48x24 frag tank

Zach Smith · Mar 23, 2019

So i ordered a 48x24x10 zoo med frag today. I mainly ordered it cause it was under 100 bucks and can u pass that up...my question is I want to do this on the cheap lol if that is a thing. It's gonna be in a room so I don't care how fancy it is I literally just want to grow frag out in this thing. That's the point if a frag tank anyways right? That being said I wanna do bare bones. On my Dt I have a 110ss skimmer and 2 ai prime. While I love the primes I'm wanting to do this cheap. So do I need a skimmer On a coral only frag tank? My plan is to do 4 powerheads maybe 2 put some rock in the tank under grates if I don't do a sump and a heater then a hob filter? Or should I do a sump with rock I'm it filter sock and return Pump? Obviously I'd run a dosing pump. Tia btw I'm trying to keep this cheap cause I told her at one point I will start selling frag and the hobby will support itself lol

BestMomEver · Mar 23, 2019

Not sure about the sump/skimmer but I will say that no frag tank is complete without a six-line wrasse and a rabbittfish/tang. Include pictures once you get started!

KrisReef · Mar 23, 2019

I'm not sure where to start, but since I just read this yesterday. I think it will help answer your future questions.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tips-on-how-to-ask-questions.364098/

Oh, and I totally support your economic decision. I've done that too. Just ask my wife about some of the stories I've told. Should be a cool tank -post pictures!

Zach Smith · Mar 23, 2019

I forgot to mention I do have a 36" reefbrite supra t5 2 bulb fixture while I know it's not gonna provide 48x24 spread or coverage I have it and it's money that I won't have to spend at the moment til I can start actually selling or trading frag. Anyone know what I can left that light to cover. It came with 2 ati blue plus bulbs again I know running a coral plus would be visually more appealing but this is a frag tank and all I really care about is growth

Zach Smith · Mar 23, 2019

@KrisReef i will work on that.
Do I need to run a skimmer?
I plan on feeding reefroids once a week and weekly water changes.
Only reason I'd want s
A sump is to keep it clean looking.
If a skimmer is not needed I will put live rock and return pump with a heater

danschoenherr · Mar 27, 2019

I am running a 30g frag tank with a 20g sump and not running a skimmer. I have live rock and heater in chamber where water dumps in and some macro algae in the center chamber. When I do a water change, I'll put a filter sock on the drain line for a few hours and use a baster to blow off the detritus in the frag tank. It has been working great for 2+ years now. It is mainly filled with zoas, but I do have montis, digis and cyphastreas too that are doing well. A wrasse to eat the criters and a tang to take care of the algae are nice to have, but I put a screen top on to prevent jumpers. (which I had a few) Do spend the money on some good lighting if you get the chance.
I am also going to try the ZooMed 50g Low Boy and will drill it and mount an overflow box so I can run a 40b sump......30g is just not enough room for frags

sbash · Apr 3, 2019

I have two Low Boys, I don't skim them and I don't dose either. Although they are more for storing and selling frags, not growing them out, I am going to turn one of them into a grow tank this year. Which is partially why my stock is so slim in the photos I posted (link below).

Water changes are good enough to keep my parameters stable. With the amount of water leaving the system with the frags, 'water changes' are more like water top ups. If you are not selling often, then dosing is a good idea. I also don't keep SPS in them, I have an SPS frag tank for them.

I also didn't drill them. I have an ATO dripping directly as well as an HOB filter that does surface skimming and has an air stone run into it (which I guess, technically does skim). For flow, I have a single SunSun powerhead (JVP-110 I think) pointed to push the water in a circular fashion to ensure there are no dead spots (or at least minimal) .

Here are some pictures of my set up:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/zoo-med-50-gallon-low-boy-frag-tank.309299/page-5#post-5794279

The lack of surface skimming was the biggest issue I had from not drilling. After a few days even, the water surface makes it hard to see through well enough to enjoy the corals in there. Now that I have solved that problem, I am quite please with this minimal configuration.