Juwel Rekord 96 Reef Setup

[Neil_Orr83]

I have been successfully running a Juwel Rekord 96 as a tropical tank for just under a year now. I have always wanted a saltwater aquarium but thought it would be best to run a freshwater setup for a while first.

Well I still definitely want a saltwater setup but ideally making use of my current tank. The tank dimensions are 81L x 46H x 36W cm / 96 litres (25US Gallons approx).

My main concern is lighting as the standard hood has limited space for upgrading. I was considering buying an arcadia luminaire unit to replace the existing hood (Arcadia Luminaire

I was looking at the 32" models and there are 2 tube and a 4 tube options. Would these be suitable for my current tank?

I will be buying approx 15-18kg live rock as my main source of filtration and also would like to have a few corals too. As the tank is quite small I would only be stocking it with a couple of clownfish and a cleanup crew.

I'm also going to keep the juwel filter system (media removed) in place to safely house the heater and one power head. Apart from a protein skimmer is there any other hardware that I would need?

It's going to take me a while to save for everything I need and really just wondered whether it was worth upgrading the tank I have or to buy a complete setup from a local store. Either way I will definitely be posting a diary of the setup on this site!

I would really appreciate some advice as I really can't wait to start!!!

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, first off, welcome to the dark side . Your tank is definitely a nano size so you'll probably get more replies in that section. Also, when visiting the nano section, make sure you read up on the stickies as they're plenty helpful. Finally, what kind of lights are those? T8, T5, T5 PC, Metal Halide?

 

[Neil_Orr83]

I didn't realise there was a nano section, sorry. The lights are T5, I was thinking either one marine white and one marine blue or on the luminare with 4 tubes two marine white and two blue.

 

[SkiFletch]

Dont be sorry, common mistake

Are each bulb single or double? Cause as I have just recently come to learn, there is a difference between a single tube T5 and a double tube T5 power compact. Another way of asking the question is how many pins at one end does it have, 2 or 4?

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Sounds like a decent set up to begin with

Your light are high output T5's as i have them on my nano, they are a great fixture and gve out a nice coloured light.

If you wanted corals i'd say you'd need a 150W MH because of the height of the tank.

T5's wont be able to punch through 18" of water whereas a 150mh will

Sounds good on the stocking, many people with 24 NC's have four or even five fish in their tanks. Considering you tank has a better surface area i'd say you could house four fish nicely

Have you ever used any medications in this tank?
Look forward to the update

Dan

 

[steelhealr]

Neil.... Indeed, we are the 'dark side' of the TFF forum. Maybe that's why they put us near the bottom of the forum homepage (just kidding). When converting FW over to SW, be sure of the following:

1) no copper medications were used or other harmful chemicals that may leach into the tank

2) I would either disinfect or cleanse with white vinegar and give it a good rinsing.
Live rock looks good...need about 0.5-0.7kgs LR/ US gallon, erring towards the higher side.

I think your lights should be fine for most softies and LPS depending on how you put them in the tank. I agree with Sf05 in that if you intend to keep SPS or more light demanding corals, you may want to consider metal halide lighting.

You can get away with not using a protein skimmer if you want ..if you do consistent weekly water changes. I'm not sure what the turnover is on your Juwel filter, but, you might need an extra powerhead for circulation.

Welcome aboard. We're growing rapidly. SH

 

[Neil_Orr83]

Sounds like a decent set up to begin with

Your light are high output T5's as i have them on my nano, they are a great fixture and gve out a nice coloured light.

If you wanted corals i'd say you'd need a 150W MH because of the height of the tank.

T5's wont be able to punch through 18" of water whereas a 150mh will

Sounds good on the stocking, many people with 24 NC's have four or even five fish in their tanks. Considering you tank has a better surface area i'd say you could house four fish nicely

Have you ever used any medications in this tank?
Look forward to the update

Dan

Luckily I've never used any medications in this tank.

I've heard MH lighting mentioned quite alot recently when I've been looking around, but I don't know much about it. Is it a more expensive option?

 

[Neil_Orr83]

Neil.... Indeed, we are the 'dark side' of the TFF forum. Maybe that's why they put us near the bottom of the forum homepage (just kidding). When converting FW over to SW, be sure of the following:

1) no copper medications were used or other harmful chemicals that may leach into the tank

2) I would either disinfect or cleanse with white vinegar and give it a good rinsing.
Live rock looks good...need about 0.5-0.7kgs LR/ US gallon, erring towards the higher side.

I think your lights should be fine for most softies and LPS depending on how you put them in the tank. I agree with Sf05 in that if you intend to keep SPS or more light demanding corals, you may want to consider metal halide lighting.

You can get away with not using a protein skimmer if you want ..if you do consistent weekly water changes. I'm not sure what the turnover is on your Juwel filter, but, you might need an extra powerhead for circulation.

Welcome aboard. We're growing rapidly. SH

I think I might invest in a protien skimmer to avoid such frequent water changes. I will be buying RO water from my lfs until I have enough money saved to buy an RO unit! I have one question though, are protien skimmers loud? I don't think it will be a problem when I move house but at the moment the tank is in my bedroom.

 

[@ombomb]

My skimmer is powered by an air pump and it can only really be heard it the pump isn't sitting on it's rubber feet properly or if a random cable is resting on it.

Having seen some of the gunk that it takes out of the water ( ) I'd definitely recommend one.

 

[SkiFletch]

Air powered skimmers are as loud as the air pumps that drive them. Venturi pump powered systems are near silent

 

[steelhealr]

Buying a protein skimmer does NOT give you a reprieve from regular weekly water changes. Water changes replace calcium needed for healthy coral growth, buffers to maintain stability and remove nitrates which proteind skimmers DO NOT do directly. SH

 

[Neil_Orr83]

Buying a protein skimmer does NOT give you a reprieve from regular weekly water changes. Water changes replace calcium needed for healthy coral growth, buffers to maintain stability and remove nitrates which proteind skimmers DO NOT do directly. SH

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely be using a protein skimmer. If I was to do water changes at the same time one every week, assuming the water parameters were stable, what percentage would you recommend changing? I ask because until I buy an RO unit I will be buying water from my lfs and would like to try and approximate the weekly cost.

I was also thinking yesterday, when I buy the live rock is it ok to stack it on top of each other when aquascaping? I don't want to damage the rock in any way.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

A 10-15% weekly water change is reccomended.

Yep you can stack the liverock just try and create lots of crevces and tunnels

Dan

 

[mantis147]

Hi neil, i have got the same tank as you and i converted the lights to power compact t5's Twin 55watt and they keep the tank nice & bright! they are cheaper than the arcadia unit also! mine have been running 4-5 months now with no problems!

Light unit cost £32.99
Bulbs x2 £12.50 each

Total £57.99! Bargain

I got mine from http/www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/acatalo...er_Compact.html

 

[Neil_Orr83]

Hi neil, i have got the same tank as you and i converted the lights to power compact t5's Twin 55watt and they keep the tank nice & bright! they are cheaper than the arcadia unit also! mine have been running 4-5 months now with no problems!

Light unit cost £32.99
Bulbs x2 £12.50 each

Total £57.99! Bargain

I got mine from http/www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/acatalo...er_Compact.html

That sounds like a really option for me as cost is a big issue! Do you have any pictures of your tank? How did you go about installing the power compacts in your existing hood?