Starting a 30g and have some questions

Well I found a good deal on a 30 gallon bow front with a glass canopy and new Marineland light fixture, everything is brand new and got it for $20. I was going to do some sort of Dwarf Cichlid tank but I think I might try to dive into a small saltwater tank.

I plan on doing a FOWLR tank with too special with the stocking list, a pair of clowns ect and a decent CUC. With the live rock I might even just get the majority of it dry and seed it with some small sections of live rock.

Here is what I have planned for a setup:

-Nova Extreme 24" 2x24" T5 lighting Not sure if that will be enough light?
-Live sand
-Dry/Live Rock
-2x Koralia 1 Powerheads (Will give me about 28x turnover an hour)
-Marineland 150W Heater
-Hydrometer
-RO/DI water setup (Coralife Pure-Flo II)

Now I the question comes in whether to do a decent backpack skimmer or try to do a DIY sump. I really dont want to bother with the whole sump idea but I'm not too sure how well the backpack skimmers really work.

If you guys could guide me in the right direction that would be great!

Wynn

 

Sounds like an excellent start. I wouldn't even go with the T5's if your set on FOWLR, unless you know you will be tempted into corals. If it is going to stay FOWLR, the marineland fixture would be just fine, and in reality grow coraline even faster.
On the skimmer, it depends on what you mean by "backpack". If you mean just any hang-on skimmers, yes, there are very good hang-on skimmers out there. I ran a 40 gallon with an octopus BH-100F hang on skimmer that was excellent, with no sump. The Aqua-Medic turboflotor is another excellent hang-on skimmer. If you specifically mean the CPR bakpak skimmer than no, IMHO those are not very good skimmers. I would shy away from CPR or the coralife skimmers, and look to Reef Octopus, Aqua Medic, and Aqua C for hang on skimmers.

 

Packleader... I could't agree more...

 

Thank you for the information, on the skimmer I should have said HOB rather than "backpack." Do you think it is that important to have one on my small setup?

 

Also do you think this would be a good unit instead of a DIY sump system?

Aquarium Filtration: Rapids Pro Series Wet/Dry Filter from Tom Aquarium Products

 

packleader gave you solid info.

I agree with everything he said, but I am an advocate of sumps, for the simple reason of more water, easier to maintain.

 

If it helps you in any way, you can look through my 30 gallon thread.. It has been nothing but successful the entire way through..
I wish you the best of luck and cant wait to see it..
http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/bamas-30-gallon-thread-63474.html

 

I do, specially for one just starting out. I always had trouble maintaining my 40 gallon until I got a good skimmer. It just makes the saltwater world so much better.
The one thing I would stress here is it seems like you are confused as sump or skimmer. A sump is not a replacement for a skimmer. Even with a sump, you should still be running a skimmer. Sumps really aren't much for filtering water. Or, in my opinion, even for the extra volume. Sumps are good for hiding your equipment, meaning that your heaters, filter, skimmer, etc isnt in the display tank.
If your really confused as to having a sump or not, I would really lean towards the AquaMedic turbflotor, as it can be run in either HOB or in-sump. That way, if you decide to add a sump later on (which is just fine), you don't have to go out and buy another skimmer. For smaller tanks IMHO, sumps are less important, as water changes in more frequency with a 30 gallon tank is no big deal.
As for the Tom Aquatics sump, I have heard nothing but good things on the quality of their products. That being said, I would still make my own. The cost of a pre-manufactured sump is just insane.

 

You landed a great deal there, seems perfect if you want corals later on. What will you stock it with?

 

Hello there i see you are trying to decide between a HOB Skimmer and a Sump. Well i have a Skimmer that is actually in the Tank which is a very small footprint in the tank which blends in well with a black background.

The skimmer is made by Tunze it is AMAZING! i have 0 micro bubles. Check it out here YouTube - 20 Gallon Salt Water Reef Update 2 the video is a little out dated but its a great Skimmer. Hope this helps. Also they are fairly priced and work Wonders!Found mine used on craigslist for less thanhalf of what it goes for new

here are the reviews for the skimmer i highly recommend it!
Tunze Nano DOC Protein Skimmer 9002 Reviews