Non-Nano reef help

[badpacket]

Hi All,

 

OK, I just finished making a stand with a buddy, unfortunately its only 35" long, so I can not use a standard 36" tank. I am now looking at either the 29g or 36g bowfront.

 

Aside from a couple of small fish, I primarily want some inverts and corals appropriate for a beginner.

 

1? Any suggestions on going with the 36 or 29g?

With either one I'm probably going to go with 4" sandbeds, and want to -not- have to go crazy with lighting. I am assuming the deeper the tank, the more watts you need. Not sure if there is really a big difference between the 36g bowfront 30x15x21, and the 29g 30x12x19? If I go with the bowfront, minus the 4" sb, is 11" to short for a reef tank?

 

2? I am thinking of going with the Bac Pak II, its cheaper than the Remora Pro ( though less efficient), but is supposed to be quieter, and I'm thinking that with only 2-3 fish, it wouldn't be a big concern.

 

3? Although in the Bay Area of CA, which happens to be the World's #3 aggregate producer, HomeDepot here doesn't sell the preffered 'Down' sand, forget the name at the moment. If I go with a dry sand+live sand mixture, whats a good ratio that would get up and running within several weeks? 50-50?

 

4? For lighting, I was thinking of AHSupply's 2x55 Bright kit? Is 110 watts enough for low-medium corals? I've read conflicting reports, some say minimum 6 watts/gallon, others like Paletta "The New Marine Aquarium" indicate less. Whats the proper ratio, and thisi s where actual depth ( height - sand bed) would come into play, correct?

 

thanks for your time.

[rmedtr6]

I am pretty sure that the AGA bow front (I assume that is the tank you are referring to), is 21 inches deep the 15" is the depth of the tank. As far as the skimmer, I have the standard Remora and am very pleased with it. I believe it is rated for up to 90 gal. Can't help you much with the lighting. I have a post on this site for the same thing. Hope this helps

[tinyreef]

can't you add a 1/2"~5/8" support board to each side?

 

otherwise, the bigger the tank the better. especially for fish.

[badpacket]

Doh, yeah 15" was for the width. Had a brain cramp for a moment.

I could take the top off, and place a slightly larger one on, however, that would mean draging it back to a friends house and asking him to trash a fair bit of his hard work.... Not sure just exactly how he'd take that

 

But, I may just go with the AGA bowfront, as its nice will work now.

 

Still wish I could get an answer on what is considered 'normal' light levels.

 

Thanks all.

[gobies]

from my research into the subject...

 

- Go with the largest tank that will fit on your stand.

- A regualr Remora would be fine for either the 36g or 29g.

- There are so many reefers in the Bay area... get yourself to one of their club meetings and see if you can get some people to donate some sand for your tank. I don't think you need 50% live sand to start with; 10% should be okay if you get good stuff.

 

- Lighting: which specific corals did you have in mind? (It seems one of the better ways of figuring out if any particular lighting setup will work for what you want in your tank is to find someone with a similar tank setup....!) Meanwhile, I say start with the 2x55w setup, and if you need more later, maybe you can add a 1x36w setup in the curved portion of the bow....?