I need help!!!

[dfraley_23]

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Hey everyone.I have recently bought a 65 gallon reef ready tank.What are my options for the predrilled holes?I thought about a closed loop but I am unsure.What else could I do?Are their any good filtration methods out there somewhere besides protein skimming?I have a extra 10 gallon tank and 2 garbage bags full of bio balls.And what about sufficent lighting for my new tank?What could I do to this tank to make it a successful reef or fish tank?I am a noob at saltwater tanks and I really have no clue what I am doing.So I apperciate all the help that I can get.You see the pictures of what I have so far.I dont know what else I will be needing though.Thank you,in advance,for the help.

[Gina]

I would ditch the bio-balls they are a nitrate factory.
If this was my tank, I would put the biggest sump I could under the tank. You can make one yourself using a 10 or 20g aquarium. Then you could place your skimmer in the sump along with your heater.

You could still have a closed loop and we could help you with ideas on that.
As far as lighting goes, that all depends on what you want to keep as far as certain corals go. Some corals need intense lighting so if you have an idea on the type of corals you want let us know. I would certainly buy the best lights I could so that I wouldn't have to upgrade later.


Check out this section here there is some valuable info here.

getting started, tank set-up

[Woodstock]

Ditto to Gina~~

Nice set up

[blue_eyes53813]

I wouldnt skimp on a protein skimmer. Buy the best one you can find and in the long run your tank will be very health. A skimmer is pretty mucha must if you wanna add corals and keep nitrates and ammonia levels low. Other filteration could be 1-2 lbs of live rock per gallon of tank water, macro algae and live sand.

[Dragon Wrasse]

Looks like a nice start....plan what you would like to keep in your tank, then research what equipment you would need to keep those animals alive....SPS will need more light than Softies.....gobies need a sandbed....and so on. Visualize your finsished tank and then research it to find out what it will take to make your vision a reality.....Happy Learning!!

[mattie]

Okay you ready.....?
the tank is drilled so you could add an over flow box in the corners... you will need to find someone to make it for you or make your own. a corner overflow box will surface skim the tank. plumb the bulkhead fitting to a sump and get a good protien skimmer and hide it in the sump w/ you heater and return pump, you do not need the bio balls....try to sell em cheap..
you do have a choice you could do 1 corner overflow box over 1 hole and run a closed loop on the second or you could use the second hole as a return but be sure to get a oneway stop valve or your gonna have about 10g's of water on the ground
thats a nice canopy....nice and big with alot of fans
2 175w mh bulbs would be awesome in there w/ some icecap ballasts maybe some 14k color ohhh ya i can almost imagine it now
....

paint back of the tank blue now before you put water in it

[Dragon Wrasse]

Nice mattie....good recommendations....

[KeyserSoze]

I've got this same tank and stand and have been looking for ideas on how to add a sump now that it's set up. The 2 small doors below make it VERY difficult to add a sump or refugium under the tank later. You are doing the right thing by thinking this thru before you fill it full of 600lbs of water. I can't think of a scenario where you wouldn't benefit from adding a sump now. That's just my opinion but from experience if you change your mind later it'll be pretty hard. Good luck. It'll be a nice looking tank.

[dfraley_23]

Well I want a few fish but I am more interested in adding a few easy to take care of coral.I dont know what my options of coral are.I thought about just doing a fish only till I get the hang of saltwater.Ive talked to alot of people and they say saltwater is hard to fool with and coral are just retarded.But I am up to the challenge to have coral.I dont know what I need to do with the tank to have fish and a few pieces of coral,but I want something colorful.I hear people talking about live sand and bare bottom tanks and I have no clue what they are talking about.I thought sand was more of an ocean looking atmosphere but they say dont do it.And the pump to have an ocean current.How big of a current or pump do I need?Thanks everyone for all the advice.Trust me I need all the help I can get to have successful tank

[cracker]

I chatted with DF a while .What's needed is some picts and info on stand pipes or how to enclose those drains with internal overflow boxes.Perhaps somebody has a good link for something along these lines.

[Little Luey]

Nice tank and canopy.
I know there will be a lot of info trown at you but hang in there, there are many ways to keep a succesfull reef tank, and you will find that many of us do things one way or another because of personal preferences, but you need to evaluate all input to make a good decision for you, ultimatly is your tank.
Having said that, you do not have to have a sump, it is certanly nice to have one but it is not indespensable if you do not have a way to do it, those hole are kind of too low for an overflow, the reason I said that is because in a power outage the tank will drain down to the level of those holes, so you will need a very large sump to hold all this water. Those holes were more likely used for a closed loop. You could always get an overflow box to hang in the back, over the rim.
Most importantly, research and read a lot, look at other tanks so you get an idea of what you want, when you find the tank you want yours to look like ask lots of questions.

Also, Welcome to the Sanctuary.

[blade25]

Definitely get a skimmer, for fish only I would recommend cyclone or cpr back pack they do a decent job. For reef I like the berlin turbo for the sump. Just my opinion

[KeyserSoze]

The biggest lesson I learned in the beginning was that you are setting up a little ecosystem. The substrate dictates the fish. Fish influence the coral selection. The corals you want tell you what lights you'll need. It's more than that but you get the idea. It's a wonderful experiment with nature. Enjoy it and take your time.

[Little Luey]

Originally Posted by blade25

Definitely get a skimmer, for fish only I would recommend cyclone or cpr back pack they do a decent job. For reef I like the berlin turbo for the sump. Just my opinion

I know he means well but please, DO NOT GET THE SEACLONE. The bakpak is much better.