Tl550 Nano In The Making!

[Kipperhips]

Hi folks!
Well tomorrow i got to the LFS to collect my Buyo tl550 tank n stand and what i need is a list of other items i need to invest in while im there, i mean i dont wanna be running back n forward to the LFS each day ..
so can you guys design my shopping list?
this reef will be mostly live rock and coral and iam quite prepared to let the tank mature.
so i need your Help!

ty....

 

[Kipperhips]

Ahh well.......!

Time to go!!

thanks btw!

 

[seffieuk]

Welcome to the salty side

Take a look at several threads to get info about the boyu 550 setup - mine included but also, Charlie, Saphire and Dani

You will need:

Extra power head or two (for the tank) - I went for the KORALIA as recomended by the guys on here, I got the Koralia 2 but you could buy a couple of K1 or nanos (check out ebay)

Refractometer, don't bother with a hydrometer - again ebay

Bucket of marine salt - don't bother getting packets, it's a false economy

Sand, you will need approx 20 1bs - don't bother with live sand - it will seed from the Live rock

Testing kits for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and PH - just to start with you will need more a little later - Salifert tests are generally considered the best - prepare yourself for a shock on price!

Water container - food safe, Camping and General do them for a good price (that's if you are in the Uk)

Container to mix your water - empty salt container is ideal I find - see if lfs will give you one or sell for a couple of £s

Cheap power head for mixing water

Cheap heater to heat water when mixing

Syphon

Good quality tank scrubber and algae magnet - you get what you pay for here, don't go cheap! Ebay again

Ro unit from RO man - you can get one for about £65, a sound investment in the long run

Live Rock - you will need between 12 / 15 k - look to get it from a reefer breaking down a tank - if in the Uk check out the classifeds on ultimatereef.com (there is a lot on there at the moment) or ebay, or aquarists classified - you will get a better deal, less die off if it is local ( I transported mine for an hour in water and had little die off) and better rock with lovely coraline growth and more hitchhikers - a win, win situation

Good book about invertibrates

Good book about fish

Good book about corals (have a read of my thread for 'the book')

My suggestion to you would be go slowly, plan and do your research - ask us loads of questions, we have all been in your situation and done the same You could go out and buy all this stuff from your lfs, BUT it will COST you a little time and planning can save you an awful lot of money and boy, you will need money because this is an adictive, expensive hobby

I'm sure there will be something I have forgotten but someone is bound to pop by and tell you - anyway have fun planning and share the fun with us

Seffie x



ps
what are your plans for the tank?
pps
don't believe everything your lfs tells you!

 

[Kipperhips]

Hi and ty for the reply
I went and collected the tank and some stuff like 20kg bucket of tetra salt
some substrate,test kit ,koralia power head ,therms,enough to get the ball rolling
and wot not!

i have some more to get then i will get the wheels into motion!
i have a question though...can i put all the live rock in at once i mean im goin to be ordering around
18kg?
again ty!

 

[seffieuk]

Yes, put all the rock in at once before the sand but after the salt water - you can mix your first lot of salt water in the tank

Seffie x

 

[SkiFletch]

Remember to leave a little room in the display tank if you do decide to mix water there the first time. Rocks, heaters, powerheads, etc will all displace water

 

[Kipperhips]

Hey hi folks and Happy new year and ty for the feedback.

i will have time next week to start on my reef and get the so called ball rolling
i will start a fresh thread when i complete my shopping list in the next few days
Question!
would i have been wiser to purchase a Koralia 2 rather than a 1?
ive read where people say get good brands of equipement etc i so how do i know a good brand?
would it also be better for me to keep my lights off when cycling the tank?..maybe i shoulda kept that one
for the reef thread..

ok ty again..

 

[seffieuk]

You can just rename this thread

I have a K 2 but lots of other people have different arrangements - some have a couple K nanos whilst a few have two k1s

Just ask before you buy and people on here will tell you if they would recommend or not

As soon as I put my live rock in i started a twelve hour on with moonlights till bed - i have heard some people say restrict the light to about four hours, but my tank was just fine on twelve hours, so that is what I would do again

Exciiting isn't it - did you find a local reefer for the live rock?

BigC is from Northern Ireland, not sure where abouts though - he will pop in soon i'm sure so you might want to ask him a few specific questions. He like me, often buys online - but can't remember where he got his lr from

Seffie x

 

[Kipperhips]

Thanks Seffie!!

well it is exciting indeed hehe....
well no i dont know any local reefers iam afraid to say!
Big C.. ive followed his thread nice work eh.. maybe he could advise me on which of the 2xLFS
i should buy my LR from also
anyhows its coming together here slowly but surely ive also heard that if some one donates
substrate or sand from their tanks itll speed up the cycle?..
i can sit it out no probs i dont mind waiting aslong as its done right!
ty

 

[BigC]

Hi Kip,
How's it going...
First off, some of the lads over here are starting a Marine Club, its in its infancy at the mo. I will keep you posted, as the first real committe meeting will be held this Sunday and we will take it from there. All a great bunch of lads...well most of the time. But helpfulness is hanging right outa them.
Ah the shops over here are pretty thin on the ground amounting to two with a possible three if the roumour mill is anything to be believed. Anyway that said I dont like EA Belfast, livestock leaves a lot to be desired and he's expensive, so I only use him in a complete emergency. I like GT in Lisburn now. Nice clean, fresh stock and they have always helped me.
I take it you've read my thread, Skifletch and Steelhealr helped me no end in my venture into this salty mire.
I would buy my LR from GT. Now I dont think its cured so like me you wont be adding anything for a good while.
Get yourself a wee set of plastic scales from Argos and a large ladle comes in useful. Are you buying your water already mixed or buying RO or making you own RO
I personally wouldn't get sand from someone elses tank, prefering to just wait it out.
Lets know what you've actually got equipment wise
How do you propose to make the water up etc etc, just to get the feel of what stage your at. Then we'll take it from there, and I say we as all parties on this forum all come up with excellent answers to folk problems. So just ask, no matter how stupid it may seem.
Welcome to TFF.
Regards
BigC

 

[Kipperhips]

Hi Big C!
Yes i agree 100% with you on the EA they did seem to raise an eyebrow from me
on Visits..

it dont matter if the rock is cured or not but i thought i heard them say in GT it is..hmm
as far as RO is concerned i think i will buy the first load and thatll give me time
to order and sort out a RO man unit, so if all goes well over the next few days i will be good to go! i need a cheap heater for mixing i have a spare maxijet to mix it.
my plans are around 4 fish and corals but first thing first..lol
so Big C do you reckon i should buy pre mixed ro ?
ty for all the help.

 

[BigC]

so Big C do you reckon i should buy pre mixed ro ?

Dont' see no reason why not, and maybe should consder to do so as you've only a smallish tank. But making your own with RO would be a better option in the long run as you can set your own sg etc. and you'll always have some to hand in case of emergencies.
Are you going with a substrate....
On the LR front, I bought mine from GT but it sure as hell wasnt fully cured. I'd just buy the rock and then run your tests to be sure. (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate)
If you need to cycle then get your water up to temp and Sg. plop in your rock and arrange (allow for displacment).
Test for Ammonia, this will peak at some point (every tank is different) and fall to zero, then test for Nitrite, this too will spike and fall to zero, at this point perform a large waterchange 50% or more and start testing for Nitrate, if this comes in below 10 the you are good to go with you CUC. Purchase a variety of CUC, include snails such as Nassarius, Cerith, Astreas, Trocus, Include Hermit crabs, (I bought mine via the Internet) I've had good reports on blue knuckles being good for hair algae. And most importantly dont forget to include extra shells for the hermits.
ATB
BigC

 

[seffieuk]

Moving along now the planning is such fun

Seffie x

 

[Kipperhips]

Hi folks!
well ty for the advice and the support folks.
tomorrow i will construct the stand and unwrap the tank and clean it with
a light water n vinegar mix then a good rinse out.
then i shall set about checking the level of the tank,there is nothin as bad looking as a tank that is unlevel lol
now seffie this is where you come in! do i setup with the skimmer of leave it until cycle is finished?
and also should i use the bags that the bioballs etc were in for my LR or shall i just place LR into compartment this ofcourse
im refering to is rubble?
another question i have is this,do i put anything between the tank and the stand or is the tl550 designed so that its not needed?
cheers again i will post more on my progress 2morro
ty

 

[seffieuk]

Hi folks!
well ty for the advice and the support folks.
tomorrow i will construct the stand and unwrap the tank and clean it with
a light water n vinegar mix then a good rinse out. Exciting
then i shall set about checking the level of the tank,there is nothin as bad looking as a tank that is unlevel lol I'm with your there
now seffie this is where you come in! do i setup with the skimmer of leave it until cycle is finished? Well, there will be nothing to skim for a while but I ran mine straight from the start just so that I could play with it!
and also should i use the bags that the bioballs etc were in for my LR or shall i just place LR into compartment this ofcourse
im refering to is rubble? Absolutely, then it will be easy to pull the live rock out and clean the bottom, wish I had thought of that, dah
another question i have is this,do i put anything between the tank and the stand or is the tl550 designed so that its not needed? No, nothing between tank and stand
cheers again i will post more on my progress 2morroty

Looking forward to seeing your progress

Seffie x