And So It Begins

I plan on getting a canister filter that my friend recommened me to get. She used to do reefs for years and is helping me along as well everyone on here. I just bought 15 LBS of dry rock won't use it all and might get a pound or two of LR to seed the DR. Plus some LS as well.

Protein skimmer and my lighting fixure can wait until after the cycling has completed.

I'll probably be ordering my jets today if I can't find them around town. I looked at my LFS but nothing but didn't check Petco yet.

I'm getting antsy as I know my cycling should be starting soon! =D

 

Sumps I'm a little leery on still but once I research more and get my tank well adjusted then I will get one. My canister won't be going to waste as my husband wants to do his own FS aquarium and he can have the canister.

 

Is that a walmart stand? I helped a friend build one last year. Not very strong IMO. You may want to look at some other stand options before you add weight to the stand.

Bagged "live sand' is a crock. By the time you get the bag, most if not all the bacteria is dead. You are also paying for a lot of water. The bacteria from the LR you add will seed the sand.

 

I say go with a sump, it's cheaper than going canister and then sump later down the road. While you are cycling you can get a good feel for the sump that way you don't piss off your inhabitants too!

 

Where can i get one or can I build one?

 

Build one, they aren't that hard to do as an DIY. I went to a local glass shop and ordered the sizes for the bottom, sides, front and back and the baffles. Check out some of the designs on this site and just modify to fit your cabinet. I have a good one I drew up if you want I can find it.

Also, you will need a decent overflow box. I bought a lifereef one (expensive but high quality) but I hear the eshopps brands are really good. Do some investigating there is a buttload of information on this site you can use to plan this out very well. If you have questions make sure you post them too, everybody here is helpful

In the end, you will be happy you went with a sump, less crap in the display tank and more flexibility for the future.

 

I might have to look into it.

 

Great start Pet Mother!! You're well on your way. I agree that a background should be added. I chose black spray paint for mine and couldn't be happier, but I also like blue. A dark blue looks better than the lighter blues IMO.

As far as a sump goes, if you are planning for this to be a reef tank, I would strongly suggest adding a sump/fuge. You will regret it if you don't IMO

 

Painted my Background!

So with the advice that dark blue will look really nice with the lighting, I did such thing. I painted my background dark blue I think it looks nice ;D



Sorry about the finger prints LOL

 

Looks great, but for some reason I can never seem to get the dark blues dark enough.