Beginner Marine Aquarist - I Know It Is Often Asked But I Have Quite A Few Questions.

I think for powerheads I will probably get the koralias. I will also get the HOB filter and take out the cartridges or whatever and add my own media like bio balls etc..
Thanks

 

I just got the Hydor Koralia Gen3 with the smart controller they're great and give great flow.

 

Do you guys think you could update the CUC for this new 12 gallon tank. Would a cleaner shrimp be enough? or would that be too much?
Thanks alot

 

A skunk cleaner shrimp? I would just take your original CUC plan and remove the emerald crab, and maybe add another trochus snail in its place if you'd like. The reason why I wouldn't keep the emerald crab is because they get fairly large (2-2 1/2 inches) and are labeled as being semi-aggressive, I don't know if I'd want a large, potentially aggressive crab in a 12 gallon tank, I've also read that they may start eating corals, small fish, and other inverts when they're not being fed enough, so if you'd like to keep one, you definitely to need to keep it well fed. You could also do the cleaner shrimp with a snail or two, the shrimp would probably get most of the stuff in the sand and on the rocks, and the snail(s) would take care of the glass.

 

That's a good idea I think I will just do that. Do you know any other ways that I can filter my tank without it being shown. Ive tried to look at building an overflow but I simply don't understand I just want to have a small compartment in the back to put my heater and other equipment along with a nozzle and return pump that acts as a filter.
Thanks a lot

 

What do you mean by overflow? Usually that means either overflow box or some sort of weir, and from that the water would over flow into a sump. If you really don't want to see the filtration, you could try a few things. A sump of course, you could use a glass panel and some silicone to section off a corner or part of the back of the tank to make sort of like a DIY AIO tanks, if that's kinda like what you mean, or you can get creative with a canister filter, and make it into a fuge/some other type of filtration and it would also probably be large enough to hold your heater, and you can put it under the stand/cabinet so you can't see it, canisters can just be a pain to clean, and I would not use any sponge/media intended to hold bacteria or it will be a nitrate factory. Another option would sorta be like the DIY AIO tank idea, you could build/buy some sort of weir, but not drill the tank, making it into a separate compartment for your filtration, heater, etc. you could also plumb in a return pump, so the water flows into it, and the pump pushes it back out. The only issue I'm seeing is size, I'm just not sure how you could build something like that and make it big enough to hold filtration, a return pump, and a heater, but also keep it small enough so that it's not taking up a ton of space. I think it would be doable, you would basically just not drill the tank, but install a weir with a comb so the water would overflow into it, from there you could drill a hole to attach a return pump and buy some kind of nozzle that you could use to direct the flow, so the water would go through the comb, into the compartment, through your filtration, and then to the return pump, and back into the tank, you could also probably slide the heater in somewhere. If you used the right design, and a small enough heater/pump, I think you could make that work.

 

Awesome! That's exactly what I was trying to do. So by filtration do you mean like sponges, carbon etc... I think that if it takes up some space it will be ok as it will be the equivalent of a 10 gallon. I am hoping to do something similar to the IM fusion nano 20 across the back of the tank. How would I attach the compartment/weir to the back would silicone be ok? If I were to build it what material should I use? Would acrylic be easy to cut and fit into the tank?
Thanks a lot

Really appreciate you answering all the time everyone else seems to be on different threads

 

No problem! I'm glad I can help! I guess glass or acrylic would work, I just don't know it you'd want it to be clear or tinted, the AIO tanks usually have black tinted glass so you can't see anything in the back. I would attach it with silicone, I would tape it too to make sure the silicone looks clean, you can go on YouTube and find videos of people doing something similar, and follow the steps they use, there's lots of tutorials for assembling an aquarium yourself that you could probably use too. If you can get all your measurements, you might be able to order it pre cut or have a glass/hardware store cut it for you, that would probably be easiest, as it's something they likely do pretty often, or if you have a glass cutter you could do that at home. For the acrylic, I know I have a tool I've used to cut acrylic lids before, if I can find it, I'll attach a picture.

Just a side note, you could use acrylic or glass depending on what's easier to get, but there's a chance that the acrylic and silicone may not bond very well, it'll hold in place, but probably won't stay if there's a good amount of pressure on it.

 

Awesome!! Thank you so much I will measure the diameters and search for some hardware stores that will be able to cut it to size. I will probably use a black glass but how would I create vertical lines for water to pass through to the back? I will ask the people at the store and see what they say.
Thanks a lot
Edit: I would definitely not want to see the back so I will probably tint it with some black glass tape we have over here

 

Just double check that anything used for tinting is aquarium safe (anything labeled potable water safe should be fine). For the water to actually enter the chamber, you'll want an overflow comb, or something sorta like the weir/overflow in the pic of my tank that I attached, I don't know if you'll be able to find something similar to that because it's a whole built in weir/overflow and surface skimmer, but I did find just an overflow comb: I don't really know much about it, but I figured it would be a good example of something you could use to give some ideas.

 

Thanks a lot I will look around on the internet and shops for something similar to that or some glass. Really appreciate your help

 

Most people, for wiers and overflows for AIOs use acrylic. Its easier to shape and cut. You will have to get a special glue but its so much easier to works with.

 

Most people, for wiers and overflows for AIOs use acrylic. Its easier to shape and cut. You will have to get a special glue but its so much easier to works with.

Do you mean only for the weir or overflow, or for the entire back panel? I mean the weir has to be some sort of plastic/acylic. He's basically trying to recreate the same AIO system that the IM tank has, I was thinking you just take a glass/acrylic panel, attach it to the length of the back, and cut a small hole in it for just an overflow comb, and then another hole for a nozzle to stick out to adjust flow from a return pump, the weir would be somewhat similar to the one in an earlier picture I attached, where it's not exactly a weir, but more of just an overflow comb, if that makes sense. I'm trying to think up an idea for a design based on what I have in my AIO tank, I think it seems like a pretty straightforward design though. It'll be good to get some other ideas on the design too!

 

Thanks guys I can't wait to finally do some diy on my tank I haven't had a reply from the company yet - fingers crossed
Edit: my dad said that because my grades were not so good but still an improvement I can get the IM fusion nano 20 but in april and I decided that's better than getting a tank that I'm not overly happy with earlier. In the meantime I can't stop watching marine tank builds on youtube and going through other threads trying to help other people in FW

 

I think you'll love the IM fusion 20!

 

Yay!!! I think the IM 20 will be good!

 

For the IM 20 will I need two powerheads?I have decided to get the Jebao sw-2. Also would hikarI marine pellets be ok as a main food source for the first few months? I will look into mysis shrimp and other good food to feed the fish once or twice a week along with the hikarI marine s pellets. Would any normal bucket be fish safe? I can't seem to find any specific fish safe buckets. Also what could I use to cycle my tank other than live rock - I will probably buy around 20 lbs of cured dry rock as live rock doesn't seem to be very popular around here.
Thanks a lot

 

I like two powerheads, better circulation and helps less debris settle on the rock. I've heard good things about hikari, I use new life spectrum pellets and they're pretty good. Buckets from the hardware store work fine, anything labeled potable water safe/food grade is fine. What do you mean by cured dry rock? Dry rock sometimes means rock that was once live, but then was left to dry out, I think the only stuff that's supposed to be "no cure" is the caribsea man made rock, I have about 10 pounds and I can let you know if it truly is no cure in a couple weeks after it's done soaking, I'll see what it leaches. I would cycle the tank with pure ammonia, bacteria supplements are ok sometimes, but I don't trust them.

 

Thanks a lot. I am maybe thinking about getting a used Red Sea max nano. I found one that just needed a little cleaning for £250 and a 170 litre for £350 seems like a pretty good deal but I'll have to wait until April
Thanks alot

 

Awesome! I love my Red Sea max! They're really nicely built tanks, and make great display tanks, but so do innovative marine tanks, so either is a really good choice!

 

Ok guys I have a different plan for April now that I have found a custom weir/sump area: https://www.atomic-reactor.co.uk/product/custom-aquarium-weir-box/
I am looking to add this to the 21 gallon cube which I will hopefully order during my break in April. What colour do you guys think? I think black looks the best as blue may look a bit weird. You guys do not know how much I have been looking for something like this. They build it to the size of your tank which is perfect!
Thanks a lot

 

I would do black, you can also add a black background so it blends in better, the blue is a little light and I feel like it would stand out more. So do you plan to use this as sort of like a back filter area, and then attach a return pump in it?

 

Yes that was exactly what I was thinking. I will look up the size of a certain nozzle that I like and then either ask them to drill it or if they can't then I can do it myself. I will attach a return pump to the nozzle behind the weir and also I will include some chemical filtration along with a heater.
Thanks

 

Hey guys anything new, how are you guys doing? Lol didn't realise april would be so far away. I'm considering going with the 12 gallon and a modded HOB filter but we don't have the aquaclear is this possible to do on all filters? Also would an eheim jager 100 watt be too powerful as I may want to change tank in a year or so. I'm scared it might overheat the tank while I'm at school.
Thanks a lot

 

Yup! April does feel like quite a ways off! You could use any HOB filter, it just may be more difficult. The aquaclear usually works best because it's designed to hold a lot of media, so it has an impeller on one side, and the rest of it is just open, most other filters are designed to hold cartridges, but yes, it would be doable with some extra creativity. I have an eheim jager 150 in my 70 gallon, I don't even believe it's plugged in though, I actually have to run a chiller because the 3 pumps and T5 bulbs make it way too hot, and now the chiller keeps my room at over 80 degrees, so none of my tanks require heaters. I believe the heater has pretty good reviews though, heaters are cheap enough that they won't be a huge deal to replace, but if you want to go with the 100 watt, it shouldn't be an issue. The heater shouldn't just overheat for no reason, they only do that when they malfuncation in some way, if you're concerned about it, you can get some type of controller for it.

 

Thanks!
Ill look around for some filters. The custom aquarium company sent me an email today asking what size I wanted the chamber to be as in how far out. I said around 5-7 cm is that ok?. And I asked them if they could build a return pump inside. I probably won't get it but I'm just curious lol
Thanks a lot

 

How big the chamber in the back is really depends on what you plan to put in there. Just filtration, heater, and then a pump? Just be sure it's wide enough to fit the return pump, I have return pumps that range anywhere from 1.5-5 inches wide, so I would do a little searching on what return pumps are available to you, obviously the smaller ones are going to move less water, I believe the one I have that's about 1.5 inches does 1,200 liters an hour.

 

I think that the return pump I have decided to go with was around 1.5 inches. which is fine as it is around 4 cm so should fit. Anyways I am planning on using the 12 gallon and maybe redoing the silicone. I want my parents to have a good impression on the marine side of fishkeeping and not just think I'm wasting money on something useless lol. But also it will save me some money for the black variation of clownfish and possibly some other supplies. I don't think its too different from the 20 gallon and should be cheaper to fill as well as easier to change water. I know that it will be easier to go wrong but I will just have to pray that it doesn't lol. I am going to fill the tank with the pre-mixed saltwater but I will still buy the ro/dI unit and 7 kg of Instant Ocean salt that will make 250 litres of water. Would love to hear any opinions or tips you guys have.
Thanks a lot for the help really appreciated

 

Sounds like a good plan, does the tank leak? If it's still in good shape and the silicone isn't sloppy, I wouldn't bother redoing the silicone (it's a pain imo). Do you have a store to get the premixed stuff from? If you do, I might say it wouldn't be worth it to spend the money on the RODI unit right now, as long as the water is good quality obviously. In a 12 gallon I'd change 3-4 gallons at a time, I don't know if I'd spend the $300 (that's about what my unit was, but I've seen cheap ones for less than $100) on a unit for that, I'm sure some will disagree, but I do think it's something you could wait on for a little bit if you don't want to buy it right away, but make sure you have a refractometer and maybe even a TDS meter (like $15 on amazon) to be sure the water you're buying is good quality.

 

I found one around here for 50 pounds and I think I might need it just in case my parents can't take me to the shop and also for topoff. The tank is not leaking I'm not sure about the silicone but if it's fine I won't play around with it I'm not very good at diy lol
Thanks a lot

 

Hey guys anything new, how are you guys doing? Lol didn't realise april would be so far away. I'm considering going with the 12 gallon and a modded HOB filter but we don't have the aquaclear is this possible to do on all filters? Also would an eheim jager 100 watt be too powerful as I may want to change tank in a year or so. I'm scared it might overheat the tank while I'm at school.
Thanks a lot

FYI Aquaclear is now known as Fluval, so you might want to look into that.

 

oh ok ill see thanks for the help

 

Just FYI. If it hasn't already been suggested... if you have a Wal-Mart near you (and who doesn't), they may have a Primo RO water dispenser. 28 cents per gallon.

 

Sorry but I live in the uk

Also could you guys tell me if this filter would be modifiable and would work?

Thanks

 

Sorry but I live in the uk

Sorry, thought I saw Tennessee.

 

Haha its ok, I wished I was in USA the UK has absolutely nothing when it comes to cheap tanks or even marine equipment.

 

Yeah I forgot to add that you may want to pick up a couple gallons of RODI when you get premixed water for the top offs for that week. Your own unit is obviously ideal, but I don't think you absolutely must have your own unit if you're only changing 3-4 gallons a week, but if you found one, go for it! Although I don't personally trust the water dispensers at grocery stores, you really don't know if they truly take care of it, I used to actually get water from a water store (sounds weird to people who aren't from here) but it would be like $1.50 for 5 gallons, and they had a massive filtration system because all they really sold was water. Also the filter you attached was a fluval filter, so I would have to think that if they carry that fluval HOB somewhere, they must also carry aquaclears, I will check and see if anything comes up. The one you attached may work with some extra creativity, but I would get the 265 liter version. It doesn't look like it has quite as much space as the aquaclear though.

Edit: I found an aquaclear, I mean it's about $100 US dollars with shipping, which is insane, but maybe this means you'll be able to find it elsewhere and not have to pay that much?:

 

Awesome! I looked around but of the few that I found were shipped either from Germany or USA and the total price was no less than 70 pounds which is quite a lot for a filter. I am not sure on the ro/dI unit and salt but I may get them just because the price is quite cheap and my cousin wants to use it when he gets his 30 gallon reef. I convinced him into the hobby and now he won't stop talking about it lol.
Thanks a lot

 

Usually they're anywhere from $30-$50 US dollars here, so to be paying almost $100 US dollars is insane, they're probably ideal, but you can work with something else. If you do get the RODI unit, I would also get a TDS meter, especially if it's a more inexpensive unit, I always question things that seem too good to be true, although I've seen a portable unit that's about $60 and has good reviews. Just be sure you keep in mind the amount of wastewater it will make, you will need to put the unit in a garage/outside or near a sink or drain of some sort.

 

Yeah thanks. I will put it outside and connect it to my garden hose so the waste will just go straight through to the sewage. For the tank I'm really not sure but my dad said he might look for some good used ones like yesterday we found a used 94 litre kent marine tank with an AIO system in the back for only £70. Anyways ill look into it more when the time comes.
Thanks a lot