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[Arty Morty]

Hey ho,
I have a 130g with a 20g I hope to use as a sump. I am just wondering what equipment one might recommend. I currently have nothing. I don't want to start off with everything, just the essentials.

What skimmer?
Wet/Dry? or Canister?
Sorry, I'm New... :razz:
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[Delphinus]

First of all, Welcome to Canreef. :cool:

Secondly ... forget the wet/dry and canister and put the $$$ into a skimmer instead. Now ..... asking exactly which skimmer to use, is a bit like asking if you should buy a Chevy or a Ford, there are LOTS of opinions out there, but basically, you don't want to skimp on a skimmer (in my opinion). But I guess for starters, you want to consider what your budget is, because there's a big range of products out there.

BTW, I'm going to move your thread into the main reefing forum because I think it will leave it open for more responses which might prove more helpful. :mrgreen:

[Arty Morty]

So, are you saying that I don't need a Wet/Dry if I have a good skimmer?
I was under the impression that they went together somehow.

Is the Canreef stuff good?
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[LostMind]

Yah, the wet dry isnt really needed anymore. Apparently they are useful for fish only situations, but if you want to keep corals and inverts, just spend your money on a powerful skimmer.

I have an aquaC 180 ev. Cost a bundle, but pulls out 500ml of skimmate every two days so I am happy. I have it running on a 120 gallon tank with a 75 gallon sump.

HTH

[Arty Morty]

But I would need something like a canister for the middle 'o the tank floaties no?.
I am a little confused....Just a skimmer, and some power heads will be enough to get me going? I must assume you need alot of LR then.

Help!!

That CS-2 Skimmer offer on this site, is it good?
$650 seems high, is it a normal price?
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[LostMind]

I have no experience with that skimmer, sorry.

I have 140lbs LR in my 120.

With a good skimmer, you should pick up most floaties - or at least I find that my skimmer cleans it up pretty good. I do put in a powerhead filter to run carbon in tho.

[Arty Morty]

Would it be cheaper to have a wet dry going until I can build up my LR supply?
What is a good Wet Dry worth? Must be cheaper that 140lbs of LR.
Just add it as I buy it.
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[LostMind]

What do you want to keep?

[Arty Morty]

I do want a reef tank, eventually....

What if I started with 50 or so pounds of LR...Would I need a W/D?
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[LostMind]

Then I would forget about the wet dry and just add the LR as you can.

Otherwise, you are spending money now on something you will throw out in the future.

Just my opinion tho. Others may say something different.

[Arty Morty]

I currently have the lifegard in-line mechanical and chemical filters (AF-93 & AF-94) If I was to put these into action, would that help?

Would anyone suggest a minimum ratio of LR?
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[Aquattro]

I recommend a really good skimmer and nothing else. The skimmer will remove "floaties" just fine. A general rule for rock is 1 -1.5 pounds per gallon, but that isn't set in stone.
The wet/dry will create more nitrates than your rock will be able to remove, so really, save your money. Sell the cannisters and put the money towards the skimmer. I'm not sure if Titus is still making the Canreef skimmers, but they have had good reviews from the people that have commented on them. There are many others to choose from, inclusing Euroreef, PM bullet, aerofoamer, etc. The price for a good skimmer can run you between $400 and $1000, depending on your tank size and how aggresive you want to skim.
Also, DIY skimmers are always an economical way of getting a big skimmer at a small price. Used ones come up for sale often, or someone might be able to build one for you.
People have differing opinions on skimmers, but my thoughts are buy the biggest bestest skimmer you can, otherwise you need to buy a second one down the road to replace the crappy one you thought you'd save money on.
And even though this is one of the most confusing parts of entering the reef hobby, just keep asking questions and you'll figure it out just fine.

[Arty Morty]

Thank-you Thank-you Thank-you.

Thank-you All!! :biggrin:
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[LostMind]

What Brad said :)

The three most expensive things for my tank were:

live rock
skimmer
lighting

At 7 months, I have no casualties and a tank that makes people stare at it for quite some time - especially people who dont know much about fishtanks :)

[Namscam]

If you are really intent on buying a wet/dry system, you can alwayz modify it into a small sump or refugium later on but its not really worth it...Plus wtet/dry systems are like the easiest thing to build so you can go that route too but if I were you, then take Brads advice and buy a skimmer or build yourself one

[Quinn]

Base rock and Kanai live rock can be had from J&L Aquatics for a good price. Expect to spend a fair bit on your rocks, regardless.

[Arty Morty]

Yep, I think I will...

It looks like lighting will be the most....I just priced some @ 679 buckeroonies....ouch!
http://www.jlaquatics.com/cgi-bin/shopping/jalstore.cgi?user_action=list&category=Equipment%3BLighting%3BFluorescent%3BRetr ofit&start=14

And the Skimmer @ 500 without a pump!

http://www.jlaquatics.com/cgi-bin/shopping/jalstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=ps-acev180

Gotta go pull up my couch cushions... :lol:


Thanks Everyone!
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[Namscam]

at 679 for fluorescent you should justadd a couple more dollars to get MH...trust me from a person whos gone thru 3 diffenent lighting within 2 months, you ll be happy in the end because later on in the road, you ll want better lighting...even with my MHs right now only after 1 month of using it I want more wattage...

[LostMind]

Hey Arty.

You could build a skimmer for much less then that if you are trying to save a few bucks. Look for posts in the DIY section by Canadianman. He builds some good stuff.

As for lighting, if you wait for underworldaquatics to get pricing to JL for their 400W ballasts, you could go to a metal halide lighting setup for roughly the same cost as your flourescent setup there.

I spent less then that $679 on my 400w metal halide lighting. And, after going from 175w to 250w up to 400w, I say the 400w is definitely worth it!

[Arty Morty]

I will definitely be looking around. :eek: :exclaim:

What would the recommended wattage be for a 130g 24"deep?
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[Namscam]

I say if you re looking at MH at least 250w if you want to keep lots of corals

[Aquattro]

What would the recommended wattage be for a 130g 24"deep?

This really does depend on what you intend to keep. If you want exclusively SPS and clams, 400w is likely the best. If you want to mix things up, maybe 250w and then keep the higher light demanding critters near the top. The thing with 400w is that they will be enough for whatever you want to keep, and if you need to , you can raise them higher to reduce the light hitting the bottom of the tank. Cost-wise, 250w and 400w are roughly the same.

[StirCrazy]

What would the recommended wattage be for a 130g 24"deep?

250 watt MH all around, personaly I think 400's are a waist of 150 watts on a 24" tank. once you get to 30" tall then maybe I would sugest 400 watt bulbs over 250's but then again I would just use 250 HQI on a 30" deep tank also.

Steve

[Aquattro]

personaly I think 400's are a waist of 150 watts on a 24" tank.

Kinda like when you thought MH were a waste of time? :razz:

I agree that the 250w HQI would be great, but the price more than doubles for that .

[StirCrazy]

Kinda like when you thought MH were a waste of time? :razz:



ya but not a waist of time.. just money.. hehe but I did waist a lot of money getting them :mrgreen:

Steve

[Aquattro]

What 400w will give over the 250 is a wider range of depth in which to place corals. While some people have 250w and successfully keep sps (with coloration), it is often within the top 6" of the tank. 400w will allow you to utilize more of your depth. The trade off is probably more heat, but with every pro there is a con. 250w HQI will give a comparable, if not better, range (for a lot moe money).

Again, just an example of the different opinions you'll get on lighting.

[kuatto]

What about a RO/DI unit?Edmonton water isn't the best(I'm sorry I didn't buy one when I first set up).Where in Edmonton are you located?

Jim

[Arty Morty]

I am in St Albert actually. We have a separate water treatment plant here, not sure if that is good or bad. Is a RO unit vital to me? Is there another way?

I would have a few corals, not sure what ones yet. My wife loves those bright clams as well. other than that, some clowns, tangs, clean up crew.

That is until we see all the other possibilities! :mrgreen:

I guess 400w MH??

Can you give too much light?
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[Seth]

What you need basically is:
liverock (a must)

Next step:
skimmer or refugium or both (quite neccessary)

For less algae problems:
RO or RODI (not super neccesary but really helps a lot)

If you have all those 3 things plus maybe some snails, then your tank will probably be algae proof. (unless you're overstock or overfeeding)

I would either get a 400 watter if you have space or a 250w hqi if you are low on space. Personally I think there's no such thing as too much light. It's all about accimating the corals to the light. Even if some corals don't like the light, you can always put them in the shade. It's better to get the best now then having to spend even more money to upgrade later.

[Arty Morty]

So a refugium will perform a similar task as the skimmer?
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[Seth]

well sorta but not really

A skimmer pulls out gunk that wish and other stuff produce. It takes out waste directly out of the water.
As for a refugium, waste is turned into nitrates and stuff like that. The plants or macroalgae will suck out nitrates and nutrients. So it takes out waste indirectly.

So which is more efficient? Can't really say. They kinda do different things.

[Arty Morty]

Gotcha, Thanks! :lol: :razz:
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