the CPR HOB refugiums. I am thinking of going this route, and removing the skimmer (or maybe running it too with another HOB skimmer? haha). This way I have my live rock in tank doing filter, the skimmer doing filtering, and the refugium growing macro algae. I'm hoping that will be a good set up

Also, with the HOB refiugiums, they fill with water via a pump, then gravity feeds the water back into the tank. So clog would be a potential issue, but a poweroutage shouldnt. I am thinking (once I get it) of figuring out a way to reduce the likelihood of a clog (adventerous snail or otherwise )

 

Update: I just bought 30 pounds base rock from reefcleaners. I got an personalized email within 5 minutes thanking me for my order and saying they'd look for some good rocks for me. Very impressed!

So hopefully when it gets here (has to go ALL the way across the country, haha) I will have some more pictures for updates... and all I will need is some RODI water, salt and sand to start my cycle

Edit: Forgot to add I that I need a couple powerheads. Any recommendation on how many (and what flow rate) for powerheads I should look into?

 

did you expect him to say he'd look for bad rocks for you? i got snails from John, he is a good guy.

I'd just get Saltwater if you can, makes things much easier to start, otherwise you going to be mixing and need a hydrometer or refractometer.