My Future (and first) Tank

First off, it's good to do a lot of research and reading before starting a saltwater tank.  However, be aware that there is a lot of bad information out there mixed in with the good stuff, so you have to kind of be careful.   Personally, I think you made the right decision by posting here, we've got a lot of pretty knowledgeable reefers in the area.
One thing that is especially true with saltwater is that "bigger is better".   The more water you have in your system, the more forgiving it will be to problems and mistakes.   I'd get the biggest tank and sump you feel comfortable with.   The smaller the total water volume of the system, the more vulnerable it will be to large parameter swings and those are not good.
The other thing I would REALLY encourage you to consider is dropping the idea of going with any type of external overflow box and simply by a tank with internal overflows or have your new tank drilled before you ever put any water in it.  If you have it drilled, it's pretty easy to build a little overflow box around the hole.   The one sure thing about those external overflow boxes is this:  At some point, they ALL fail and it's almost always when you are not around to catch it.   When that happens, you're most likely looking at a flood and/or major tank problems.   Having a drilled tank will really help you sleep at night and it will most likely be cheaper to do than buying an overflow box.
Good luck and keep asking questions here!
-JB

 

Welcome.

I'd have to agree with JB you'll end up hating that overflow, I'm not sure anyone who has one likes it. It costs about 5 bucks to drill a hole compared to buying an overflow and an air lifter pump which will run alot more. The second thing I would look into is a different set of lights, pc's are a good beginer light but if your going to buy a fixture rather than have the lights in a canopy I would suggest buying a metal halide system from the get go, the heat would be about the same and with mh you would have a much better start at a healthy tank. Jason

 

If you go to a good LFS (local fish shop) or online, you should be able to buy bulkheads that fit stanard PVC parts. Just pick the right sized bulkhead for the size of plumbing you want (Probably 3/4") and wherever you buy the bulkhead from should be able to tell you what size hole you need to have drilled in order to use it. Any glass shop should be able to drill the whole for you, but if you post in the Davenport regional forum, you might even be able to find someone to do it for you.

I used PC's on my first tank, and they were OK, but I was never really happy with the light output and they were prone to failure. Have you looked at T5 setups at all? They have great output when you use individual reflectors and they come in lots of color temp options. Check your LFS to see what T5 options you have (chances are chain places like PetCo and PetSmart will not have very many choices. If the LFS's don't have any good deals, you can always go to hellolights.com.

-JB

 

Twill, if you plan on using a protein skimmer on your system I have posted an Aqua C Remora skimmer in the for sale forum. I beleive you can hang it or use it in your sump. Check it out if your interested.

 

Good point. A skimmer is a must have.

-JB

 

I agree with others.  Good water is primary, but lighting is also important.  I would recommend getting an ro/di system, and MH or T5's, I started out with PC's and they limit your options for keeping coral's and clams.   If pricing is an issue, you can probably find a used MH system from one of the members as there is a lot of upgrading going on in this club.  Also, keep and eye out for people selling Live Rock, it's usually at least 50% less that buying from a fish store and it doesn't need to be cured.

 

come to the jan 19th meeting in coralville, members might be selling stuff you want for setting up the tank

 

bring that tank over ill drill it for ya, im in a tank drillin mood.
i think im gonna get me some scrap glass and just drill holes all day.
no seriously, i can drill for 1 inch bulkheads, that would allow you to use 3/4 inch pipe.
i would definatlely skip the pcs, and go for a halide or t-5 it doesnt cost much more money at all and you will be able to keep practically anything in a tank the size you are thinking of. while you are getting everything together keep an eye out for rock, its getting sold in this club nearly every week.
do your best to do it right the first time, you will be glad you did.
and welcome to GIRS .

 

Hello again.

Anyway good advice all around. I also second skipping the PC lighting. Even the low end T-5 systems are much nicer. If your already hanging out with us your going to want the good corals quickily. It never saves you any money to buy the lighting twice.

If your worried about the price of Live Rock I would suggest like what Al's said and keep and eye out for used rock or get a couple real nice pieces of rock and get dry base rock like from
http://www.marcorocks.com/
give it six months and you will never be able to tell the difference and it will save you hundreds.

 

Posted By covey on 12/29/2007 1:15 PM
If your worried about the price of Live Rock I would suggest like what Al's said and keep and eye out for used rock or get a couple real nice pieces of rock and get dry basic rock like from
http://www.marcorocks.com/
give it six months and you will never be able to tell the difference and it will save you hundreds.Then you can use the money saved towards better lights. /site/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif

 

pets playhouse sells live rock at $6.99lb and hung at sea of marvels will drill the tank for $20 and any local theisans sells all your bulkhead piece that you practically want we have bought alot of those type of things there

 

Posted By Twill on 12/29/2007 5:44 PM
I'm still not totally sure about the purpose of the hole in the top of the end cap, or exactly how it regulates water flow. I like to know exactly how things work so I don't have to just trust everything to work right, but gleaning that knowledge from and image is tricky! Can anybody explain that to me?
The hole on top helps reduce the back pressure in your drain.  In turn, it'll make the water level in your overflow stable and stop the gurgling/flushing noise.

 

Twill, thanks for the link.  I'll set this up on my one tank today to see how it works.
Hows your tank coming along?  Is it about ready?  Any pics?