another newbie attempting a 80g sw

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
so, this is as far as i got over the weekend. its filled with water and and seems to be holding but i might double up on the 4 legs.

tell me what you think.
stand3.jpg

80stand2.jpg

80stand1.jpg

80stand.jpg
 
no....well yes i built it without thinking about the size of the sump tank. and when i remembered to check the size it wouldn't fit so i had to do some rethinking, but i figured it out. all i have is five 2x4's that hold it up (one in each corner and one in the back middle) do you think that would be sufficient? i wanted to leave the front open with no braces for easy access to the sump, just a door.
 
OK, I'm getting more confused... i was watching a video on you tube that made me think. the video was made by LA Fish Guy he was talking about a fish only tank and why live rock is unnecessary and really a waste of money for a fish only tank. he said a W/D trickle filter sump with a protein skimmer is all that is usually necessary.

Is that true?

Is a refugeum necessary if so why?

Are bio balls enough for a biological filter?

the only fish i plan to keep is a volitan or 2 and a snowflake eel. so what would be the point of live rock in a fish only tank? Ive watched allot of his videos trying to get a grasp of SW and pretty much all of them have the same sump setup. trickle plate, bio balls, protein skimmer and return pump. that's it. so i guess I'm just trying to have a nice setup and not going way overkill. he also talked about treating fish with medications later on will kill most of the stuff on the live rock resulting in out of wack parameters.

but, Ive also seen in posts and videos that you must have live rock and at least 1 pound per gallon, WTF?

i see how live rock i useful but is it necessary if you have a W/D filter with bio balls?

i need a little clarity.

here are the videos....

part 1----http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPMuvel65DY
part 2----http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgbbkpTDg14

thanks
 
well you can get away without the live rock I highly recommend it for 2 reason's one its a natural place for your fish and livestock to retreat to plus all the small zooplankton that will be on it is a nice extra source of food as well as de-nitrification I would still do a wet/dry trickle filter as well. really no need for a fuge and yes bio balls are necessary the store all the beneficial bacteria that breaks down ammonia and nitrates into nitrite.

mr.reef24
 
mr.reef24 thanks for clearing that up for me. i starting to understand now. i guess youtube was just confusing me because allot of the vids i watched with the fish i plan to keep had no live rock just sand and some regular rocks for hiding.

work on the tank has been slow but I'm in the process of sanding now. not much to update but the fact that i SUCK at making the hood and light unit.....i think i might have to try it sober.

myteemouse i was taking a look at your thread on reef frontiers and that setup is bad *** i would like to come and see it some day like you suggested. i think it would be beneficial to me as i have LOTS of questions.

thanks for reading and all input.
 
doomsau;3565703; said:
mr.reef24 thanks for clearing that up for me. i starting to understand now. i guess youtube was just confusing me because allot of the vids i watched with the fish i plan to keep had no live rock just sand and some regular rocks for hiding.

work on the tank has been slow but I'm in the process of sanding now. not much to update but the fact that i SUCK at making the hood and light unit.....i think i might have to try it sober.

myteemouse i was taking a look at your thread on reef frontiers and that setup is bad *** i would like to come and see it some day like you suggested. i think it would be beneficial to me as i have LOTS of questions.

thanks for reading and all input.
Click to expand...

Youtube can be either great or a curse because you'll get the question answered 10 different ways not saying my way or this way is the best but find someone you trust that never has steered you wrong and go that method and what method you prefer as well Live Rock has always been my bread and butter for the past 15 years in the hobby and works for me and works for other's as well but you can get away without it. I just prefer to use it for a more natural and relaxing setting to my fish so they see in my tank's what they see in the ocean before being caught.

mr.reef24
 
I'm thinking about the design for my W/D trickle filter, it seems to be more of a challenge than i expected. I'm curious of where the filter pad, bio balls, and protein skimmer should go for maximum filtration. most of all the correct placement of the dividers. also I'm not sure of the water level and how to place the dividers to keep that water level.

here is one that Ive been working on:
wetdrytrickelplan1.jpg

PLEASE give me feedback for any improvements.
or if you know of a design that works with the equipment i have let me know because i haven't started it yet and I'm anxious to get started
 
looks just fine.

Something else you can do if you're not keeping any corals is grow out macroalgae in your display, I have a video of a 90G I had set up much the same way.

Does wonders for your nitrates. And looks phenomonal if you set up your powerheads on a wave maker

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8lH_zD5yoM[/YT]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom