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Thread: From planted to Marine

  1. #1
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    From planted to Marine

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    Hmm... I can sense the dark force. It's growing in me, I can feel it.

    My current setup is 4x2(H)x1.5 with DIY wooden hood with 4PLx36W lighting.

    I have "lonestar" sand and CO2 tank. Guess marine tank will not need any CO2 injection. As for filter, I have the external cannister (Taiwanese brand that immitate Jaqno)

    Will I need to spend a bomb to convert to marine? Hope to start with fish first then reef.

  2. #2
    Hello,

    Welcome, my friend! =)

    Anyway, you've got basically most of the stuff needed to keep even reef tanks, but if you're going for fish-only, these are the additional stuff you need:

    Protein skimmer (ORCA hang-on counter-current at abt $50)
    Sand (optional for fish-only, I think) - $8 per bag, 3-4 bags enough to make deep sand bed
    Live rock (either for filtration or aesthetic purposes) - $5/kg. For reef tanks people advocate 1 lb LR / gal for filtration.
    Water test kits (for fish-only you'll probably only need pH, Alk, NO2, NO3 and NH3 - all these come from Coralife in a box kit at around $50)
    Salt - I use Instant Ocean, there are many other brands out there are well.

    Lastly, of course, will be your lifestock.

    Hope this helps!

    Regards,
    Hong Yee


    ----------------
    On 6/27/2002 4:39:16 PM

    Hmm... I can sense the dark force. It's growing in me, I can feel it.

    My current setup is 4x2(H)x1.5 with DIY wooden hood with 4PLx36W lighting.

    I have "lonestar" sand and CO2 tank. Guess marine tank will not need any CO2 injection. As for filter, I have the external cannister (Taiwanese brand that immitate Jaqno)

    Will I need to spend a bomb to convert to marine? Hope to start with fish first then reef.
    ----------------

  3. #3
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    Which route is easier to start with, pure fish or pure reef? I will need to do more research b4 jumping over. Will start to read up all those posts here. Any good advise here for a beginner?

  4. #4
    IMO reef is much more diff then fish only. no u dun need to spend a bomb.......if u wan to use canister for ur FO tank sure,but not for reef.pretty much all the stuff has been said by goby liao.
    for gd info u can try www.reefcentral.com n www.reefs.org

    ONE IMPT NOTE FOR BRGINNERS....take it slow.....even though ur tank is cycled it dosent mean u can start keeping everything......

    o ya wat size is ur co2 cylinder....do u wanna sell?
    Acroporids and Tridacnids

  5. #5
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    Cheeyong.. welcome to the dark side.. hehehe

    the sand or gravel to be used should be coral sand.. as it will help u to stablise the pH and at the same time, help u to act as a filtration media....

    on top of these stuff... do read these topics..
    marine tank setup
    reference books

    there are some other topics available in the marine forum.. do take a look at it.. any problems.. just post..

    btw, do invest in a hydrometer.. and a skimmer which is a must..
    []
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

  6. #6
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    Where do you guys stay? Do you mind if I pay a visit and look at your tanks?

  7. #7
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    btw, cheeyong...i would recommend u removing the hood.. as it would increase the oxygen exchange and lowers the temp.. also, with marine, the wooden hood might just get all the salt sprays and make the joints rusty...
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

  8. #8
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    Gosh, I spent almost a month DIY the hood last time.[]
    Anyway, I have 2 DC fans sucking the hot air out from the hood and temp is constant 28-29C for my planted tank. is surface skimmer = protein skimmer? how does a protein skimmer work?

  9. #9
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    Gosh, I spent almost a month DIY the hood last time.
    Anyway, I have 2 DC fans sucking the hot air out from the hood and temp is constant 28-29C for my planted tank.
    well.. up to u lor.. it will definately cost the hinges to rust and wood to get soggy with all the salt sprays..unless u paint the hinges first and air it.. and let the fumes evaporate for a few days.. it might prevent the hinges from rusting.. pls go for those paint that prevent rust.. can't recalled the brand of paint i used the last time.. sigh.. sorry...as for using the fans to suck out the hot air.. i dun know coz me never used it b4... however, i recalled reading this topic of discussion in this site..

    is surface skimmer = protein skimmer? how does a protein skimmer work?
    surface skimmer is not the same as protein skimmer..even though protein skimmer had been used in FW... protein skimmers come in few types..

    venturi type e.g Berlin
    air pump driven e.g Orca (me using that)
    powerhead driven e.g macro, red sea cyclone

    in all, they cause disturbance within the funnel and using the proteins are attracted to the air bubbles formed.. and these air bubbles will surface to the top and they are collected with a container...and the residue can range from clear to dark green..
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

  10. #10
    Hi cheeyong,

    I'm staying at pasir panjang, so if you're free, you're most welcome to take a look at my tank. It's not fully stocked yet, but with some LPS and lots of softies. Most of the stuff is DIY (the plumbing), so if you're interested in seeing how a DIY overflow box is done you can come over.

    Oh ya, kelvin, I just bought a carpet anemone today! He seems to like where I've put him, so I'm just waiting for my clown to find him. Got a fantastic deal - one turbinaria coral, one carpet anemone, one featherduster (got it for fun) and one pumping xenia at $20, haha.

    OK, back to topic ... surface skimmer just skims water off the surface and returns it into lower water levels - if you're using a sump, the overflow unit would inevitably act as a surface skimmer. It's needed to prevent muck from coating the water surface, which will decrease O2 absorption and decrease amount of light reaching your corals.

    Kelvin's said most of the stuff on the protein skimmer ... orca sells for $25 for a small unit, and you'll have to buy an airpump and regularly replace the wooden airstones. I've used it before and it works great. Right now I'm using a double venturi from Amiracle, which is more expensive but works well too - frankly I don't see much difference between these 2.

    Your canopy should be OK, but do as what kel has suggested - you can minimise salt spray but not agitating the surface too much. Your temp range is good for corals too - I'm having 29-31 regularly and the corals are still fine.

    Regards,
    Hong Yee

  11. #11
    Oh ya, forgot ... the Orca skimmers are designed for water to enter from the top, so if you configure it properly it also acts as a surface skimmer. Not bad eh? 2 in 1 deal.

  12. #12
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    hong yee,
    what color is your carpet anemone.. brown is the most common.. if u see a deep luminous green or reddish.. grab it..coz it is not too common and usually quite ex.. do avoid yellowish or pale looking ones..coz they would have lost their zooxanthellae and will slowly waste away..

    cheeyong.. pls take note of the cycling period.. i know u read this many times under the marine forum, but patience is the best prevention..[]
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

  13. #13
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    welcome abroad mate. I did my marine conversion last year and am a much happier man and no longer a weekend janitor!

  14. #14
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    Hi, where can the Orca skimmer be purchased?
    Cheers!

  15. #15
    Ya, mine's brown - not very nice colour but will do I think. Hong Leong frequently has very good anemone colours though!

    Regards,
    Hong Yee

  16. #16
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    ----------------
    On 6/28/2002 6:17:28 PM

    Hi cheeyong,

    I'm staying at pasir panjang, so if you're free, you're most welcome to take a look at my tank. It's not fully stocked yet, but with some LPS and lots of softies. Most of the stuff is DIY (the plumbing), so if you're interested in seeing how a DIY overflow box is done you can come over.

    Oh ya, kelvin, I just bought a carpet anemone today! He seems to like where I've put him, so I'm just waiting for my clown to find him. Got a fantastic deal - one turbinaria coral, one carpet anemone, one featherduster (got it for fun) and one pumping xenia at $20, haha.

    OK, back to topic ... surface skimmer just skims water off the surface and returns it into lower water levels - if you're using a sump, the overflow unit would inevitably act as a surface skimmer. It's needed to prevent muck from coating the water surface, which will decrease O2 absorption and decrease amount of light reaching your corals.

    Kelvin's said most of the stuff on the protein skimmer ... orca sells for $25 for a small unit, and you'll have to buy an airpump and regularly replace the wooden airstones. I've used it before and it works great. Right now I'm using a double venturi from Amiracle, which is more expensive but works well too - frankly I don't see much difference between these 2.

    Your canopy should be OK, but do as what kel has suggested - you can minimise salt spray but not agitating the surface too much. Your temp range is good for corals too - I'm having 29-31 regularly and the corals are still fine.

    Regards,
    Hong Yee
    ----------------
    Thks for the invitation. If time permits, I'll definitely go. I need to know the basic equipment needed and how are they connected so that I can plan to make best use of the existing eqmt I have now. I have the feeling my hood have to go becos of the overflow tank/sump handing.

    Thks again for all the valuable advice and I will head to kino this weekend to check out the books. My bedok library are all out for loan...

  17. #17
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    Cleanershrimp,
    Orca can be purchased at Petmart (at least, that is where i got mine[]).. just remember to get a pump with 2 outlets for the skimmer to work..

    Cheeyong,
    instead of getting a book on loan, i would recommend u getting a book for reference.. do refer to the post above for the books.. personnally, i endorse them.. sign, chopped and sealed by kelvin.. hehehe[]

    Hong Yee,
    brown is very very common.. but neve mind.. if it is the symbolic relationship between the anemone and clownfish that u are interested in, then it dun matter.. usually, the prices for those reddish color can hit up to $25-$60 for one..depending on the size..[]
    Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories.

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