Setting up of my cube tank ..

[xiia0beN]

Hi guys ,

I'm new to the Reef forum. Need advice from fellow forumers. I wish to setup a small 1ft by 1ft by 1.5ft Marine Tank , fishes I plan to keep are a trio of Seahorse and some Clown fishes. I have a spare canister filter (Matrix) which I will be using for the setup , may I know if the filtration system is similar to that of a Freshwater tank ?

Next , anyone can recommend me a good one-stop shop near North or Central areas to get the neccessities such as Live Rock , Gravel , and Plants ?

Other than a canister filter and an air pump , are there any other neccessary equipments for what I wish to keep ? Like a skimmer or something ?

Wonder if there is anything I would need to take note , brand new to marine , I mainly keep freshwater fishes .. Hope to get from help here.

Thanks.

Regards,

Ben

[kareen]

Be sure not to get anemone for the clown 'cos seahorses may end up in anemone stomach....

Key points for a seahorse tank is low flow 'cos seahorse are lousy swimmer. Also they are slow eater so no greedy fish 'cos they may not get any food in the end.... so don't think clown is a great mate for them too. If you really like clown then drop the idea of having seahorse 'cos they are not suitable for newbies.

Canister filter can be used for filteration but be sure to clean it every 2 to 3 weeks time. A added skimmer is good 'cos it provide extra aeration for oxygen from the bubbles beside removing DOC from water.

PS: chk out peong's thread on seahorse setup...

[tiffanydunk]

if u are new to marine better not start with seahorses. Clown fishes are hardy, but will not survive when the water parameters' not right. North there are Aquamarin at jalan kayu, Aquastar at yishun 924(wide range of equipments), petmart at serangoon offers gd price on equipments too.

For marine beginners, the equipments to get are a protein skimmer, wavemakers(depends on how many u need) to keep the water movement in the tank, meantime creating oxygen in the tank. At least a T5 lightings, PL should do the job but will generate more heat. A fluidised reactor with agent to reduce PO4(phosphate). PO4 is known to create nuisance algae or diatom bloom in newly set up tank, or due to over feeding. It's advisable not to use canister filter but rather a main tank with overflow to a sump tank below. There's no need for a air-pump too as the wavemakers will do the job.

Non-technical stuffs u need to buy b4 setting up a tank, Liverocks, seasalt(tropic marin,redsea etc),hydrometer(to measure the salinity of the water, meaning the whether there are enough salt or not in ur tank)a brandnew pail to mix ur salt. Test kits are a MUST to check the parameters in ur tank.

Do read up from the internet or make a trip to the library to borrow books and read them up before setting up your tank (rem to read up the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate cycle and cycling of a marine tank).

A thing money can't buy is TIME. Cycling will stretch from 3 weeks to few months. Be patient. Use the time to read up and learn. Continue asking your questions here, many bros will be able to answer your doubts.

My 2 cents.

[xiia0beN]

Thank you very much for the help. Mine's just a small tank so can't really do much of an overflow or such , but I'll see what space I can spare and do a simple overflow. Would Bacteria House + Ceramic Rings be enough for the filtration , along with some Japanese Mat ?

Maybe I'll start with a small simple Clownfish setup.

Will need advice and guidance from fellow bros / sis here.

So basically for the setup I'll need sand and live rocks right ? As for the fluidised reactor , do I have to set it such that it drips in after some time or how does it work ?

Sorry for asking so many questions.

[zipp86]

go to wetwebmedia.com to read all you need to know

[peacemaker]

Welcome to SRC, xiiaoben!

In case you're interested to make an overflow setup, here's my nano tank (1 Ft x 1 Ft x 10") with a very simple in-tank overflow system. Its made of acrylic. Try to get Biohomme instead of ceramic rings, as they are known to be a better bacteria filter media (I've changed mine already). I've also had success in keeping a mini reef skimmerless, but you have to be very religious in water change. There are semi-decent nano skimmers around, so do look out for them, and if you're on a budget, check out the pasa malam forums. As for FR, I'm not sure if you really need it for such a small tank, but you might consider having chaeto instead. It helps to absorb the nutrients and PO4. A simple DIY hang-on filter with a clip on light should give you a nice mini refugium. Have fun!

[xiia0beN]

Thank you bro , I was inspired by your setup to do a simple overflow

Anyway , may I know how does your water flow into the compartment with the pump ? Through underflow or overflow ?

And also , the hang-on filter would help to cool my water ? Or will I need to add a fan ?

I was planning for a simple setup with some sand and a few rocks , should be all right for some simple fishes right ?

Thanks.

[xiia0beN]

Just to side track a little .. May I know if Zebra Dwarf Lionfishes are a good choice for beginner SW hobbyists ?

Can a single speciemen live with a few Clownfish ?

Thanks once again ! :

[peacemaker]

Haha... hard to tell from the photos... there are slots similar to a comb cut at the bottom of the partition, which allows the water to flow to the pump compartment. The hand-on filter is just to keep chaeto if you run out of space. If you are just planning to keep a fish-only-with-live-rocks tank, the requirements are much less. Adding a fan (not those computer fans) will help to cool the tank a bit, but you have to take note of the rate your water evaporates and do constant top ups.

[kareen]

Welcome to SRC, xiiaoben!

In case you're interested to make an overflow setup, here's my nano tank (1 Ft x 1 Ft x 10") with a very simple in-tank overflow system. Its made of acrylic. Try to get Biohomme instead of ceramic rings, as they are known to be a better bacteria filter media (I've changed mine already). I've also had success in keeping a mini reef skimmerless, but you have to be very religious in water change. There are semi-decent nano skimmers around, so do look out for them, and if you're on a budget, check out the pasa malam forums. As for FR, I'm not sure if you really need it for such a small tank, but you might consider having chaeto instead. It helps to absorb the nutrients and PO4. A simple DIY hang-on filter with a clip on light should give you a nice mini refugium. Have fun!

The "hole" is too small to flow back to the back... may run the danger of been clog easily as time goes by even if it is okay now....

[peacemaker]

The "hole" is too small to flow back to the back... may run the danger of been clog easily as time goes by even if it is okay now....

Yes, pls take note of the size of the overflow vs the flow rate of your return pump. For this tank, I used a 600 l/hr pump without problems. My current tank has a similar setup with a slightly bigger overflow area. My pump is an Ehiem 1000 l/hr, and I had turbo snails crawling around without problems.

[peacemaker]

Just to side track a little .. May I know if Zebra Dwarf Lionfishes are a good choice for beginner SW hobbyists ?

Can a single speciemen live with a few Clownfish ?

Thanks once again ! :

Lionfish needs live food to thrive, and your clownfishes would make a decent meal for them. No small fishes with lionfishes.

I'm not sure if they are considered hardy, but I think they need a bigger space to swim in, probably 2 Ft tank and above? Just my 2 cents.