Northwest Inverts Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Hello Folks! I am new to this site and wanted to say hello. I have had saltwater tanks over the last 25 years but mostly FO or FOWLR. I am starting up a reef tank this time around focusing on easier to keep corals and maybe a couple of compatible fish. I've learned a lot of patience over the years so I will be adding things slowly to this setup and enjoying it along the way. I will probably come here and reefcentral for questions as the need arises. Here is some of the main equipment that I have or will be using: - 40 gallon TRU VU Aquasystems Acrylic Tank with build in rear overflow/sump (tank dimensions are 36 long x 15 deep x 16 tall) - 36" HQI Fixture w/ single 250w bulb & moon lighting built in. - Koralia 2 Power Head - Seaclone 100 Skimmer w/ MJ1200 (it came w/ the tank not sure if i'll use it) - ViaAqua Multi Reactor for GHO and/or AC - Visi-Therm 150w Stealth Heater placed in rear sump. I plan to start with about 50 lbs of live rock from my LFS and a shallow sand bed. For water I have my own RO/DI unit that I just bought new and it works great. I do have a couple of questions for starters. First is how often would some of you do water changes on a 40 gallon system like this? I was thinking something along the lines of 20% every 2 weeks or 10% every week. What are your thoughts on it given the tank size, etc...? Also, given my setup as described above, what kinds of corals would you start with and what types of corals could I eventually keep with the given lighting, etc...? Thanks so much, Dean Here is my Tank and Light Fixture (scratch remover kit should be in tomorrow's mail, although it's not too bad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilmca Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 welcome to the site. I would go with 20% every two weeks but if you got a good skimmer(not the seaclone) and a refugium going you could do 20% water change once per month. with the light you have i think you would be able to keep almost anything. start out with some zoas, palys and other softies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Welcome to the club. Looking forward to seeing your progression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwest Inverts Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Welcome!! Thats a nice system to start off your reef with. You should be able to keep pretty much any coral. I would suggest 10% WC each week. I've found that I can maintain all parameters while simply dosing kalk in my topoff water doing 10% weekly WCs. I've experimented going 2 weeks and doing larger WC but the tank seems to suffer every time i tried that. Anyway thats just my 2¢ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theJenchild Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Welcome to the site! We are a photo loving group and would look forward to seeing your progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwest Inverts Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 I appreciate your 2 cents IMPUR. It's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for from you guys. It makes perfect sense what you're saying. Where can i get more educated on dosing kalk? Is there a good website, article or do you have info? Thanks for the everyones greetings. I appreciate that. I dont think I am going to use the seaclone skimmer after all, i think i am going to get an aqua c remora. This weekend I used the scratch kit on the tank and it turned out very good. I removed all but one scratch on the front that is not really even visable with water in the tank. I was pleased with it. I will post more photos as I go along. Take Care, Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wegotjs Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Welcome, remember that the less fish the less water changes as a general rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moovinfast Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Welcome to the club. Would love to see the progression Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Welcome. Tank looks good. Even the AquaC skimmer is on the low side. It is one of the best HOB skimmers around, but for a reef tank has some low power issues. If you are going to do this right, spend a little more and get the best skimmer you can afford. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Here are some good reads on kalk http://www.simplifiedreefkeeping.com/faq/17.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_2/kalkwasser.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 welcome enjoy the site lots of knowledgeable people on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Welcome new "Toad" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwest Inverts Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Even the AquaC skimmer is on the low side. It is one of the best HOB skimmers around, but for a reef tank has some low power issues. If you are going to do this right, spend a little more and get the best skimmer you can afford. What other skimmers that are better than the Aqua C may be an option for me given the setup? I only have a certain amount of room in my overflow/sump (Simmers that are more than 4" in diameter or thick will be to large to fit down in it.) The Aqua C is a little less than 3" thick so i know it's fit fine. I am open to options as I know there are a lot of skimmers out there, I'm just not sure what would fit in my sump and would be a better option than the Aqua C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Give me a few Dean and I'll get you some skimmers that should work for you. I hope you enjoy that rock you picked up from me LOL. That was my ad on CraigsList that you found for the live rock lol. Sorry there wasn't more, I guess my eye judging on weight was off a bit lol. The Tunze's are probably your best bet for a protein skimmer in the size you need. You do have a couple of options, the one's I would personally recommend are a bit too big, but, they do have a really nice in-tank version that would probably be perfect for your needs. Or, you could drill that built in filtration system it has, and put a sump/refugium underneath your tank and put a Reef Octopus NWB 250 in there, that would give you more than enough skimming power. Here's the link to the Tunze skimmers on MarineDepot.com http://www.marinedepot.com/protein_skimmers_tunze_doc_comline_nano_classic-ap.html The Nano Reefpack 200 is the one I personally would recommend if you decide not to drill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwest Inverts Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Hey there, thanks for the live rock, some neat pieces in there. I really love it and appreciate the good deal on it. I'm going out tonight to pick up the rest of the rock i want in there. I'll look at the skimmers you mention, I am really open to a different skimmer than the Aqua C, it just has to fit the requirements i guess. Thanks again for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 No problem Dean, glad I could help ya out. I'd really look into drilling the tank if possible, if not, you might have to get realll creative lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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