Mike19

Im thinking about setting a reef tank, LR , Corals ect, im just not sure about maintenance compared to my FW tank. (100-200G).

• How often and how are water changes done ?
• Is a sump required or can i just run the tank using filter, heater, tank (basics)
• I have heard to minimise costs you can mix live rock with normal rocks and
  overtime the normal rock will become live is this a short process e.g. 2-3months.
• maintenance wise do SW tanks differ much from FW

Thanks,

Mike

quentin8

water changes need to be done every 1 to 2 weeks 10-20 depending on size
no i would not say that a sump is required but recomended
and mixing the rock.... never heard of that but if it did work it would deff. save money
yes i think salt water tanks take a lot more to maintain ...... just getting all of the tests and equipment u need to just set it up can make u think about refinancing your house
but after the hundreds and hundreds of dollars ull never be more so happy

Angela_96

Waterchanges every week, 15% to keep nitrates down.

Sump isn't required, but is very useful. The filter is a nitrate factory to say the least, Now you can run a sumpless, filterless system w/ a protein skimmer and really strong powerheads. Your live rock will be the bio filter.

As for mixing reg rocks w/ live rock. IMO it will cost more in the long run as in taking your tank longer to cycle, etc.

SW maintence to me isn't that hard do your water changes, scrape algae, clean out the wet/dry filter (for my tank) and clean the protein skimmer. There are more chemicals to test, and more stuff to ad if its a reef. But all in all its not that bad.

The pricetag isn't that bad if you know where to shop for your stuff, as in buying corals find some people to buy frags from rather than a LFS, once you buy your main equipment its not an expensive upkeep.

Mike19

cost isn't really the big issue, just clueless on how you would do water changes, is there a special salt mix you buy from the LFS how dose it work.

as for the sump how large is it usually. the tank im considering for converting into a SW is approx 180-185G (Corner Tank) so will a sump fit underneath

sgould

There are a whole host of salt mixes available both at LFS and online (it's heavy though, so online cost savings can get eaten up by shipping). You prepare your mix a day or so in advance.

Your sump should be large enough to accomodate whatever equipment you want to house in it instead of your display tank...skimmer, heater, etc. Many also keep a growth of macroalgae in their sump also to help keep nitrate down. If you go that route, you will need a light of some kind hung over the sump.

cerianthus

1.That all depends on your tank. Amount of livestock and amount of food given. If cost is not an issue, Denitrator will elilminate WC according to Manufacturer. Personally, should do some water changes since it is not just nitrate which build up in tank. Or Google for DIY, such as Deep Sand Bed (DSB) or Refuge which will help you lower the nitrate. Macro Algae in refuge can be use as food for grazer (tangs, angels, etc).

2. Definitely recommend Sump to run necessary equipments (protein skimmer, calcium reactor, denitrator, etc). Could use simple acrylic or glass tank. Even plastic tubs that can fit in your base. Again Google for DIY Sump and/or Refuge. W/proper design, Sump/Refuge can also be used as holding tank, new arrival, bullying fish, and /or bullied fish. Only problem I see is that how to incorporate Overflow Box. Can drill few holes in the back corner and build Overflow box. Google for DIY Overflow and prepare schematic DWG. Have the Reputable Glass Cutter w/ insurance to drill holes and make glass box according to schematic DWG. Would not go with External Overflow Box (should have at lest Two of them if you do), due to the fact tank has to be 3-4" away from the wall. Eventually salt creep up on the wall from External Overflow Boxes. Would recommend Internal Corner Overflow Box.

3. If can find very porous calium or lime based rock, could mix. Such rock will help you stablizing pH as w/ LR. As time goes rock will be covered by coralline and other inverts (sponge, turnicate, polyps, etc). Wold recommend Uncured rocks to cycle the tank when mixed w/ dead rock to give more microfauna in the tank. Such process can produce foul oder so do some research before deciding. Even cured has to be recured after shipping due to some di-off during transit. Definitely more hitchhikers w/ uncure LR but may also get unwated critters. I feel trying to locatieand IDng ( sometimes stay up at night to see the night action) the unknown hitchhikers are very fun part of reefking, not to mention removal process. If not intereted, go with Cured LR.

4. Do research on RO/DI. Should use such equipments which will elliminate certain water issues from the beginning.

5. Very important aspect of Reef Keeping., Lighting. DO research on corals. For you size tank, you would probably want to go full blown Reef, not limited to certain types of coral. Would definitely look into HQI MH + T5 or PC. Detemined the watage according to Dimension of your tank, especially depth).

Hope this helped a bit. Recommend reading as many books (specific book on corals, etc) and spend some time googling for Info. You can read info given by members as guide line, but remember there is more than one way to achieving successful Reef Tank. You and you only should determine your route after intense research is done. Even then, you will learn something new as time goes by.

defcon11

I found the biggest cost saver in this hobby is patience. I stabilized my tank after 2 weeks and put in an dwarf angel. It was not happy at all, and ended up dying. So I decided to just let my tank sit dormant for about 5 months. I purchased more LR (cured), a few pounds at a time, and kept introducing them. I purchased a cleaner shrimp, a hermit crab, a sand sifting starfish, and a bunch of small snails. That was all I kept in there for about 6-7 months. Needless to say the biofilter built up and now my aquarium is an almost self sustaining environment. The only thing I have to do is water change (every 2-3 weeks), top off with freshwater (every week), and clean the protein skimmer (every couple of days). I do a supplemental feeding once a week of brine shrimp for my blenny and phytoplankton for my corals. I actually spend more time on my FW tank than I do on SW tank.