Various Questions

[Yano]

This questions are for a 60ish gallon tank, trying to go for full reef (but may end up wish fish and a few softies)

1. Should I put styrofoam under the sand?

2. Should I have a sump/fuge (what are they?) and how big should it be?

3. Do I really NEED a skimmer? (I thought about getting one for my 10 gallon, but never did so I have never personally seen one in action and there for would have no idea what a difference it would make)

Thats is for now.

[Yano]

4. how would I go about stacking live rock. I have seen people use PVC pipes as supports, I don't know what to do.

[StephenA]

Anwsers in Red
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1. Should I put styrofoam under the sand? No, just go with about 3" to 4" of fine sand

2. Should I have a sump/fuge (what are they?) and how big should it be?Yes, A sump is where you can put equipment (skimmers, heaters, pumps). A fuge is for low flow, dsb, algaes of various type. Try to get a custom made sump fuge combo from someone like Dan. I would go with 20-30 Gallons

3. Do I really NEED a skimmer? (I thought about getting one for my 10 gallon, but never did so I have never personally seen one in action and there for would have no idea what a difference it would make) Yes you need a skimmer to export nutrients! (fish poop and extra food)

4. how would I go about stacking live rock. I have seen people use PVC pipes as supports, I don't know what to do. PVC works and can save on the amount of rock. I prefer to just purchase a lot of rock. I'd go with 70lbs of rock or more for your tank. The best way to stack is put about half inch of sand down then stack your rock and fill in around it with rest of the sand. I tend to stack it towards the back glass leaving large caves in the rear.

[::pete::]

Sump/Refugium Info (http://www.melevsreef.com/what_sump.html)

[Yano]

ok, thanks for the info. Here is another question

5. Is this little diagram I drew ok for my canopy I plan to build. I usally see 1 MH on each side, would 1 in the middle be ok?

[Andrew]

If you stock sparingly, i.e. 3-4 small fish (under 3 inches, and that stay small) and do regular water changes (every 2 weeks, etc.) and maintenance, don't overfeed, you could get by without a skimmer. The advantage to a skimmer is that it pulls lots of gunk out of the water before it breaks down. A safety device IMO.

If you do go with a sump/fuge, go with the biggest size possible that will fit under the tank. You could put macros, other algaes in their to help with nitrate/phosphate levels, and what stephen said.

Plastic zip ties are nice for attaching LR pieces together. The aquascaping is up to you, although the more rock you get, the less space (and money) you will have for corals. I'd go with 50-70 lbs, depending on density. I wouldn't recommend stacking the rock against the glass, unless you really want too, and it is 1/2" thick minimum. If money is an issue, go with base rock for half, and live rock on top, for the other half. I would highly recommend curing your live rock in a separate container for several weeks to a month, doing regular water changes/running a skimmer if you have it. Some people have had bad cyano and hair algae problems for months or more, after cycling theirs in tank.

HTH

Andrew

[Yano]

I'm not sure what MH wattage I should go for I'm thinking of using one of these MH
http://hellolights.com/17methalretk.html
http://hellolights.com/25methalretk.html
http://hellolights.com/40methalretk.html

and 2 of these for the flouresents

http://hellolights.com/2x55warocfba.html

[Andrew]

If you're growing leathers, polyps, and other softies the 175 would be more than sufficient. sps, and I'd go with the 400. How deep is the tank?

[Nano_Steve]

yano,

i kept a 10 gallon for over a year and lots of folks said it was really nice. the advice given here is EXCELLENT but not all of it is necessary. i never used a skimmer or a sump/refugium and i only had a 96 w quad for lights and 2 hob filters for filtration.

-steve

[StephenA]

I wouldn't recommend stacking the rock against the glass, unless you really want too, and it is 1/2" thick minimum

Good point, my glass is thick.

[Nano_Steve]

ok just ignore my last post, i thought you were asking about a 10 gallon tank for some reason? :P

-steve

[Yano]

If you're growing leathers, polyps, and other softies the 175 would be more than sufficient. sps, and I'd go with the 400. How deep is the tank?

23.5 inches tall

[StephenA]

I have 2 150s on my 120 Gallon and upgrading to 2 250s. My tank is 25" tall and my sps and clams have done well. However; go with is much as you can afford. Just be willing to Acclimate things to the light. I BBQ'd a bubble and a plate when I added them to my tank.

[Nano_Steve]

how do yall acclimate stuuf to light?

[StephenA]

Start low in the tank and in the shade. The only time I don't acclimate is when I get it from a lfs that has similar lighting and coral/clam has been in there for a while. When I upgrade my lights I'll cut them back to just a couple of hours per day. Then increase it a hour per week until I get back to my normal photo period.

[Yano]

I was just about to ask the same thing :D

[Yano]

ok. cool, I can do that. What about the kelvin ratings? What would be good for the MH and Fluorescents.

[StephenA]

I like the 10 or 13K bulbs. The 20Ks are nice if you have other 10K in the mix

[Yano]

Would 2 400W MH and 4 55W Fluorescents be overkill for this tank? Is there such thing as overkill?

[StephenA]

I think that is to much

[Gator]

no such thig as overkill (if you want sps only) i have 5 400 watt mh and 6 5 foot vho on my 175 and i am very happy with the outcome. i just wish i would have bought it from the begginig instead of buying selling upgrading, i think i am around 16 watts gallon.

[Yano]

I thought so too. Let see, 2 175W MH and 2 55W Fluorescents. I think that is a bit more practical.

[Yano]

Well I want to have some SPS but more soft corals and I will also have anemones.

[Gator]

then dont do the 400 i think the 175 are the way to go

[Yano]

ok how about the bulbs, 10,000k for MH and what about the Fluorescents?

[Gator]

blue atinic

[Yano]

ok, Thank You everyone! Thats all my questions, for now..... ;)

[Yano]

I also have another question. I have this acrylic DAS thing(17.5in x 4in x 22in) that came with the tank. It has a skimmer in it, is this worth using? Where can I find some info on these things? It has an overflow thing and several chambers(Some of these seem like they go no where/ useless, but what do I know). I googled it, but did not find much, most was not in English.

[GaryP]

Yano,

When you stack your LR you want to minimize dead spots as much as possible. For example putting 2 flat pieces together. Basically you want to minimize contact points betwween the rocks while still keeping it stable so that you don't get avalance's. You want to provide lots of caves for your fish and other critters.

Gary

[Yano]

Thanks Gary. :D

[JimD]

What Gary said about contact points is very important, good heads up Gary.

[Yano]

Just thought of this, how will I get the sump in the stand? The doors are 10.2 x 19 and the tank is already filled, would a 20L or 30L(do they make 30L?) into threw the door or will I have to drain it?

[StephenA]

You need tall, not long! If it want go in, then drain it.

[Yano]

o ok, what would the demisions be on a 20T or 30T?

[StephenA]

Call a lfs or try this:
http://www.oceanicsystems.com/products_dimensions.html

[Yano]

ok the 'useable' space in the stand is 42" by 8". Can someone build one for me or can I do it myself? About how much would it cost?

[StephenA]

PM Dan, he makes sumps/fuges

[Yano]

o yea, you said that before, silly me. Thanks again :D