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why let a thread with such great information die? I'm a complete newbie to reef tanks but I recently got inspired to make my new unused 75 gallon aquarium into a SW reef tank. I have run very successful planted FW aquariums. What exactly is the purpose of an RO/DI filter? Is it really necessary in growing those beautiful corals that are pictured? I want to focus on the coral more so than the fish. How do corals grow? Will they just pop up from the live rock or will I have to buy/order them separately? How much Live Rock would I need for a 75? I don't want it to be too heavy laid with rocks, just enough to have a lot of coral and sustain a few fishes. I want there to be a good amount of open space. What is the best and easiest method of filtration for a tank of my size (75)? I have an extra 20g long sitting around, can I turn it into a sump? What kind of lighting and substrate would I need for a medium maintenance tank? I already have a T5 HO Glo fixture that is 24 inches. I can replace the bulbs for reef ones and get another of the same unit to cover the rest of the 24 inches. Should I do that or just get a new unit? I checked the reef websites but they are very vague and it seems like I should already know this stuff.
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Nov 10, 2008 10:41
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| # ¿ May 1, 2024 16:01 |
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Thanks for the quick and thorough reply. I think I'm just gonna buy a whole new lighting system. Hopefully this one will fit in my hood. http://cgi.ebay.com/ODYSSEA-48-260W...tem300270422031 is the one that I am thinking of ordering. The only problem I see coming up is finding a place I could buy bulbs for it. I think I will be investing in an RO/DI unit for my tank. Any brand recommendations? From what I understand I don't need to invest in a canister filter, just a protein skimmer that I will be putting in my sump? My tank will be glass so I am at quite a conundrum of what I will do about the siphon and overflow.
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Nov 10, 2008 21:07
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Just found out that ALL coral and anemone in Hawaii is illegal. What complete bullshit. That doesn't stop everyone from doing it though; there is a huge community of coral traders. I am still determined! Plus the fish are amazing! Do coral just randomly pop up on live rock sometimes or do I really need to get frags?
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Nov 11, 2008 09:22
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I think I'll concentrate on making the fish happy for now until I can find people to trade with. I'm kind of sick of my schooling fish so I'm sure I wanna get big colorful fish with personality. What is the logic behind not using bioballs in my sump? I plan to put a pad where the water comes in along with a protein skimmer but I'm not too sure what else to throw down there.
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Nov 11, 2008 18:59
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So I could get my cycle going with LR, Sand, SW and a few fish with a protein skimmer hanging on the back and still have it function? I'm pretty I'll be adding a powerhead or two to increase circulation.
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Nov 11, 2008 21:12
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So the best order to add things to a tank is sand > salt water > test parameters > add lr > cycle > parameters again > fish?
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Jan 21, 2009 01:51
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Just ordered a few things from marine depot! http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~ACUPDB.html http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~HD19101~child~HD19201.html http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~IC1515.html Hope I made the right decision. Cost quite a bit too! Anyone have experience with any of these things? I decided not to cheap out on the lights and get the retro icecaps. With that ballast could I add more caps and reflectors if I want to upgrade? I'm also gonna keep it fish only with live rock. What kind of bulbs should I get?
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Jan 23, 2009 13:10
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75 Gallons. I was hoping the powerheads would be enough but I guess I'll throw another one or two in there with my light bulb order. If it matters I want the colors of the fish to pop out a bit more. It's going in the living room and I want it to be appeasing to the non aquarium type of person too haha.
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Jan 24, 2009 04:17
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Looks like I got hosed again  .I bought the Ice Cap complete retrofit kit from Marine Depot. http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~IC1515~tab~0.html You would think that it would be easy running a salt water aquarium in Hawaii, being surrounded by the ocean at all but so far its been hard. I got my package today and decided to order the bulbs. When I added the bulbs to my cart, it costs over $100 to ship them to my area! Does that sound right to you? I have another t5 light fixture for my freshwater so I took out the bulb to see and it fits perfectly on the fixture. Should I buy the same bulbs except longer?
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Jan 25, 2009 10:14
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My reflectors came in and the bulbs that my local store has works with the system !All I'm waiting for is the 20g long that I will be using as a sump, 10,000k bulb and actinic bulb. I ordered them through the store and they should be here on Wednesday! Almost ready to put the whole thing together and test it out. Gonna be using an overflow box for this one. Any tips on setting up the sump/refugium as far as plumbing goes?
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Jan 27, 2009 03:26
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Would it help these cycles blow over faster if I used the RO water from the stations outside of grocery stores? What would be the best way to clean sand I get from the beach? Ordering sand isn't an option and none of the stores carry anything other than crushed coral. Reef grows not too far off shore and our reefs are popular collecting grounds for aquarium fish.
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Jan 30, 2009 03:43
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Psimitry posted:
But I'm just so CHEAP:(! For all the awesome advice I'm getting here's some pics from my vacation to the Philippines. There was a district dedicated to pets and it was just stall after stall of aquarium stuff. I could start a whole new thread with all the pics I took of all the types of puppies/kittens/fish/birds/whatever they had but since this is the SW thread I'll keep it down.       Sorry for the poo poo photography, it was just so surreal being surrounded by all this coral/life when all of it is illegal where I live  .
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Jan 30, 2009 10:09
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I thought we put this issue to bed.
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I've already blown quite a bit not cutting corners and decided on the RO unit and crushed coral. I'm very confident in having a successful run at this.
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Jan 31, 2009 02:45
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RO/DI and refractometer came in the mail today. Trip to Home Depot to plumb it and to buy a few bags of sand and I'll be ready to set this bitch up. It's been pretty enjoyable getting everything together (not so much for my wallet), doing all the research, and bothering Psimitry for his opinion. I'll have pics up tomorrow of setup.
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Feb 14, 2009 04:55
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The RO/DI is filling the tank at a beautiful trickle. Gotta keep an eye on this thing while it fills. The RO/DI is treating me really well so far and according to the local aquarium forums my area is known to have some pretty bad tap water. In the mean time ill be looking up fish profiles to decide how I'm gonna stock this thing.
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Feb 16, 2009 05:29
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Wow great pics. I can't wait to put fish in my tank. I just put the salt in and letting it mix so I can make small adjustments in SG. The water is really cloudy but it'll clear up soon. I went to the LFS and decided I want to get a copperband angel. Sorry to hear about your tank Psimitry .
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Feb 19, 2009 05:01
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Shh  .. It's cycling.
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Mar 1, 2009 02:46
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It does in the nuclear power plant beach biotope.
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Mar 1, 2009 03:35
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And a Moorish Idol that doesn't die!
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Mar 1, 2009 04:35
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Went diving and tide pooling today and caught some cool stuff. Didn't take pics but I caught a fairly large boxfish and some hermit crabs. I gave the boxfish to a friend while my tank cycles. I hope the hermit crabs will do ok too. There are also tons of starfish and other things that are really nice here but I doubt I want a lot of those species in my tank. Also saw tons and tons of brittle starfish but wasn't sure if they were tank-safe. Vigilantly Vigorous fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Mar 2, 2009 |
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Mar 2, 2009 00:50
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All of em were black. I thought they were just a bunch of hairy worms till I turned a big rock over and saw 3 or 4 huge ones just bunched around. Next time I go I'll be sure to get one.
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Mar 2, 2009 04:12
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Here is what I'm hoping to have in my tank but I want more opinions from experienced aquarists on how it will fare. Lawnmower Blenny Copperband or Sailfin butterfly Vagabond Butterfly True Percula Clown Blue reef Chromis or Blue Damsel Brittle starfish Yellow Tang The "or"s are one or the other. Whatever I can find first or whatever would be more suited.
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Mar 2, 2009 20:40
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I meant Longnose Butterfly http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/product_info.php?products_id=216&parent_category=4&category_search=61&root_parent_id=4. The brittle star I will catch myself and all I have ever seen so far are black ones. Thanks for the words of advice, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna wait on the copperband until I have a bit more experience and I find a good opportunity.
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Mar 3, 2009 00:47
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I'm probably gonna keep an eye on whatever I get in a separate tank for a night or two. Won't be that difficult considering the benefit. The nice thing about just buying from the store is that they usually tell you if it's eating or healthy.
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Mar 3, 2009 20:22
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Where do you collect from Ludnix?
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Mar 4, 2009 00:46
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The harlequin shrimp are beautiful. Too bad I've only seen the red variety here.
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Mar 4, 2009 02:12
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I don't know if I should be confused or frustrated but my Ammonia has showed little to none ever since I put my LR in. Two days after there was a small Ammonia spike but since then it has been 0. Nitrite didn't show up but there was Nitrite. I'm gonna give it another week before I test again. Should the skimmer be on though? It's putting out a lot of nasty stuff.
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Mar 7, 2009 06:15
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Yeah I've got a few medium dime sized aiptasias in my tank. Probably just gonna use lemon juice or something.
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Mar 18, 2009 18:44
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Lets just start a new thread already and compile all this awesome information we have. The opening post isn't that informative for starters or appealing for potential hobbyists.
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Mar 20, 2009 04:25
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I put a 20long under my 75. The skimmer I bought was a tight fit which makes it a bitch to take out to clean. Take your comfort into consideration.
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Mar 21, 2009 02:03
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Ok so I've narrowed it down to these fish... 2 Cleaner shrimp Red Firefish Royal Gramma Longnosed Butterfly Powder Brown Tang OR Red Stripe Angelfish With my tank all cycled I can start stocking soon.
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Mar 22, 2009 02:02
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Yeah the main SW store here is really tight with it's customers and one of the nice ones that worked there told me not to buy any of their cleaners because they have been dying/getting old shrimps. I already added a firefish and the longnosed butterfly today. I wish I had my camera working right about now.
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Mar 22, 2009 08:21
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Those are some beautiful pictures. What kind of lights are you running over it?
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Mar 27, 2010 00:00
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Back in the hobby after a year off. Would a Tunze Nano Osmolatorbe appropriate for a 12x12x12 7.5 gallon cube? This would be for a nano reef with no sump.
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May 17, 2013 05:35
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It feels so good to start a new tank after a long break. First one was a 75g FOWLR now I want to go nano reef. Here are the plans for equipment so far. 12x12x12 7.5g rimless cube Ecoxotic pico LED arm with two white/blue and one blue strip. AC30 W/media removed Some pictures!   Was thinking about getting the nano osmolator but I will probably get it. Has anyone ever used pure water club RO/DI? http://www.purewaterclub.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=95&products_id=270 Seems like a good deal since I am only getting RO/DI for a nano tank. Planning on keeping just soft corals.
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May 17, 2013 22:22
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Was scared that my desk would not hold the weight so I am putting it on my dresser until I know for sure. I was able to sit on the place I would put it for a solid 5 minutes and I weigh 180lbs, think this would be too heavy for my desk? The tank is 7.5gal for the record. Seeding! Light is just for photo, waiting on my sexy ecoxotic LEDs.  Will be adding base rock tomorrow.
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May 19, 2013 07:33
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| # ¿ May 1, 2024 16:01 |
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Awesome. I'll move it back onto my desk where it rightfully belongs.
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May 19, 2013 08:52
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