Coming back to reefing need advice

[Drahc]

Hi Guys. I've been a reefer before but its been more than 10 years since i last set up my tank. I just got my bought my house last year and after seeing this one gorgeous tank near to where i work i got instantly poisoned and it bring my passion for reefing back. Anyway to make it short im looking for setting up a tank now and im having some trouble deciding on some aspects even though ive already read and watched a lot of YT videos. Here are some of the questions.

1. Tank Size. Is there a big difference between 3ft and 4ft tank with the same width and height of 24"x18" in terms of maintenance, price, & water stability. I've only ask one Shop and it quoted me 700sgd for a 36"X24"X18" 10mm thick with a built in cabinet made of solid wood (laminated). is it a good price?

2. If i go for 3ft/4ft should i go for a sump? I want my tank to be as less maintenance as possible so ill probably only go for fish and a couple of easy to maintained corals ( i still have to do some research on this one) thats why im hesitating to get a sump even though most videos i've watched recommended it.

3. For my first buy besides for the tank/cabinet, a sump(if i decided to go), sand & rocks what are the most crucial items i should go first to start the curing.

Im really excited to set this up. My target is to set up everything by the end of this month coz i want it up and running with LS before the december holidays.

Thanks

[Obito]

Hi, welcome back to reefing. Am not an expert here. Just sharing some advice. 1) Go for the biggest tank size that you willing to pay and have space for it. So you will not have to upgrade in the future. (saves the troubles) 2) Go for sump tank setup, because you can hide all your equipments in sump and making more spaces for your display tank. Sump tank is more easier to have maintenance. 3) Skimmer, one of the most important equipment in saltwater keeping. Better to invest in a good skimmer. Hope the pros/experts will chip in more information.

[Edmund Koh]

Hey welcome back to reefing. I'm just returning to the hobby after 7 years too.

Like What Obito has said, a sump will give u space to keep all the equipments u have as well as keep filter media that may not look good in your display tank.

Before the cycling process, it is also good to include the bio filtration media you want to use. This is because bio filtration needs to be "built up" and the cycling process is a good time for this.

[Drahc]

Hi, welcome back to reefing. Am not an expert here. Just sharing some advice. 1) Go for the biggest tank size that you willing to pay and have space for it. So you will not have to upgrade in the future. (saves the troubles) 2) Go for sump tank setup, because you can hide all your equipments in sump and making more spaces for your display tank. Sump tank is more easier to have maintenance. 3) Skimmer, one of the most important equipment in saltwater keeping. Better to invest in a good skimmer. Hope the pros/experts will chip in more information.

Thanks for all the input. I guess ill go with the 4x2x2 then.

Hey welcome back to reefing. I'm just returning to the hobby after 7 years too.

Like What Obito has said, a sump will give u space to keep all the equipments u have as well as keep filter media that may not look good in your display tank.

Before the cycling process, it is also good to include the bio filtration media you want to use. This is because bio filtration needs to be "built up" and the cycling process is a good time for this.

Thanks and thats 2(sump) - 0(without sump).

That means I need to have my skimmer running as well while doing the curing time. I also read somewhere in here that its best to kill the live rock by bleaching because of all unwanted hitch hiker. Im thinking of buying the rock now so i cant start scrubbing, bleaching and sun drying it coz the other guy took almost 2 weeks to do it (sorry i forgot the name of the Tank owner).

Can you guys suggest where i can buy cheap rocks to start on? im staying far north (sembawang) and i think the closer the better for me to transport it. Also if im using 4x2x2 for display is 3x1.5x1.5 enough for a sump? thinking of starting slow so probably im going to start with skimmer and bio balls first before adding refugium and other reactor.

Thanks.

[xiggie]

If you r gonna kill live rocks ... I would suggest u buy dead rocks or those artificial pre scaped rocks from Iwana...

[Obito]

Yeah, like what xiggie say. If you gonna kill the liverocks, you shoukd just get the dead rocks. Within months your dead rocks will also become live.

[Drahc]

If you r gonna kill live rocks ... I would suggest u buy dead rocks or those artificial pre scaped rocks from Iwana...

Yeah, like what xiggie say. If you gonna kill the liverocks, you shoukd just get the dead rocks. Within months your dead rocks will also become live.

Lol never thought of that but thats a great idea. Anyway ill give them a call later. the only bad thing is its quite far from my place. Anyway if i buy dead rocks do i still need to clean/rinse it before placing to tank for curing. Also do i really need to wait for a month for it to populate bacteria? is there a booster that i can use to at least shorten that time frame by half?

[Obito]

Lol never thought of that but thats a great idea. Anyway ill give them a call later. the only bad thing is its quite far from my place. Anyway if i buy dead rocks do i still need to clean/rinse it before placing to tank for curing. Also do i really need to wait for a month for it to populate bacteria? is there a booster that i can use to at least shorten that time frame by half?

A rinse will do. Looks for those dead rocks that are bleach white because it means it have sun dry for quite sometime. So nothing will be leave on the rocks. You can dose some bacteria additive to speed up. I do have lots of dead rocks with me. Drop me a pm if you would like to know more about it.

[yq33]

I have a tank without a sump, and I wish I have one.

1) skimmer choices are very limited

2) lots of equipment around

3) less water volume

4) water level will drop in DT

And others which I haven't thought of as well

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Drahc]

A rinse will do. Looks for those dead rocks that are bleach white because it means it have sun dry for quite sometime. So nothing will be leave on the rocks. You can dose some bacteria additive to speed up. I do have lots of dead rocks with me. Drop me a pm if you would like to know more about it.

Pm'ed

I have a tank without a sump, and I wish I have one.

1) skimmer choices are very limited

2) lots of equipment around

3) less water volume

4) water level will drop in DT

And others which I haven't thought of as well

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the input.

As of now im looking for used tank to buy coz of budget constraint. Thinking of sticking to 4x2x2 DT.

[Edmund Koh]

There are some really nice set up on pasar malam. Can check them out to see if they fit your bill

[blackcell]

Hi bro,

Look around before you commit to a tank. I would suggest going to madpetz, aquamarin and green chapter to look at their tanks.. Green chapter tank setup is the simplest/cheapest and is done by Westcoast aquarium - Jeffery. Dead rocks are the best as you won't have any nonsense pest breakout. Madpetz has the most interesting scape as ken uses PVC pipes to scape.. I would say that it's unique and you can add more corals as too much rocks will spoilt the soup.

The most beatiful tanks is aquamarin, it's simply stunning but they don't share much.. Maybe I don't spend much money there.. Haha...

Ken from madpetz will be a good give tips if he is not too busy.. Try to go around before you decide on a tank. It's a long time commitment..

185 Gallons - 5ft tank since nov 2013

[Edmund Koh]

Yups I do agree with Blackcell.

Even now that my tank is coming soon and I have already gotten my dead rocks. I'm still contemplating all other options like ceramic rocks from Iwarna and even PVC piping like Madpetz.

[tofubox]

Just go for dead rocks. Collect as many as u can, be it purchasing them at LFS or getting from fellow reefers. The cost is super low, gives u alot more room for creativity as well.

The best method to cure is by cooking the rocks. Just put them in the dark, with salt mix and a pump. At the same time u are also cycling the rocks and purging the rocks free from po4 and no3. Only problem is u need to mix up new batch of salt water every few days and replace. Or alternatively, run a skimmer and po4 remover after the first week.

[Drahc]

Hi bro,

Look around before you commit to a tank. I would suggest going to madpetz, aquamarin and green chapter to look at their tanks.. Green chapter tank setup is the simplest/cheapest and is done by Westcoast aquarium - Jeffery. Dead rocks are the best as you won't have any nonsense pest breakout. Madpetz has the most interesting scape as ken uses PVC pipes to scape.. I would say that it's unique and you can add more corals as too much rocks will spoilt the soup.

The most beatiful tanks is aquamarin, it's simply stunning but they don't share much.. Maybe I don't spend much money there.. Haha...

Ken from madpetz will be a good give tips if he is not too busy.. Try to go around before you decide on a tank. It's a long time commitment..

185 Gallons - 5ft tank since nov 2013

Thanks for advice i actually did some windows shopping last weekend on some LFS and its really cool. I got a better idea now for pricing of equips, LS, etc.

Just go for dead rocks. Collect as many as u can, be it purchasing them at LFS or getting from fellow reefers. The cost is super low, gives u alot more room for creativity as well.

The best method to cure is by cooking the rocks. Just put them in the dark, with salt mix and a pump. At the same time u are also cycling the rocks and purging the rocks free from po4 and no3. Only problem is u need to mix up new batch of salt water every few days and replace. Or alternatively, run a skimmer and po4 remover after the first week.

Cooking? Im more decided of bleaching and scrubbing the rock after i've read your tank blog thread here. Im actually thinking of bleaching and sun drying it for 1-2 weeks before placing it inside the tank for cycling. Then while cycling ill probably use additives or booster to make the cycling process a bit faster + ill put a couple of live rocks on the sump to introduce bacteria faster. What do you think.

Also can i use a hair dryer to dry the rock? my place is block by the sun unlike yours so im thinking it might take a while to dried out.

Thanks for all the input guys its really informative.

[tofubox]

Hey bro, Yup bleaching will 100% kill of everything. The sun drying process is impt. U can use the hairdryer as well. The idea over it is just to get it as dry as possible. Every nook and crevice must be dry. After u blow dry + sun dry, recommend u to soak in just freshwater with seachem prime to be sure. Than ur good to go.

[SubzeroLT]

Tofubox, for my understanding, why is the thorough drying critical?

Is it related to drying it off to ensure that all the bleach/chlorine is gone?

[Drahc]

Hey bro, Yup bleaching will 100% kill of everything. The sun drying process is impt. U can use the hairdryer as well. The idea over it is just to get it as dry as possible. Every nook and crevice must be dry. After u blow dry + sun dry, recommend u to soak in just freshwater with seachem prime to be sure. Than ur good to go.

Thanks. But correct me if im wrong coz this is what i understand about what u did on your tank (which is really awesome by the way).

1. bleach the rock 24 hours 1/10 parts. Ill use clorox brand on this one. do i need to run pump on this one?

2. rinse it with pressure water and scrub it.

3. soak it in RODI water with seachem for another 24 hrs with pump here i guess to really rinse the thing.

4. sun-blow dry it.

5. soak it in saltwater with pump then test water constantly.

6. if parameters met this is the only time i could place it in tank for curing.

did i get it right or im missing a step or two.

[tofubox]

Thanks. But correct me if im wrong coz this is what i understand about what u did on your tank (which is really awesome by the way).

1. bleach the rock 24 hours 1/10 parts. Ill use clorox brand on this one. do i need to run pump on this one?

2. rinse it with pressure water and scrub it.

3. soak it in RODI water with seachem for another 24 hrs with pump here i guess to really rinse the thing.

4. sun-blow dry it.

5. soak it in saltwater with pump then test water constantly.

6. if parameters met this is the only time i could place it in tank for curing.

did i get it right or im missing a step or two.

Hey bro, yup u pretty much got it, but what will be better is u do step 4 first than step 3.....or if u really kiasu....do step 3 than 4 than 3 again.

For step 5, u dont have to soak in saltwater to do the test (save salt mix). Best is RODI or DI water free from any chlorine, u dont need all the rocks for the test, just a few more porous pieces of rocks...soak for 48hrs in RODI or DI water and test the water for CL. If no cl detected, u can go ahead and put all the pieces in the tank, start scaping and cycling the rocks.

[Drahc]

Hey bro, yup u pretty much got it, but what will be better is u do step 4 first than step 3.....or if u really kiasu....do step 3 than 4 than 3 again. For step 5, u dont have to soak in saltwater to do the test (save salt mix). Best is RODI or DI water free from any chlorine, u dont need all the rocks for the test, just a few more porous pieces of rocks...soak for 48hrs in RODI or DI water and test the water for CL. If no cl detected, u can go ahead and put all the pieces in the tank, start scaping and cycling the rocks.

thanks bro. finally got my tank its bigger than what i intend to get, actually its twice the volume of what i intend to get so every equipment i planned getting becomes bigger as well. looking for dead rock now so i can start bleaching it. ill be getting my rodi later and a couple of drums for water storage.

[Nox]

how big is your new tank? wanted to upgrade my tank recently but decided not to as maintenance will even more time consuming

[Drahc]

how big is your new tank? wanted to upgrade my tank recently but decided not to as maintenance will even more time consuming

its 5x2.5x2.5. its more than twice the volume of what i intend to get.

[Edmund Koh]

its 5x2.5x2.5. its more than twice the volume of what i intend to get.

Bro .. big better then small haha! I'm cracking my head now worrying about whether I will have enough bio filtration for my nano.

[Drahc]

Bro .. big better then small haha! I'm cracking my head now worrying about whether I will have enough bio filtration for my nano.

hahaha true but bigger tank means bigger equips and my planned equips suddenly needs to be double in size as well.

[Edmund Koh]

Always plan for more then needed. Better more then less.