Questions From Newbie!

daz_st170 · Apr 6, 2010

hi guys ive been a tropical fish keeper coming on 4yrs now had 3 tanks in that time and various fish recently been keeping a cichlid tank however that tank is now gone.

i currently have a aquaone UFO550 set up andhave been toying with the idea of making this a nano reef for ages.its 100L corner tank with wet and dry trickle in hood.

few questions. one. should i or should i use the trickle filter built into the hood?
two. after reading up for months am i correct in sayin that as a filter all i would need is the correct amount of live rock and perhaps live sand?
three. what exactly do i do with the powerhead, is this just for water cirulation or is this connected to either a external/internal sponge filter?
four.what type of light to i need?
also my local Dobbies centre sells pre mixed salt water how much can i expect to pay fo r this?
five. what about protein skimmer, what exaclty is this and is it required for my set up?

PS i have read thousand of blogs and the facts on this site about startin up a tank and iam fully aware on how to cycle the tank and such like, i am just a little unsure about the above advice greatly appriecated!

steelhealr · Apr 6, 2010

Hi...welcome aboard. I'll try and tackle a few of those. I googled the tank and tried to get an idea what the hood system is. Can't tell. The live rock and a powerhead in the tank should be sufficent filtration. The hood might be able to be adapted to keep any of your media in there.

Live rock and sand is your filtration system.

Powerheads simulate surf and current. If you plan on a reef, powerheads supply current/food to the corals and remove waste by circulation it away.

Not sure what you should pay for SW but it is worth purchasing an RO/DI filter if you plan on making your own SW.

Read up on protein skimmers as it takes a bit to discuss here. In summary, bubble action creates a surface of charges and proteins adhere and are brought to the surface.

If I measure correctly, you tank is about 20 gallons. NO...you don't need a protein skimmer, just regular 10% weekly water changes.

SH

daz_st170 · Apr 6, 2010

great thanks for the advice,

so let me get it right there is no mechanical filter, jst a bio?

what sort of postioning should the power head be? i.e should it be blasting onto the LR and corals or jst below the surface?

off to dobbies 2moz for a general look to get an idea of price etc.

what on earth is refigium? lol

thanks sh!

Harry1996 · Apr 7, 2010

a refugium is a place were you have live sand and some algea such as cheato in it to help keep down nitrate. you have a light on 24/7 and you get small bugs in there like copods that are good for your tank because your fish and coral will eat them. i get salty ro water from my lfs and its £5 per 25L but my jerrycan holds 30L and it says 25L so i get a bit more. :lol:

powerheads should be near the top of the tank. i have one pointing down near my leather coral and one pointing up. some people put carbon and phosphate remover in ther tanks. im going to get some carbon because leather corals can produce this toxing that can retard other corals. so a skimmer and carbon it needed.