1 decision made

orb4me · 07-13-2008, 02:19 PM

29 gallon tank and put it in the kitchen. Next step is back to finding a stand.
They are either too cheap looking and cheap, or way out of my price range. I looked at the Amish made furniture and it looks good and very strong, but nothing that gives me what I need.

Next will be water, salt, sand , rock.

tx to who ever told me to work with salt water in the tank before I jump in over my head. very good idea.

Nearest live rock and sand is Columbus, so Im going to buy on line, any suggested places?

Depending on the amount of rock,sand etc, does the same rule of 1 fish per gal stay the same?

What cycles the tank since ammonia surely isnt right.

About the sand. 30 pounds? I have been taking gravel out of my tanks and it makes cleaning the tanks so much easier. wouldnt it be possible to use 20 pounds in stead?

thats all the questions for now, thank you all for being patient with me again.

oops, one more. Checked on RO water system. There are all kinds of them on Ebay, what do I need and where does this thing go? Skimmers dont seem very expensive, but where do they go?

Judge · 07-13-2008, 03:08 PM

Hey Orb. You're getting there. I ordered live rock from Premium Aquatics and was very happy. Excellent shipping, they will hand pick what sizes you want. I believe I dealt with a guy named Jeff. Well packaged, very little die off and as it turns out some pretty neat characters were living on it.
I use Oceanic brand salt. It seems to always mix up thoroughly, no residue, and gives me the sg I desire. Also have not had to add any other products to adjust ph, alkalinity.
As far as sand goes you can order from the same guys - Premium Aquatics - live sand. Just enough to seed plain sand.
RO systems well I have mine actually hung on the inside back wall of my tank stand. Mine is only a 3 stage I believe but if you ever plan to upgrade (and we know how we addicts are about that)then as someone suggested(sorry, I forgot who) you might want to go ahead and get a 5 stage. IMHO it comes down to money spent, especially for a 29 gallon. My 3 stage'r goes fast enough for me since I usually plan ahead. Some people have them hooked up in their kitchen under the sink so they can control the temp too. No room for mine under there.
Skimmers depend on whether you are planning a sump/refugium. I do not have either so my skimmer (that I am extremely happy with) hangs on the back of the tank. It does not take up much room, is quiet and is a skimming superstar. Hey, we love questions so you just keep on asking. Good luck Orb.

chadf · 07-13-2008, 03:19 PM

For sand I recommend this and would go with more like 100 lbs http://cgi.ebay.com/50LB-WHITE-FIJI-...QQcmdZViewItem

For live rock I recommend this http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Best-Premium...QQcmdZViewItem

The rule is 1" of adult fish per 5 gallons, So you can keep about 6" of fish (that is the expected adult size, not their current size).

The live rock and sand cycle the tank.

RO/DI is better than RO, I recommend the $135 one here http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ro_di_systems.htm You hook it up to a faucet, hose, or plumb it directly into a pipe.

If you are getting a sump then get an in sump skimmer, if not you'll need a HOB skimmer. It's a good idea to spend the money on a good one at first because if you don't you'll be buying a new one, everybody does.

orb4me · 07-13-2008, 03:31 PM

I just confused my self again. lol Prices of skimmers didnt seem to be so bad till I got looking again. What about that little over the side skimmer? cheap enough, and I really do plan to stay with the 29, unless the addiction causes me to change one of my 55 gal.

How do you get the water from the sink to the ro thingy? add tap water as you go?

tx Judge for the suggestions, Im off and running again now

I would like to end up with a tank that looks like gm's I think. I was following a thread and the last reply showed this huge in the wall tank, so beautiful. Sand a few rocks, was just awsome, now I cant find it

I looked at sand on the site you suggested, I didnt realize there were so many diff kinds. I am assuming its what ever I want, I dont know what I want. lol

Where is Tommy Gunn? I cant go on without him.

chadf · 07-13-2008, 04:11 PM

An aquac remora skimmer would work well for your tank and would also work on a 55 if you did upgrade. They run about $165.

Did you read my post? I mentioned where to hook up the RO/DI, you will also find that you will not find better prices than my suggestions.

orb4me · 07-15-2008, 02:47 PM

1 decision 29 gal
2 decision stand, bought today

why so much sand? 100 lbs in a 29 gal?
chadf, yes I read your post, tx, what pipe?

this will be a bare bones tank, 2 clowns, 2 rocks, maybe the annomenie, but then I think I get into lighting costs.

found this on ebay (new) $74.00

Our new 75 gpd 3 stage Aquarium system is a step up from its little brother, The Nano Max. The Nano Max 3 includes an inline sediment reduction filter to prolong the life of the carbon prefilter! This system uses a 75 gpd TFC membrane, a 1 micron carbon block for unmatched chlorine removal and a new 8 inch sediment prefilter. Its small size allows you to mount this system pretty much anywhere there is access to a water supply.

I still dont know how the water gets from the tap across the kitchen to the tank. or why I need it. Why wouldnt over the back filters work?

plain sand? filter sand? play sand? I wonder if there is white sand. seems like it would be pretty in the tank.

Judge · 07-15-2008, 03:13 PM

Ok Orb. Saltwater is different when it comes to the elements, chemicals in the tap water. The RO/DI system removes everything from the water like metals, chlorine, chloramine, etc. I have mine hooked up directly to a water faucet. The water runs from the faucet and travels through different chambers as it removes all the bad stuff from the tap water. There are three lines on mine. The black line is waste water, I have it running under the house/screened in porch to be exact. There is a yellow line that is the good stuff. It does not run very fast but that is where I collect in to the big plastic tub. The red line goes from one filter (chamber) to another. BY filter I am talking about the RO/DI. It is called a three stage because it goes through three "chambers", same would go for five stage and five "chambers". So you can see how a five chamber would be better. Just not sure how much better, especially if your only needing to fill a 29 gallon. I tend to think of the bigger and better as being faster and not necessarily better filtering. I am sure others will jump in and correct me where needed. If you put yours say under the kitchen sink, as an example, then you will need to have a spot somewhere for a plastic tub to collect the pure, filtered water.In other words the difference between a hob filter and the RO/DI is that the HOB is filtering waste, etc from your saltwater environment and the RO/DI is removing waste from your tap water like metals..etc.

orb4me · 07-15-2008, 04:25 PM

ok, tx Judge, I had no idea. Looks like its going to be a HOB filter, I think Tommy Gunn suggested that to begin with

Maybe thats decision 3 (maybe)

Now its the skimmer decision to start on, I was reading about those and prices go all over the place, and they can cause bubbles in the water? That does not sound like something I would want, but who knows lol

I was reading about a tank called an Aquapod, I'll have to read some more on that one, but they only seem to make them up to a 24 gal. I found one price of $224.00. It comes with a bunch of stuff that I dont know what its for. lol. cooling fan and pretty led lights is about all I understood.