Help needed in setting up tank from zero

[Kakani]

Dear Bro/Sis,

I need help in setting up my tank. Quite budget and try my best save as much cost as possible. I am planning to setup a 3ft x2 x2 tank. Anyone got any good lobang where to get tank 12mm thick with sump tank.

Anyone have any idea which is the best shop to go to if i want to source for equipment like pump, chiller, salt.

What is mix salt? Is it mix sea salt with normal salt?

The circulation for the tank take 1 month, but anyone have any idea to shorter the circulation i heard some people set up tank only take 3 day and live coral can be put it? So if it true wat the secret behide it?

If i would want to get this equipment any idea of any good buget pump, chiller & skimmer. I need to know the brand because i am unable about the branding. It need not need to be branded as long it work good and have quailty can lei.

For my sump tank what kind of filter should i use? What kind of filter should i put in my sump tank?

Is Bio pellet reactor need for me? How much does a reactor cost and what type of brand should i get.

For wave maker what type or brand and the type of flow should i get for 3ft tanks?

For chiller what the HP i should get for enough of chilling for my 3ft tank.

For lightning i prefer budget type, how much does a T5 cost and LED cost.

Please help i am on a budget side hope you all able to give me some suggestion for how to get there from start. Thank alot.

[starfish123]

if u are on tight budget u can go source around in the pasar malam. down there second hand but is alot cheaper.

[starfish123]

forgot. how much is yr budget?

[Kakani]

Bro i got a budget of 5K inculding tank and cupboard full height

[starfish123]

for equiptment can go to AM. salt am using dd h2ocean. for tank can go to tank maker such as aquarium artist.for the circulation of tank, do u mean cycling of tank? anyway, for cycling of tank i don't nknow anyone who cycle tank only three days. for the rest of the questions, i dun think i am qualified to answer them.scared i give wrong info. good luck with setting up yr tank.

[starfish123]

oh and the equiptment u need also depends on what u want to keep.if u want to keep spses, must have chiller so if not intending to keep, then i dun think it is necessary.

[puppet]

Dear Bro/Sis,

I need help in setting up my tank. Quite budget and try my best save as much cost as possible. I am planning to setup a 3ft x2 x2 tank. Anyone got any good lobang where to get tank 12mm thick with sump tank.

You could get a tank from our pasam malam section. But once you get a tank, it would be the hardest equipment to upgrade, and almost everything will be limited by the size of your tank, things like rocks, types of fishes, size of corals to acquire, size of relavant equipment etc.

Usually since the tank is the most long lived investment in this hobby, maybe you might want to reconsider the size you are going for. Also usually 2nd hand tanks may not be so ideal as they no longer have their warranty from the tank makers and some silicone might be affected especially if the tank has been left wet/dry/wet/dry due to decommissioning

Anyone have any idea which is the best shop to go to if i want to source for equipment like pump, chiller, salt.

Depends on where you are located? If you are in the east, the pasir ris farms might be a good choice, if west, maybe Henry's place?

What is mix salt? Is it mix sea salt with normal salt?

A salt mix is the easiest and safest source for water for the aquarium and is superior to natural sea water. The buffers help maintain the proper pH, and many have additional calcium and other substances to deal with the needs of captive reef invertebrates. (taken from http://www.tfhmagazine.com/aquarium-basics/salt-mix.htm , you could read more about it from this link)

Mix salt

The circulation for the tank take 1 month, but anyone have any idea to shorter the circulation i heard some people set up tank only take 3 day and live coral can be put it? So if it true wat the secret behide it?

It usually takes a month or more, there is no secret to it. More information about the cycling process is found here,

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/bionitrogencycle/The_Tank_Cycling_Process_and_Ways_to_Cycle_an_Aquarium.htm

The consequence of introducing a livestock to a brand new tank after 3 days is eternal condemnation on this forum

If i would want to get this equipment any idea of any good buget pump, chiller & skimmer. I need to know the brand because i am unable about the branding. It need not need to be branded as long it work good and have quailty can lei.

Ehiem is a good pump

Skimz is value for money skimmer

Chiller wise, apologies I am not very good with this, but from the forums, i think a budget brand would be hailea. But most would swear by Artica

But usually anything that is of good quality cost more.

For my sump tank what kind of filter should i use? What kind of filter should i put in my sump tank?

Sump tank is usually compartmentalised to carry out different forms of filtration.

The first chamber where the water flows to is usually fitted with filter sock/ cotton - this is for mechanical filtration.

Some include bioballs after this first section ( but this is rather old school), nowadays hobbyist replace the bioballs with K1 media, these are basically biological filtration which deals ammonia.

After this compartment, usually hobbyist would have a skimmer, this is associated with chemical filtration, whereby organic compounds are skimmed out of the water.

However this is not exhaustive or the position in which they come in may not be fixed. Depending on the size of your sump, some also include denitrators, phosphate reactors and also refugium, algae turf scrubber, deep sand bed etc.

The following is some good reads about filtration, although the undergravel filter is seen as outdated by most

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i5/Filtration/Filtration.htm

Is Bio pellet reactor need for me? How much does a reactor cost and what type of brand should i get.

Bio pellet reactors are good for removing nitrates and phosphates, it is also good in releasing bacterium into the aquarium which some claims is beneficial for coral, especially NPS.

The size of the reactor would depend on your tank size, but I think its in a range of 300 onwards, not inclusive of the media.

For wave maker what type or brand and the type of flow should i get for 3ft tanks?

I am not really good with these.

But the type of flow really depends on what you intend to keep, hobbyist for intends to keep SPS opts for stronger flow

For chiller what the HP i should get for enough of chilling for my 3ft tank.

This is a good online tool to find out what hp should you get for your tank

http://chiller.jbjlighting.com/prod_chiller_size.asp

For lightning i prefer budget type, how much does a T5 cost and LED cost.

If you are going for budget, go for t5, cheaper startup cost and proven to work.

LED usually cost way higher unless you DIY.

Again lights would depend on what you intend to have in your 3 feet.

Please help i am on a budget side hope you all able to give me some suggestion for how to get there from start. Thank alot.

We are all here to help u, but please take my suggestions with a pinch of salt, I am extremely new in this hobby, but I learnt alot along the way through the forums/ internet/ speaking with other hobbyist.

[Harlequinmania]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum, and i am glad that you are checking these out before setting up your tank in impulse . You should be able to find alot of your answer by doing a search in the forum or from our sponsors in the forum . A few good place to shop for dry goods equipment would be reef depot, madpetz , aquamarine ect..

For live stocks, you would not want to miss out LFS like irwanna, Golden octopus, marine life and even online purchase from M3morph to save you the trouble of traveling.. To speed up your tank cycling, you may use sea water instead of salt mix and dose bacteria or using rocks / filter media from established tank but water testing is still a must.

The dream of setting up a successful ocean world at home is not longer impossible with all the high tech equipment we have now , but this hobby require more research and understanding of the water parameter and filtration system which also make this hobby more fun . There are alot of possible combination of corals / fish or species tank that you can keep but last but not least patient is the key to the success in this hobby.

[Kakani]

for equiptment can go to AM. salt am using dd h2ocean. for tank can go to tank maker such as aquarium artist.for the circulation of tank, do u mean cycling of tank? anyway, for cycling of tank i don't nknow anyone who cycle tank only three days. for the rest of the questions, i dun think i am qualified to answer them.scared i give wrong info. good luck with setting up yr tank.

Bro where is AM??? So salt use dd h2ocean? do i need to mix it again??

[Kakani]

Puppet,

Thank alot for answer so much for my question. For pump beside ehiem is there another pump? like high quality china pump? Skimmer what type of size should i get? like you say skimz how much does it cost?

[Kakani]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum, and i am glad that you are checking these out before setting up your tank in impulse . You should be able to find alot of your answer by doing a search in the forum or from our sponsors in the forum . A few good place to shop for dry goods equipment would be reef depot, madpetz , aquamarine ect..

For live stocks, you would not want to miss out LFS like irwanna, Golden octopus, marine life and even online purchase from M3morph to save you the trouble of traveling.. To speed up your tank cycling, you may use sea water instead of salt mix and dose bacteria or using rocks / filter media from established tank but water testing is still a must.

The dream of setting up a successful ocean world at home is not longer impossible with all the high tech equipment we have now , but this hobby require more research and understanding of the water parameter and filtration system which also make this hobby more fun . There are alot of possible combination of corals / fish or species tank that you can keep but last but not least patient is the key to the success in this hobby.

Thank you. Even though i do read up there still alot of question mark for me when come to equipment purchase. But i will work hard to ensure my tank goes well if not money will just went down to drain...

[starfish123]

dd h2o is what i use... am is aquamarin

[Harlequinmania]

Puppet,

Thank alot for answer so much for my question. For pump beside ehiem is there another pump? like high quality china pump? Skimmer what type of size should i get? like you say skimz how much does it cost?

If you intent to go for long term use, go for quality return pump since that is the heart of your whole aquarium system. if you main return pump fail, without proper water circulation , your live stock's health maybe affected, other good brand include Aqua medic and the new DD pump. For the sizing of the skimmer, you should first determine the total volume of your tank ( http://www.sgreefclub.com/srcconverter.htm ) and then check the suitable skimmer model suitable for your water volume . Most of the time the information can be found on their website http://www.aquamarin.com.sg/aproducts.asp?bcID=291&catname=Protein%20Skimmers

Hope the above helps.

[alvinpark]

skimmer is one of the most important factor in every marine tank....never try to save money on it.....go for the best one your budget can afford...i would suggest skimz...you can get it at am...for a 3 feet tank the smallest one will cost you around $200 (last i checked was $194) and you can place it in your sump....

although i am quite new to this hobby....what i have learnt is that patience is the key to having a good and rewarding marine tank...a matured tank can take up to 6 months to cycling properly...

1) place your live sand and live rocks

2) let your seawater run without anything in your tank for 1month to 6 weeks...

test your water every 1-3 days....do a 50% change after the first week...then 25% subsequently

3) add in your cleaner invertebrates (turbo/margarita snails....shrimps...crabs...starfis....etc)

if your water is alright your invertebrates will survive.....

4) add in your fishes....plan on what you want to get...some species will require to be introduced at the same time...

5) lastly corals...but you will definitely need a chiller for them!!!!

buy an eheim canister for your filtration....(that is the LV brand for fish products)

chiller: teco or arctica

lighting: depends on what corals you have

most important is your water quality...if your water is good...all will be good...

[Kakani]

Guy i am wonder if i was to build 3ft x 2 x 2 tank how many MM should it be... Some people say 12mm some say 10mm which is more advice? And for my sump tank how big must it be if i am having 3ft tank?? Anyone can give me advice on this??? If i am going to have a build it cabin how strong my stand musy be if for a 3ft tank wat type of wood must it be

[wilsontantw]

Dear kakani,

For ur budget of $5k for 3x2x2, you can achieve quite a lot.

brand new tank should be are $1.5k.

Skimmer, ard $500 new

Pump, ard $250 new

Chiller, ard $500 used

FRs and media for biopellet and rowaphos, ard $250

Lights, ard $400 used

This leaves you with $1600 to get live rocks, fish, corals...

save more, go for used items, but ensure u know how to test equipment.. it's buyers beware...

Hth..

+1 for puppet for a very detailed reply...

[Harlequinmania]

If the price for a 12mm glass is not alot of diff between the 10mm, you should go for the 12mm instead. Most reefer would recommend you to get the chengai wood but again if budget is a constraint you can still live with good quality solid wood which can also last you many years to come like what i did. The size of your sump tank would very much determine by your sump design and equipment list, since you would need to check to ensure those equipments which you purchase is able to fit into your sump or beside your sump tank ect...

Ideally, the sequence of the setup would be;

1) Determine of your budget of your setup

2) tank size / maker

3) determine of your equipment list

4) Designing of your sump tank setup ( You would need to know those equipment that you be buying is able to fit into the sump internally or externally especially the skimmer )

5) Setting up of your tank / piping

6) cycling of tank

You should be able to find some details of the equipment's dimension by doing a google search on the products information during the planing stage.

Hope the above info helps.

[desideria]

other LFS that you could go to for quote besides those listed is also Irwarna and Henry from Marine Life. Both give reasonable quotations and will listen to what you want. You can also give Reef systems a try.. though I hear they are a little pricey but no harm in asking.

There are other tank makers ( not LFS though) like N30, Sgbros and Coral Reef Aquarium but to engage them you will need to know what you really want before going to them.

good luck.