35 gal tank, advice on set up please!

[newbiecarlz]

hey guys, this site is great ive found it really helpful!

 

ive never had a marine tank before but do marine biol at uni, My LFS has given me a few suggestions, but would you please tell me if you think this is a useful set up and what I can do to improve it?

 

The tank I’m looking at is an all in one unit (AR620T) made by aqua one. It holds 130L,(35gal) is 28" tall (24" wide, 14" deep and includes a biological filter in the hood (550L per hour, 7.5W). It also has twin 20W fluro lights, but these are a non standard size - 23.5" (which im not happy about) but the LFS reassures me that they will always have replacements in stock. i dont think i can get anything other than normal fluros in this size though (except pinks, what is pink fluro used for?).

 

I would plan on using about 10kgs (22pounds) live rock to build a wall along the back, with a few hardy soft corals (ie mushrooms). I would want to keep 2 pairs of medium size seahorses (not sure what species, can I have 2 pairs of two different species?) as well as shrimp, some hermits and snails and possibly a small fish or two to be added at a later date (any suggestions of species compatable with s/horses?) also what about christmas tree worms in the LR?

 

my main concern is whether the biological filter alone could keep my water decent with this many animals (how much will my LR help?), as this type of tank is difficult to fit a protein skimmer on (due to its filter being in the hood – it is completely enclosed), and the LFS say that the only way to do it would be to do away with the filter section of the hood and fit a new hang on filter + skimmer.

 

what about internal protien skimmers? can these be fully submerged, i dont think id have room under the hood for it to be above water level.

 

Also the tank comes with ‘noodles’ as filter media, (it looks like chalky white tubes) anyone used this or recommend a better media?

 

any comments would be appreciated

[Reefmaniac]

OK...You won't need the bio-filter...Live Rock and Live Sand will be all the biological filtration that you need, so ditch that. 40 watts of light on a 35g tank is NOWHERE near enough. Ditch that and get something better: A VHO, PC or MH hood. You want a MINIMUM of 3 Watts per gallon, more is better. Do the HOT skimmer, but DON'T do the filter (don't need that and it will cause more problems than it is worth).

 

Skip the sea horses: They aren't natural in a reef setting (too much current) and they are notoriously difficult to keep. I would advise that you skip Christmas tree worms too. They live in a type of brain coral (Porites species) and seem to be co-dependent on the coral. When they are collected, the brain coral is often broken off from a larger head of coral and the small chunk that you get often dies quickly from the damage and stress of transport. The Christmas tree worms don't survive long afterwards.