Need advice on equipment to startup

Hi All,

I am new to saltwater and I am in the process of planning out what equipment I need.

I have gotten a quote from a LFS, but I feel this "package" may not be worth the price quoted.

Before I post the list, here is a general idea of my goal which hopefully will help you guys suggest what I should get.

1. Right now I want to just do FOWLR setup.
2. Maybe after a year or two (if things go well), I want to have anemone in the tank for clown fish. So, as far as a reef setup for lighting and such I want equipment that is capable of supporting anemone.

Here is the list for a quote of 1290 from LFS:

-72 gallon bowfront tank with 1 overflow box made by Aqueon a.k.a. All Glass Aquarium
-the corresponding glass top
-a 48" duel t5 high output fixture made by Deep Blue called the Solarmax HO 2
-the 72 bowfront Pine Cabinet made by Aqueon a.k.a. All Glass Aquarium
-Eshopps Wet-Dry filter model 75
-a Taam Rio Plus pump model 1700
-and an overflow accessory kit made by Aqueon

Here are my concerns based on my knowledge so far from reading sites about this equipment.

1. The solarmax HO2 is 54Wx2 (108W)? From what i've read anemone (for clownfish) would need 3-4W/gallon? So, 72gallon tank would need 216W minimum?
2. Eshopps wet-dry filter model 75 - This has bioballs, I have read that these can be a nitrate breeder? I know I want at least sump, but I am also intrigued by the refugium concept. Can you have a refugium without a sump? Or are they one in the same? I have seen people say you can have a sump/refugium in one tank below your main.
3. I currently have a 75g african cichilid tank with two cannister filters, which I will be taking down soon. Is there any way I could use these with my new salt setup? or are cannister filters a no no since they would be a nitrate breeder too, more or less.
4. Is this a ridiculous quote for the items mentioned?

I appreciate any feedback you could provide.

Thanks. Kurt.

 

is this pacage new or used?

ifyou dont wat to use bio balls you will need to make a sump/refigium on the home page there is a good article about this

you cant turn the cichlid tank into a salt tank if you buy a overflow or drill the tank but you still need more light a metal halide would be best for a nem but them the run into heating isues if you dont ventalate propaly and also a skimmer would be needed

o and jmo if your guna do a nem your better of just making it a full out reef tank. a tank is either a fowler or a reef it cant be both lol

 

Light needed for the tank isn't just an equation, but is also based on depth of the tank & the types of corals you intend to keep. That light is jot enough for corals esp in a 72g. This would be a better bet. Aquarium Lighting for Freshwater and Reef Systems: Nova Extreme Compact SLR T-5 Fixtures Replace the bulbs when you can afford it.

Tank stands can be expensive. Is building a DIY stand an option?

I do not know much about wet/dry filters. But BioBalls do collect nitrates & need to be cleaned often. I am not sure on canister filters either. Someone else will chime in.

Yes, you can have a refugium without a sump, but it is plumbed the same way. You will still need a return pump. You can have a fuge/sump combo, which is what I am doing. The sump is more of a way to hide equipment mainly. It will also reduce micro bubbles with the use of "baffles".

Have you thought about an RODI unit?(reverse osmosis de-ionization)

Also look into getting a refractometer to check salinity.

You will need some powerheads to create flow

I think that price is pretty high. Does. Here's what I am looking at for my 75. I would also look into getting some used equipment.

-Eheim return pump 1262 $150
-Phosban reactor(x2) $24 each
-Used 150w metal halide $150
-Koralia Evolution 750(x3) $38 each
-rodi unit - www.bulkreefsupply.com Go here for an rodi unit or you could gt one used.
-DIY stand
-AGI G3 skimmer (This is rather large. But I will be heavily stocked.)
-20g long sump/fuge combo.

I recommend www.marinedepot.com & www.fosterandsmithaquatics as good places for equipmtnt. I don't know of any good fish stores. www.iveaquaria.com is good for livestock. www.reefcleaner.org for you cuc(clean up crew) & dry rock or www.macrorocks.com for rock.

 

Used is the way to go in this hobby unless you have the money to put into a new system you can get used aquariums with more then you will ever need for a fraction of that price and double the size... look on craigslist for some complete set ups you might even find some people that will set it up for you with the sale.

As far as the quote goes from the LFS it is high but they need to make money so you are paying for there knowledge unless you can invest some reasearch into this hobby you might as well just pay them to get it going.

As far as anenomes go I don't really care for them because they are a mobile creature and have a tendency to get caught in powerheads and overflows and nuke a tank.

75/90 gallon aquarium (Pretty common for about the same prices.)
40 gallon sump
Skimmer 100 gallon rated (ASM, SWC, OCTO. Are some good brands)
Sump Baffles (To seperate fuge/ and return / and skimmer sections)
Light Fixture (T5 is more affordable 3-4 watts per gallon is a good rule / or MH if you can afford it)
Plumbing (You would need to figure out the type of overflow you would want. Bean, Herbie, Durso, HOB)
Reactors (Carbon / Phosban)
Live Rock
Sand
Powerheads

If you want to DIY then this is the place to get the info you will just need to do some research on each of these areas to get good prices for the product that is right for your set up.

 

newreef15: yes, this would all be new, but I had a feeling the price was too high. You're right that it's either fowlr or reef tank. I do not intend to have alot of fish in the tank. At most maybe a pair of clown, a blue hippo tang and a yellow tang. I guess you could say plan is more of a fowlr at this point in my planning.

Turning the cichlid tank to salt is not an option since I am giving that to my brother, which is why I am planning to buy a 72 bow front with overflow.

Seano: I wish DIY were an option. I agree stands are insanely expensive. I am not very good at building stuff from scratch unfortunately.

I used to use RO/DI unit for the water needs of my african tank. I sold that to a friend of mine so I have definitely considered buying another one. Thanks for the link to find one.

I will definitely not go for this "package" but now I need to find a good price on the tank itself at a LFS.

 

Thanks for the advice on the anemones scott. I had no idea they could get stuck in powerheads and cause headaches.

I have a question about the sump pumps. I read somewhere that if the power goes off it could be trouble? Is that true that the sump will fill up and overflow if the sump pump has no power to pump water back into the tank?

 

If you lose power to you rump, then water will keep "overflowing" unless you have a way to stop it. Just make sure your sump is big enough to hold however much overflow you will have. You can control(somewhat) the amount of water that will overflow when the power is off by choosing how far below the rim of your tank you want your overflow(this is only if built in overflow). If you have an overflow box (I think) you can have a ball or gate valve in the plumbing line to safely stop water flow.

 

craigslist

 

Look at the first post in my build thread listed in my sig. if will explain a failsafe system that is used as an overflow... to help you understand a little more and overflow is just a general term there are many variation of the "overflow" some name to type into the search engine to get you going on research is "bean animal overflow" "herbie overflow" "Hang Off The Back Overflow" "Durso Overflow" and with each of these there are small varations to customize each version.

I hope that has confused you even more LOL JK there is just a lot to take in.