# Other Aquarium Forums > Marine Tanks >  Need some help here..

## ZeRoC00l

Am thinking of changing my 2.5 feet tank to a marine tank [caught the marine bug ] :Razz:  

Here are my tank diamensions: 30" X 15" X 16"

I am thinking of building a internal overflow. Much cheaper and alot less hardware. I have a spare canister, so will be using it as well, unless I dun need it.

Is it possible for me to rear some fish [2-4 goby] , a shrimp... And in the future, 1 clam and lots of corals??

Or can I at least rear a squid and lots of corals? Saw this cute squids at my house aqurium here.. [ :Grin: ] 

Or are there further options, like DIY slump, overflow box, wet dry...

I am on a low low budget here, as I have a planted tank as well already..

Do give any possible cheap suggestions.

Thank you  :Smile:

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## ZeRoC00l

Am thinking of changing my 2.5 feet tank to a marine tank [caught the marine bug ] :Razz:  

Here are my tank diamensions: 30" X 15" X 16"

I am thinking of building a internal overflow. Much cheaper and alot less hardware. I have a spare canister, so will be using it as well, unless I dun need it.

Is it possible for me to rear some fish [2-4 goby] , a shrimp... And in the future, 1 clam and lots of corals??

Or can I at least rear a squid and lots of corals? Saw this cute squids at my house aqurium here.. [ :Grin: ] 

Or are there further options, like DIY slump, overflow box, wet dry...

I am on a low low budget here, as I have a planted tank as well already..

Do give any possible cheap suggestions.

Thank you  :Smile:

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## ZeRoC00l

Am thinking of changing my 2.5 feet tank to a marine tank [caught the marine bug ] :Razz:  

Here are my tank diamensions: 30" X 15" X 16"

I am thinking of building a internal overflow. Much cheaper and alot less hardware. I have a spare canister, so will be using it as well, unless I dun need it.

Is it possible for me to rear some fish [2-4 goby] , a shrimp... And in the future, 1 clam and lots of corals??

Or can I at least rear a squid and lots of corals? Saw this cute squids at my house aqurium here.. [ :Grin: ] 

Or are there further options, like DIY slump, overflow box, wet dry...

I am on a low low budget here, as I have a planted tank as well already..

Do give any possible cheap suggestions.

Thank you  :Smile:

----------


## ZeRoC00l

Am thinking of changing my 2.5 feet tank to a marine tank [caught the marine bug ] :Razz:  

Here are my tank diamensions: 30" X 15" X 16"

I am thinking of building a internal overflow. Much cheaper and alot less hardware. I have a spare canister, so will be using it as well, unless I dun need it.

Is it possible for me to rear some fish [2-4 goby] , a shrimp... And in the future, 1 clam and lots of corals??

Or can I at least rear a squid and lots of corals? Saw this cute squids at my house aqurium here.. [ :Grin: ] 

Or are there further options, like DIY slump, overflow box, wet dry...

I am on a low low budget here, as I have a planted tank as well already..

Do give any possible cheap suggestions.

Thank you  :Smile:

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## kelstorm

I am thinking of building a internal overflow. Much cheaper and alot less hardware. I have a spare canister, so will be using it as well, unless I dun need it.
*no harm having more filtration right?*

Is it possible for me to rear some fish [2-4 goby] , a shrimp... And in the future, 1 clam and lots of corals??
*2-4 gobies are fine..as well as a shrimps.. for corals... u need to take note that corals strive in temp between 24-28.. and depending on what u are keeping.. they have different requirements..*

Or can I at least rear a squid and lots of corals? Saw this cute squids at my house aqurium here.. [ :Grin: ] 
*if u want to keep squid, no corals.. and i dun advocate keeping them.. coz if they squirt out black ink.. good luck.. change water time.. and if they feel on live food, good luck my friend.. it is very difficult to get live seafood for them, not to mention that it is expensive as well...*

Or are there further options, like DIY slump, overflow box, wet dry...

I am on a low low budget here, as I have a planted tank as well already..

*first, u need to know the difference first... but i recommend that b4 u start on it.. do go to the FAQ and read up on the post which i send on books to read up.. it will help u to understand the hobby better.. then anything else, post, we be glad to help u out.. right not, it is alot to type.. coz your qns are a bit too general.. sorry.[]*

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## hwchoy

I thought marine tank must have minimum 10mm glass? most normal tank of this size only 6mm. Maybe not suitable leh. [:0]

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## ZeRoC00l

Hmm.. ok

Decided on this setup: Custom internal overflow.

My current idea: to seperate a back portion of the tank for internal overflow.

compartment is seperate into 3 parts, the initial overflow into few stacks of sponge, then into a section of bioballs. It then flow into the 2nd chamber when there is 6&amp;quot; of sand [&amp;quot;live sand&amp;quot; if i can find], after which it will then flow through some fine sponge and finally to the submerage pump to be pump back into the tank.

BUT: - do i use bio balls? or just sponge and coral chips?

- Or should i have 6&amp;quot; of sand in both of the compartment?


I'm planning to have more corals then fish, so water quality is very important. But i dun have the space for a slump [ :Embarassed: ] Perheps, someone has better luck in filtration, and would suggest a good point to start.

I'll like to combat the filtration problem first, rearing of fish comes 2nd 
 :Wink:  
Thank you

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## Phang

Hi,

From the specs of the tank given, and your intention to build a sump at the back of the tank : results in very limited space for your display.

the width for a overflow should at least be 6 inches (1/2 ft) for easy maintenance purpose. Take that from your 15 inches width leaves you only 9 inches for coral placement .. not also to mention your liverock..

Maybe suggest a sump placed along the width... less space for filtration but if using larger surface per square inch media should bring about some excellent results. also easier to fix up. My 2 cents worth.... :Wink:  

or get a tank with a greater width....

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## Phang

Hi Zer,

Check your PM,

I have a 3 ft with 1/2 ft in build sump... might be letting go for a bigger project.
If not, just see see and maybe might be some help .. :Wink:  

I, too have more corals (lots more) than fishes and they are doing well..

Phang

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## ZeRoC00l

I'll be seperating only half of the back

which comes to abt 15&amp;quot; X 6&amp;quot; . Instead of having at the side where I can see the &amp;quot;ugly&amp;quot; filtration guts, i'll be having it on part of the back portion.

The remaining space left is still the same.

You did mention filtration medium. What do you suggest since you also have a built in sump?

I'm thinking of sponge, bio balls, sand and fine sponge. in this order int he 3 compartment sump.

Would hope to start the cycling of the tank soon, cos my exams are coming soon... and tt would mean no DIY of anything for 2mths  :Sad:  

Thanks for all suggestions.[ :Grin: ]

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## kelstorm

cycling of tank will require some live stock.. i recommend getting a damsel to start off.. if not, if u can get some sand from the aquarist, u can help to shorten your cycling time.. if not, the cycling time is ard 28+++ days.. and if it is just empty tank.. i.e, just water and nothing else.. nothing will start.. u need to introduce some bacteria.. i used black molly to kick start.. and now i have a marine black molly in my tank.. hahaha[ :Grin: ] 

filtration media for the internal sump inside my tank is as such, first thing to come into contact with the water, filter wool, bio-balls... then into the sump at the bottom of the tank, where it flow thru more bio-balls, charcoal, filterwool and into the 1060 where it is pumped back to the tank...

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## narkosis

Zero,

If possible, try to allow some room in the internal compartment to hold a protein skimmer. You don't need something huge, since you'll be keeping mostly corals and not fish, so the bioload &amp;quot;in theory&amp;quot; should be quite low. But a protein skimmer is still a buffer against many things going wrong in your tank, especially when you're not around to take notice and/or take action. I believe in Singapore, you can get el-cheapo skimmers less than $20.

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## narkosis

Choy,

The thickness of the glass is normally dependent on the water pressure in the tank, which is directly related to the height of the tank. For tanks up to 18&amp;quot; tall, 6mm is quite standard. Then there's 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm and even 19mm or more. If your tank is 18&amp;quot; tall, but you plan on putting a ton of LR in it, then you could consider using 12mm glass just for the bottom piece and not necessarily for the vertical ones. To be safe, you could upgrade the thickness to the next thickness, just in case.

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## Phang

Zero,

I'm actually with only 2 compartments. Wanted 3 but space would be too small for easy maintenance.. 

Reckon that if the filtration purposes is mechanical and to reduce Ammonia and nitrite to 0 levels, then one compartment would be enough... just get better media. 
My the other compartment houses the pump that feeds water to a skimmer and back to the main tank...
And Its works...[ :Grin: ] 

Narkosis is right.... Marine Tanks with Skimmers will get you a long long long way....

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## ZeRoC00l

Yeah, i've plan to have 3 so tt I can have one with 6&amp;quot; live sand and a protein skimmer as well.

My filtration is more for bio load control. I've got a seperate canister for my mechanical filtration.

May I know where to get the $20+ protein skimmer? The places tt I found sell them for $40+

Can't wait for my tank to start cycling.... but still have a long way to go.... have to strip current fresh water tank, cut out old silicone, glue the pieces back, and add the internal slump + + + + + + + + [ :Knockout: ] 

Haven decide on what lightings yet.... Metal hylide or PL light?
Not having a chiller, just 2 fans blowing along water surface and into lighting area

Thank you  :Smile:

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## Spiff

i suggest pl.
when i hv 2x 150w mh running be4 i got my chiller . the temp was abt 29 wif a giant AC fan. couldnt get it down to 28. n the topping up of water can kill! everyday abt 1-2gal of water.

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## kelstorm

Yeah, i've plan to have 3 so tt I can have one with 6&amp;amp;amp;quot; live sand and a protein skimmer as well.
*wise choice, my friend..* 

May I know where to get the $20+ protein skimmer? The places tt I found sell them for $40+
*u can try ORCA protein skimmers.. but take note, u need a air pump with 2 outlets.. to get it start working.. u can find them at petmart*

Can't wait for my tank to start cycling.... but still have a long way to go.... have to strip current fresh water tank, cut out old silicone, glue the pieces back, and add the internal slump + + + + + + + + [ :Knockout: ] 
*take your time.. do it slowly.. enyjoy it..*

Haven decide on what lightings yet.... Metal hylide or PL light?
*well.. since u are planning to keep corals.. consider what corals.. if u going for hard corals.. go for MH.. but take note of the water temp too.. coz it is gonna shoot up.. and with hard corals.. u need lots of other equipments.. which Spiff and Cedric might want to help u out here.. coz me not into hard corals.. and trying to steer off soft corals as well.. trying every little bit to conserve the reef[:] i also recommend that u read up on the type of corals as well..*

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## narkosis

Kel,

Actually soft corals are amongst the easiest corals to keep. And someone in S'pore should try propagating them and trading them, then you won't have to worry about destroying the reefs. In any case, soft corals are not governed by the CITES act for import/export, because they're not reef builders.

Rgds,

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## hwchoy

> ----------------
> On 9/11/2002 11:39:49 PM 
> 
> Choy,
> 
> The thickness of the glass is normally dependent on the water pressure in the tank, which is directly related to the height of the tank. For tanks up to 18&amp;amp;amp;quot; tall, 6mm is quite standard. Then there's 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm and even 19mm or more. If your tank is 18&amp;amp;amp;quot; tall, but you plan on putting a ton of LR in it, then you could consider using 12mm glass just for the bottom piece and not necessarily for the vertical ones. To be safe, you could upgrade the thickness to the next thickness, just in case.
> ----------------


I have a 80&#215;45&#215;30cm tank, 6mm thick with black silicone. Was toying with the idea of going marine, if I get a bigger tank for planting. You think this tank size will be OK for saltwater?

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## ZeRoC00l

Wow.. thakns for fast replies.

I am currently redoing my 2.5 feet tank. Strip out the old silicone, add the filter compartments, and re-enforements on the edges.

Got a question, shoulh I just have bio balls, or keep the 2nd compartment for the 6&amp;quot; of sand?

My friend [does marine too] told me the small amt of space I have for the sand [L X B X H = 5&amp;quot; X 6&amp;quot; X 6&amp;quot;] is too little and not worth doing it, might as well change all to bio balls and sponge.

So should I change it? or keep to my original plan?

And may I know how much lighting do i need? Going to have corals [hard and soft], and a little 2-4 fishes.

Thanks ppl  :Cool:

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## narkosis

Choy,

If the height is 30cm, no problems at all. If the height is 45cm, then it's about standard (at least, here in Malaysia  :Smile: )

My only concern would be the black silicone. Our local manufacturers curse this silicon saying it's not as resilient as the regular ones. Even the branded American ones are no better.

You might want to tear down the tank, scrape off ALL the old silicone and reapply a new layer, just to be safe.

HTH

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## hwchoy

> ----------------
> On 9/13/2002 11:53:26 PM 
> 
> Choy,
> 
> If the height is 30cm, no problems at all. If the height is 45cm, then it's about standard (at least, here in Malaysia )
> 
> My only concern would be the black silicone. Our local manufacturers curse this silicon saying it's not as resilient as the regular ones. Even the branded American ones are no better.
> 
> ...


Hi, the height is 45cm. Tear off the old silicone! [:0] gotta be kidding. the tank actually came with an internal overflow which wasn't very good. After removing it, I'm still not able to remove all traces of the black silicone that remains stuck to one size of the tank [ :Knockout: ]

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## kelstorm

too] told me the small amt of space I have for the sand [L X B X H = 5&amp;amp;amp;quot; X 6&amp;amp;amp;quot; X 6&amp;amp;amp;quot;] is too little and not worth doing it, might as well change all to bio balls and sponge.
*i agree*

And may I know how much lighting do i need? Going to have corals [hard and soft], and a little 2-4 fishes.
*i recommend using MH.. it should solve all your lighting problems.. and go for those bulbs at least with 9500K.. the max i experience is 10'000K.. but some of the forumers here have tried 20'000K...*

narkosis, yes i know that soft corals are not reef builders and are easy to propagate and keep.. but my thinking is that, if ppl do not know how to keep them and keep replacing them.. it will just be as destructive.. coz some of the softies reside on the LR or reef... nevertheless, i have seen some aquarists propagating them.. me is one of them.. until the recent heat wave decimated them.. thus, me have decided that, until i get my own place and with the budget to blow, i.e. chiller, then i will try to keep them again.. but again.. no hard corals...[ :Grin: ] 

anyway, i have seen the destruction of the reef on TV and in my early years of keeping marine, i wanted everything and destroyed quite a few myself.. as such, i would like to recommend ppl to read up first b4 keeping them.. har.. me sounds like a conservationist.. hahaha.. [ :Grin: ]

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## ZeRoC00l

Other than MH lighting..

Is 4 X 36W PL enough light for growing corals? Or is a 70W MH enough? The lighting will be for the corals and clams tt I'll be geting at a later time.

I'll will not be having much lights till much later [need to save up].

Hence, I'll be having fish only till abt yr end.
Thank you

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## Spiff

er i dun think 4 pl is enuff for clams. unless u getting those brown kind then they will survive but not thrive.if u can afford mh,do get them.

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## Tanzy

You have enough PL lighting to keep some LPS and softies. Shrooms and colts will do well. Most Leathers will be ok. 
Nemenzophyllia turbida(Fox coral), 
Blastomussa sp.(Pineapple coral?), 
Cynarina lacymalis(button or meat coral), 
Scolymia sp.(meat coral?), 
Caulastrea sp.(candy cane coral), 
brown coloured Favia sp., 
Trachyphyllia geoffroyi(open brain), 
most Euphyllia sp. 
and Plerogyra sinuosa(bubble coral) should be fine provided water parameters are norminal. 
Stay away from all SPS which need bright light &amp;amp; strong water movement and also Galaxea sp.(durian coral?), 
Catalapyllia jardinei(elegance coral), 
Goniastrea sp.(Brain coral?) and Goniopora sp.(flower pot coral). 
Sorry I'm not too familiar with common names.
When you do get MH, you might want to calculate the cost of a chiller into the total too.

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## ZeRoC00l

Hmm... Then I've got to save a much longer time.


It's ok if the fishes only have 2 X 18W FL rite?

I dun think I can get another chiller as I already have one for my fresh water tank....

Guess I'll just mount it higher, with lots of fans.

But what about my filtration? Will a built in over flow be enough for rearing clams and corals? Is the filter enough to keep the water quality high?

Thanks

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## kelstorm

It's ok if the fishes only have 2 X 18W FL rite?
*yes.. coz they dun need lights to photosynthesis.. ahhaha..just for viewing purposes..*

But what about my filtration? Will a built in over flow be enough for rearing clams and corals? Is the filter enough to keep the water quality high?
*filtration is based on what is your bio-load and how much can your water is being filtered per hour...*

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## narkosis

Kel,

Great job on propagating your soft corals. I do that too, as well as for Acropora, but as you noted for SPS, you'd need a chiller to handle the heat generated by the MHs (I use 400W).

Incidentally, what's the norm for chillers in Singapore? Do you guys usually get the self-contained Teco units or those with a compressor outside the apartment and the heat exchanger next to the tank? Over here, the tendency is to go for the 2nd type, 'cos they're a lot more cost effective and can handle much larger tanks.

Typical e.g. : 1 HP compressor with titanium heat exchanger, digital controller and sensor + installation is about S$1130. Sounds expensive until you realize that this unit is strong enough to handle a 1700 litre or about 450 USG of water (10' tank).

Smaller units are also available, but they don't cost much less. A 1/2 HP unit would be about S$900, good enough for up to a 6' tank.

What do you think of our prices?

Rog

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## Tanzy

Zerocool,
You might want to read this article. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...02/feature.htm
It's about the plenum system, I use it too.

Narkosis,
The 1 HP chiller is very very reasonably priced!!! :Cool:  
I would love to get my hands on one too! A new 1/2 HP Teco here cost S$1500![ :Embarassed: ] 
My tank is very heatie, but herbal tea doesn't work!

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## narkosis

Tanzy,

The main reason it's so &amp;quot;cheap&amp;quot; is because its not made for the aquarium industry. If you take a look at &amp;quot;aquarium&amp;quot; equipment, it's always more expensive than the industrial counterparts. Typical e.g. would be MH lights !!

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## Phang

Heehee,

That's right...
Gonna DIY MHs...

and save lots and lots of $$$$$$...

Hmmm... maybe also a customised chiller...

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## Spiff

u can get an industrial pandent for only $70.comes wif ballast,ignitor etc.

the bulbs r the main killer. unless u willing to use 5500k ones

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## Spiff

nark how abtz taking pics of ur tank??? sounds good already!
btw, wat r the good shops in malaysia to get reef stuff? equipment etc. im sure i would get coupla acros across.

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## ZeRoC00l

$70 for MH lights!! May I know where to grt them? Thanks

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## Phang

Hi Spiff,

You know where I can get e ballast for MH locally ?
Decide to DIY MHs ...
Maybe might supplement the MH with those new T5 tubes.

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## Spiff

mmmmmm i dunno where but hon got his for ard tt price.
u can try to search at eguide.com.sg.

phang if can get those fl hoods n jus modify it. remove all the stuff, buy new reflector, buy the ballast n bulb holder etc. n there! retrofit mh hood! be sure to add 2 fans in there too, to provide ventilation. also u hv to get tempered glass instead of normal float glass to shlied the bulb from water splashes n uv. cedric's normal float glass cracked n shattered in his tank.

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