Starting out

[Jekyl]

Yes. Don't get too hung up on sump though. They are definitely nice and beneficial. However that is something that could be added later on if you wanted. My tank is almost 2 years old and I haven't used a sump yet. Paul B has one that is almost 50 years old without a sump. Get yourself up and running. Start cycle, testing, changes, blah blah blah.. once you master those things, then decide what you need or don't. Otherwise find yourself a tank with refugium included or pre drilled for one

 

[WirelessMike]

Yes. Don't get too hung up on sump though. They are definitely nice and beneficial. However that is something that could be added later on if you wanted. My tank is almost 2 years old and I haven't used a sump yet. Paul B has one that is almost 50 years old without a sump. Get yourself up and running. Start cycle, testing, changes, blah blah blah.. once you master those things, then decide what you need or don't. Otherwise find yourself a tank with refugium included or pre drilled for one

I agree with @Jekyl 100%. Get your feet wet and make sure that reefing is something you want to keep as a hobby before you go crazy with a bunch of different equipment. I have a sump in my 65 only because I found the whole setup on CL for a deal I couldn’t pass up. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have started with one. I took about 2 months of searching and research before I found the deal I ended up buying.

 

[lstmysock11]

If you are wanting to do a sump you need to look for a tank that is predrilled with and overflow. With an All in One there is no need for a separate sump as it is basically built into the back portion of the tank. Does that make sense?

Yes it does and so far I have not found any tanks this size that are predrilled.

 

[WirelessMike]

Yes it does and so far I have not found any tanks this size that are predrilled.

Yes it will be a bit tough finding one that size that is drilled for a sump. Definitely not an impossible find, but probably a bit harder. From what I have seen in different searches the smaller tank volumes have shifted to an All in One model, but I’m sure there are some members of the brain trust that could point you to something I’m not thinking of.

 

[lstmysock11]

Yes it will be a bit tough finding one that size that is drilled for a sump. Definitely not an impossible find, but probably a bit harder. From what I have seen in different searches the smaller tank volumes have shifted to an All in One model, but I’m sure there are some members of the brain trust that could point you to something I’m not thinking of.

Sure then I really do not need it anyway. Could always do a HOB later on if I decided to add on later. Start out with live rock after cycled or Cycle with live rock and sand? Good sorce for both? Have some LFS's but none close, only things close are Petco and petsmart and honestly do not know enough about live rock to trust buying from either chain store.

 

[WirelessMike]

Sure then I really do not need it anyway. Could always do a HOB later on if I decided to add on later. Start out with live rock after cycled or Cycle with live rock and sand? Good sorce for both? Have some LFS's but none close, only things close are Petco and petsmart and honestly do not know enough about live rock to trust buying from either chain store.

I have only cycled with dry rock and sand. I know some go with the live rock way. Bulk Reef Suplly usually stocks different types and so do other online retailers. The hard part with rock is the shipping will probably be a touch expensive and you can’t see what you are getting before you buy it. I have 2 LFS that carry dry and live, but only 1 has a really good selection and a table to build out your scape before you buy.

 

[Jekyl]

You want everything in your tank when you cycle. Like rocks, sand, heater, poweheads. Lights aren't needed. Petco and petsmart are a no no. I used something like
For my rock. There are more expensive options also for sure

 

[WirelessMike]

You want everything in your tank when you cycle. Like rocks, sand, heater, poweheads. Lights aren't needed. Petco and petsmart are a no no. I used something like
For my rock. There are more expensive options also for sure

That’s a pretty fair deal! Look at Amazon with the hook up. Lol

 

[lstmysock11]

That’s a pretty fair deal! Look at Amazon with the hook up. Lol

Will do that, What would be a decent power head for this tank? Guessing these rocks are cured, So no chance of hitchhikers bringing anything unwanted to my tank.

This size tank was thinking of starting with one clown fish and then adding a Azure damsel. Had wanted some kind of tang but I know Tangs do not work in a nano tank.

 

[WirelessMike]

Will do that, What would be a decent power head for this tank? Guessing these rocks are cured, So no chance of hitchhikers bringing anything unwanted to my tank.

This size tank was thinking of starting with one clown fish and then adding a Azure damsel. Had wanted some kind of tang but I know Tangs do not work in a nano tank.

Dry rock shouldn’t contain any hitchhikers. You may want to wash and scrub it. Other than that you will be good to go. Power head decision is based on a few things and I’m sure someone more knowledgeable that me can pint you in the right direction. Basically you need to make sure your flow matches what you want to keep in the tank. If it’s mostly soft corals and such you won’t need a ton of flow. If you want eventually want SPS corals you will need more flow in certain areas of the tank.

 

[lstmysock11]

Dry rock shouldn’t contain any hitchhikers. You may want to wash and scrub it. Other than that you will be good to go. Power head decision is based on a few things and I’m sure someone more knowledgeable that me can pint you in the right direction. Basically you need to make sure your flow matches what you want to keep in the tank. If it’s mostly soft corals and such you won’t need a ton of flow. If you want eventually want SPS corals you will need more flow in certain areas of the tank.

Just want Simple easy to keep corals, Ones that if I mess up will be forgiving

 

[lstmysock11]

Dry rock shouldn’t contain any hitchhikers. You may want to wash and scrub it. Other than that you will be good to go. Power head decision is based on a few things and I’m sure someone more knowledgeable that me can pint you in the right direction. Basically you need to make sure your flow matches what you want to keep in the tank. If it’s mostly soft corals and such you won’t need a ton of flow. If you want eventually want SPS corals you will need more flow in certain areas of the tank.

What corals would you recommend that do not need a lot of light or a lot of flow and easy to keep alive.

 

[lstmysock11]

http://www.scaquariums.com/SCA-40-Gallon-Starfire-Tank-p/sca-40g.htm, Wonder if I should just bite the bullet and go for the bigger tank. Is a 40 gallon vs a 24 gallon a lot more work? How much more fish can I have vs the 24? Wanted to get a 30 but they do not have a 30 gallon. The Im tanks that are 28 gallons I believe are about 150 more for a extra 4 gallons, So not really worth that much extra.

 

[Jekyl]

They won't require more work. Most likely less work. The larger the tank the less parameter swings. That tank will require a sump and the pump/plumbing to go with it though.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Have a 20 gallon fresh water planted tank and doing pretty well. Now I want to try my hand at a nano saltwater tank. Thinking about a AIO, Had thought about the JBJ wifi 28 gallon or the Waterbox 25 gallon. I have seen some not so good things said about the JBJ about leaking and failures with that tank so not sure where to turn.

Want simple corals and at least one clownfish and someone told me I could also add in a azure damsel after and also live rock. Would be open to ideas and other tanks but do not think I have a place to be able to do a sump setup.

Also good heater for this setup? On my fresh water I use a cobalt but they seem to be not available right now for what ever reason. Also is a protein skimmer needed?

Andrew

Go with a titanium heater- very reliable

 

[lstmysock11]

They won't require more work. Most likely less work. The larger the tank the less parameter swings. That tank will require a sump and the pump/plumbing to go with it though.

Okay what will I need parts wise and is there a guide on setting up sumps?

 

[Jekyl]

Cheap way is to build your own sump. Buy a 10 gallon tank, plexi and silicone and watch a few YouTube videos. Otherwise bulkreefsupply.com or other sites have tons of premades. I would post your question for help on the general hardware forum on here. I don't run a sump so my help only goes so far.

 

[lstmysock11]

Cheap way is to build your own sump. Buy a 10 gallon tank, plexi and silicone and watch a few YouTube videos. Otherwise bulkreefsupply.com or other sites have tons of premades. I would post your question for help on the general hardware forum on here. I don't run a sump so my help only goes so far.

I asked in the other forum and was told the sump is build in on the AIO, So guessing would need to put in a protein skimmer

 

[Jekyl]

Hmm.. from pic you showed it only seemed to have a built in overflow. Skimmer can wait. Itll be a month after you put water in before it would have anything to do.

 

[lstmysock11]

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/nuvo-aquarium-fusion-mini-40h-tank.html, Then maybe should go with this tank as it looks like it has the sump on the back.