Hello folks!
I have a lot of experience with freshwater planted aquariums but for all intents and purposes, zero experience with saltwater. I was at the Baltimore Aquarium not too long ago and saw a display they had of seahorses in live seagrass. And that completely and totally captivated me. I have been thinking about it and decided that I wanted to replicate that kind of tank. I'm currently on the hunt for the tank itself (darn thing might end up being custom). But in the meantime I have a lot of questions that I would love some help answering.
I know a few things about my upcoming setup which might help in answering the questions. This will probably be a 37 to 45 gallon tank. I will be making a sump for it (likely out of a 20H aqueon). I will have a skimmer, and UV. I don't know what skimmer or uv but they will be nice ones. I will have an overflow with a bean animal setup (likely modular marine but this is not set in stone). I will have a deep sand bed for the plants. Oh and there will be plants. Probably manatee grass, potentially turtle grass as well and definitely red mangroves. I am debating whether to have any macro in the tank, currently leaning towards no. I will probably be running injected co2 and definitely fertilizers - leaning towards pps-pro method from freshwater but this is also not set in stone. And that's about it for the things I know... soo...
1) Are controllers particularly useful if you do not have corals? Reading and watching videos everyone says things like "you don't need a controller" but they say it in a way that sounds like they could be saying "you don't need to walk on your feet, you could just walk everywhere on your hands". BUT those people are also referring to reef tanks and this won't be a reef. I think the term is lagoon? I don't mind spending the money if they are needed, but as someone with decades of experience in freshwater I can't imagine having a controller just to track ammonia (but maybe that's more difficult to control in saltwater? I really don't know). Since I am doing plants and not corals, does a controller still make sense? I mean that in a 'if money was no object but hassle is something to be avoided' kind of way. I don't mind buying one if I will be glad I have it. But I don't want to go to the trouble of installing one if I turn around and never use it. Does this make sense?
2) Has anyone tried using k1 media (or similar) as a static bed for mechanical filtration? This is an idea I have been tossing around for years but I've never put a sump on a tank before. Now that I am going sump, I really want to try this. I know this kind of thing gets done for ponds but clearly, this tank aint no pond.
3) If the k1 media thing doesn't work out, are there other good options for mechanical filtration outside of filter socks? Or are filter socks just the best and I should expect to install some? I know lint rollers are increasingly common, but I think of those as polishing? Or are those the solution? Speaking of...
4) Do lint rollers smell? I mean they are taking fish poop en masse out of the water and storing it for some time, so do they stink? I don't mean, if I lean over and stick my nose 1" from the roller, I mean if I am sitting next to the tank (the tank will be in my office), will I notice a smell from the rollers?
5) Random awesome things... So it seems like every time I go looking for something I start searching on the big namebrand websites and I see what my options are. Then I find some random post and someone suggests a piece of kit from a little company I have never heard of before and it's so obviously better in every possible way. The modular marine overflow being one thing that leaps to mind. Any suggestions for things you think I will benefit from?
6) Is hard pvc pipes better then soft or vinyl? In freshwater vinyl tubing with barbed connectors is pretty common, and I see people using soft tubing in saltwater as well. But a lot of people are using hard pvc pipes. Is this just an aesthetic choice, or is there a structural reason for this choice?
I think that's it for right now but I'm sure I will remember more as soon as I post this thread ;P
And because pictures are nifty, here is a picture of my 30 gallon freshwater newt tank which will be right next to my seahorse tank. I'm currently building the stand now to match the newt tank stand. (ignore the clutter, the space is getting reworked for this new tank)
I have a lot of experience with freshwater planted aquariums but for all intents and purposes, zero experience with saltwater. I was at the Baltimore Aquarium not too long ago and saw a display they had of seahorses in live seagrass. And that completely and totally captivated me. I have been thinking about it and decided that I wanted to replicate that kind of tank. I'm currently on the hunt for the tank itself (darn thing might end up being custom). But in the meantime I have a lot of questions that I would love some help answering.
I know a few things about my upcoming setup which might help in answering the questions. This will probably be a 37 to 45 gallon tank. I will be making a sump for it (likely out of a 20H aqueon). I will have a skimmer, and UV. I don't know what skimmer or uv but they will be nice ones. I will have an overflow with a bean animal setup (likely modular marine but this is not set in stone). I will have a deep sand bed for the plants. Oh and there will be plants. Probably manatee grass, potentially turtle grass as well and definitely red mangroves. I am debating whether to have any macro in the tank, currently leaning towards no. I will probably be running injected co2 and definitely fertilizers - leaning towards pps-pro method from freshwater but this is also not set in stone. And that's about it for the things I know... soo...
1) Are controllers particularly useful if you do not have corals? Reading and watching videos everyone says things like "you don't need a controller" but they say it in a way that sounds like they could be saying "you don't need to walk on your feet, you could just walk everywhere on your hands". BUT those people are also referring to reef tanks and this won't be a reef. I think the term is lagoon? I don't mind spending the money if they are needed, but as someone with decades of experience in freshwater I can't imagine having a controller just to track ammonia (but maybe that's more difficult to control in saltwater? I really don't know). Since I am doing plants and not corals, does a controller still make sense? I mean that in a 'if money was no object but hassle is something to be avoided' kind of way. I don't mind buying one if I will be glad I have it. But I don't want to go to the trouble of installing one if I turn around and never use it. Does this make sense?
2) Has anyone tried using k1 media (or similar) as a static bed for mechanical filtration? This is an idea I have been tossing around for years but I've never put a sump on a tank before. Now that I am going sump, I really want to try this. I know this kind of thing gets done for ponds but clearly, this tank aint no pond.
3) If the k1 media thing doesn't work out, are there other good options for mechanical filtration outside of filter socks? Or are filter socks just the best and I should expect to install some? I know lint rollers are increasingly common, but I think of those as polishing? Or are those the solution? Speaking of...
4) Do lint rollers smell? I mean they are taking fish poop en masse out of the water and storing it for some time, so do they stink? I don't mean, if I lean over and stick my nose 1" from the roller, I mean if I am sitting next to the tank (the tank will be in my office), will I notice a smell from the rollers?
5) Random awesome things... So it seems like every time I go looking for something I start searching on the big namebrand websites and I see what my options are. Then I find some random post and someone suggests a piece of kit from a little company I have never heard of before and it's so obviously better in every possible way. The modular marine overflow being one thing that leaps to mind. Any suggestions for things you think I will benefit from?
6) Is hard pvc pipes better then soft or vinyl? In freshwater vinyl tubing with barbed connectors is pretty common, and I see people using soft tubing in saltwater as well. But a lot of people are using hard pvc pipes. Is this just an aesthetic choice, or is there a structural reason for this choice?
I think that's it for right now but I'm sure I will remember more as soon as I post this thread ;P
And because pictures are nifty, here is a picture of my 30 gallon freshwater newt tank which will be right next to my seahorse tank. I'm currently building the stand now to match the newt tank stand. (ignore the clutter, the space is getting reworked for this new tank)