questions from a SW-potential-newbie

[littlelil]

OK, so i've been doing some research and a lot of reading about SW and how i would be able to convert my 33g FW to SW and how much it would cost me, etc... and i've compiled a list of questions and hopefully someone will be able to fill in a few of the many missing pieces of the puzzle.

a) PUMPS: where do the pumps belong? ie, direction? top of the tank, bottom of the tank, pointing up or down? If i use two, do i put them in the same direction or different directions? How strong does the current need to be? How do I measure whether or not the current is strong enough??

b) LIGHTING: do T5 light bulbs fit into regular flourescent canopies? Can I use the one i have right now and just get new bulbs? Are T5 just stronger lights than the flourescent?

c) so live rock is just that pile of rock that looks like chunks of cement, right? How do you pile it to make it stand up in the pile without them falling all over the place? And then when you get corals, you attache it to the live rock? How does it attach?

d) what kind of water to use? I read some say regular tap, some say dechlor, some say culligan...

e) the live sand and places don't need to be siphoned? All the maintenance the tank needs is water changes and algae scraping? Do I need to wash "second-hand" live sand?

f) I don't know how to test water. I never did it with my FW; it always just worked (nothing ever died). When I set up my SW what do I need to test (obviously salinity, duh, but what else?)? How do i test it? Just get a test kit and all my instructions will be there?

THanks in advance for your help!

Lillian

[xenon]

a) PUMPS: where do the pumps belong? ie, direction? top of the tank, bottom of the tank, pointing up or down? If i use two, do i put them in the same direction or different directions? How strong does the current need to be? How do I measure whether or not the current is strong enough??

Two smaller powder heads is always better than one big one. You can point them in different directions so that you eliminate dead spots. Depending on the corals you keep will depend on how much flow you need. SPS for example need 30-50X turnover.

b) LIGHTING: do T5 light bulbs fit into regular flourescent canopies? Can I use the one i have right now and just get new bulbs? Are T5 just stronger lights than the flourescent?

You will need T5 sockets for T5 bulbs. Icecap makes very good ballasts for T5's.

c) so live rock is just that pile of rock that looks like chunks of cement, right? How do you pile it to make it stand up in the pile without them falling all over the place? And then when you get corals, you attache it to the live rock? How does it attach?

You need underwater epoxy to glue rocks together. You can also drill the rock and insert acrylic rods to make pillars.

d) what kind of water to use? I read some say regular tap, some say dechlor, some say culligan...

If you are going fish only, tap water is fine. If you are building a reef, you need an RO/DI system. Tap water can be good some weeks are VERY bad other weeks.

e) the live sand and places don't need to be siphoned? All the maintenance the tank needs is water changes and algae scraping? Do I need to wash "second-hand" live sand?

You should never disturb the sand bed. As long as you have a good enough clean-up crew you will be fine. 10% water changes per week is all you need. If you don't have enough sand or live rock you will have nitrate issues and that will force you to do bigger weekly water changes. This is not a good idea. Water changes are simply to replenish trace elements that corals need.

f) I don't know how to test water. I never did it with my FW; it always just worked (nothing ever died). When I set up my SW what do I need to test (obviously salinity, duh, but what else?)? How do i test it? Just get a test kit and all my instructions will be there?

Get yourself a refractometer and also make sure its calibrated. The basic test kits are calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, phosphate, ph, nitrate. You can also get ammoinia and nitrite. Those two test kits are great to know when your new tank is done cycling. Also good for QT tank.

[kennyman]

I'll just try to add a little to the discussion and not duplicate the excellent advice given by xenon. His saga of setting up a SW tank is quite interesting to follow on RC 

OK, so I've been doing some research and a lot of reading about SW and how i would be able to convert my 33g FW to SW and how much it would cost me, etc... and I've compiled a list of questions and hopefully someone will be able to fill in a few of the many missing pieces of the puzzle.

What kind of setup are you looking at? Just as with freshwater there are many ways to operate a SW tank. It all depends on what you want to keep. What is that "must have" creature you have seen? What will it take to make you happy with your system

a) PUMPS: where do the pumps belong? ie, direction? top of the tank, bottom of the tank, pointing up or down? If i use two, do i put them in the same direction or different directions? How strong does the current need to be? How do I measure whether or not the current is strong enough??

You also need to remove organic film from the surface and this brings up the question of overflow boxes and drilled or not drilled. As well as closed loop flow.

b) LIGHTING: do T5 light bulbs fit into regular flourescent canopies? Can I use the one i have right now and just get new bulbs? Are T5 just stronger lights than the flourescent?

T5's are 5/8" diameter bulbs. They produce as much light/or more as T8(1"dia) or T12(1.25"dia) of the same length but use less power to do it. Generally speaking lighting over that tank to grow low and medium light corals would need to be around 100W-150W .

c) so live rock is just that pile of rock that looks like chunks of cement, right? How do you pile it to make it stand up in the pile without them falling all over the place? And then when you get corals, you attache it to the live rock? How does it attach?

You can use porous calciferous rock like Texas holey rock for base rock if you already have it. It will allow bacterial to colonize deep inside it and replace biological filtration systems found on FW tanks. But you need to seed it with authentic Live Rock.  Basically anything coming from the Indonesia has higher potential for diversity of life than North/Central American.

d) what kind of water to use? I read some say regular tap, some say dechlor, some say culligan...

The salt mixture buffers water to appropriate levels for corals. Using non R/O water adds other elements to the tank that you likely do not want there.

e) the live sand and places don't need to be siphoned? All the maintenance the tank needs is water changes and algae scraping? Do I need to wash "second-hand" live sand?

I would be cautious of second hand sand containing a lot of sediment and siphon it before adding Rock. There will be plenty of life left over in the sand to recolonize it and you will get rid of a lot of unwanted sediments. The reason you don't siphon sand is because bacteria layer themselves in a deep sand bed and if you disturb the bed you re-oxygenate O2 depleted zones. That will happen anyway when you transfer it. In marine systems you learn to culture and utilize sandbed bacteria as well as the detritus eating creatures that will colonise a sandbed opposed to FW systems where you try and keep the substrate clean. Long-Term management of DSB's is a topic that does not apply to starting up a tank and deserves its own thread 

f) I don't know how to test water. I never did it with my FW; it always just worked (nothing ever died). When I set up my SW what do I need to test (obviously salinity, duh, but what else?)? How do i test it? Just get a test kit and all my instructions will be there?

Unless you have the huge sink associated with a high light stony coral tank waterchanges and the salt mixture will take care of your mineral needs and you should not need to test for them. Get at least Ammonia/ nitrite/ nitrate/ ph to start.

THanks in advance for your help!

Lillian
[/quote]

[littlelil]

OK great, all this information is great!

xenon, your set up is amazing. WOW!  SO awesome. I love how it's in a closet! lol.

I've been doing all my research from what both of you guys said.... a lot of terminology that i learn and need to learn!!  It looks like it's going to cost me a whole lot more than i thought, and I think i'm going to be needing a sump. I assume the RO/DI system takes up a fair amount of space and I'd like to optimize the little bit of tank space that i do have for the fishies and other cool things.

The must-haves in my tanks are: scarlet skunk shrimp (SO COOL!!), nemo (obviously), the kinds of corals that wave with the water. I think these are soft corals. I have no idea what polyps are. Hard corals are the things that look like brains (no thanks). I just want a lot of COLOR!! Recommendations on types of corals and hardy beginner fish?

Also, since i'm looking at doing a sump now, how do they work? I guess i can get a skimmer now, too, since i'll have  the sump. I think the heater can go there, too? And i read that an AC filter would be good? Would I need the same type of filter media that i usually use? Is the AC really necessary?

What would be an adequate size sump for a 33g?

I also looked at the IceCap ballasts online. I think they only offer products for DIY systems? I think i might need a kind that's just plug and play at this point. Maybe later when i'm on my 2nd, or 3rd tank i'll try out some DIY stuff. time=money. 
I saw this when looking online http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/power_novaXtreme2.htm.
It's a Nova Extreme X2 SW. It looks nice. Is that a good brand? What are some good brands I should stick to? I'm obviously not building Xenon's tank and I really don't have much of a bank to break, so good, but economical brands would be best. Stuff I can use for the rest of my life within the budget of a starving student.

OK, so this is what i've learned. Please correct/add/advice..? 

-siphon used LS once.
-did you say that i want to reoxygenate the O2 depleted zones or not?

purchase for 33g SW for Softies & fishies:
-T5 hood & bulbs (total about 150W) (brand?)
-RO/DI system (brand?)
-skimmer (brand?)
-salt
-underwater epoxy (brand?)
-refractometer (brand?)
-a test kit for every chemical element on the periodic table. 
-a small pump (i already have one small pump) (brand?)

[littlelil]

where do you purchase most of your products and fish?

[xenon]

xenon, your set up is amazing. WOW!   SO awesome. I love how it's in a closet! lol.

Thanks! That build log helped so many people and I decided that I will do another build log for my new system.

I've been doing all my research from what both of you guys said.... a lot of terminology that i learn and need to learn!!  It looks like it's going to cost me a whole lot more than i thought, and I think i'm going to be needing a sump. I assume the RO/DI system takes up a fair amount of space and I'd like to optimize the little bit of tank space that i do have for the fishies and other cool things.

Adding a sump is a great idea. It adds more water volume and that will make your system more stable. It's also a great place to do your water changes and dosing without disturbing your display tank. You can also keep all your equipment in the sump for a cleaner looking display.

The must-haves in my tanks are: scarlet skunk shrimp (SO COOL!!), nemo (obviously), the kinds of corals that wave with the water. I think these are soft corals. I have no idea what polyps are. Hard corals are the things that look like brains (no thanks). I just want a lot of COLOR!! Recommendations on types of corals and hardy beginner fish?

Soft corals are called LPS (Large polyp stony) and hard corals are called SPS (Small polyp stony). SPS does not look anything like a brain. They look like branches and can be the most colourful corals you can get. Softies are mushrooms, zoanthids etc. For a beginner you cant go wrong with softies. You could get away with most LPS also. SPS corals should only be kept by a novice IMO. Monticaps are a great first SPS coral.

Also, since i'm looking at doing a sump now, how do they work? I guess i can get a skimmer now, too, since i'll have  the sump. I think the heater can go there, too? And i read that an AC filter would be good? Would I need the same type of filter media that i usually use? Is the AC really necessary?

You will need a "hang on the back" overflow box or you can drill two holes and build your own internal overflow box. That will skim the top layer of water to keep it clean and clear to allow the most light to reach your corals. That will drain into your sump and your skimmer can process that raw protein rich water and export it via collection cup. That is also where your heater will be located and it can also be a great place to add a refugium or remote deep sand bed. You will also need a return pump. The size of your pump will depend on the size of your sump. 5-10X sump turnover is best. I usually throttle back my sump return pump so that my skimmer can have more time to process the raw water.

The only filtration you need is from your live rock and sand. There is no filter media required for SW as long as you have enough LR and sand.

What would be an adequate size sump for a 33g?

The biggest tank you can fit would be the best choice.

I also looked at the IceCap ballasts online. I think they only offer products for DIY systems? I think i might need a kind that's just plug and play at this point. Maybe later when i'm on my 2nd, or 3rd tank i'll try out some DIY stuff. time=money.  
I saw this when looking online http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/power_novaXtreme2.htm.
It's a Nova Extreme X2 SW. It looks nice. Is that a good brand? What are some good brands I should stick to? I'm obviously not building Xenon's tank and I really don't have much of a bank to break, so good, but economical brands would be best. Stuff I can use for the rest of my life within the budget of a starving student.

If you are looking to buy a T5 fixture the Tek Light by Sunlight Supply are an excellent choice. The best T5 fixture money can buy is the ATI Powermodule.

OK, so this is what i've learned. Please correct/add/advice..?  

-siphon used LS once. You don't need so siphon LS
-did you say that i want to reoxygenate the O2 depleted zones or not? No

purchase for 33g SW for Softies & fishies:
-T5 hood & bulbs (total about 150W) (brand?) I use the Tek light
-RO/DI system (brand?) Spectrapure Maxcap is the best.
-skimmer (brand?) Euro-reef, Deltec, H&S, DAS are all excelent brands
-salt Instant Ocean for fish only, Reef Crystals for reef
-underwater epoxy (brand?) Marineland HoldFast epoxy stick
-refractometer (brand?) You can get $50 refractometer that will work great as long as its calibrated
-a test kit for every chemical element on the periodic table.   Salifert was the best but they recently dropped the ball. I use the Elos kits.
-a small pump (i already have one small pump) (brand?) Mag-drive pumps are great. Ehiem and QuietOne pumps are also a good choice.

[xenon]

where do you purchase most of your products and fish?

For online purchases I order from jlaquatics.com and mops.ca . For local purchases I go to marinescape, redbelly (ottawa inverts), aqua valley, and the last resort would be bigals.

[kennyman]

I have seen a couple of people mentioning lps not being stony corals and I am unsure why. The genus Euphyllia is a good example of a large polyp stony coral in the Scleractinia Family. That is the family commonly knows as stony corals. This coral, like all stony corals, creates a skeleton and is therefore a stony coral.

But Soft corals do not form calciferous skeletons and since they don't have to do all that extra work they tend to have simpler requirements for growth. Most texts reserve the "Soft Coral" tag for pseudo-corals or Corallimorpharia that do not create skeletons.

[littlelil]

k, great. i'll be doing some shopping this week and i'll let you know my progress when there is some! Thanks for the help!

lillian