charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Hi all, I used to have River reef 94l around 7 years ago and getting back into it after a small break. now have a 260l tropical fish tank but have the salt water urge again. I am wanting to get a Boyu TL-450 Marine tank which is 58litres, smaller then before due to space but also time. First of all i live on a small island in the UK and have no access to RO water so last time we were using salt water from our sea (tested and all clean) and then putting into the dark for a few days to kill anything in it and then syponing the top of the water for clean sea water this did work well for a good few years we had our tank however since having my break i am looking at other options such as bottled distilled water with added salt? Also could someone tell me if it will be ok to have 2 clown fish and possibly one other small fish with this size tank? i have been looking for information but cant find any. Further question, last time we had our tank we didnt cycle it long enough and had a massive cyano attack! and i mean horrendous! how long would you advise to cycle your tank as wanting to do this right this time in the long run. Thanks all Link to comment
seabass Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Welcome to N-R.com. Distilled water might give you a consistently safer water source. That tank is around 15 gallons, so it would be fine to keep apair of Ocellaris clownfish and a small Goby in there. The nitrogen cycle is based on nitrifying bacteria breaking down ammonia (and nitrite). Cyano is not directly related to the cycle. It has more to do with nutrients and organics in the water (also flow, and potentially, a carbon source). Water quality, filtration, water changes, flow, and lighting can affect the presence of Cyano more than the nitrogen cycle. Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Thanks seabass I must get back into learning all about these levels of chemistry again! I was thinking maybe to cycle it for around 2 months with live rock? Would this be sufficient amount of time? Link to comment
seabass Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 When using live rock, all you really need to do is wait until ammonia becomes undetectable for a week straight. This could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to more than a month. It just depends on the rock, how it was transported, how long it's been at your LFS (in other words die off and if it has been cured locally). Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Thanks seabass I must get back into learning all about these levels of chemistry again! I was thinking maybe to cycle it for around 2 months with live rock? Would this be sufficient amount of time? Be very cautious when buying live rock. Make sure to look for pests, both critters AND corals. If you see one Aptasia or Majano, don't get the rock. Also, dry rock is very popular recently because it is easier to aquascape, has ZERO pests, no die off, etc. I prefer dry rock for those reasons Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 I can only get live rock from one supplier on another island where I live which I used last time and seemed ok but going to collect it in person this time to get shapes and sizes I want. Never heard of dry rock, is this better than live rock then? Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I can only get live rock from one supplier on another island where I live which I used last time and seemed ok but going to collect it in person this time to get shapes and sizes I want. Never heard of dry rock, is this better than live rock then? Yes, I believe it is. No die off, no pests, no risk. It will also cycle in approximately 1 to two months if you do it right Go to ReefCleaners.com to read about it. It's MUCH cheaper than live rock at $2 a pound, and is just much nicer to use. Also, it won't have the die-off that live rock has, so it can potentially reduce algae issues Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Fab thanks will check it out! Looks like I have decided I get a bigger tank as I currently have a spare 130l tank kicking around plus external filters etc so going to look to convert this tank and get more things No doubt will have more questions Cheers all Link to comment
seabass Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Never heard of dry rock, is this better than live rock then? Not necessarily. It's true that it doesn't contain pests; plus, it is often mined inland, so it often doesn't impact ocean environments. However, it contains no beneficial life (or diversity of life) or nitrifying bacteria. Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Thanks seabass no doubt I won't be able to get dry rock here anyways and gotta in port live sand so may as well look at live rock again. Lighting question. Are t5 still recommended to use? As sure this is what I had before Link to comment
seabass Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 T5 High Output (T5HO) bulbs are still a valid reef lighting system used by many people (including myself). However, LED reef lights have come a long way in price, spectrum, functionality, size, etc. (that they might be worth looking at if they are available in your area). Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Aw fab thanks will check it out later on getting quiet excited to get back into marine again Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Fab thanks will check it out! Looks like I have decided I get a bigger tank as I currently have a spare 130l tank kicking around plus external filters etc so going to look to convert this tank and get more things No doubt will have more questions Cheers all Do you have the option to get an RODI filter system for your house? I know you mentioned that it wasn't possible to get from other sources, but with the larger tank now I'm thinking it may be easier for you to filter your own water and add salt. Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 I have looked at getting an ro filter system for my house to make my own filtered water. Going to read up more about it later Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 right so i have been looking and this RO filter will be good enough to make my own: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A4EP2BO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1TIPB5RG61OTS also can anyone recommend a good brand for lighting, looking like LED could be the possible good choice? also marine salt brands? i have never used marine salt but wanting to use good stuff also Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 right so i have been looking and this RO filter will be good enough to make my own: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A4EP2BO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1TIPB5RG61OTS also can anyone recommend a good brand for lighting, looking like LED could be the possible good choice? also marine salt brands? i have never used marine salt but wanting to use good stuff also So your tank is a cube with a lid, correct? That will limit your lighting options unless you take off the hood and go rimless Red Sea Salt, Instand Ocean, etc are all good Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 its a Ferplast Capri 80 if my memory is correct so has a lid, need to have a lid as have cats who enjoy the tank lids to sleep! lol Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 its a Ferplast Capri 80 if my memory is correct so has a lid, need to have a lid as have cats who enjoy the tank lids to sleep! lol So I would recommend contacting DaveFason at NanoBox Reef to get a custom v3 retrofit kit made for you. What lighting do you have now? Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 none currently as the unit broke when it had tropical, luckly i was converting to a 260l one at the time and hasnt had lighting in since as sat empty waiting for a new fish advernture Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 none currently as the unit broke when it had tropical, luckly i was converting to a 260l one at the time and hasnt had lighting in since as sat empty waiting for a new fish advernture http://nanoboxreef.com/retro.html Email DaveFason or post in his sponsor forum for individualized advice Link to comment
charl_89 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 cool thanks just been checking out his website but i am in the UK so will see if he is able to post over to here Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 cool thanks just been checking out his website but i am in the UK so will see if he is able to post over to here He will Link to comment
fishfreak0114 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Welcome to nano-reef.com!?. I like Red Sea coral pro salt. It has plenty of calcium Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.