Tropical Fish Forums

[ak dylpickles]

I all ready have the tank and sump. what do I need and how much will it cost?
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46 gallon-reef

[MCHRKiller]

I would go for around 75lbs of LR, 40-50lbs of aragonite sand and 10-15lbs of live sand mixed in. Lighting isnt crucial unless you want coral, for just a FOWLR tank a 108watt HOT5 would be perfect. A 10,000K bulb an an Actinic bulb will ensure good coraline growth and your tank will be able to support macro on the rock which will help with nitrate control. I would put a good HOB skimmer on there an Aqua-C Remora is an excellent choice. Along with that I would also run 2 powerheads to circulate water throughout the rock and maybe put on a HOB filter with some chemical media to help keep pristine water quality. Purigen and PolyFilter is all I use on my reef and its water is very much correct.

[Caton]

Great that you have the tank and sump but how big is the tank? I have researched it and asked question about this. For a 30g tank it would be around $300 for a decent set-up. It all depends on what you want. Coraline algae is very important in a saltwater set-up and it is rather pretty. I wouldn't recommend corals for at least a year until the tank is stable and since this is your first SW tank. I am sure FloridaBoy will chime in and give some good advice.
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[MCHRKiller]

Missed the part about the sump....scratch the HOB filter and the HOB skimmer...you can put all that in sump. In-sump skimmers are usually more efficient anyway due to being larger. Aqua C is a good brand. If your looking for a price point...reefs usually cost around $100 per gallon to fully set up...FOWLRs about half that.

[Caton]

Just noticed that it says 55g in the name;

Maybe $400 for that size tank. You would need a quarantine tank also.
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[MCHRKiller]

I'm envious to anyone who can do a 55G saltwater tank for $400, my reef isnt even half completed and I have well over $2K in it, and it is low tech with only polyps. Plus I already had the tank, stand, substrate and half the rock from a previous tank

[ak dylpickles]

so I think to make it cheaper here is whats gona happen. Get dead base rock. then seed it with live rock. I will only get sand not live. but I might put some in later. so I will only start with a FOWLR and later up grade light and what not. a guy on craigslist is selling 4 buckets of salt rated to treat 200 gallons for 80 bucks! Does this sound good? oh and how much light do u need for a FOWLR. and this tank is 48 inches long but it has a brace in the middle so could I cut it out? or what do I do
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46 gallon-reef

[Caton]

Haha, he already has the $200-$300 filter, now for a $150 light and and $150-$200's of rocks. Of course there are many other things, $400 dollars to get started and then much more $ for other things.
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[MCHRKiller]

Most good skimmers for these size tanks alone are easily $200 alone. Plus most people find a RO unit to be necessary due to the TDS levels in most tap water sources. Which is another $150, lighting you could probably get away with the $150. Circulation pumps will be around $50-75. Testing equipment atleast $50 with just a simple hydrometer and basic test kit. Even with base rock, good quality LR is usually around $6/lb and to get a good seed on the tank id go for atleast 30-40lbs. Plus the OP will need to get that sump going and preferably as a fuge to suck up nitrates, which will carry some modification costs as well. SW is by far not cheap once you sit down and really add in the costs of the little things

What brand is the salt? Even for a FOWLR some salts just quite honestly suck. If it is only 200G worth of salt mix then 80bucks isnt good, but if its 4 buckets of salt each rated to mix 200G of saltwater then that is a pretty damn good deal if it isnt a very low quality salt.

Lighting for a FOWLR isnt crucial really, I would still get a good mix of actinic and daylight on the tank to show off the fish and keep any macro alive which may grow onto your live rock. A 108watt HOT5 fixture would be fine with one 10K bulb and 1 actinic bulb. I personally love Catalina fixtures as they are high quality US made fixtures by a small independant company.
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1419
Thats the 108watt setup
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1419
Or you could pick this one up for a few dollars more and gives you an extra bulb...you might could grow a few mushrooms or polyps high up on the rock. I would change out its bulbs for more SW appropriate bulbs which catalina is very happy to do. I personally run the 4*54watt fixture on my own reef with very good results, even an acropora is growing on the top of the rock very well and polyps are spreading like weeds.

[ak dylpickles]

OK so I will be starting this tank soon but unfortunately I broke my arm so it will be a wile. probably a month or so. but first I have to re seal the corners. and spray paint the back black. what kind of silicone is good for aquariums?
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46 gallon-reef