Bpb Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 (edited) Check the "Free" forum on the for sale section here frequently. Theres just about always some cheap corals, sand, rock, and gear up for sale that will be of some use to you. Also, he's right though...lighting drives people away. The sticker price on some prefab LED units can be terrifying. Everything can be done on the cheap if youre resourceful enough though. Buddy of mine managed to locate a 4 foot 6 bulb t5ho unit with brand new bulbs and individual reflectors for only $100. No it's not an ATI power module but it's still a great deal. Once you start really looking at livestock, you'll realize that's where the money goes. LOL go online and look up the prices of most Scolys and you'll see what I mean. little 2" individual specimens going for $250-$350. Some angelfish and triggerfish selling for the same as well. Those are extreme examples but just to let you know if you itemized every coral in a mature well stocked tank, retail can easily climb into the 10's of thousands in larger tanks. Now, not many people actually pay that, but that's what sticker price can add up to. You can get away with having a 20 gallon tank with soft corals and easy stuff for under $200 easy easy Edited August 30, 2013 by Bpb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 I love working with my hands/fingers! and it just so happens I have a garage full of every tool known to man! I'll still probably opt for an ebay buy, just because I'd probably end up electrocuting myself and then you;d never hear from me again lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Are these the first eggs you've gotten from your Leopard Geckos? You are better off using RO but Austin tap is pretty good. This system has been maintained with tap for over 5 1/2 years now so don't feel like you're going to kill everything off if you don't immediately switch over: It's also a sumpless and filterless setup with just four power heads and air bubbles for circulation. Also keep in mind even just with Acropora species if you look at the natural habitats you have species living in mutually exclusive habitats. Looking at some of the other socalled "SPS" you find popular corals living in a wide range of ecosystems, like Poccilopora damicornis which thrives in mangrove swamps, so whatever type of filtration and water flow you use there will be animals that do not like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 Are these the first eggs you've gotten from your Leopard Geckos? You are better off using RO but Austin tap is pretty good. This system has been maintained with tap for over 5 1/2 years now so don't feel like you're going to kill everything off if you don't immediately switch over: It's also a sumpless and filterless setup with just four power heads and air bubbles for circulation. Also keep in mind even just with Acropora species if you look at the natural habitats you have species living in mutually exclusive habitats. Looking at some of the other socalled "SPS" you find popular corals living in a wide range of ecosystems, like Poccilopora damicornis which thrives in mangrove swamps, so whatever type of filtration and water flow you use there will be animals that do not like it. Not exactly. She laid her first clutch in June. But with my DIY incubator, I've been losing eggs fairly easily. It's hard to get these guys hatched with no real experience and no money for a "real" incubator. I'm def set on an Ocellaris Clownfish. don;t know much about what all can and cannot go with one. But I'd like to get my planning and research done way ahead of time so don't screw up when it finally comes time to slowly add my fish. I had my eye on a Watchman Goby that was giving me a staredown at the store today. Those are really the only two saltwater fish that I know the names of >.< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 So I have this huge pile of papers.. Highlighters.. Noted etc. And right now I'm studying sumps.. and it actually seems fairly easy to put one of these together. I believe I have an overflow thingy in a box somewhere. Glad kept it. I had no idea what it was. have a billion powerheads, and about 3 drilled 10 gallon tanks just laying around. I figure with a sump I have more water volume.. Meaning a little more room for mistakes when it comes to water quality.. just n case. Also helps since I'm not looking over the tank over the weekends, so it'll keep the water level the same till I return on Mondays. I have a ton of tubing that I can clean up with some good est tube brushes. I've had all of the supplies to create a sump, I just never knew how, nor bothered to look. But as of right now the only issue is these tanks are up on lab tables. There is no cabinet below them, nor any way of putting a sump underneath the tank unless I put it on the floor.. But then it would be in the way. Unless I moved the tank over to a SIDE of the lab table, which has space underneath for the lab stools (Which we dont even have any) I guess before I get to adding rock and stuff I need to really hunker down on the placement of this tank so I'm not stuck with a 300lb tank that I have to move. Any advice on the sump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 The battle station I've basically been living at ever since I started thinking about a SW setup lol My little 5gal wth my Betta boy hanging out with me. Looks a little drab. t was at the school all summer. No lights. The plants need some help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Are you planning on using a skimmer? Get the skimmer before you start building the sump. It will save you a headache later. You'll also need a bubble trap of some kind to eliminate/minimize bubbles in the display tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 Still unsure about the skimmer. Especially since they seem to cost a pretty penny for one that actually does the job. I still have a month until I'm sure or not about getting a job at the aquarium, so until then it's just doing work for my dad at his place and hoping I get some halfway decent cash out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Eh. Some folks on here will tell you to skip the skimmer. Others will swear by them. That argument aside, expensive is relative. I've seen aqua c remora skimmers go for under $50 regularly used. Eshopps skimmers can be had for under $100 and the new ones come stock with very good pumps. You don't have to buy a $2,000 vertex skimmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Yeah only 2 of my tanks run skimmers, the rest are skimmer/sumpless. You can always add a hang on back skimmer to the sump at a later time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 My next question of the night is if there is such a thing as saltwater plants? Like.. the green stuff lol It would be super cool if I could grow my own seaweed or some sort of SW plants as well. I havent come across anything saying if there are or arent such a thing for tanks.. Thought it would be best to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Monnat Jr Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 My next question of the night is if there is such a thing as saltwater plants? Like.. the green stuff lol It would be super cool if I could grow my own seaweed or some sort of SW plants as well. I havent come across anything saying if there are or arent such a thing for tanks.. Thought it would be best to ask. Yes, it's called macro-algae. Beyond the Refugium: A Macroalgae Primer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 Oh. M. Gosh. That is amazing. More research! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Instead of investing in foam fractionizers, consider using macro algae for biofiltration. Also, if you are on a tight budget you should not include the sump. Yes, you are right that it hides the water line as evaporation decreases water level. It will drive your cost up significantly. Over a three day week end, the water line would not be an operational problem. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Yeah ill agree 100% with Patrick on this. If you're on a very tight budget, you may consider going with a lagoon type planted marine tank full of macro algae, a clown or two, and maybe a pistol shrimp/goby pair. You can easily get some super cheap/free soft corals for a little variation. Maintenance would be real easy. Don't need wicked expensive lighting. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Monnat Jr Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Even in small tanks, you can get some fun ornamental crustaceans, too. Sexy Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) Porcelain Anemone Crabs (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai) Porcelain Anemone Crabs (Neopetrolisthes maculatus) Porcelain Rock Crab (Petrolisthes galathinus) All of them are 'reef safe' and won't harm anything else in your DT. The Sexies are cleaners (for eels and mantis shrimp not really normal fish). The Porcelain Crabs are filter feeders so are safe crabs. Both the Sexy Shrimp and Porcelain Anemone Crabs will associate with anemones or even corals (anemones host and fish/crustaceans associate). They are also clean-up crew (CUC) but pretty ones and are great conversation critters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 . . . have a billion powerheads, and about 3 drilled 10 gallon tanks just laying around. I figure with a sump I have more water volume . . . But as of right now the only issue is these tanks are up on lab tables. . . Since this is a science class and you have tanks that are drilled why not leave the whole setup on the lab table where all of it can be watched? Some corals do like high flow rates but a multi tank system only needs one or two turnovers per hour through all the system. Just having one of the 10 gallons sitting 2" higher than another will give you enough of a gravity drop. I don't know how much space you have but stair stepping all three tanks seems like it would be fairly easy and has some intriguing potential when it comes to keeping incompatable animals. Where are the holes located on the tanks and what size are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 There's only one hole on each of the ten gallons, drilled on the side, close to the top. If had to guess, I'd say they were abut an inch, maybe bigger. I won't be back at the school till Tuesday to check though. If anything I can do something FW related with the tanks, something to get the students involved and let them be able to see what is happening. I'd feel much more confident about doing a FW sump or some system similar to that. I need to find a photo of the classroom. I know I have one. Give e a few minutes to find it, t may give you n idea of the space have on each table. We rarely use the lab tables, and when we do, we dont need them all, so if I need to take up a whole table it should be okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 Gag, I can;t find one Heres a decent example though http://www.mjpaia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/CanyonHighSchoolChemLab1-e1338922039526-940x705.jpg Not the table with wheels, but the others, those are just like the tables we have, except our are around the perimeter of the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Gag, I can;t find one . . . You're fired! Sounds like if you raise one of the 10 gallons up about 4" you could use a bulkhead and a PVC elbow to drain water into the lower one. (You may be lucky enough for standard PVC fittings to fit the drilled holes but bulkhead fittings are cheap.) You could do all three with one on either side of a middle "sump" or have one about 8" high feeding a middle one then the bottom one. The hole on the bottom one would be plugged. If I remember correctly a 10 gallon tank is 10" by 20". Just eyeballing it I would guess you may be able to fit all three side by side on one end of a lab bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 If I'm not mistaken, I have a trash bag FULL of bulkhead fittings and things at appear to be what I would need. I honestly have no idea where all this stuff came from. It was just there after I graduated lol It would be neat to have all three. I have some tanks that aren't drilled as well that I could use for the bottom one. Maybe have one tank house a Betta or something similar, and the bottom tank have inverts like shrimp and snails. Hmmm. Now I'm pretty excited about seeing what I can throw together. But now to focus on what I can toss in this SW tank lol. Well of course, not now. But I'd like to plan out my stocking list now rather than be clueless later. I just might start with a FOWLR setup. At least until I can get my lighting situation figured out. So far I'm most definitely going to get a Ocellaris Clown. That's a for sure no matter what. If I continue with the FOWLR setup here, what other creatures would be okay for a 20 gallon? Here's just what had looked at through pictures and stuff of that nature. I have no knowledge of any of these creatures so for all I know they get way too big for my tank -Flame Angelfsh -Lawnmower Blenny -Green Chromis -Diamond Goby -Watchman Goby -Some sort of small Wrasse -Brittle Star -Emerald Crab -Coral Banded Shrimp -Hermit Crab -Crosea Clam (I don't intend on wanting all of these in the tank of course, they were more or less just a list to pick from and get more info on) I will probably make the 30 gallon up n the front of the room a reef setup, and keep this one FOWLR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Monnat Jr Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Did you see my post above (#41)? Coral Banded Shrimp can eat fish, hermit crabs like all true crabs are scavengers that can kill and eat anything they can catch (including snails), clams need good parameters and good light, the Lawnmower Blenny requires a lot of algae which means a bigger, mature tank. Brittle Stars are good CUC. Any wrasse (other than possum wrasse) will preclude most ornamental crustaceans. Check out LiveAquaria.com for good minimum tank size recommendations (they're pretty good), like for the Flame Angelfish. Speaking of great crustaceans, check out Pom Pom Crabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 Oops, looks like I've been missing a few posts here and there. Sorry about that. Let me rework my list of possibilities. Sexy Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) Porcelain Anemone Crabs (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai) Porcelain Anemone Crabs (Neopetrolisthes maculatus) Porcelain Rock Crab (Petrolisthes galathinus) Pink Spotted Watchman Goby Clown Goby, Green (Gobiodon atrangulatus) Red Striped Goby (Trimma cana) Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) Pincushion Urchin (Lytechinus variegatus) Dwarf Colored Feather Duster (Bispira sp.) And of course the clown is a sure thing. Maybe just go with a single clown and the watchman goby? along with a little CUC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 Ahh just checked out the Pom Pom crab. I really like it :3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics%C2%AE-Dimmable-Aquarium-Seaweed-TT-AL09/dp/B0092LXQRM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Looking at lights.. This one seems decent enough for what I'm doing. All good reviews and people with larger tanks even said it was good for their coral. I figure if I find something around $150 or less, my mother will order it since she owes me a promised birthday present ;P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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