New To The Forum And Need Advice

[aquilla]

Hi-I fell in love with dogfaced puffers two years ago and decided to get into the hobby. I started with freshwater to learn the ropes, but never got around to switching over to my first love. My 55 is still up and running (doing fabulously), but I think the time to switch has come. Originally I thought that a reef tank would be a better fit (smaller fish-less capacity issues), however, a small part of me still really wants a puffer. Could one work in a tank this size, and if so, what could go with it. If the tank is too small, then I will obviously wait on the FOWL. In that case I would love suggestions for steps to switch from fresh to reef. Any suggestions on lighting, liverock and skimmers would be greatly appreciated. Also stocking suggestions would be great. I know that's a lot of questions, but I am just beginning my research and this is where the experts are. Thank you!

 

[rabbut]

Hi and ,

You will likely get a better responce to this question in the marines section, towards the bottom of the board

The type of equipment you need for a marine tank is dependant upon the set-up type you want, and the stocking. I don't know much about puffers, so I cannot realy comment on if they will work in a 55g. For marines though, there are two main "systems" for filtering a tank;

Berlin. Expencive to set-up, but more stable and cost-effective to run long-term. This system also converts easily to keeping corals with the correct light. budget about £300-400 for set-up and about £5 a month for running

Bio-mechanical. Conventional filters do the work. Cheap to set-up but is high-maintanance and relatively expencive to run... Only very experienced aquarists tend to be able to keep corals in these set-up's long-term Budget £50-150 for set-up as you have most of the equipment already, but £10-15 for running costs

Give some consideration to the system that sounds best for you and post back, here or in the marine section, and we can better help you from there. Also, do you want to keep corals? If so, did you have your eyes on any type in particular?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[aquilla]

Thanks so much for your reply. I tried to post on the marine section, but it said that I am not authorized to post there. I wasn't sure why, so I tried here. I will probably go with the Berlin system. I need to research it to learn more about it, but I would rather do this the right way from the start. I plan to have this setup going for many years, so I don't mind spending a little extra money up front. Plus as a newbie it's probably better to go with the more stable system. If I can't keep a puffer, then I will definately be doing a reef with corals, but I am just beginning to learn about them. I'm not sure which ones yet, but I am open to suggestions. Someone suggested metal halide lighting (2X250). Would you recommend this?

 

[rabbut]

The reason you can't post in the marine section, is because you have't clicked the link in your validation e-mail. If you diden't get this e-mail, check your spam filters and if you still can't find it, PM (Private Message) a moderator or the admin

Halides are good for light-loving corals, and 2 250W lamps on electronic balasts would likely be ideal for your set-up, assuming you want some of the light-loving hard corals For softies, most LPS and some SPS, you can get away with 4 T5 lamps, but halides are best if you want flexibility

For equipment in a Berlin system, you need 1kg of live rock per 10l of water, two or more powerheads to give about 20X an hour of flow, more if you want SPS corals, and usualy you fit an overkill skimmer to the system, but skimmers are not essential, though highly beneficial IMO. Phosphate and Nitrate removal resins are often used also, but again not essential.

If you realy want a stable system, get the tank drilled and fit a sump underneeth the main tank. This will hide all your equipment and increase your system volume. Also, you can fit a remote DSB (Deep Sand Bed) filter in there and a Reforgium that you could not have with a stand alone tank. Both of these compliment the Berlin system very well. It's also a conveniant place for dosing addatives e.t.c

You will need a refractometer (I don't use hydrometers due to a tendancy for them to drift with time) and salt or a salt water supply. If you go down the reef set-up, you will need to use RO water. This means finding an RO supply thats good, or buying your own RO unit

Realy, final equipment specifications are dependant on your stock.

All the best
Rabbut