littlemoose Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Hello everybody! I am brand new here, and new to marine tanks in general. I have kept a freshwater with fantail goldfish for a couplof years, but as they died I did not replace them, so my tank has since stopped. I have been doing lots of research over the past few months on the web, reading books and going to the LFS to ask questions. I want to do a small tank to start, as I don't have a lot of space to put it. The Eclipse 12 looks like the perfect little tank for me. I like how it has the built in filter, lights, etc. I think it makes the tank look very tidy. My future hopes for the tank are to have about 15-20 lbs of Fiji LR and 2 clownfish (ocellaris or percula), that's it (well, and a cleanup crew)... My questions for you are: 1) Does the Eclipse 12 system come with everything I need as far as equipment goes? I mean, do you guys run it without doing any mods, or are there mods that MUST be done in order to run it successfully? I am not a very DIY person, and would prefer to not have to do that... 2) Do they sell different Eclipse systems for salt water versus freshwater, or are they all the same? Thanks in advance, for your help, I will be sure to keep you well informed on my progress... Link to comment
littlemoose Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 Sorry one more question, would I be able to put something like a purple firefish in there too, or would that be too many fish? Link to comment
Heather_H Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 if you arent a DIY person... then I would highly suggest against a eclipse system... check out the nanocube dx instead... Link to comment
Bikelock Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Don't do it! just do a standard AGA. Lot more options without having to modify everything. Just do a 10gal with a powerquad, ac300, and a couple of mini-jets, you will have way less headaches in the long run. Link to comment
yoshiod9 Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 DO IT!!! if you're doing a fish only with live rock (fowlr) tank the eclipse system12 is more than good for a set up like that. plus if you choose to do a reef tank all you have to do is ditch the stock filter and lights and get a hang on back filter(hob) and a powerquad retrofit and boom...instant reef tank. check out my tank here at the member's tanks section. Link to comment
littlemoose Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 "don't do it" "do it" aaahhh... All this stuff can get so confusing!!! It will for sure be a FOWLR tank for quite a while... I went to the LFS after I posted to check it out, and they had them on sale for $99 (Canadian)... They said that it would work fine for a SW tank, but that the heater might make the arcylic crack... What do you think about that? Do you guys use heaters with acrylic tanks? Any problems? Thanks for the help, keep the opinions coming! Link to comment
reefer2290 Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 I wouldnt buy it. I would go with an AGA like bikelock said because it is so much easier IMO. If you are thinking about going to a reef tank later on than you will have to ditch the stock filter and lights like yoshiod9 said. If you do that than whats the use of paying $99 for just a tank when a 20g tank is arround 20 something dollars. Link to comment
littlemoose Posted November 17, 2004 Author Share Posted November 17, 2004 Well my thinking was that I would rather spend $99 on a setup than by all the equipment separately, as I am sure that would cost me more in the end... I am a student on a budget so I don't have a lot of extra money to spend on things I don't NEED... I have been thinking about what type I would like to set up for quite a while and have decided that a small FOWLR is the way to go right now... When I am settled in my own place with a steady income (not for at least a few years), I might consider getting a nice big reef tank, but until then I am 100% sure that I only want a small FOWLR. With that said, questions I still have: -> Would an Eclipse be a suitable setup for a FOWLR with no intentions of making it into a reef? -> What exactly are the reasons you all are suggesting against it? I would like to know the reasons so I have a better understanding of why you do not think it is an ok setup... -> Should I be concerned about using a heater in an acrylic tank? Anybody have experiences, good or bad? -> How many fish could I keep in the 12 gallon? Would 2 or 3 be ok? Thank you everybody for your opinions, whether they are good or bad, I appreciate them all... Keep them coming! Link to comment
phergus_25 Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 with a 10 gallon AGA here is your price list tank $10 96 watt powerquad $88 AC 500 $35 Heater $15 Powerheads ~ $20 TOTAL: $160 so i think that is a lot beter of a deal, you can keep some SPS and maby a clam, you can also paint the back if you want or anything. this is what i suggest to people. I started with a nano cube and now i wised up and got a 20L AGA tank. Link to comment
ny3papi Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 if ure using the eclipes get pleny of live rock and sand for bacteria and take out the bio wheel from the filter. Link to comment
yoshiod9 Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 Originally posted by littlemoose With that said, questions I still have: -> Would an Eclipse be a suitable setup for a FOWLR with no intentions of making it into a reef? -> What exactly are the reasons you all are suggesting against it? I would like to know the reasons so I have a better understanding of why you do not think it is an ok setup... -> Should I be concerned about using a heater in an acrylic tank? Anybody have experiences, good or bad? -> How many fish could I keep in the 12 gallon? Would 2 or 3 be ok? Thank you everybody for your opinions, whether they are good or bad, I appreciate them all... Keep them coming! to answer your first question...yes, it would work perfectly fine. just make sure you have a good amount of live sand and live rock. second question...i'm allllll for the eclipse! it is a good, simple tank. just add ls and lr, let it cycle for a couple weeks and boom....you have a fowlr tank ready to go! third queston....i don't know where your lfs got it's information but i've never had any problems with my heater cracking an acrylic tank...lol. i figure the glass of the heater would crack before the acrylic would have ANY problems. fourth question...the amount of fish in the tank really is dependent on the type of fish and the amount of biological and mechanical filtration you have. also if you skim or not. since you're gonna probably go without a skimmer i would suggest that you only get an extreme maximum of three fish(unless they're all huge predacious fish...then....none). if you have any other questions....feel free to pm me. goodluck! Link to comment
nanocurious Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 An Eclipse 12 would be fine for a FOWLR, in fact you could even throw a feather duster or two for looks!(just a suggestion) as far as fish, if you are going to stick to 1 or 2, then I would suggest a pair of clowns. As long as you keep up with the water changes, you'll be fine. Good Luck, and Welcome to the hobby! Link to comment
littlemoose Posted November 17, 2004 Author Share Posted November 17, 2004 Thanks everyone for the information, and the welcome... I thought it odd too that a heater would crack the acrylic.. I mean, they should be made with the specific knowledge that people might put a heater in them... That's why I thought I would ask... Over the last couple of months I have been doing lots of research, and one of the things I learned early on was that there are big differences of opinion, and there is no one way that is right in this hobby... I think the best thing to do is to gather as much information as you can about different opinions, and then make the decision YOU think is best. My plans for the tank so far (IF I got an Eclipse 12) are as follows: -- 15-20lbs of Fiji or Vanuatu LR -- LS (how much?) if I can find it... -- 2 percula clowns -- clean up crew (blue leg hermits, peppermint shrimp, possibly some snails?) -- MAYBE a firefish -- maybe a couple feather dusters (I really like them, nanocurious) Does that sound ok? If that's too much please let me know! New Questions: -- Anybody heard of Vanuatu LR? Anything I should know about it? I like the look of it better than the Fiji LR... Any major differences between them? -- Could I put a starfish in there as well, or would that be pushing it? How would a chocolate chip starfish do in there? I am sorry if any of my questions sound stupid, I just want to make the right decisions BEFORE I buy the animals, and not find out afterwards. Thanks again everyone for all your help! Link to comment
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