# New Tank



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

I have a 3 foot tank sitting around doing nothing and it is your typical clear seal with a hood. I am toying with the idea of turning it into a reef aquarium but it will be over a long period of time as I have seen the cost of the equipment. 

I live in the UK so the prices are a lot more expensive than you guys get it across the pond. I have read a lot about it but to be honest everyone keeps using abbrieviations and I am nto sure what they mean. As this will be my first tank I want to buy all the hardware I need first over a good period of time before I even start thinking of setting anything up. 

Oh and also if this tank will do it because I have seen tanks that have these vent type things on the side and they are looking like they are going through the tank side...am I right in thinking this and do I have to buy a specialised tank for it with holes in the side rather than use my 3 foot?

So other than that could I get a definitive list of hardware that I will need from you guys please?

Many Thanks in advance

Jimi


----------



## Talon (Sep 3, 2011)

what is the size of your tank>? u say its 3 feet, but how wide; how tall and how many gallons is it? i am currently going through the same process and im taking it one peice at a time. right now i just have a 20g tank with live rock at home. just take it one step at a time and thing will go somthly


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Its a stardard 48"w by 12"d by 18" h :O)


----------



## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

so it's 4 feet and you would need a:
protein skimmer
live rock
great lighting
sump
substrate(crushed coral/argonite/live sand)
a RO/DI unit unlsess you want to buy the water buy the gallon
and if there is anything I missed.
If I were to go to salt... it would make me pay 1800 around there to get it all working and nothing missing


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Go Salt? I thought they were all Salt?


----------



## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

no like me myself... If I were to convert my 40 gallon to salt


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

You need power heads. 2 750 Koralias should do ya just fine.
Need a Refractometer to measure your Salinity
Reef Master or similar water testing kit. Test kit to include tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Calcium, MAgnesium, Phosphates
The skimmer should be rated for 2 times yoru water volume.
300 Watt heater
Lighting your looking at metal halide, LED or a 6 bulb T-5 Fixture.
Keep in mind you did say reef tank, some of these things are not needed for a Fish Only With Live Rock tank.


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Thank you for that. My apologies though, for some reason I gave you the measurements of my current TF tank. The actual dimensions are 36" w by 12" d by 18" h

I basically want to start with just live rock and then later add reef stuff like anemone and such...i think thats what reef means, am I right?

I am not so into stocking it with fish to be honest with you. 

I have looked at the refractometer and I can see ones ranging from £30 to £200, whats a good happy medium?
Also as far as the lights go I really cant afford LED or MH so it looks like T5 HO....any preferences?

Thanks again

Jimi


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

JImi said:


> Thank you for that. My apologies though, for some reason I gave you the measurements of my current TF tank. The actual dimensions are 36" w by 12" d by 18" h
> 
> I basically want to start with just live rock and then later add reef stuff like anemone and such...i think thats what reef means, am I right?
> 
> ...


T-5 of your choice. 4 Lmap unit and individual reflectors are best.
Salinity Refractometer 0~10% Salt Water Marine Aquarium | eBay


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Ok it looks like i am going to mamange to get a full set up for fairly cheap. Thing is though live sand comes with it as it is a mature tank. Is there some way I can store this sand while I read up and learn more or will it have to be chucked?

Jimi


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

JImi said:


> Ok it looks like i am going to mamange to get a full set up for fairly cheap. Thing is though live sand comes with it as it is a mature tank. Is there some way I can store this sand while I read up and learn more or will it have to be chucked?
> 
> Jimi


 You can store it. You'll have to rinse it really well before you put it back in the tank once you decide to. It won't be Live Sand at that point, but will soon get its life back.


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Is there intert life within the sand that will come back to life as it were once I have put it back in the tank then. I dont fully understand how libve sand works at the moment.


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

I am now having second thought about this. RO water is bloody expensive, it would cost me £22 just to fill my tank and if you need water changes every week! 

RO Units also are not really cost effective as they waste 3 gallons for every 1 Gallon of RO water they produce! 

Really not sure about this now :O(


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Ok I have just realised that the £11 is for the first time you buy it with bucket. 

The tank I am going to be getting is an Orca TL450

So were back on as they charge 3.75 for 25l refil. So the first time I get it obviously I will need to get 58l but then when I need to do a water change its only going to be 1/4 of the tank say. So.....

3.75 / 25 = 15p per litre 
25% of 58l for a water change is 14.5l 
14.5l x 15p = £2.17 per water change. 

Can someone check my maths on this because I am terrible at it and a moment ago I had it wokred out as 93p per water change!

Next question though. This water is without salt or anything so I will have to test and add. How long before it goes into to the tank does this have to be done? 

Also, what do I need to add to it to make it good for the tank...i.e salt, nutrients so on and so forth?

James


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

After much questing online I have decided 10% weekly would be better, as long as all the detrius is removed within the 10%. So thats 5.8l weekly @ 15p per litre which works out @ 87p per water change  which I think will work out much cheaper than getting an RO unit seeing as we are going to be having a watermeter fitted soon. 

The above questions still apply however lol

Jimi


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

JImi said:


> Ok I have just realised that the £11 is for the first time you buy it with bucket.
> 
> The tank I am going to be getting is an Orca TL450
> 
> ...


:shock: WOW. Let the water sit with the salt stirring for 24hrs before adding it to the tank.
Seond, you'll need a refractometer to check the salinity of the water, you want it between 1.024 and 1.026. And your 10% water changes weekly works out well.


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Yah sorry for the mass overload of info and posts there. I kinda need to type things out and see them to understand them and get it straight in my head. 

Another question though. People say that getting an RO unit saves you money, I dont undertsand how this is possible seeing as for every 1 gallon you make, you lose 3 gallons. And if you are on a water metre....woah...lol

Also how much salt would I have to use roughly to get the salinity I need from the outset, as in 58l?


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

I tried to edit the post above but I couldnt

I am trying to srot out the UK/US Gallon/Litre thing. Nightmare

So far I have:

1/2 cup per gallon...this is a US measure and I am in UK

1/2 a cup = 90 Grams. 

So basically I just need to know how much salt in grams per UK litre of water I need from the start, which is 58 litres.

Cheers and I am sorry for being a pain in the arse :-(

Jimi


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Liters to US Gallons (Liquid) conversion calculator
58 Litres = 15 gallons
Roughly a bit more than 1/2 per gallon to get to 1.025. 15 gallons with 8 cups to get to about 1.026. Refractometer is the only way to get it accurate though.


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

JImi said:


> I tried to edit the post above but I couldnt
> 
> I am trying to srot out the UK/US Gallon/Litre thing. Nightmare
> 
> ...


 No worries, thats what we're here for.:thumbsup:


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Thanks for that Reffing :O)


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Ok I got the tank, its a TL450 and the seller said it was a second generation one and it doesnt have all the problems with the gaps in the backboard and the bad skimmer that the first one did. I am going to have a look at the model of the skimmer tonight if I have time and post some pics of it.

I have decided to clean the tank right the way through top to bottom and start it fresh. It came with live sand....do you think I should keep this sand and wash it and put it in there dead or just bin it and buy new Live Sand?


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

JImi said:


> Ok I got the tank, its a TL450 and the seller said it was a second generation one and it doesnt have all the problems with the gaps in the backboard and the bad skimmer that the first one did. I am going to have a look at the model of the skimmer tonight if I have time and post some pics of it.
> 
> I have decided to clean the tank right the way through top to bottom and start it fresh. It came with live sand....do you think I should keep this sand and wash it and put it in there dead or just bin it and buy new Live Sand?


 You should be ok using that sand after rinsing it out.


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Ok that will save me a few quid. Will it take longer to cycle or does it make no difference. Im in no rush, just wondered what the point of LS is if I can just use that stuff after it being washed. Also can I wash it in tap water?


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

JImi said:


> Ok that will save me a few quid. Will it take longer to cycle or does it make no difference. Im in no rush, just wondered what the point of LS is if I can just use that stuff after it being washed. Also can I wash it in tap water?


 It will still take some time to cycle. And yes you are killing the bacteria that are in the sand to shorten the cycle. You could use fully cured live rock if you don't want a long cycle. The sand will team with life again once you put it back into the tank, no worries there. The sand is alot finer than crushed coral and bodes better for sand sifting critters.


----------



## JImi (Jul 19, 2011)

Ok thanks for the info Madness :O)


----------



## Talon (Sep 3, 2011)

sry wrong post


----------

