Returning back to the hobby

[robisunreal]

Been away for couple of years and got an incentive to get back into it (or excuse, however you want to look at it :-) ). I have had a 20L freshwater for a while and decided to convert it to a saltwater after our foster kids kept bugging us about nemo. They go to a doctor's office that has a 100+ gallon tank with tons of fish in it. So out with the freshwater and in with the saltwater. I am going with the 20L for now to get started but have plans to get a bigger one later this year when we decide to move. I have had experience with 29g and 55g in the past, even had coral n stuff. So I kinda know what I am getting into with a smaller tank.

So what I have so far to get started is Chiller with capacity for a 60 or so gallon tank, a canister filter. Already put in my sand that I had from past tanks (cleaned it before dumping it in) and setup my water mix.

Things I need/want to get are lights, was thinking of T5's two 10K and two actinic, hang on skimmer. I am planning on getting some live rock sometime this week and through it in while cycling. Any help with this would be apperciated.

I have the chiller connected to the in line for the canister filter, would that be a problem or doesn't really matter? It was a late night and didn't realize which lines I was connecting.

Any suggestions on accelerating the cycling of the tank so I can put fish in there sooner?

Send me a message if you are interested in fostering, I can provide some information if anyone is interested.

[robisunreal]

Give you some idea of what I am working with.

[Big_Pun]

welcome to maast........ nice setup do you plan to keep coral?also the chiller may be over kill i had a 20l with 4x t5s and temps never got hot enough to warrant a chiller if you plan metal halide for small tank a chiller will prob be needed ....... if you want coral better filtration will help even moding a aquaclear to a fuge i have one i can sell you cheap and we can also talk how to set it up. again keep asking away

http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?...20g-zoa-garden

[Mr Cob]

what Chris said..

Also I would steer away from trying to speed up the tank cycle. Just let it do it's thing... a nice long proper cycle will give your system a solid start.

Welcome to MAAST, look forward to seeing your build progress.

[MadReefer]

Been away for couple of years and got an incentive to get back into it (or excuse, however you want to look at it :-) ). I have had a 20L freshwater for a while and decided to convert it to a saltwater after our foster kids kept bugging us about nemo. They go to a doctor's office that has a 100+ gallon tank with tons of fish in it. So out with the freshwater and in with the saltwater. I am going with the 20L for now to get started but have plans to get a bigger one later this year when we decide to move. I have had experience with 29g and 55g in the past, even had coral n stuff. So I kinda know what I am getting into with a smaller tank.

So what I have so far to get started is Chiller with capacity for a 60 or so gallon tank, a canister filter. Already put in my sand that I had from past tanks (cleaned it before dumping it in) and setup my water mix.

Things I need/want to get are lights, was thinking of T5's two 10K and two actinic, hang on skimmer. I am planning on getting some live rock sometime this week and through it in while cycling. Any help with this would be apperciated.

I have the chiller connected to the in line for the canister filter, would that be a problem or doesn't really matter? It was a late night and didn't realize which lines I was connecting.

Any suggestions on accelerating the cycling of the tank so I can put fish in there sooner?

Send me a message if you are interested in fostering, I can provide some information if anyone is interested.

1st off Welcome back to the hobby =D
2nd: Fostering is a very noble deed. I think thats the best thing anyone can do. I have 2 stepchildren and thats close/similar.

on the lighting, just make sure its t5 ho and not the normal output. they dont have many normal outputs around anymore, but from experience you wont have enough light/par with anything less than 4 bulb setups. (i do lots of par testing)

in all reality i would ditch the can filter (nitrate factory), keep with a good skimmer, and let the sandbed and live rock do your nitrogen cycling to achieve a good balance. dont overfeed on that little tank or you will have spikes in water parameters. keep it simple.

if you plan on going with a larger tank later i would keep the chiller to the side and not use it as the t5's wont generate enough heat to raise the temp. (i run 8 4foot t5s on my 180 and have never had overheating issues. although i dont have a canopy, so thats the main reason.

thinking about having kids and the possible overfeeding thing... lol, i would go with a few 3 inches or more sandbed to help filtration of amonia>nitrite>nitrate>n gas. live rock will aid in this as well. you prolly need some circulation... as in powerheads. koralia makes inexpensive good running units.

bout all i can think of off hand.
keep rolling in the Q's and we can all assist.

Reef On!

[robisunreal]

Thanks for the input, helps a lot. I will go ahead and at some point remove the chiller and canister filter. Still would feel a little more comfortable with some filtering but that's me. Big_pun, how big is this "fuge" that you have. Saw the pics but its hard to tell how big it is. Message me with additional details on it, interested in it. Am I able to post the for sale the canister? or that is only charter members?

I just picked up about 19 pounds of live rock and put it into the tank. Also bought a cheapo powerhead to get the circulation going. Later I will invest in a bit nicer powerheads and skimmer is definitely in the plans. The sand in there is about 3 inches deep so that is good news then.

Thanks for the info on the lights.

The kids saw the setup today and all they keep asking is "where is nemo?" :-)

[MadReefer]

ROFL gotta love kids. i picked up a hitchhiker soon as i added water 4 years ago... she keeps the glass clean too

hitchhiker.jpg

[ramsey]

I don't see a problem with the canister filter as long as you don't use any biological media in it (ceramic rings, bioballs, etc.). That's where you'd likely run into nitrate problems. Running a small amount of carbon or other nitrate or phosphate reducing media would be good if needed. You probably already know, but on a small tank, weekly or bi-weekly small water changes will probably get you the best results. A lot depends on if you're going to keep coral or not but it sounds like you are if you're spending money on T5s.

[MadReefer]

I don't see a problem with the canister filter as long as you don't use any biological media in it (ceramic rings, bioballs, etc.). That's where you'd likely run into nitrate problems. Running a small amount of carbon or other nitrate or phosphate reducing media would be good if needed. You probably already know, but on a small tank, weekly or bi-weekly small water changes will probably get you the best results. A lot depends on if you're going to keep coral or not but it sounds like you are if you're spending money on T5s.

what normally happens is it works fine until its forgotten about for too long a period. its just complicating things honestly. why can filter when your liverock does that job completely all the way to nitrogen gas? yes a can filter can work, yes it has a factor of being an issue beyond what most people understand. not really here to argue this point because it has its pros and cons. but in my experience, less is sometimes better because this hobby doesnt have to be overly technical to scare off the people who just want things to be easy, simple, and enjoyable =)

anything that traps poo and passes water through it consistently is biological filtration. most can filters i see standard issue have a pleated type of filter, which does just that.

[ramsey]

what normally happens is it works fine until its forgotten about for too long a period. its just complicating things honestly. why can filter when your liverock does that job completely all the way to nitrogen gas? yes a can filter can work, yes it has a factor of being an issue beyond what most people understand. not really here to argue this point because it has its pros and cons. but in my experience, less is sometimes better because this hobby doesnt have to be overly technical to scare off the people who just want things to be easy, simple, and enjoyable =)

anything that traps poo and passes water through it consistently is biological filtration. most can filters i see standard issue have a pleated type of filter, which does just that.

I agree. I wouldn't use it unless you need it. Yes, you have to keep it clean but if you end up needing to use GFO or carbon, it might come in handy. Just relying on a skimmer, live rock and water changes isn't always enough. I certainly wouldn't recommend loading it up with carbon or GFO until you actually need it though.