Setting up marine tank - need help.

[comycus]

Yes 3ft and above tanks gives more water volume to buffer against mistakes but I think more importantly, the reefer has to be able to commit to the size of the tank. Have seen beginners setup start off with 4ft, 5ft tanks only to decomm within afew days...

2ft is a good sized for beginner for someone with a 2k budget and gives a large enough water volume. There are many 'hidden' costs involved in running larger tanks. More expensive equipment, more water, more salt, more rocks, more fishes, more corals, higher utility bills. If TS is comfotable with all of these, then yes I agree, go for a 4footer.

[kksg2000]

Thank for all the advice. I having reading on custom made tank offers... it seems to me, to engage someone for custom made tank is not very much cheaper either. It is only a bit cheaper than RSM /chiller. I like the completeness of the RSM, but i am opening to more options. I think i only want to commit to a 2ft tank now. Can anyone recommend me a good shop to visit for beginner?

I came across Fish N Friends who do custom tank, anyone to share your experience with Fish N Friends?

Any RSM owner out there? Can share your experience?

Tks.

[comycus]

Ask ard for quotes to compare:

1. Aquarium Artist (Vincent)

2. Iwarna (Victor)

3. DeLightings (Razali)

4. Marine Life (Henry)

5. Reborn (Elvin)

6. Aquamarin (Steve/Janet)

Will be good to ask for samples of silicon work for the tank. You probably want nice, thin silicon rather than sloppy, thick all over the place.

[raydiative]

Thank for all the advice. I having reading on custom made tank offers... it seems to me, to engage someone for custom made tank is not very much cheaper either. It is only a bit cheaper than RSM /chiller. I like the completeness of the RSM, but i am opening to more options. I think i only want to commit to a 2ft tank now. Can anyone recommend me a good shop to visit for beginner?

I came across Fish N Friends who do custom tank, anyone to share your experience with Fish N Friends?

Any RSM owner out there? Can share your experience?

Tks.

RSM is complete due to the all in one look. however most of these tank lack in many ways..

Lightings - Most All in one tank lightings fall short

Skimmer - Most are in sufficient or dun even have skimmer to begin with

these 2 are important factors to consider if you intend to keep corals..

[digibee]

Hi, welcome to this great hobby called reefing

Mine is a custom made 2 ft cube with sump.

By the way, if you are interested in a 4 months plus 1/10 arctica chiller; PM me

Cheers!

[jackywongto]

Lol I think you are undecided because being a newbie, you prefer something that comes in a set. So that you will not go wrong buying your tank. This is quite true for a newbie. But if u get the RSM, after 6 months, you will realize that there are quite a lot of limitations with the tank. Light not powerful enough to sustain more demanding corals, u will need to spend another $400 -$600 for a LED lightset. But a bit more tricky because you need to mod the canopy for the lighting as yours is an enclosed tank. The RSM skimmer is not powerful enough to sustain your livestock, you want to upgrade to a more powerful skimmer , u need to fork out $500 for a Deltec MCE600 HOB skimmer. But wait, u cannot because your RSM has an IOS and the MCE Skimmer cannot hang there. Well these are just 2 examples I am illustrating. There are others of course.

Make no mistake, i do feel that the RSM is a nice tank and that it is possible to turn it into a beautful reef but you would need to be more careful with the livestock selection anD the stocking level. You would also need to be sure that you can be contented with these constraints for the next 1-2 years at least. Cause the next time you change, it will probably be an upgrade to one of those tanks mentioned by the bros above cause you can hardly upgrade the eqpt as I have listed above. Then you would need to make a loss selling the RSm and incur another cost buying the new tank and eqpt. It's ok if only the RSM isn't so expensive (IMO)

Hope I have not made u more confused

[yikai]

my honest opinion, i would recommend a simple standard 3ft set up for new reefers. this is a very good size for budding aquarist as the water volume is large enough to accommodate errors. a tank of 3ft will ensure rather stable parameters compared to a nano tank of say 1ft+. This includes fluctuations of salinity, temperate etc.

small tank = small water volume = small room for errors.

larger tank = larger water volume = large room for errors.

a small tank requires more care and attention and higher chance of something going wrong. the smaller water volume means a smaller dilution factor and things go wrong faster. for a new aquarist, this can spell disaster.

3ft is not too large nor too small. IMO, a perfect size. if you're worried about pricing, it's not very expensive if you go for normal standard set up. the difference in pricing will allow you tons more space for livestock, errors, experimenting and fun! definitely worth it IMO.

if price is still a concern, 3ft tanks are rather easy to find 2nd hand from dealers in pasar malam thread. as 3ft is a rather popular tank size.

however if you still insist in getting a smaller tank, then make sure you put in the extra effort to maintain the parameters.

Remember when it comes to marine tanks, bigger is better. In terms of stability

larger tank (compared to a small one)

pros

- allows room for fish to grow, and more livestock to be added

- dilute coral allelopathy (chemical warfare)

- reduce aggression

- lower salinity swings

- lower parameter fluctuations

- organics won't rise as fast

- wider range of livestock kept

- *if you opt for a sumptank, extra water volume, more equipment can be added, space for future projects (refugium etc)

cons

- large amount of space

- the larger it is, the harder to do physical maintenance (water change, scrubbing etc)

- difficult placement corals, rocks

- more expensive to run (electricity bills etc)

of course there are many more pros and cons, and the idea of a larger/smaller tank is purely subjective and based on one's individual preference. i thought since most of the posts here are geared towards smaller tank, i'll just give you another alternative should you decide on either.

whatever your choice, hope you prosper in your hobby, and a warm welcome to SRC.

[kksg2000]

Hi,

Is this how i should connect up the chiller pump?

chiller inlet to pump outlet and chiller outlet to pump inlet?

Thanks.

[yikai]

Hi,

Is this how i should connect up the chiller pump?

chiller inlet to pump outlet and chiller outlet to pump inlet?

Thanks.

pump outlet > chiller inlet > water gets cooled in your chiller > cooled water flows out of chiller outlet > from outlet to sump tank or main tank. don't connect the outlet to another pump.

[kksg2000]

pump outlet > chiller inlet > water gets cooled in your chiller > cooled water flows out of chiller outlet > from outlet to sump tank or main tank. don't connect the outlet to another pump.

Thank you.

Is this pump Flow Rate : 300L/Hour good enough for a 130 litre / 34 gallon tank?

Thank you again.

[kksg2000]

Hi,

I have a question here.

When i am cycling the water together with the live rock curing process, if the water gets dirty, residue appear, do i do a e.g 10% water change? Or is there a procedure to follow etc. change 10% water every 2-3 days during the process?

Next, to check if the rock is being cured, i take out the rock out of the water, no smell = cured?

Thank you.

[kksg2000]

For new tank, is it better to use mix salt water or sea water NSW for the cycling process?

Thank you.

[comycus]

Thank you.

Is this pump Flow Rate : 300L/Hour good enough for a 130 litre / 34 gallon tank?

Thank you again.

If you are only going to use 1 pump to tee off to chiller before returning back into main tank, it's not enough as there will be a lot of head loss.

Hi,

I have a question here.

When i am cycling the water together with the live rock curing process, if the water gets dirty, residue appear, do i do a e.g 10% water change? Or is there a procedure to follow etc. change 10% water every 2-3 days during the process?

Next, to check if the rock is being cured, i take out the rock out of the water, no smell = cured?

Thank you.

Most ppl here just dump in the live rocks, saltwater, some form of bacteria and market prawn/fish food. Turn on the circulation pumps and skimmer and leave it to cycle for 4-6 weeks. Test water parameters during this period to track the ANN cycle and do water changes after that. Depending on how high your nitrates are, can range from just one 50% WC or more.

For new tank, is it better to use mix salt water or sea water NSW for the cycling process?

Thank you.

My personal preference is mixed saltwater from a quality salt mix as the parameters are more stable. Others might prefer NSW as the water is more matured. But have to check water parameters as they might be quite off, and might introduce unwanted pathogens into the tank.

[comycus]

btw forgot to add, almost everyone sells cured live rocks (be it LFS or reefers) and if it smells, you are better off not getting it.

[kksg2000]

If you are only going to use 1 pump to tee off to chiller before returning back into main tank, it's not enough as there will be a lot of head loss.

Most ppl here just dump in the live rocks, saltwater, some form of bacteria and market prawn/fish food. Turn on the circulation pumps and skimmer and leave it to cycle for 4-6 weeks. Test water parameters during this period to track the ANN cycle and do water changes after that. Depending on how high your nitrates are, can range from just one 50% WC or more.

My personal preference is mixed saltwater from a quality salt mix as the parameters are more stable. Others might prefer NSW as the water is more matured. But have to check water parameters as they might be quite off, and might introduce unwanted pathogens into the tank.

Thank you Bro.

I working out my budget now. I am getting a Ehiem pump for the 130 liter water to the chiller.

Pump output approx I/h 1. 1000-2000 2.1500-3000 3.2500-5000 which pump would do the job?

[kksg2000]

Any engage iwarna for custom tank? Can you share your experience? Overall, i see the price is not cheaper either.

In btw, is this package a good one for $1980?

1. 1.5ft braceless cube tank

2. Laminated cabinet (black or white)

3. Compartmentalised sump

4. Acrylic overflow box with cover

5. Germany aquabee pump 1000litres/hour

6. Max Spect LED lights 60Watts

7. Bubble Magus skimmer

8. Hailea chiller 1/10HP

9. Chiller pump

10. Sea water

11. Liverocks

12. Vortech MP10 (New ES version)

[comycus]

The eheim 2000 compact would be sufficient. Or the aquabee pump provided in the package is fine too.

Razali's deal is quite reasonable if you ask me. Have to ask binosage for his take on the performance of his bubble magus skimmer.

[kksg2000]

The eheim 2000 compact would be sufficient. Or the aquabee pump provided in the package is fine too.

Razali's deal is quite reasonable if you ask me. Have to ask binosage for his take on the performance of his bubble magus skimmer.

Is 1.5ft cube about 25G, too small for a marine tank? My budget only allows me to go for 1.5ft custom made (<$2k>), with RSM, i am getting 34G tank... dilemma here..

[comycus]

did u call up iwarna or aquarium artist for a quote?

[kksg2000]

did u call up iwarna or aquarium artist for a quote?

iwarna website, the package is $1980 for a 1.5 cube which i think is not cheap either... i will visit iwarna to have a look... i am not comfortable with the 1.5ft cube.. i think it's too small. i will visit the shop to take a look on the 1.5ft cube display.

[comycus]

bro, Iwarna's 1.5 cube is from DeLightings...

Ask Victor for a quote on 2ft cube instead, with equipment all in.

And you can call Vincent from Aquarium Artist and also Reborn for their quotes.

[albinosage]

Is 1.5ft cube about 25G, too small for a marine tank? My budget only allows me to go for 1.5ft custom made (<$2k>), with RSM, i am getting 34G tank... dilemma here..

Bro, the 1.5 cube includes the sump, altogether is about 31 or 32 gallons.

[yikai]

errm, threadstarter. don't waste money using saltmix to put water in your tank BEFORE cycling. it doesn't matter if u use NSW or salt mix. during cycling, tons of parameters are going to swing together with huge ammonia spikes, nitrite spikes and nitrate spikes. at this point, doesn't matter if u use salt mix or NSW. use NSW since it's cheaper

just use NSW as it is cheaper than using saltmix for the entire tank. however, after cycling, subsequent water changes, salt mix will be best.

[stevenkoh08]

yo bro are u looking for new tank with sump at 2ft????

[kksg2000]

I am getting a Hailea HC150a chiller 1/10HP for 130 litre, am i right that i should look for a chiller pump with output 1000l/h>?

Just a brief one, when i got my tank, i just mix salt water to get the right parameters, next i rinse the live rocks with salt water and then put into the tank to start the cycle/curing process. Next, i monitor the parameters daily until Ammonia and nitrate reach 0 for a continues of 2-3 days (change 20% water hen there's a need), then i can get corals from LFS and put in, and then put livestocks - marine fish a few at a time.. Is this how i should go about?

Thank you.