Going Nuts!

[littleboyblue16]

ok going nuts!

i desided to make a 10gal sump for the tank, but i donno how to go about doing it, and i don't want to drill threw the tank

any theirs stuff that i need and i am looking for the cheapest but best stuff

gravel (i thought i had some but i was wrong, lost the bag somewhere)

Filter! (sump duh)
Lights!

and thats it, i am such a dumb butt! light i know are probly going to be the most expsive!

but ya help plpease

[GoSUV]

For the sump, if your main tank isn't drilled, you'll have to work with siphon type overflows which is not very expensive, but does have certain risks. If it ever loses siphon, you must have some kind of float switch on the main tank to avoid flooding.

For the gravel, use aragonite sand. How big is your main tank? Tanks smaller than 55gal or so won't benefit from a deep sand bed. Use a thin layer (1 inch or so) or very deep layer (>6 inches) but not something in between. It is ok to use silica based sand, but it won't have the buffering capacity of aragonite based sand. Finer sand is preferred over coarser sand.

You don't need any mechanical filters. Just get good quality live rocks and have them cured before adding any livestock.

For the lights, depends on what you want to keep. For fish only systems, a cheap 20W fixture (the light is for you to view the fish) will do. For most corals, you'll need VHO or PC bulbs. For SPS and clams, you'll need MH lights. This is the general rule in short. Tell us specifically what you want to keep and we can recommend what your options are.

[ReefVan]

If you use external overflows, use only a MaxiJet 1200 for the powerhead required to keep siphon clear of air bubbles. It's the only PH you can depend on to do the job.

Use only a black hose between the MaxiJet and the overflow, transparent hose will grow algae inside and block up over time due to proximity to the lights.

As GoSUV stated, install a float switch, this is essential! I have a external CPR overflow on my 66 reef and before I modded it to the configuration stated above, I had 2 seperate instances where the tank overflowed.

Van

[john rock]

What size tank have you setup? I didn't see it in the profile. From what I remember it is fairly small and you were thinking of upgrading in some time. Honestly, if its under 50 gallons I wouldn't bother with the drilling and sump thing just yet. Cut your teeth on this tank[experiment] and read alot!!! there is tons to learn. Do your water changes faithfully on this smaller tank and go from there. There is nothing worse than to get overwelmed and to try to do to much at once. The marine enviroment is fairly sensitive and the prices to makes mistakes are HUGE!!!! take your time and the number one thing is to buy some books. There are a lot of good ones and I'm sure TANG-MAN here at AC can direct you in the right direction in this department. Good luck and take your time.

[tang_man_montreal]

Great books, In no specific order...

The Coral Reef Aquarium - by Ron Shimek

Reef Invertabrates, An essential guide to selection, care and compatibility - by Anthony Calfo and Robert Fenner

Natural Reef Aquariums : Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms
by John H. Tullock, Martin A. Moe

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist : A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists
by Robert M. Fenner, Christopher Turk

Aquarium Corals
by Eric Borneman

The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium vol. 1, 2 & 3

Corals of the World
by Jen Veron

Your First Marine Aquarium - by John Tolluck

Corals Complete Owner's Manual - by John Tolluck

Clownfishes and Sea Anemones : Everything About Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Maintenance, and Setting Up an Aquarium (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's manu
by John H. Tullock

Marine Atlas Vol 1, 2 & 3: by Helmut Debelius, et al

Marine Fishes by Scott Michael

Clownfishes by Joyce D. Wilkerson, Thomas A. Frakes

Reef Fish, Reef Creatures and Reef Corals by Paul Humann, Ned Deloach

[littleboyblue16]

i am going only with a 20gal for now, maybe a 33gal if i can get rid of my fish, it just i been reading about sumps and they sound like a good thing to have, but if i don't have to worrie about it then fine with me less work haha, i could never just use live rock as my filter, i would need something, i would feel too nerouse just having the liverock do all the job

as for lights, i want corals and all that, so ya i donno haha

ok ya

[Toutouche]

Couple other books you forgot to add are:

"Corals- A quick referance guide" by Juian Sprung
"Book of Coral propagation" by Anthony Calfo