MY NEW 3 FT MARINE AQUARIUM

[Dreams]

You'll need an overflow box, a sump, return pump, filter media, skimmer. And not to forget, you'll need to get your pipings done properly too.

Like what most bros said, more homework should have been done. Impulse decisions are often costly ones. With the money you've spent + some more you need to spend to make a sump. You could have engaged a good tank maker and gotten a really sturdy cabinet, a good display tank with sump and pipings, and definitely a peace of mind.

Now you gotta worry whether the glass is thick and strong enough for marine. Suggest you measure your glass thickness first bro.. Don't invest more and end up display tank give way..

I also have the same problem as u, got myself a tank not really meant for marine. This is what I did then as advised by some senior reefer then. Remove the top cover with the top filter as this can't be used at all. Got a cheap 4xT5 set, 2 canister filter, one connected to chiller, one connected to tank ans surface skimmer. Lastly added in a cheap hob protein skimmer. Managed to keep some easy softies & lps for 1.5 yrs, until that china brand canister's inner o-ring wear & tear and starts to leak.

Hope u can understand my explanation and be of some help to u. But then ur tank is not really suitable in the first place.

Agreed. With ur current cabinet I doubt a sump is economical. This seems to be a cheapest n viable option. Maintain this for a year n if u are still passionate about marine then... Automatically u will be thinking of an upgrade for better tank setup for more advance corals n fishes. If u need more questions answered, u can drop by pasir risk LFS tmr, I will be going there too. Can answer more of ur questions in person, if u r interested pm me

Alot of ppl are telling me that my tank is not suitable for marine, but my glass thickness is 8mm and i think 8mm is definitely enough for a saltwater aquarium. In fact, 6mm is already sufficient. Even taking into account the presence of saltwater, the pressure at the bottom will increase by only 10% at the most if we assume a specific gravity of 1.1 is used. The pressure at the bottom of the tank will be the highest at around 4900Pa.Take a look around at all the aquariums, most of them are using 6mm glass only. 8mm is good enough, 10mm will be better, 12mm is an overkill. Do you just "feel" that it's too thin due to your own judgement or just for aesthetics reasons? As mentioned earlier, it doesn't make much of a difference if it's fresh or saltwater. Many people out there THINK that having saltwater in the tank does make a tremendous amount of difference to the forces encountered in the tank, well the truth is no! I was overestimating when i stated a SG of 1.1 for saltwater, let's take the high side of the norm that is 1.026, that will only work out to be 2.6% heavier than freshwater. Is that a big deal of weight, no. 8mm is definitely more than enough for a marine tank. Those 6mm glass tanks that i saw are mostly in SW LFS, so no dispute about that. Most of the time, however, the silicon seals tend to give way before the glass which largely depends on workmanship rather than glass thickness.

And if i were to get a sump, it would most probably be an external sump..

[Dreams]

An updated picture of my tank after rock scaping. Found a few brittle worms in these rocks. Looks so disgusting.

Aim and achieve.

[alexcyf]

I believe that many reefers here are more concerned with the cabinet and a lack of a build in IOS to allow for a sump to be easily installed and contained. Think most people feel that the tank is not suitable for marine due to the lack in capability to satisfy the installation many of the equipments that allow u to maintain good water parameters. That's why u are having a headache about sump, about what skimmer to use etc etc. u wouldn't have to worry about these if ur tank was custom make for marine. IMHO The thickness of the glass is not the crucial part as it will no doubt will hold for now. Long run, we may not know for sure, but i have not heard of glass giving way. Although it seems like it will be a big disaster if it were to happen.. leakage though seems to be a common issue. anyway the thickness is just a scientific research ratio that most of us follow. What we are doing now is also to help find the best way for your tank to be sustainable. Which I think bro admiraltian has a good suggestion. I believe nobody would want to see new enthusiatic reefers throwing money down the drain with bad advice. So no hard feelings ya!

[Evolutionz]

i see fishes, seems like u didnt heed reefer's advice about cycling the tank first. And you said that none of ur equipments are on yet so theres no circulation? your fishes are gonna suffer (or should i say already suffering) and your LR might have a mass die off which result in longer cycling period.

[jxlex]

Well maybe u can start with lighting and seriously consider another cabinet... Hmm... Since changing cabinet, might as well the tank too

Skimmer, fluidized reactor, chiller, piping works for ur "external to be" sump... You should be good to go...

[Dreams]

I believe that many reefers here are more concerned with the cabinet and a lack of a build in IOS to allow for a sump to be easily installed and contained. Think most people feel that the tank is not suitable for marine due to the lack in capability to satisfy the installation many of the equipments that allow u to maintain good water parameters. That's why u are having a headache about sump, about what skimmer to use etc etc. u wouldn't have to worry about these if ur tank was custom make for marine. IMHO The thickness of the glass is not the crucial part as it will no doubt will hold for now. Long run, we may not know for sure, but i have not heard of glass giving way. Although it seems like it will be a big disaster if it were to happen.. leakage though seems to be a common issue. anyway the thickness is just a scientific research ratio that most of us follow. What we are doing now is also to help find the best way for your tank to be sustainable. Which I think bro admiraltian has a good suggestion. I believe nobody would want to see new enthusiatic reefers throwing money down the drain with bad advice. So no hard feelings ya!

i see fishes, seems like u didnt heed reefer's advice about cycling the tank first. And you said that none of ur equipments are on yet so theres no circulation? your fishes are gonna suffer (or should i say already suffering) and your LR might have a mass die off which result in longer cycling period.

Well maybe u can start with lighting and seriously consider another cabinet... Hmm... Since changing cabinet, might as well the tank too

Skimmer, fluidized reactor, chiller, piping works for ur "external to be" sump... You should be good to go...

I also have the same problem as u, got myself a tank not really meant for marine. This is what I did then as advised by some senior reefer then. Remove the top cover with the top filter as this can't be used at all. Got a cheap 4xT5 set, 2 canister filter, one connected to chiller, one connected to tank ans surface skimmer. Lastly added in a cheap hob protein skimmer. Managed to keep some easy softies & lps for 1.5 yrs, until that china brand canister's inner o-ring wear & tear and starts to leak.

Hope u can understand my explanation and be of some help to u. But then ur tank is not really suitable in the first place.

There's this guy told me that if my cabinet is not made up of chipwood then it would be fine, and it turns out that my cabinet is not made up of chip wood. so i don't think i'll be changing it.

Admiraltian , do u have a sump? . If i were to get a sump, how big must the sump be in terms of cm.

Now my tank is starting to have all sorts of parasites coming out, saw a few brittle worms and 1 crab just died in my tank.

[hammy]

Your ammonia is rising. That will kick start the cycling. U have a test kit to test your ammonia? Typical cycling period is 2-4 weeks depending on quite a number of factors. My live rocks are already cycling in Iwarna for 3 weeks way before my tank is made. Even then, I feel safer to leave it for another week or 2. All these can only be confirm by test kits. Do not buy any LS during cycling period. They will just die off, or don't eat.... Waste money and marine life. Just enjoy the process, read more to gain knowledge. Learn the mistake from others experience...

[Admiraltian]

There's this guy told me that if my cabinet is not made up of chipwood then it would be fine, and it turns out that my cabinet is not made up of chip wood. so i don't think i'll be changing it. Admiraltian , do u have a sump? . If i were to get a sump, how big must the sump be in terms of cm. Now my tank is starting to have all sorts of parasites coming out, saw a few brittle worms and 1 crab just died in my tank.

It all depends on individual esp if its custom made. But I guess it can be any size half the size of the main display tank to 2/3 the size of main DT. Usually ppl will go for bigger sump as more water more stable the parameters in the long run. Yes, I am using a sump. U can see from my signature or check out my tank thread, "My Reefing Chronicles."

[hammy]

I think the reefers here is not concern abt the weight of the saltwater... Rather the weight of sand, rocks etc. generally heavier than planted tank and freshwater tank. I used to have a 8mm chromis tank from aquamedic. No prob at all. But I feel safer... My new 2feet cube is 10mm all round. Nvr feel too much to be safer.... Finally my tank is coming on wed! Alot of ppl are telling me that my tank is not suitable for marine, but my glass thickness is 8mm and i think 8mm is definitely enough for a saltwater aquarium. In fact, 6mm is already sufficient. Even taking into account the presence of saltwater, the pressure at the bottom will increase by only 10% at the most if we assume a specific gravity of 1.1 is used. The pressure at the bottom of the tank will be the highest at around 4900Pa.Take a look around at all the aquariums, most of them are using 6mm glass only. 8mm is good enough, 10mm will be better, 12mm is an overkill. Do you just "feel" that it's too thin due to your own judgement or just for aesthetics reasons? As mentioned earlier, it doesn't make much of a difference if it's fresh or saltwater. Many people out there THINK that having saltwater in the tank does make a tremendous amount of difference to the forces encountered in the tank, well the truth is no! I was overestimating when i stated a SG of 1.1 for saltwater, let's take the high side of the norm that is 1.026, that will only work out to be 2.6% heavier than freshwater. Is that a big deal of weight, no. 8mm is definitely more than enough for a marine tank. Those 6mm glass tanks that i saw are mostly in SW LFS, so no dispute about that. Most of the time, however, the silicon seals tend to give way before the glass which largely depends on workmanship rather than glass thickness. And if i were to get a sump, it would most probably be an external sump..

[jxlex]

My new tank's dt is 321, my sump is bigger then 321 thats how water volume is important to me...

Its a hobby which unfortunately demands a significant amount of commitment...

[metaphor89]

mine oso got those brittle worms coming out and died. its common during cycling period i guess

[Dreams]

Your ammonia is rising. That will kick start the cycling. U have a test kit to test your ammonia? Typical cycling period is 2-4 weeks depending on quite a number of factors. My live rocks are already cycling in Iwarna for 3 weeks way before my tank is made. Even then, I feel safer to leave it for another week or 2. All these can only be confirm by test kits. Do not buy any LS during cycling period. They will just die off, or don't eat.... Waste money and marine life. Just enjoy the process, read more to gain knowledge. Learn the mistake from others experience...

mine oso got those brittle worms coming out and died. its common during cycling period i guess

I just bought the live rocks from ahbeng store and just placed it in my tank, didnt wash it tho. is it okay for me to do that? now there's one crab fallen out. and a few brittle worms hanging out. so disgusting. are there anyway to remove all those worms once and for all???

[hammy]

Once and for all? Leave it to dryness. That way.... everything will die too. Inclyding beneficial bacterial, pods.....

[MarcoVan]

If all the critters dying, check your salinity.

It should be between 1.023-1.025.

Anyway since you got stuff dying, your ammonia cycle could be starting. Just hang back do nothing and let it cycle 4-6 mths before putting your livestock.

Anyway I'm not familiar with such customised tank but I reckon you be better off doing fish only.

Fish only can be quite fulfilling if you invest only on those exquisite fishes. No need few hundred. $120 can get you a lunatus wrasse. $150-$170 a flame wrasse and the list goes on....

However before you proceed, please do reflect these bros' words especially on $$$ and commitment. If you think $700 is a big investment already, fyi, my 2ft tank with corals equipment and other misc stuff already hitting $5k. Been here for 8-9 years, think I've already splurged $100k all together...

[Admiraltian]

If all the critters dying, check your salinity. It should be between 1.023-1.025. Anyway since you got stuff dying, your ammonia cycle could be starting. Just hang back do nothing and let it cycle 4-6 mths before putting your livestock. Anyway I'm not familiar with such customised tank but I reckon you be better off doing fish only. Fish only can be quite fulfilling if you invest only on those exquisite fishes. No need few hundred. $120 can get you a lunatus wrasse. $150-$170 a flame wrasse and the list goes on.... However before you proceed, please do reflect these bros' words especially on $$$ and commitment. If you think $700 is a big investment already, fyi, my 2ft tank with corals equipment and other misc stuff already hitting $5k. Been here for 8-9 years, think I've already splurged $100k all together...

Bro, think u mean 4-6 weeks not mths... Ha ha

[Dreams]

Bros my tank now is filled with dead brittle worms and crabs, they're starting to die and drop out from my live rocks 1 by 1, what does this mean? is my rock dying or what?

[jxlex]

Check ur salinity... Also ur nh4 & no2

[MarcoVan]

Bro, think u mean 4-6 weeks not mths... Ha ha

Oh yes!! Paiseh ><

[Dreams]

Do i have to do a WC to remove all the dead worms ???

[diki88]

Buy a wavemaker to move water in that tank. U went to ah beng to buy the live rocks thus u should know the shop in front of his sells marine as well. They sell cheap sunsun wavemakers. The crabs and worms dying is cause of so many reasons.

After so many bros advised u and tell u, I can empathise with u on how suddenly there's so many things to know or check.

One advice I can give is calm down and relax. U have water in the tank u have live rocks u even have 2 chromis inside already. Dont buy anything else for this one month. Remember in this hobby, haste makes waste.

Thus get that wavemaker, put it inside and let the tank run for a full month.During this one month, slowly get ur ammonia and nitrate test kits, a hydrometer to measure salinity if u are on a budget. And read up, alot.

Hope this helps. I think being technical right now about equipments, water cycle and all is just gona confuse u further. Just chillax and enjoy your time. This is a hobby after all not NS.

If u like any help or unclear about things, feel free to pm me.

[diki88]

Oh and with regards to the the WC, no need. Take it as an ammonia source for the bacteria to start a cycle. But wavemaker please. If not ur tank is going to be a dead smelly water tank.

[Dreams]

Buy a wavemaker to move water in that tank. U went to ah beng to buy the live rocks thus u should know the shop in front of his sells marine as well. They sell cheap sunsun wavemakers. The crabs and worms dying is cause of so many reasons.

After so many bros advised u and tell u, I can empathise with u on how suddenly there's so many things to know or check.

One advice I can give is calm down and relax. U have water in the tank u have live rocks u even have 2 chromis inside already. Dont buy anything else for this one month. Remember in this hobby, haste makes waste.

Thus get that wavemaker, put it inside and let the tank run for a full month.During this one month, slowly get ur ammonia and nitrate test kits, a hydrometer to measure salinity if u are on a budget. And read up, alot.

Hope this helps. I think being technical right now about equipments, water cycle and all is just gona confuse u further. Just chillax and enjoy your time. This is a hobby after all not NS.

If u like any help or unclear about things, feel free to pm me.

Oh and with regards to the the WC, no need. Take it as an ammonia source for the bacteria to start a cycle. But wavemaker please. If not ur tank is going to be a dead smelly water tank.

Thanks, i've bought a sun sun wave maker JVP 201.6000L/H , quite strong. I've also bought a canister filter for my tank. Now my tank is quite cloudy after using the wavemaker, and my room is polluted with the smell of the live rocks.. Any ways i can cure that smell?

[diki88]

That's good. The smell of live rocks is natural as ur going through the cycle so as long as it doesnt get too bad till it stinks ur house.

Tank cloudy after the wavemaker, try pointing the wavemaker upwards a little to get surface agitation of water. This helps with oxygenating ur tank and also reduce the cloudiness.

Meanwhile without sounding like a party pooper, watch ur stand and tank for any signs of leakage every now and then. It sucks having spent 700 and get told u made a very wrong purchase. But u need to be careful. Losing 700 is nothing if anything bad happens to u or ur family members, touch ur cabinet wood.

let the tank run for a full month and start planning what other equipments u need. Clean the canister filter every week. U can place filter media like ceramic rings inside it. Just need to be diligent with cleaning it. I thought u already have a top filter?

Anyways good luck. Now the fun starts

[Dreams]

That's good. The smell of live rocks is natural as ur going through the cycle so as long as it doesnt get too bad till it stinks ur house.

Tank cloudy after the wavemaker, try pointing the wavemaker upwards a little to get surface agitation of water. This helps with oxygenating ur tank and also reduce the cloudiness.

Meanwhile without sounding like a party pooper, watch ur stand and tank for any signs of leakage every now and then. It sucks having spent 700 and get told u made a very wrong purchase. But u need to be careful. Losing 700 is nothing if anything bad happens to u or ur family members, touch ur cabinet wood.

let the tank run for a full month and start planning what other equipments u need. Clean the canister filter every week. U can place filter media like ceramic rings inside it. Just need to be diligent with cleaning it. I thought u already have a top filter?

Anyways good luck. Now the fun starts

Thanks bro. They say top filter is useless so I got myself a canister one. The smell really stinks.. guess I'll have to get some air freshener .

Aim and achieve.

[angmoh]

canister and top filter both considered useless in marine tank.. hehe

a skimmer will do the job.

try to throw a bag of activated carbon into your tank. should be able to remove the smell.