So it begins

[shyeep]

As requested here is a view of my very very new Juwel 180 reef setup, I have an EHEIM prfessional 2 2026 filter + internal Juwel filter running together, A thin layer of marine sand with about 40kg of ocean rock (will be replacing some with live rock in about a week) and pre mixed salt water which i will check when the tank has settled a bit. And thats about it for now, I will post more pics as the tank progresses over the next few months, Oh and a big thankyou to all of you that are going to help me over that time

Sheep

[Craig Manoukian]

Welcome form across the pond! Looks like a nice start and we look forward to future pictures and questions as you progress!

[livingreef2004]

thats a slick lookin setup looks great

[cheeks69]

Very nice shyeep Will follow the progression !

BTW is that Eheim a canister filter ? Is this going to be a reef ? What type of lighting are you going with ? Do you have a fish list yet ?

[shyeep]

Hi yes i have a canister filter and the juwel filter both running, I am going to go for reef but only with soft corals as i have only got upgraded marine tubes on the Juwel and have been told that they will not be powerful enough for hard coral.
As to a fish list I was hoping to have a yellow Tang although i am wondering if my tank is big enough after reading posts on here, I also want a scooter blenny, Cleaner shrimps if possible, Maybe two clown fish and that was all really i am fully aware of the limits having a reef setup so would you think this is a possible list? Primarily though i want a varied colourful soft coral reef with maybe an anenome or two? so any suggestions would be gratefully recieved, I also run a 55gallon Tropical tank so class myself as a reasonably competant beginner so hopefully that will go a little way to running a reef tank :-) anyway thanks again for any help/suggestions

Sheep

[Woodstock]

Your fish selection sounds very doable I would add the yellow tang last due to its aggressive behavior to new additions. Wait on adding any anemones for atleast 6 mos to be sure your tank is stable and mature. There are lots of hardy and pretty corals you can add.... mushrooms, ricordia, leathers, zoas, polyps, etc.

Fun! Fun!

[shyeep]

Thanks for the advice will take it onboard just have to try and work out what will look best in my tank now lol too much choice??

Sheep

[cheeks69]

Depending on the Anemones they can be very light demanding, in fact MH can be a prerequisite to keep certain Anemones. The fish list is good but be careful with the Scooter Blenny they can be difficult to keep due to its feeding habits, it sifts through the sand for live food so you need a mature tank with plenty of infauna.

Canister filters aren't recommended for reef tanks because they trap detritus so if they're not cleaned regularly they will be a source of nitrates. You can use them to run carbon or phosphate absorving media occasionally.

Could you explain to me what a juwel filter is ? Do you have a sump ? Are you using a skimmer ?

[shyeep]

I will be using a Prism skimmer (due to space restrictions) a Juwel filter is an internal filter supplied with the tank which by all accounts does a reasonable job, I have a Juwel 260(55gallon) tank with their own branded filter and have got a very stable tank with nitrates less than 10 (tropical) I wont be using a sump unfortunately due to space again, My canister filter over filters my 180 litre tank by a factor of 3 and will be cleaned very often( im a bit obsessive lol) but i also will be using a fairly large quantity of live rock to aid in filtering, do you think i will be ok? or what are my alternatives??

Sheep

[cheeks69]

Our good Friend Boomer once said:

The real reason is that they compete with nitrifying bacteria, which reduces the population density of nitrifying bacteria in the SB or LR. It is here where the Nitrate can be fed right to Facultative Anaerobic Bacteria, which convert it to N2 gas

Although he was talking about bio-balls the same principle also applies to canister filters and the bio-media and sponges they use.

Your best bet is to use the canister filter to polish the water but use it occasionally, with enough LR and a good skimmer these types of filters are unnecessary and eventually lead to nitrate issues.

If you haven't bought the Prizm then I would recommend you get a better skimmer. I have used the Prizm before and although they will work on small tanks anything over 30 gal tank is beyond it's capability IMO. A AquaC Remora is one of the best HOT skimmers available in the hobby and would work great in a 55 gal. but I don't know if they're available there.

[Craig Manoukian]

I know the Aqua Medic Turbo Floater 1000 Muti is available in the UK/European markets. While it is more than enogh for a 55 gallon, the great thing is it will accomodate a larger tank, something that always seems to be the natural progression in this hobby!

[Kensn]

I might suggest not buying the Prism skimmer, I have never heard any good comments made about them. I would do some more research on hang on skimmers and see if there is a more efficent skimmer to use. AquaC Remora is one that comes to mind.

[cheeks69]

Originally Posted by Craig Manoukian

I know the Aqua Medic Turbo Floater 1000 Muti is available in the UK/European markets. While it is more than enogh for a 55 gallon, the great thing is it will accomodate a larger tank, something that always seems to be the natural progression in this hobby!

Gee forgot about that one and it's the one I use in my tank...lol

[shyeep]

I will do some research in to other alternate skimmers just need to find a slim one as it must fit on the back of the tank and i have only got about 4 inches of space between the back of the tank and the wall, How much live rock would be enough for my 180 litre tank to deal with the filtering ? Thanks

Sheep

[Woodstock]

I'd have to vote for Aqua-C remora skimmers~~ Mine works great!