fishkeeper22 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Hello everyone, so I'm going to be setting up my first saltwater aquarium soon(age 13) I want to make sure that I'm doing everything right cause I seriously don't want to mess up To begin with, Is my equipment alright? I am getting - Kessil a160WE tuna blue - Hydor koralia 425gph - Hydor Theo heater 50 W - Nuvo Aquarium spin stream nozzle - Digital thermometer I'm not going to go mad with filtration as I won't be able to afford it. I'm sticking with weekly water changes for now. In the Nuvo 10 tank. There is a back sump with 3 chambers. I'm not sure what's best but I've got a filter sock for the first chamber then heater and filter sponge for the second then the third for the return pump. Is that good enough? I'm getting 10lbs of real reef rock and 10lbs of live sand. What do you guys think? Link to comment
Clown79 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Hello I have the same tank. All the equipment is good. The spin stream may not work or work well with the stock pump. It cuts the power of the pump in half. You will need to wash the filter sock often. So you may want to get an additional one. Another option is using a media basket with filter floss. You can buy a media basket or even make one out of eggcrate. You can buy filter floss in bulk for $10 or less. That will last you a year. The floss should be changed 2 times a week. I wouldn't use the sponge. They create a lot of nutrients and need replacing often which gets expensive. Adding carbon is a good option. You can put it in media bags or even brand new pantyhose. You can buy a container which will last a good amount of time. You only need a bit and changed out every 3 weeks. Link to comment
RJWalters Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 You will also need a refractometer because hydrometers suck. I agree about the sponge they are more trouble than they are worth but other than that everything looks good. Good luck and have fun with it. Link to comment
Alexervin239 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Looks good. If I were in your position I would skip the spinstream for now and instead buy the aquagadget media basket. Much nicer than the stock filter sock in my opinion. Good luck! I was around your age when I started this hobby. All your friends will be amazed at your aquarium, at least mine were. Link to comment
dmw913 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Hi Robin! Welcome. Looks like a good start! Ditch the filter sock though. They are really crappy. Use the media rack with filter floss in the top and media (carbon/GFO) in the bottom. The inTank version is really lovely but is also quite expensive. I have had no problems using the IM brand from BRS and it's much cheaper (media caddy 20). Also, I don't think you'll need the sponge in the second chamber. Just a potential nitrate factory. Later, you might add a skimmer there. Finally, you could repurpose your money from the Koralia into an upgrade for the return pump and use the spin stream. Several of us with this tank are using the Sicce .5 with spin stream. That's just a suggestion though. Amazon has very reasonable refractometers that are only a few dollars more than a hydrometer. Grab one as suggested above. Please continue to keep us updated so we can help out! Congrats on picking a great hobby! Denise Link to comment
fishkeeper22 Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 Thanks everyone for the support! Could I still use the filter sock and use the media rack in the next chamber? Sorry If that's a really stupid question :/ Thanks Link to comment
RJWalters Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Thanks everyone for the support! Could I still use the filter sock and use the media rack in the next chamber? Sorry If that's a really stupid question :/ Thanks Not a stupid question at all and yes I think the rack will fit in the second chamber but if you run floss on the top rack the sock is kind of pointless. Link to comment
fishkeeper22 Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 Setting it up next week! Rock and sand is arriving tomorrow! All the equipment is working fine (Just need test kit and cleaning tools) Any tips on aquascaping. Thank you Link to comment
travoose Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Another option is to setup a refuge in the back-middle chamber. You get a light on it and grow macroalgae which will help keep water parameters in-check. Again, just another option, as there are many. Link to comment
fishkeeper22 Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 Awesome! Tank is set up. Tiny bit surprised to find out that 10 gallons of premixed saltwater was £17. Anyway, apart from that. Is the cycle in progress. I used Ocean direct live sand as my main source of bacteria. Should I add bio spira? or is that enough. Link to comment
Clown79 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Are you using liverock or dry rock? That will determine how the cycle will be started because the livesand alone won't do it. Link to comment
fishkeeper22 Posted February 24, 2017 Author Share Posted February 24, 2017 It's dry rock! Dam what do I do to kick start the cycling process? Link to comment
fishkeeper22 Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 Nevermind, I'm grabbing some dr tims bacteria and ammonium cloride to do my cycle... Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.