pratishk Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Hi all,So I have had a Freshwater Aquarium for a little while now and am about to make the jump over to a Saltwater reef aquarium.I will be converting my Fluval Edge 46Litre FW tank into Saltwater and going to go for a nano-reef set up.I have just spent all of Sunday reading through forums here and on other sites - so want to say thanks already for the great threads, advice and more importantly pictures to motivate me through my research.I will be cleaning my tank up in the next few weeks - no fish, but a fair bit of algae to get rid of, as I have just left it running fishless for a few weeks as not had time to clean it up.I thought it best to clean up once I get some of the things I need, eg sand/salt/etcI am about to order the following, so any advice over the next few days before I do take the plunge would be helpful!What I already have:Fluval Edge 46LitreFluval's standard filter system for the EdgeFluval's standard LED lighting for the EdgeFluval 50W HeaterSand as the substrateAnd old driftwood as decorationWhat I intend to Order:D&D portable RefractometerFluval Sea Marine SaltFluval Sea EpoxyCaribSea Arag-Alive Hawaiian Black SandHydor-Koralia Nano Evolution 900 powerhead and pumpI can get all the above from Charterhouse Aquatics - used them before and like them here in the UK.Questions:1. Is the 900 powerhead enough - do I need to go for the 1600 for future proofing? I only have a 12G/46Litre tank2. Lighting - I know I have to fork out for better lighting - but I thought I can get away with it for a little while whilst I still have to cycle the tank again, etc I know direct sunlight is bad for the tank - I need to move mine - as in the new flat I moved into - in the evenings - it gets a massive dose of direct sunlight - which also leads to high temperatures! Hope to move the tank to a more shaded spot and so will remove that risk. But does daylight affect corals and reefs?3. Filtering - am I right in that I do not need the HOB filter from Fluval Edge anymore - ie the biogical/carbon and mechanic filters, or is it useful to keep just the mechanical and carbon filters going? I thought it would just allow another form of water flow - and possibly I can use it to add any other filter or maybe skimming unit in there in the future if I need to? Still learning about this side of things from the threads.4. Temperature - what is the optimum temperature for a saltwater tanks (in Celsius please?) - same as tropical? Does not really say anywhere!5. Any comments/thoughts on what I intend to order? or my plans..?Thanks all,PK Link to comment
Clown79 Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Hello and welcome. Most ppl who have no sump choose to use a hob filter to run filter floss, carbon, and when/if needed phosphate removing media. Liverock is the biological filteration, you need about 1-1.5 lbs per gallon for your system. Driftwood in a reef tank is not a good idea. It alters ph, has a tendancy to brown/yellow the water, and it breaks down in time, making a mess. It also softens the water which will lead to calcium and magnesium issues. I have the black sand in one tank and fiji pink in the other, fyi: the black is a larger grain and detritus gets trapped. I vacuum my sand everyweek and its still traps alot of stuff. Lighting. During cycling you need no lighting on at all- it will just aid in algae growth. If you want corals the light will need to be upgraded if fish only than you're fine. An aquarium near a window will cause not only temp fluctuations but additional algae issues. I have mine near a window but its closed and blacked out with blackout curtains. No additional light on the tank. Temp should be between 78-80f which is 25-26c is best and stable temp is important. You will need ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests to start to monitor the cycle. Do a lot of research Link to comment
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