CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Okay I have decided to venture into the crazy world of salt water. I have been reading material for the last 6 months and I have started to piece together my set up.
My tank is a 100 gallon acrlyic tank. That is going to house a reef tank. I plan on doing mostly soft corals and some hardier hard corals.

Lighting
-4 200watt compact floursecents, cool white, 6,500k range
-4 Actinic 24" floursecents,(for the corals)
-this should give me about 1000 watts with over 10,000 lumens, which I think is more than enough for what I am planning

Filtration
-10 gallon sump(an extra tank)
-Berlin Turbo classic protien skimmer, handles up to 250g tank
-Calcium reactor, handles up to 150g tank
-1 magnum 350 for the return line on the sump
-1 AC 500 for some filtering and added flow
-3 180gph powerheads for added flow
-Live rock for biological filtration

Okay if you see anything I missed that will be need or would help, please leave a post.

Also for sand I was thinking of going with a thin bed, but I have read that a deep bed is better because it will help filter. If anyone has any experience on this please leave a post.

Thanx
Junior

Hi Junior,

I've been wanting to convirt a 60 gallon tank I have to saltwater. What was your best source of information? You must have read quite a bit over the last 6 months. I would like to have seahorses and anomenes. I think I spelled that wrong. I don't even know if they go together.
What do you reccommend?

sounds like a nice setup you've got planned - hurry up and do it and post some pictures


The only thing I'd change if I was setting that up is the sump. I'd go a little bigger for more filter media and a place to hide some of the equipment rather then putting it all inside the tank.

Then you could also do away with the AC 500 since they always look nasty from the amount of salt that creeps out on them in a saltwater set-up

Soldier-
Go to a barn and noble and get Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies. Its the best sorce of info. Most other book I have bought and read are a little out of date or they are hard to understand. That book puts it into terms you can understand.
If you are going to change to saltwater I would take your time and make sure that you plan everything out before you even consider on buying anything. Its a lot cheaper to buy a $20 book and decide you don't want to do it. Than spend $500+ and find out you aren't willing to give that much time.
As for what you would like to start with. Seahorses are not good choices. They are very picky on what they like to eat, they are VERY sensitive to water condisitions and they can not compete for food. You should start with something more hardy and work your way to seahorses if that is your goal.
As for your other choice, They can be kept by newbies to saltwater but it take planning. You WILL have to upgrade your lighting system and they are more sensitive to water conditions.
If I were you I would start with a fish only tank because start up is much cheaper because you don't have to buy so much equipment.
Good Luck(READ,READ, READ)

Stilllearnin-
I will have high flow through my sump so I will have my heater and protien skimmer and for a return pump I will use a magnum 350, I think that more than enough to heat my tank(Acrylic holds heat better)
It doesn't matter how bad my AC 500 looks it will be hidden inside my new custom built canopy. I am very proud of this one. I will have pics up as soon as I complete it. I have put many man hours on it.

Anyone-
So how deep should I have my sand? Anyone have any idea on this one. Also I think I'm going to go with Great barrier reef live rock and have argonite rock that will be seeded by it. Its going to be uncured and I'm going to cure it myself, so I don't lose any of those extra little things that come along with uncured live rock.
Does anyone know of anyother live rock that has as much color and look as Great Barrier reef? I have heard that Premeir Figi rock is very good but I want something with a litte different color. I have seem many tanks with Figi rock but none with Great Barrier reef.
also does anyone think that a UV sterlizer is important. I have heard that some ppl think that there is no need for them unless there is problem and I have heard the oppisite
Anymore advice?
Junior

Does anyone know of anyother live rock that has as much color and look as Great Barrier reef?

Savai,Savougi (might be spelled wrong) both have lots of color and aren't real common. Last I noticed good Savai only comes in,in the fall Savougi comes in through out the year nice it's Barrier reef rock from a certain spot .



A UV sterlizer would work against what your attempting because it would kill some of the microrganizims that you'd be adding curing your own rock in your tank.

So how deep should I have my sand? Anyone have any idea on this one.

Not sure but have you looked through the http://www.garf.org site? you might get some ideas on that there

I've look a little through that page but thanx for the link. I think I'm going to take a closer look.
Thanx for the help stilllearnin

Come on some one esle has to have an idea on this sand problem.

Thanx
Junior