Lynn's frag tank experiment

lcstorc · 04-15-2009, 04:15 PM

OK, I feel really stupid on this one but I am honestly unsure of what to do.
I am setting up a frag tank. It is a totally separate tank and is not attached to any of the other tanks at all. I have a 150w light, the tank (I don't even know how big it is.) and as many power heads as anybody could possibly want as well as enough eggcrate, pvc, frag plugs and other misc frag supplies.
What filtration do I need on this tank? I bought a skimmer for it, but now I don't think I even need that. As the plan stands now, there will be no fish in the system. You know how this hobby is so I will keep it around for the inevitible fish that will land there someday.
I am going to want to run carbon since I have a lot of leathers but I have an extra Phosban reactor I can use for that.
What else do I need. Should I get a HOB filter of some kind? I can't think of a need to cycle but now I am second guessing myself.

BigAl07 · 04-15-2009, 04:28 PM

Filtration? Why no skimmer? It can't hurt.... even though I'm NOT running one on my frag tank.

You may want a small fish in there just for "House Keeping". I've got a 6line in mine and it's awesome

lcstorc · 04-15-2009, 04:32 PM

Well I was going to go ahead and run the skimmer since I have it, but do I need LR or another filter material? Do I need a HOB.
I am probably overthinking here but I am going to have to feed the corals occasionally since they are in a fishless system so I need to have some biological filtration somewhere. Don't I?
I am not expecting a cycle but maybe I am wrong there as well.
The more I think the more I go in circles.
(Typical for me)

BigAl07 · 04-15-2009, 04:36 PM

*watches you go in circles and laughs*

Here is what I "think" I would do with my tank if I were doing it again today...

A) No rock
B) minimal sand bed (if any)
C) HOB filter/Skimmer
D) Acrylic/Pyrex racks (no more egg-crate)
E) LED lights (Or really good T5's)

I'm not saying this is the BEST design but it's the things I believe I would incorporate now after having that tank up for a couple of years.

Clownfish518 · 04-15-2009, 04:41 PM

LR will help IMO. It will give you a bio filter. I know its just a frag tank, but some mineralization may occur. The pods that will develop will help create zooplankton for the frags to eat

I think a skimmer is a good idea as a safety net, and to keep the water saturated with O2

my two cents

lcstorc · 04-15-2009, 04:42 PM

So, you say HOB or skimmer.
In that case all I need is the bulb that will get here tomorrow and water.
I think I am going to look in the garage for an old HOB filter we may have lying around or even go buy one. Somehow it just seems wrong to have nothing.
Well, I have lots of kenya tree frags to put in and test. I have a forest of the darn things in the reef. I guess I'll add some water and give it a try. One day without a light is not going to hurt kenya trees.

lcstorc · 04-15-2009, 04:45 PM

I think I am going to grab a rock or two out of my fuge. I have a bunch of base rock that has been there forever and I believe a piece or two are nice and flat. I could just lay them down as kind of a base and put the frags on them or around them.
It may not actually help anything other than my paranoid brain but it's not like I have to go buy and cycle rock.

BigAl07 · 04-15-2009, 04:50 PM

I think if I use rock in a Frag Tank I'll drill it out for Frag Plugs. I need to finda link to where I saw that recently... Looks really cook and utilizes the rock into the system for more than just filtration

lcstorc · 04-15-2009, 06:02 PM

Now that makes perfect sense.
Al, Frank is not going to be happy with you.

I now have an official plan. I just have to sweet talk him into drilling some rocks for me.
Actually, I don't have to wait for him. I can get him to drill on the weekend but get everything else done tomorrow.

JoJo · 04-15-2009, 09:57 PM

good info, i'll be setting up one soon

BigAl07 · 04-15-2009, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcstorc

Now that makes perfect sense.
Al, Frank is not going to be happy with you.

I now have an official plan. I just have to sweet talk him into drilling some rocks for me.
Actually, I don't have to wait for him. I can get him to drill on the weekend but get everything else done tomorrow.

Now now! Frank and I are PALS! We did MACNA-XX together!

Of all the things you COULD ask for "drilling the rock" shouldn't be the hardest of them. Plus once he's done doing that "you'll OWE him" and I'm sure he's all over that

Take LOTS of pics! Before during and after

BigAl07 · 04-15-2009, 10:17 PM

Here's a link to something I was thinking about

lcstorc · 04-15-2009, 10:21 PM

I'm not sure why I didn't think of it since that is what we did with that fake rocks with the magnets. We drilled holes in that for frag plugs but with the light pattern of the Solaris it wouldn't really work for us. I was already planning to use that one but hadn't thought to do the same with the live rock.

BigAl07 · 04-15-2009, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcstorc

I'm not sure why I didn't think of it since that is what we did with that fake rocks with the magnets. We drilled holes in that for frag plugs but with the light pattern of the Solaris it wouldn't really work for us. I was already planning to use that one but hadn't thought to do the same with the live rock.

See you were half way already there

You just needed a "nudge" in the right direction.

I wont use egg-crate any more for anything visible in my tanks. rock/Acrylic and that's it for me

JoJo · 04-16-2009, 08:34 AM

whats the issue with eggcrate

04-15-2009, 04:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Lynn's frag tank experiment OK, I feel really stupid on this one but I am honestly unsure of what to do. I am setting up a frag tank. It is a totally separate tank and is not attached to any of the other tanks at all. I have a 150w light, the tank (I don't even know how big it is.) and as many power heads as anybody could possibly want as well as enough eggcrate, pvc, frag plugs and other misc frag supplies. What filtration do I need on this tank? I bought a skimmer for it, but now I don't think I even need that. As the plan stands now, there will be no fish in the system. You know how this hobby is so I will keep it around for the inevitible fish that will land there someday. I am going to want to run carbon since I have a lot of leathers but I have an extra Phosban reactor I can use for that. What else do I need. Should I get a HOB filter of some kind? I can't think of a need to cycle but now I am second guessing myself. __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

04-15-2009, 04:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
BigAl07 Do I look as lost as I am Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 21,547 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank Filtration? Why no skimmer? It can't hurt.... even though I'm NOT running one on my frag tank. You may want a small fish in there just for "House Keeping". I've got a 6line in mine and it's awesome __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Live Rock Rubble will do the SAME thing as Bio-Balls and is NOT a suitable replacement for BIO-BALLS in a Reef System! It's ALL gotta go!!* Nitrate (NO3) reduction is directly proportional to percentage of Water Change. Allen's home-made formula...currentNO3-((%WC.01)currentNO3)=finalNO3 (thanks Luukosian) This means if you change 50% of your total water volume (That's EVERYTHING) you'll get a net reduction of (NO3) somewhere around 50%. Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Gone but not forgotten BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Allens OFFICE 12g Nano-Reef

04-15-2009, 04:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank Well I was going to go ahead and run the skimmer since I have it, but do I need LR or another filter material? Do I need a HOB. I am probably overthinking here but I am going to have to feed the corals occasionally since they are in a fishless system so I need to have some biological filtration somewhere. Don't I? I am not expecting a cycle but maybe I am wrong there as well. The more I think the more I go in circles. (Typical for me) __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

04-15-2009, 04:36 PM	#4 (permalink)
BigAl07 Do I look as lost as I am Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 21,547 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank watches you go in circles and laughs Here is what I "think" I would do with my tank if I were doing it again today... A) No rock B) minimal sand bed (if any) C) HOB filter/Skimmer D) Acrylic/Pyrex racks (no more egg-crate) E) LED lights (Or really good T5's) I'm not saying this is the BEST design but it's the things I believe I would incorporate now after having that tank up for a couple of years. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Live Rock Rubble will do the SAME thing as Bio-Balls and is NOT a suitable replacement for BIO-BALLS in a Reef System! It's ALL gotta go!!* Nitrate (NO3) reduction is directly proportional to percentage of Water Change. Allen's home-made formula...currentNO3-((%WC.01)currentNO3)=finalNO3 (thanks Luukosian) This means if you change 50% of your total water volume (That's EVERYTHING) you'll get a net reduction of (NO3) somewhere around 50%. Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Gone but not forgotten BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Allens OFFICE 12g Nano-Reef

04-15-2009, 04:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
Clownfish518 Razorback Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bentonville, Arkansas Posts: 1,542 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: new frag tank LR will help IMO. It will give you a bio filter. I know its just a frag tank, but some mineralization may occur. The pods that will develop will help create zooplankton for the frags to eat I think a skimmer is a good idea as a safety net, and to keep the water saturated with O2 my two cents __________________ Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem - William of Ockham

04-15-2009, 04:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank So, you say HOB or skimmer. In that case all I need is the bulb that will get here tomorrow and water. I think I am going to look in the garage for an old HOB filter we may have lying around or even go buy one. Somehow it just seems wrong to have nothing. Well, I have lots of kenya tree frags to put in and test. I have a forest of the darn things in the reef. I guess I'll add some water and give it a try. One day without a light is not going to hurt kenya trees. __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

04-15-2009, 04:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank I think I am going to grab a rock or two out of my fuge. I have a bunch of base rock that has been there forever and I believe a piece or two are nice and flat. I could just lay them down as kind of a base and put the frags on them or around them. It may not actually help anything other than my paranoid brain but it's not like I have to go buy and cycle rock. __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

04-15-2009, 04:50 PM	#8 (permalink)
BigAl07 Do I look as lost as I am Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 21,547 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank I think if I use rock in a Frag Tank I'll drill it out for Frag Plugs. I need to finda link to where I saw that recently... Looks really cook and utilizes the rock into the system for more than just filtration __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Live Rock Rubble will do the SAME thing as Bio-Balls and is NOT a suitable replacement for BIO-BALLS in a Reef System! It's ALL gotta go!!* Nitrate (NO3) reduction is directly proportional to percentage of Water Change. Allen's home-made formula...currentNO3-((%WC.01)currentNO3)=finalNO3 (thanks Luukosian) This means if you change 50% of your total water volume (That's EVERYTHING) you'll get a net reduction of (NO3) somewhere around 50%. Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Gone but not forgotten BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Allens OFFICE 12g Nano-Reef

04-15-2009, 06:02 PM	#9 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank Now that makes perfect sense. Al, Frank is not going to be happy with you. I now have an official plan. I just have to sweet talk him into drilling some rocks for me. Actually, I don't have to wait for him. I can get him to drill on the weekend but get everything else done tomorrow. __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

04-15-2009, 10:17 PM	#12 (permalink)
BigAl07 Do I look as lost as I am Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 21,547 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank Here's a link to something I was thinking about __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Live Rock Rubble will do the SAME thing as Bio-Balls and is NOT a suitable replacement for BIO-BALLS in a Reef System! It's ALL gotta go!!* Nitrate (NO3) reduction is directly proportional to percentage of Water Change. Allen's home-made formula...currentNO3-((%WC.01)currentNO3)=finalNO3 (thanks Luukosian) This means if you change 50% of your total water volume (That's EVERYTHING) you'll get a net reduction of (NO3) somewhere around 50%. Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Gone but not forgotten BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Allens OFFICE 12g Nano-Reef

04-15-2009, 10:21 PM	#13 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: new frag tank I'm not sure why I didn't think of it since that is what we did with that fake rocks with the magnets. We drilled holes in that for frag plugs but with the light pattern of the Solaris it wouldn't really work for us. I was already planning to use that one but hadn't thought to do the same with the live rock. __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

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