New Adventure From Fw To Sw

[Ren&Stumpy]

Hi all,

I currently have a rio 400 stocked with tropicals and a Rio 180 planted upstairs again tropcials. Myself and the Mrs have decied we want to venture into marine land as we both love marine fish. The Rio400 will stay as it is i wont giv eup my O's however we thought the 180 would be a nice size to start on the marine side of things, beginning as a FOWLR then turning into a Reef tank after we are aquainted with the SW side of things. The stock in the 180 is going to LFS next weekend to allow me to breakdown the tank and clean it out ready to acumilate marine equipment and setup

First up suggestions on cleaning the tank out, not broken down a tank before to change disciplines so anyting i need to do especially?

Now the plan tank comes out at roughly 45us G

1) Remove the internal filter and place in cupboard that time forgot
2) Powerheads - I have seen various ones mentioned i am thinking karalia 2's a couple @ 600GPH.
3) Skimmer - I would like to run a skimmer as i plan to have the reef setup later and from research these are pretty much a must have, suggestions on skimmers welcome
4) Live Rock - LFS sells Indonesian LR 20kg @ £180 (when it has some, tanks were empty today! does it matter which type of LR i have eg Indonesian, Fiji etc? If i can find someone local to me selling some then great but just incase i cant thats what i have got locally from the trade.
4)Lighting - Currently setup with original unit 2x45W T5's i believe as they are the thin tubes and tank is 4months old bought brand new. T5's are good enough for some corals am i right?
5) Other equipment - Refractometer, testing kit etc pretty self explanatory.
6) RO Water - RO will be used i do not have an RO unit (running costs explained might change that) but LFS sells it for 15p/litre or 25p/L ready mixed RO salt water, would you suggest i mix my own salt water that way i know how it is done ( i know its not hard)
7) Salt - Any brand of salt come recommended more than another, i plan to buy huge tubs as suggested in several threads on here.

More questions on stocking etc will appear in due course no doubt

Sorry for all the "same" questions your all probably bored of but if ya dont ask ya dont know and it costs in the long run.

TJ

 

[Truck]

Hi all,

I currently have a rio 400 stocked with tropicals and a Rio 180 planted upstairs again tropcials. Myself and the Mrs have decied we want to venture into marine land as we both love marine fish. The Rio400 will stay as it is i wont giv eup my O's however we thought the 180 would be a nice size to start on the marine side of things, beginning as a FOWLR then turning into a Reef tank after we are aquainted with the SW side of things. The stock in the 180 is going to LFS next weekend to allow me to breakdown the tanks and clean it out ready to acumilate marine equipment and setup

First up suggestions on cleaning the tank out, not broken down a tank before to change disciplines so anyting i need to do especially?

Now the plan tank comes out at roughly 45us G

1) Remove the internal filter and place in cupboard that time forgot
2) Powerheads - I have seen various ones mentioned i am thinking karalia 2's a couple @ 600GPH.
3) Skimmer - I would like to run a skimmer as i plan to have the reef setup later and from research these are pretty much a must have, suggestions on skimmers welcome
4) Live Rock - LFS sells Indonesian LR 20kg @ £180 (when it has some, tanks were empty today! does it matter which type of LR i have eg Indonesian, Fiji etc? If i can find someone local to me selling some then great but just incase i cant thats what i have got locally from the trade.
4)Lighting - Currently setup with original unit 2x45W T5's i believe as they are the thin tubes and tank is 4months old bought brand new. T5's are good enough for some corals am i right?
5) Other equipment - Refractometer, testing kit etc pretty self explanatory.
6) RO Water - RO will be used i do not have an RO unit (running costs explained might change that) but LFS sells it for 15p/litre or 25p/L ready mixed RO salt water, would you suggest i mix my own salt water that way i know how it is done ( i know its not hard)
7) Salt - Any brand of salt come recommended more than another, i plan to buy huge tubs as suggested in several threads on here.

More questions on stocking etc will appear in due course no doubt

Sorry for all the "same" questions your all probably bored of but if ya dont ask ya dont know and it costs in the long run.

TJ

i would go for 2*K2's and 1*K1 at the back of the live rock
live rock: doesnt matter what type as long as its cured or it will take longer to cycle
You could get some softies and some LPS corals under that lighting
mix your own salt water as the LFs will cut corners by using less salt so you will end up adding some anyway. and it works out cheaper doing it yourself.
i would go for reef crystals as it contains everything you should need for soft and LPS corals

on the stocking thing, i already know you want a pair of clowns so hers a bit of info:
buy a juvinile pair and let them grow up together the more dominant one will become female and the smaller one male. if one dies and you try to replace it the replacement will probably be killed. they do not need an anemone!

 

[Ren&Stumpy]

lol yeh the mrs wants a pair of clowns and thats one marine fish i do know about thanks for the info. LFS had tank bred juvies for £14.00 each yesterday

Yep got the cured rock info, hopefully i find someone really local otherwise it will cycle for a while from die off in transport its 20mins to LFS or 45mins to its sister shop that stocks better marine items.

am i stuck with the Juwel marine lighting due to their stuipd length or would it be better to switch to an arcadia unit if you know that info?

 

[Truck]

lol yeh the mrs wants a pair of clowns and thats one marine fish i do know about thanks for the info. LFS had tank bred juvies for £14.00 each yesterday

Yep got the cured rock info, hopefully i find someone really local otherwise it will cycle for a while from die off in transport its 20mins to LFS or 45mins to its sister shop that stocks better marine items.

am i stuck with the Juwel marine lighting due to their stuipd length or would it be better to switch to an arcadia unit if you know that info?

stick with the lights you have but change both tubes to the juwel marine white ones.

then buy one of these:
[URL="http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...ller-p-792.html"]http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...ller-p-792.html[/URL]
and one of these
[URL="http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...tube-p-712.html"]http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...tube-p-712.html[/URL]
and one of these
[URL="http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...tube-p-715.html"]http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...tube-p-715.html[/URL]

then fix that to the flaps of the lid, this is what im doing with my rio 125 except with shorter tubes, juwel are a bummer lol dodgy fittings

then you would be able to keep all softies and quite a few LPS corals.

and the blue tube will make your corals look fluorescent and i believe it stimulates growth (need confirmation on that one) TB clowns are the way to go as wild caught specimens can be very vulnerable.

good fish to look at also
baslets
gobies
hawkfish
dartfish
cardinal fish albeit some say theyre boring but you cant turn down a pyjama cardinal

 

[rabbut]

Or you could look at Halide pendants or luminares if you want a Reef later. Saves up-grading later when you want hard corals (not if) Don't go Arcadia Halide, I hear of loads of issues with them Silver Sun, D&D, AquaMedic and AquaOne all do good units. D&D are the dogs nuts of Halide units, and I would have no issues buying a Silver Sun unit, though not through EQJ trading off Ebay, the only source for them that I know of ATM. Apparently there have been loads of issues with items being damaged in the post and refusing to replace them recently. This said, mine arrived in bomb-proof packaging in lightening quick time (get it, lightening I'll go crawl back under my rock now )

If you choose to stick to T5 lights though and want to add more without gluing stuff to your flaps, Arcadia are the dogs nuts of T8 and T5 luminares

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Ren&Stumpy]

lol yeh the mrs wants a pair of clowns and thats one marine fish i do know about thanks for the info. LFS had tank bred juvies for £14.00 each yesterday

Yep got the cured rock info, hopefully i find someone really local otherwise it will cycle for a while from die off in transport its 20mins to LFS or 45mins to its sister shop that stocks better marine items.

am i stuck with the Juwel marine lighting due to their stuipd length or would it be better to switch to an arcadia unit if you know that info?

stick with the lights you have but change both tubes to the juwel marine white ones.

then buy one of these:
<a href="http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...ller-p-792.html" target="_blank">http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...ller-p-792.html</a>
and one of these
<a href="http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...tube-p-712.html" target="_blank">http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...tube-p-712.html</a>
and one of these
<a href="http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...tube-p-715.html" target="_blank">http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...tube-p-715.html</a>

then fix that to the flaps of the lid, this is what im doing with my rio 125 except with shorter tubes, juwel are a bummer lol dodgy fittings

then you would be able to keep all softies and quite a few LPS corals.

and the blue tube will make your corals look fluorescent and i believe it stimulates growth (need confirmation on that one) TB clowns are the way to go as wild caught specimens can be very vulnerable.

good fish to look at also
baslets
gobies
hawkfish
dartfish
cardinal fish albeit some say theyre boring but you cant turn down a pyjama cardinal

thanks for the links

Or you could look at Halide pendants or luminares if you want a Reef later. Saves up-grading later when you want hard corals (not if) Don't go Arcadia Halide, I hear of loads of issues with them Silver Sun, D&D, AquaMedic and AquaOne all do good units. D&D are the dogs nuts of Halide units, and I would have no issues buying a Silver Sun unit, though not through EQJ trading off Ebay, the only source for them that I know of ATM. Apparently there have been loads of issues with items being damaged in the post and refusing to replace them recently. This said, mine arrived in bomb-proof packaging in lightening quick time (get it, lightening I'll go crawl back under my rock now )

If you choose to stick to T5 lights though and want to add more without gluing stuff to your flaps, Arcadia are the dogs nuts of T8 and T5 luminares

All the best
Rabbut

Would prefer to stick to T5's for this tank i think. Future might bring another tank (bigger) which could use a halide setup although i will still investigate both routes as nothing is set in stone as yet.

 

[Truck]

go to lighting, then arcadia, then controllers, then ultraseal T5 then the 24/39 watt double T5 ballast

and the lamps, go to arcadia lighting click lamps and you want a marine white and a marine actinic blue (both T5's) at 39 watts each

 

[Ren&Stumpy]

go to lighting, then arcadia, then controllers, then ultraseal T5 then the 24/39 watt double T5 ballast

and the lamps, go to arcadia lighting click lamps and you want a marine white and a marine actinic blue (both T5's) at 39 watts each

got them to work cheers

Any tips on cleaning the tank out rinse out or anything safe to use to clean it?

 

[rabbut]

Treat it like a new FW tank. I'd look at Halides to start with. I can guarrentee that you will want SPS corals later down the line if you set-up a reef, and then you will need to upgrade. May as well save the extra cost and jump the gun strait to installing them from the get-go. Units can be got realy cheap too second had (talking £50ish, so not much more than a T5 set-up) It also avoids the issue of corals bleaching due to the sudden light increase when you do up-grade.

 

[seffieuk]

You have the T5 high lites in that tank which will be fine for softies and some corals like Hammers, frogspwan etc - you can boost the lights by getting reflectors I would personally keep the lights you have got and upgrade later if you want to (could then look out for a bargain halide or Aqua Rays)

I have the same tank as you wih fresh water fish and have been thinking about turning it into Marine as well - unfortunatly though I have the old T8s in there so will stick with my nano for now

Search for local reefers breaking down a tank for your lr - if you do transport the lr, do so in water - I transported mine for 45 minutes in tubs of water and had very little die off

As for the skimmer - I was looking at getting the TMC v2 400 - aquatics warehouse seem to be the best price I could find although you might get yourself a bargain on fleabay

oh and by the way to the salty side, it is a fun place to be = patience is a virture over here

Seffie x

 

[Truck]

You have the T5 high lites in that tank which will be fine for softies and some corals like Hammers, frogspwan etc - you can boost the lights by getting reflectors I would personally keep the lights you have got and upgrade later if you want to (could then look out for a bargain halide or Aqua Rays)

I have the same tank as you wih fresh water fish and have been thinking about turning it into Marine as well - unfortunatly though I have the old T8s in there so will stick with my nano for now

Search for local reefers breaking down a tank for your lr - if you do transport the lr, do so in water - I transported mine for 45 minutes in tubs of water and had very little die off

As for the skimmer - I was looking at getting the TMC v2 400 - aquatics warehouse seem to be the best price I could find although you might get yourself a bargain on fleabay

oh and by the way to the salty side, it is a fun place to be = patience is a virture over here

Seffie x

@ seffie, i dont know if you have a local maidenhead but at mine yesterday they had the TMC v2 400 for £65!! i snapped one up!

 

[seffieuk]

[/quote]
@ seffie, i dont know if you have a local maidenhead but at mine yesterday they had the TMC v2 400 for £65!! i snapped one up!
[/quote]

Bargain

Seffie x

 

[Ren&Stumpy]

You have the T5 high lites in that tank which will be fine for softies and some corals like Hammers, frogspwan etc - you can boost the lights by getting reflectors I would personally keep the lights you have got and upgrade later if you want to (could then look out for a bargain halide or Aqua Rays)

I have the same tank as you wih fresh water fish and have been thinking about turning it into Marine as well - unfortunatly though I have the old T8s in there so will stick with my nano for now

Search for local reefers breaking down a tank for your lr - if you do transport the lr, do so in water - I transported mine for 45 minutes in tubs of water and had very little die off

As for the skimmer - I was looking at getting the TMC v2 400 - aquatics warehouse seem to be the best price I could find although you might get yourself a bargain on fleabay

oh and by the way to the salty side, it is a fun place to be = patience is a virture over here

Seffie x

Thanks for that info, i am starting to compile a list of items that are required to get the tank operational as a FOWLR then go from there so all the advice is a great help

 

[Truck]

You have the T5 high lites in that tank which will be fine for softies and some corals like Hammers, frogspwan etc - you can boost the lights by getting reflectors I would personally keep the lights you have got and upgrade later if you want to (could then look out for a bargain halide or Aqua Rays)

I have the same tank as you wih fresh water fish and have been thinking about turning it into Marine as well - unfortunatly though I have the old T8s in there so will stick with my nano for now

Search for local reefers breaking down a tank for your lr - if you do transport the lr, do so in water - I transported mine for 45 minutes in tubs of water and had very little die off

As for the skimmer - I was looking at getting the TMC v2 400 - aquatics warehouse seem to be the best price I could find although you might get yourself a bargain on fleabay

oh and by the way to the salty side, it is a fun place to be = patience is a virture over here

Seffie x

Thanks for that info, i am starting to compile a list of items that are required to get the tank operational as a FOWLR then go from there so all the advice is a great help

microsoft excel or microsoft works spreadsheet are your best friend when working out costs and keeping track of tank parameters etc

 

[Ren&Stumpy]

You have the T5 high lites in that tank which will be fine for softies and some corals like Hammers, frogspwan etc - you can boost the lights by getting reflectors I would personally keep the lights you have got and upgrade later if you want to (could then look out for a bargain halide or Aqua Rays)

I have the same tank as you wih fresh water fish and have been thinking about turning it into Marine as well - unfortunatly though I have the old T8s in there so will stick with my nano for now

Search for local reefers breaking down a tank for your lr - if you do transport the lr, do so in water - I transported mine for 45 minutes in tubs of water and had very little die off

As for the skimmer - I was looking at getting the TMC v2 400 - aquatics warehouse seem to be the best price I could find although you might get yourself a bargain on fleabay

oh and by the way to the salty side, it is a fun place to be = patience is a virture over here

Seffie x

Thanks for that info, i am starting to compile a list of items that are required to get the tank operational as a FOWLR then go from there so all the advice is a great help

microsoft excel or microsoft works spreadsheet are your best friend when working out costs and keeping track of tank parameters etc

yup many a spreadsheet with my Tropical tank parameters on

am starting the list now and rough costings from sources i can find but might be able to pick up few things on ebay and other places.