# Considering Salt Water and have some questions



## Jimbo (Apr 23, 2013)

I have been doing high tech planted tanks for the last couple of years and have really enjoyed it. I recently moved though and had to tear down my tank and am now considering doing a salt water tank instead. I have a bunch of questions that I would love some help with. Thanks!

1. Tank. I have 2 similar tanks, one is a 57 gallon oceanic tank 36 x 16 x 21 and the other is a 90p clone that is about 48 gallons I think - 36 x 16 x 18?. Neither tank is drilled and they are very similar, both are rimless both have starphire glass fronts... but the ADA clone is starphire on all sides. The ADA clone is a bit shallower and a bit nicer to look at. Any reason to choose one over the other?

2. Overflow. Neither tank is drilled and I am not sure if I want to drill them or not. I don't really know much about the process or how sketchy it would be. What are the advantages over something like the CPR overflows that Tom Barr uses? Which would be easier? Which is better?

3. Light. I have a nice zetlight fresh water LED setup that I am really happy with. Is there similar options that are good? Are LED's good for saltwater? What's best? What's easiest? What's cheapest?

4. Sump. The stand I have is an ADA look alike that a member on here built. The only problem with it is that it has a 2x4 on edge running down the middle splitting the bottom in half. It would be tricky to put a sump in the stand. The back is wide open though so it wouldn't be hard to get one in... I just might have to take the 2x4 out and reinforce it somehow differently... Or put 2 more in at either end and the sump would sit on them? Any ideas that way? What about the type of sump? Should I try to build my own? Or buy a used one? Or buy a new one?

5. Stocking. What can I put on a 50 gallon tank? How much does corals complicate everything? Should I start with a FOWLR? Or jump right into everything? Are there easy corals to start with?

6. Skimmer. What does this do? How important is it?

7. Am I missing anything obvious?

Sorry for the absurd amounts of questions. I am pretty savvy when it comes to fresh water but haven't ever done anything with salt water. Any input would be great! Thank you.

Here is the journal for my 57 gallon tank before it was torn down. I forgot to do updates in the months before I tore it down unfortunately.

James


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

I can just say what I know hope it helps a bit.
1. I think the tank will be personal preference I guess but a shallower tank it is easier to get light to the bottom of the tank.
2. Not sure about drilling starfire but I would drill it I have used the same bit and ive done countless holes lol. Key is running water and high speed low feed on the drill. I have crp and like everyone says youll regret it in the long run and have more peace of mind using other setups.
3. Lightning this will depend on if its fish only or a reef tank. Big big difference and if you go reef I say spend the cash and get something you wont have to upgrade down the road. Plus most lights are programmable and dimmable. I do use led for my reef but your fixture wont cut it at all. I did alot of research on mine 
4. Sump all the way basically just the biggest tank you can fit in and whatever baffling you want some use none.
5.corals do complicate it alot but some are easier. I have found they like consistant salinity and peramitiers. I recommend a auto top up many ways to do this. Once again id say it depends on what you want if you want coral and its a goal then plan for it but dont dare dive in to anything salt unless its the ocean.slow and steady is key.
6 skimmers basically make bubbles that draw proteins and gunk to the surface that can be disposed of I think hahah.
I just touched the surface do alot of research but alot of people do thing different things it's all a learning experience


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## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

hehehe..yes, join the bright side 

Join Canreef too. There are tons of good posts there for anyone. Every single one of your questions can be answered there 

A lot of the things are based on personal preference and just depends on how you want the tank to turn out. Do you know if you want to keep corals? What kind of fish do you want in the tank? There are both easy and hard corals to keep and some fish can't be kept with corals too. 

You don't have to start with FOWLR. There are so many possibilities on what you can do to a tank. I think it'd be easier if you identified what you want to do with the tank and then see what the requirements are. Generally, you will want a sump and a skimmer to make your life easier though they are not necessities (but it will really make your life easier). 

If you do want corals, what kinds do you want to keep? SPS? LPS? Be ready to invest in a good lighting system if you want to keep SPS.

There are so many kinds of fish you can put in a 50G. More importantly, what fish do YOU want in there? Look up the species' care information and compatibility with other species.

In terms of how to set up the equipment for a tank, there are many great threads and info on Canreef.


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## scott tang (Jan 29, 2012)

Jimbo said:


> I have been doing high tech planted tanks for the last couple of years and have really enjoyed it. I recently moved though and had to tear down my tank and am now considering doing a salt water tank instead. I have a bunch of questions that I would love some help with. Thanks!
> 
> 1. Tank. I have 2 similar tanks, one is a 57 gallon oceanic tank 36 x 16 x 21 and the other is a 90p clone that is about 48 gallons I think - 36 x 16 x 18?. Neither tank is drilled and they are very similar, both are rimless both have starphire glass fronts... but the ADA clone is starphire on all sides. The ADA clone is a bit shallower and a bit nicer to look at. Any reason to choose one over the other?
> 
> ...


first off welcome to the bright side 
1. tank size is prefrance altho i would recoment shalow with a biger footage for quascaping necer choose a skinny tank for salt its hell to put ricks in and theres no coral grow space 
2. no idea i dont have one and never have 
3. again this is bases off prefrance many think leds arnt there yet but they grow any coral i desire and are cheeper in the long run i think there ur best bet 
if your looking to keep corals you might as well buy a nice led fixture now and not have to buy them twice 
4. no idea i dont have one 
5 lots ! pick up the marine fish 500 species at jl have have a look its a great beginers guide as for corals they are photosynthetick there are tons of easy corals you could start with and i would never set up a tank not intending to have them they add a whole new levle to stocking your tank and it being full a reef tank is never reay full always room for one more 
6skimmers are a pain inthe ass hated them from day one as not only do they prodce stuped bubles into your tank but they also take the nutryance out of your water wich makes your corals grow slower 
they do makw water quality better but in a reef people think that means they dont have to wc every 1 or weeks, and you do ! basicky to replace lost nutryance there is a significant groath difrance in people who have scimers and people who dont i prefer to not overstock and just wc weekly plus a good skimmer can run you 500$ for a 75 gal idk about a 50 but generaly its good to go x2 on the store/ company rating

7live rock sand and power heads


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## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

scott tang said:


> 6skimmers are a pain inthe ass hated them from day one as not only do they prodce stuped bubles into your tank but they also take the nutryance out of your water wich makes your corals grow slower
> they do makw water quality better but in a reef people think that means they dont have to wc every 1 or weeks, and you do ! basicky to replace lost nutryance there is a significant groath difrance in people who have scimers and people who dont i prefer to not overstock and just wc weekly plus a good skimmer can run you 500$ for a 75 gal idk about a 50 but generaly its good to go x2 on the store/ company rating


Scott, have you tried putting a sponge/foam where the water runs out? All the bubbles will get popped when they pass through the sponge. I put one on my Remora and it works perfectly. I only get bubbles from my Aquaclear now..

Also James, if you want to keep SPS you're most likely going to want a skimmer to keep the water in pristine conditions. If you go only LPS, then skipping the skimmer could actually be beneficial for the corals like Scott said. However, I have a skimmer on mine even though I keep only LPS because it allows me to feed heavily and skip a week of water changes. I notice a good reduction in algae growth with a skimmer.


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## spit.fire (Jan 3, 2011)

Good quality skimmers don't produce micro bubbles, they also don't cost 500$


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## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

We got another convert here.... Welcome to the Dark Side.... errrrr. Bright Side :bigsmile:

Like you I'm a fresh water/planted tank hobbyist too. I started pretty much with all equipment that I used on my planted tank. I only changed the bulbs of my TEK Light fixtures. Please check my 57G Skimmerless journal. 

Here's my opinion.

1. The larger the volume, the more stable water parameter is. But it doesn't really matter, if you have a 10G to start, then so be it. I started with a 20G LPS tank.

2. If you have access to a diamond drill bit, then drill it. If you don't want your floor to be flooded when your siphon break, then drilled is better as overflow is susceptible to clogging and breaking the syphon. Having all your heater and dosing equipments on your sump makes your tank neat and less cluttered.

3. I'm not using LED yet but I have seen successful SPS tank under Ecotech Radion but it's a little bit pricey. I have also seen some tank under chinese made LEDs and DIY LEDs that are able to grow SPS corals successfully. These are way cheaper.

4. I'm not running a sump right now but I'm planning to make my own. As mentioned, it gives you the ability to hide the heaters and other equipments down under. If your budget permits then buy a sump, but if you're in a tight budget, you can make your own and saves you a little bit.

5. You can pretty much shab anything on a 50G tank. You can setup a full blown reef on the get go if you wish, depends on your budget. But if there is a budget restriction you can start with a basic setup like what i did, skimmer less, sumpless setup. I'm growing SPS now using pretty much existing equipment that I used in my planted tank. 

6. Never had, so I can't comment on this. But one thing I can tell you, my 20G and 57G is running skimmerless without issues (never had a crashed yet... knock on wood )the only draw back is you need to do a frequent WC. I do 10% per week.

Another thing that I can assure you, I spend less time maintaining a saltwater tank than my planted tank (I still have my 90G High Tech, and still good).

Good luck.


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## scott tang (Jan 29, 2012)

Yes I have it doesn't work i had about a foot of filter floss where my scimers return pump ended. I have also had successful sps growth with out a scimmer there a delvle for me that I don't need


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## jkhcjris (Jun 1, 2010)

1. I would go with the shallower foot print as it will be easier to get light to the bottom of your tank so you can keep corals at all levels of your tank. This is if your are wanting to keep corals . If you are doing a fish only it would be your personal preference. 

2. If you are going to run a sump I would drill a hole and do a internal overflow compared to a CPR overflow. Less chance of the overflow overflowing and leaking onto your floor with a internal one. The CPO overflow you also have to keep an eye on it to make sure it is still flowing . If it is not your returon line from the sump will overflow your display.

3. LEDS again it will depend on what you are keeping. Problems with keeping corals : With a single unit like that you will not be getting light to the top corners of the tank . You would probably need two units to light up the whole tank . This would allow you to mount corals in all areas of the tank. Also the lack of a blue spectrum would make the corals look dull and not pop . This all depending also on what corals you want to keep and where you wanted to mount them. I believe the light would make coral grow but it will not make them fully colour up. You could always add a light strip that is a blue spectrum. 
Fish only : the light would work but you would not get the pop of colour you would get with having a blue spectrum of light.

4. To put a sump in your stand I would put two more 2x4's on either end and a piece of plywood ontop to fill it in. As for a sump get a used tand or used sump that fiits into that space. They are easy to make for baffling go to a glass shop and they can cut glass to anysize you need and you would have to silicone the pieces into place. Make sure you use a aquarium safe silicone (very important) . Also the glass does not need to be thick . The glass baffling is used to section of the tank for a skimmer area, return pump area and sometimes a refugium. These sections will also help with dissipating the micro bubbles from the skimmer. Usually would run intake into sump with skimmer, through baffling to the refugium if you have one then through baffling to return pump. I would go with a used tand or sump as this will not be a display tank and it does not need to look nice.

5. What dino said...............

6. Skimmer creates bubbles through a pump and air intake line. The water with air bubbles go into the chamber of the skimmer seperate the protiens in the water or waste and get pushed into the neck and the protiens or waste go into the collection cup. If you been to the west side of vancouver Island at storm season you have seen natures skimmer in action. The big waves crashing into the rocks creating turbulent water and tons of foam (skimmate) everywhere. They do a good job of cleaning the water and it is something that you need to keep certain corals . SPS (Small polyp Stoney) corals for example will colour up more with cleaner low nutrient water. If you did not want to go with a skimmer you could always do weekly water changes.

7. The best thing you can do is ask questions like you have and inform yourself as much as you can before you start. Get an idea what you want to keep to try and get your setup as close to the requirement that you will need to keep whatever you decide. This will hopefully cut down on equipment costs in the future . There is a lot more equipment you need to run a salt water tank then fresh water. Try Keeping your water stable and consistent is very important for coral as fluctuations in water quality can easily kill some corals. Every coral type has different conditions it needs to do well and survive. There are a lot of forums that are salty only . One with a lot of local members is Canreef . Also take info you get with a grain of sand as there is a lot of missinformed people out there that can stear you in the wrong direction, tell you to buy something you don't need or is a piece of junk. When I had a salt tank I upgraded equipment all the time to something more efficient or the next best thing, it adds up.


Also these are just my oppinions not something you need to follow or right.


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## Jimbo (Apr 23, 2013)

Thank you everyone for all of this information. I am going to take it slow and do a bunch of research before doing anything. It seems like there is a lot of information available and a lot of it is somewhat conflicting, so I will take my time and figure it all out. I will get on Canreef right away as it sounds like a great resource and start looking into adapting my stand and drilling my tank as it seems that those will be the first steps either way. 

Does anyone know a lot about drilling and what kind of overflows are best? I am thinking of doing a coast to coast along the back of the tank and building a little box behind. I think I am going to do a BeanAnimal overflow. Looks like the best one. 

I think I will start slowly getting everything ready and do more research into exactly what I want to put into it.


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## Jimbo (Apr 23, 2013)

Does anyone have any experience with Glass Holes? Seems pretty legit and comes with everything you need.


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## Dietmar (Dec 15, 2011)

coast to coast is good. Bean animal is one of the best there, because you have the room for the multiple overflows.
They will work the best if your tank is level. Something to watch out for when you first set up.
I would use a sump and put the skimmer in there. You do not have to run a skimmer24/7 although most people do. If you only run the skimmer for half a day,consider running it at night. That will put in extra O2 during nighttime. 
Utube videos show you how to drill a tank. But do not drill tempered glass. It will shatter. You can find out if you have tempered glass by using polarized sunglasses. Also on Utube


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## Dietmar (Dec 15, 2011)

Depending on the size of the holes, Princess Auto carries diamond bits. 
You must figure out first the size of the pipe you want to use. Then you will need a bulkhead. The size of the bulkhead is a lot larger in diameter than the pipe


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