n00b alert!.. 54G sump-less setup..

[JDigital]

Hey everyone,
I have decided to take a plunge in the salty depths.

I have a 54G tank that I am using for my first SW setup. However due to space limitations & limited budget, I am going to try a sump-less setup. I am looking to keep some coral, LR, couple fish, nothing over the top (in terms of reef).. Kind of a Reef for Dumbies idea.. something to work with and learn from.

-Is a HOB filter (Whisper 60) adequately sized to handle a 54 SW? or should I invest in a Canister system?
-Is a skimmer required right from the beginning?
-What is the recommended light wattage for a tank of this size? (I have 2x39W T5HO @ 36")
-How much GPH should a 54G be running for proper flow?

Any other info you can help me with, and things I need to be aware off in a sumpless system would be great!

Cheers
Josh

[marie]

Here is one of my old sumpless systems, I had 3 maxijet 1200s, a bak pak skimmer (could of gone without because it wasn't very effective), a heater and 4 overdriven (icecap ballast) 40w fluorescents (probably about 250/300watts of light)
left side

right side

It was a hagen 48g with a couple of fish (the most I ever had was 4 small fish). I wouldn't bother with any kind of filters other then a skimmer unless your just using them to run carbon.

and no, a skimmer isn't necessary as long as you keep up with water changes and stock very slowly

[JDigital]

Would it be necessary to increase my lighting? Oh and are 18000K ok to use? (its what I have right now)

[marie]

I don't have any experience with t5 lighting but while I think that its fine for now when the tank is cycling your probably going to need more then that in the future even if all you want to have is mushrooms

[Renegade]

To be honest, plan to invest right from the beginning. I went with a 45g sump less to start and well biggest mistake for me was not making the investment in the beginning and buying the "affordable" (cheap) stuff. Eventually i upgraded b/c the tank was a right off without a complete over-hall of the equipment. If your trying to budget thats totally kool i know where your coming from but with that being said. Everyone will always tell you that things will work but the won't in everyones case. I'm a firm believer in what you put into it is what your going to get out of it. I would plan for more light perhaps a MH or another set of T5's for actinic's. Also Save your self the hassle and get a good skimmer to start. Yes it can be done without but every time you want "that" fish your not going to be able to because of the bio-load is too high. Or if you like me doing a water change every week like clockwork is not going to happen that impractical thinking for myself anyways. Anyways Just my two cents. Even if its a slow "build" process to get the good stuff your not going to have to spend the money later to upgrade.

Kyle

[JDigital]

Originally Posted by Renegade

To be honest, plan to invest right from the beginning. I went with a 45g sump less to start and well biggest mistake for me was not making the investment in the beginning and buying the "affordable" (cheap) stuff. Eventually i upgraded b/c the tank was a right off without a complete over-hall of the equipment. If your trying to budget thats totally kool i know where your coming from but with that being said. Everyone will always tell you that things will work but the won't in everyones case. I'm a firm believer in what you put into it is what your going to get out of it. I would plan for more light perhaps a MH or another set of T5's for actinic's. Also Save your self the hassle and get a good skimmer to start. Yes it can be done without but every time you want "that" fish your not going to be able to because of the bio-load is too high. Or if you like me doing a water change every week like clockwork is not going to happen that impractical thinking for myself anyways. Anyways Just my two cents. Even if its a slow "build" process to get the good stuff your not going to have to spend the money later to upgrade.

Kyle

Thanks Kyle! I definitely don't plan to cheap out... I went and got some Koralia 3's today for flow. I'm fairly happy with them so far, I think they are more than enough for my tank.

Any recommendations for a skimmer? This will be a slow build. LR won't be going in for at least another 2-3 weeks.

[Renegade]

as a hang on not too sure obviously moneys going to play a factor. I do suggest doubling whatever the recommended tank size is unless its a name brand like deltec. For a hang on filter one of your best investments will be an auto-top off. You may not think its important and yes you can add water ever day. But think of what it does to the skimmer with the water level always changing. The skimmer will not be consistent and be working harder/easier depending on where the water level is. Essentially the skimmer may work better at night when you top off the tank compared to the next evening when its time to fill up again. Now forget to do it for a day. I know an "inch" doesn't seem like much but its the little things that add up. Anyways just my experience.

Kyle

[Myka]

Originally Posted by JDigital

-Is a HOB filter (Whisper 60) adequately sized to handle a 54 SW? or should I invest in a Canister system?

Ditch both of those. They will just create nitrates in your tank. If you already own one of these though, you can fill it up with live rock rubble and it will help with filtration. You can also use it to put a bag of carbon or phosphate media.

Originally Posted by JDigital

-Is a skimmer required right from the beginning?

You will save yourself A LOT of headaches if you do. You will also save yourself a lot of headaches if you buy a PhosBan Reactor and some high quality GFO (granular ferrous oxide) media for it. Look for reddish brown media instead of white media. If you run this from the very first day you'll thank me later. Ok you likely won't...but that's only because you won't realise all the hassle it saved you!

Originally Posted by JDigital

-What is the recommended light wattage for a tank of this size? (I have 2x39W T5HO @ 36")

This cannot be answered in the way you asked it. That's like asking "is this enough water to fill my tank?" without showing me how much water you have. BUT...from what you're planning for now, it will likely be quite sufficient for softies, and some LPS placed higher up. How deep is your 54g tank?

Originally Posted by JDigital

-How much GPH should a 54G be running for proper flow?

This is another one of those questions. This depends HUGELY on the type of corals that you want to keep. Softies require less flow generally, and LPS a bit more, SPS a lot more. Try to aim for 10-15x turnover just in powerheads to start. The minimal flow you NEED is enough to keep detritus from settling on the sand. You will notice it settling in little nooks on the sand, and you eed to adjust your powerheads to get to that spot. If you can't get to all the spots with two powerheads, add a third. Then you have to move your corals around so that they're happy with the flow AND the light. It can be fun sorting it all out.

I'd throw a couple Maxi-Jet 1200s in there for now. See how that goes.

Originally Posted by JDigital

Any other info you can help me with, and things I need to be aware off in a sumpless system would be great!

Read. A LOT.

[JDigital]

^^ Thanks for the reply Myka.

I already have the Whisper 60 running, but the only thing in it is bio-bags of carbon. If I can get some LR rubble i will maybe run carbon on one side and the LR rubble on the other.

I have already decided that a Skimmer will likely be added before adding my LR. Although I haven't decided which one to get. Either a Deltec 300 or a Remora Pro.

My tank is 36"x18"x18".


I am running 30lbs of Aragonite sand and 20lbs of Live sand, 2 Koralia 3 powerheads (so 1700GPH), and a Jager 250W heater.

Again, thanks for your help myka.

[Myka]

No problem. A few suggestions if you'd like....

That is one big @$$ heater (about 4.5 wpg you have). If that heater gets stuck on (it happens more often than you'd like to know), you're in big trouble! I would suggest you use two smaller heaters. Two 100w heaters should be plenty.

When you add rock, clear the sand to the side, and place the rocks on the glass. Make sure they are stable with no sand surrounding them first. Then flatten the sand out around them. You will likely get a fish or two that like to dig. If you put your rocks ON your sand, and they dig it out, your fish will get squished, and there will be a rock slide. Personally, I don't add sand until the cycle is almost over since the cycling rock will slough a lot of detritus.

Go for the Deltec skimmer. It is 10x the skimmer in comparison to a Remora.