Tank (And UpKeep) Costs

[goldielocke76]

So wait, I don't need filters for a GSP (Marine Tank)?

I should invest in Live Rock (LR) and Skimmers instead?

Any LR and Skimmer in particular you would suggest?

Also, I know my LFS doesn't keep the GSP in Marine Setup now (they are in FreshWater, unknown SG at the moment). Wouldn't it be best to put them in the same SG they are now, and then just slowing increase it to Marine Setup?

-Nope no filters =) just a "water mover" like the koralias (they have a huge grill so there is very little possibility of a fish getting caught to it or sucked in it). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004F461UA <-- I bought two of these, and so far they are perfect!
- Yes IMO you should (just from what SYN and Xray have talked about.
- I got my LR off of Craigslist.....91 lbs @ 2.20 a pound. It's Fiji rock, and the LFS and Petco sells theirs from $4.99-10.99 a pound here. Any LR is fine (I think, PP or someone else may have to say something about it, because I am not 100% sure) as long as it's LIVE haha. You can also do half base rock and half LR to cut down on costs
http://www.amazon.com/CPR-Aquatics-Bak- ... WHAOBOXBGW <-- Protein skimmer on
my Amazon wish list (Hopefully Christmas present LOL)
- You can drip acclimate over a few hours, someone should be able to link it to you, or you can be lazy like me (also not wanting to screw things up) and ask your LFS to do it. The guy asked for $10 to do it, and for me, with work, school, dogs and life in general, the $10 is very worth it.

-

[goldielocke76]

LoL and check CLs for tanks!!!
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/for/2691567309.html <-- /droool. 80g bowfront tank plus stand, hood and canopy LOL.

[runningboy01]

Do I need the water movers you listed or could I use the Air Pump that I have to do that?

[Pufferpunk]

Powerheads

[wagner7123]

$2 per lb, lucky. its $12.99 here. Some days AK sucks.

[runningboy01]

So is it safe to say everyone would recommend I remove the filter and the air pump and replace with LR, Skimmer and Powerheads (do I need 2 of them for a 55 gallon)?

[wagner7123]

When I switched from BW to SW I left the filter in until it was time to change the media then I just removed the media and didn't replace it. I left it on there for a while though because the flow prevented the surface from forming a skin. Now that I have a preskimmer for my bakpak and a powerhead I've pulled the filter completely to give the tank a cleaner look. A lot of people will empty their FW filters and add LR rubble and just use it as a refugium it's not completely necessary, just helpful.

[runningboy01]

Ok, I updated the spreadsheet with new information (removed filter). I left the air pump but is it needed?

Currently, I left a few fields blank and am looking for any insight/information/etc on those. There seem to be many types of skimmers out there and I have no clue which would be best for a 55 Gallon Tank.

Also, I haven't found a decent site with good pricing on live rock.

***Edit**** Do I need 2 of the powerheads for a 55 Gallon?

At this point I'm really starting to re-think the GSP due to costs up front. It looks like it would be much less for an F8. However, I love the way the GSP look (and the fact that they get bigger), so I'll probably stay with this idea.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks again

[goldielocke76]

Ok, I updated the spreadsheet with new information (removed filter). I left the air pump but is it needed?

Currently, I left a few fields blank and am looking for any insight/information/etc on those. There seem to be many types of skimmers out there and I have no clue which would be best for a 55 Gallon Tank.

Also, I haven't found a decent site with good pricing on live rock.

***Edit**** Do I need 2 of the powerheads for a 55 Gallon?

At this point I'm really starting to re-think the GSP due to costs up front. It looks like it would be much less for an F8. However, I love the way the GSP look (and the fact that they get bigger), so I'll probably stay with this idea.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks again

It's recommended to have two koralias, just to make sure that every part of your LR has some flow (from what I have read). The 55's ten to be a bit longer, so you want to have sufficient flow on both sides.

You can have an air pump, but RTR told me "NIMFT" lol. He doesn't like the salt creep.

PP recommended to me the BacPac protein skimmer. It was the one that I linked you in my previous post. I have also heard good things about remora and coralife, but again, no experience with them as I am just setting up my own.

And Craigslist Craigslist Craigslist!!! People break down their tanks ALL the time!!! I was lucky, I got a guy to sell it to me for $2.20 a pound, but he originally asked $3.50 for it. Keep looking for a tank and LR on there. And like Xray (I think it was Xray, sorry if it wasn't) told me, keep cash on hand because good deals on tanks and all the necessary stuff for them, like a stand, hood, lights etc, do not last long on CL. This will help keep your costs down a bunch!! I promise!! My tank has only been setup for about 3 weeks now. Except for the substrate and shells, and the 4 plants, everything came from Craigslist.

LoL read my thread ^.^ It will help, I promise. Then you can see what everyone told me as well =)

[J-P]

I don't know if you NEED 2 but it is nice. Placement is more important; where the powerhead is, and how the current flows through the rock. You may end up rearranging the rock a bit to clear up any dead spots.

LR @ $6.00 / lb (say 96 lbs (1.75 lbs per gal)) = $577.50 or about $580 ~ $600. This is a one time purchase and the price is on the conservative side. You could go higher (from the LFS) or lower (craigslist or someone else breaking down their tank).

If you are ordering it by the case, usually they come in 55lb cases and the supplier can usually get these direct.

http://www.livestockusa.org/

Those guys are really good! Note the .org at the end and not the .com.

If you mix in dry rock you go 1lb per gallon on that stuff and it will reduce your costs greatly. Add a bottle of Dr. Tim's and you're off to the races. You won't get the coraline algae, but you also won't get any surprise hitchhikers either.

If you go dry rock, Dr. Tims and still want the coraline algae, take a look at:
http://www.ipsf.com
They have a product "IPSF Coralline Algae Booster"
http://www.ipsf.com/corallinebooster.html

These are a few things I had wish I had known went I first started out. Big $$ saving stuff.

[wagner7123]

most likely you will want 2, add a wave timer to really get things moving. i currently only have 1 in my tank and it flows like a river, the second one is on its way here now, followed shortly by the wave timer.

[runningboy01]

Thanks a lot for the information all.

Based on all of this, do you think this would be a good deal:

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/hsh/2654168684.html

[wagner7123]

the skimmer is crap if it's the prizim, don't cheap out on a skimmer. I think you'd mostly be paying for the corals which i would be concerned about with a gsp

[goldielocke76]

the skimmer is crap if it's the prizim, don't cheap out on a skimmer. I think you'd mostly be paying for the corals which i would be concerned about with a gsp

+1

[runningboy01]

Ok, so probably not a good deal on that tank then. Oh well. I did find this on live rock

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/for/2681394591.html