First reef tank

[johnnycamp5]

Hi. New guy here.
I’ve got a couple of novice questions…

I’ve acquired a reef tank (60g cube)
but still need to find a sump and the rest of the components.
Once I’ve got the whole rig together and properly cycled-

Will I certainly need a power head to move the water and benefit the coral?
If yes which one?

I love soft coral, the kind that tends to sway around with the movement of the water. I’m concerned in this small tank (24x24x24) about blowing the soft coral to pieces.

The tank is acrylic (I know scratch city lol). would a magnetic wave maker hold and stay put?

Which light? I despise the reefs with the blue or “black light” look.
Is there a decent light that looks more like natural daylight?
I don’t care if the coral colors don’t “pop” quite as much as they do with the blue light.

Bare bottom (no sand) is what I prefer and I would like to add two or three fish (I like clowns) after the coral has began to flourish/establish.

Are two or three fish too many for approximately 60 gallons?

How off base am I?

Regards!

 

[crazyfishmom]

Hi! Welcome to R2R!

Most of the lights available in the market have settings that allow the user to increase the white toward a more “daylight like” look. Just make sure to have plenty of blue in there as well to benefit your corals.

Powerheads are very important and your tank is a decent size. For that tank size I would consider two Nero 3s so you can generate random flow patterns in the tank. This is important for coral.

Three fish would be great in that tank. Adult size of the fish is what you might want to think about. Which fish have you been thinking about?

Have a blast in this new adventure!

 

[johnnycamp5]

Thanks! Good to know about the power heads.

I’ll continue to read all about reef keeping while putting the rig together…
I suppose I’ve got months to decide which few fish to have while the water cycles. So many nice species!!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Agree that powerheads are very important, 2 is always better than one IMO. Even my 15 gallon tank has 2 powerheads, cannot underestimate the importance of flow.

Lights are a huge topic and the one most important item on a reef tank, so take your time and do the research.

Depending which kind of fish you select, you can certainly have more than 2 or 3 fish in that size tank.

Cycling a tank takes about 3-4 weeks IMO, it can be done faster or longer, depending which method you use to cycle a tank.

 

[johnnycamp5]

Thanks.

Again Good to know about the powerheads. I figured I’d be killing coral in a tank with the longest dimension in any direction was 24 inches.

I was looking at the Nero 3’s reviews, and it looks common for them to stop working in about a year’s time.

Maybe that’s just normal for powerheads anyway regardless of brand

 

[Gumbies R Us]

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[johnnycamp5]

@Gumbies R Us
Thank you I’ll read that up!!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hi. New guy here.
I’ve got a couple of novice questions…

I’ve acquired a reef tank (60g cube)
but still need to find a sump and the rest of the components.
Once I’ve got the whole rig together and properly cycled-

Will I certainly need a power head to move the water and benefit the coral?
If yes which one?

I love soft coral, the kind that tends to sway around with the movement of the water. I’m concerned in this small tank (24x24x24) about blowing the soft coral to pieces.

The tank is acrylic (I know scratch city lol). would a magnetic wave maker hold and stay put?

Which light? I despise the reefs with the blue or “black light” look.
Is there a decent light that looks more like natural daylight?
I don’t care if the coral colors don’t “pop” quite as much as they do with the blue light.

Bare bottom (no sand) is what I prefer and I would like to add two or three fish (I like clowns) after the coral has began to flourish/establish.

Are two or three fish too many for approximately 60 gallons?

How off base am I?

Regards!

Also, you asked if 2-3 fish is too much for a 60. I have 4 in my 20g (2 Picasso clowns, a watchman goby, and a firefish). It depends on what size fish you want to keep and what kinds. I did fish first in my tank, then coral. Research which coral you want to keep; some are way easier to keep than others.

 

[johnnycamp5]

I’ll do that thank you

The base cabinet Im building will be the same dimensions as the cube in depth and width- 24”
Probably 30” or 36 tall”

Right now I’m trying to figure out if I want to fill that entirely with a cube sump for largest water capacity, or shrink the sump to accommodate an OTO tank

I’m certainly never away for longer than a week straight, I’m considering topping off the tank manually like I do for my tiny 8g freshwater tank

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I’ll do that thank you

The base cabinet Im building will be the same dimensions as the cube in depth and width- 24”
Probably 30” or 36 tall”

Right now I’m trying to figure out if I want to fill that entirely with a cube sump for largest water capacity, or shrink the sump to accommodate an OTO tank

I’m certainly never away for longer than a week straight, I’m considering topping off the tank manually like I do for my tiny 8g freshwater tank

I use an ATO underneath my tank. I hated doing manual top-offs; plus it helps when I go out of town, haha

 

[johnnycamp5]

Exactly!

 

[Don’t fear the reefer]

I’ll do that thank you

The base cabinet Im building will be the same dimensions as the cube in depth and width- 24”
Probably 30” or 36 tall”

Right now I’m trying to figure out if I want to fill that entirely with a cube sump for largest water capacity, or shrink the sump to accommodate an OTO tank

I’m certainly never away for longer than a week straight, I’m considering topping off the tank manually like I do for my tiny 8g freshwater tank

A 60g cube can easily evaporate 5g in a week. That would shift your chemistry up by over 8%. Get an ATO.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I’m certainly never away for longer than a week straight, I’m considering topping off the tank manually like I do for my tiny 8g freshwater tank

Auto top off's are the best $100 you can spend in this hobby IMO

 

[Rjukan]

Hi. New guy here.
I’ve got a couple of novice questions…

I’ve acquired a reef tank (60g cube)
but still need to find a sump and the rest of the components.
Once I’ve got the whole rig together and properly cycled-

Will I certainly need a power head to move the water and benefit the coral?
If yes which one?

I love soft coral, the kind that tends to sway around with the movement of the water. I’m concerned in this small tank (24x24x24) about blowing the soft coral to pieces.

The tank is acrylic (I know scratch city lol). would a magnetic wave maker hold and stay put?

Which light? I despise the reefs with the blue or “black light” look.
Is there a decent light that looks more like natural daylight?
I don’t care if the coral colors don’t “pop” quite as much as they do with the blue light.

Bare bottom (no sand) is what I prefer and I would like to add two or three fish (I like clowns) after the coral has began to flourish/establish.

Are two or three fish too many for approximately 60 gallons?

How off base am I?

Regards!

Hi! Welcome to R2R!

I have a 60 cube too, so my info is from direct experience..

You want a wide flow powerhead or 2, I current use a MP40 on the back and a MP10 on the side for cross current. So far I really like them.

Don't worry about the flow on soft corals for 2 reasons.. one is they like a good moderate flow, and 2nd is you can usually adjust the flow on a decent powerhead. So you can dial them in to get the movement you like and that the coral do best with.

I haven't had a acrylic tank before, so idk from experience on this one. But I would think any mag would work fine, it's just when the thickness gets over 1/2" is when you run into problems.

Lights are easy, most will have blue and white channels, so you can dial in exactly the look you like. Only thing is more white is usually a catalyst for more algae.

Bare bottom is fine, but that means no sand dwellers like a few wrasses, gobies, pistol shrimp etc.

Depends on fish size.. but you can have more than 2 or 3. Currently I have a pair of clowns, royal gramma, bangaii cardinal, tiger goby, fire fish, and a flame hawkfish. Plus a neon goby that's been in my overflow since Dec lol. I plan on adding one or 2 more small fish. Ofc your stock list will vary, and depends on the type of skimmer etc you have. I run a good size skimmer plus an algae scrubber in my sump.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Auto top off's are the best $100 you can spend in this hobby IMO

Couldn't agree more, + a reservoir for a full week worth of water.

 

[johnnycamp5]

Good concerns.
I’m sure I could devise a way of mounting it above a sump that fills the entire base.

I just don’t want to block off sump compartments for cleaning

The tank does have an acrylic lid so it’s not mesh or wire. I’m guessing that helps reduce some of the evaporation?

 

[Rjukan]

I’ll do that thank you

The base cabinet Im building will be the same dimensions as the cube in depth and width- 24”
Probably 30” or 36 tall”

Right now I’m trying to figure out if I want to fill that entirely with a cube sump for largest water capacity, or shrink the sump to accommodate an OTO tank

I’m certainly never away for longer than a week straight, I’m considering topping off the tank manually like I do for my tiny 8g freshwater tank

If you have the space, I would build an oversized stand so you can fit more inside. It's tight, and a square is hard to work with as is. I have a DJ rack next to mine that helps a lot with power cord management (2 DJ power strips), and that's where my 7g ato reserve is as well. I can't fit anything in the stand with the sump.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Thanks! Good to know about the power heads.

I’ll continue to read all about reef keeping while putting the rig together…
I suppose I’ve got months to decide which few fish to have while the water cycles. So many nice species!!

I have a 90 gallon with 3 power heads. You can direct the flow against glass to help it not directly blast corals. You will need both upper and lower flow.

 

[johnnycamp5]

Wow, lots of great input!
I didn’t expect such swift responses lol

Well, so far all I have is the cube tank,
so Ive got some time and there’s lots to think about.…

 

[NanoNana]

Oh, you’ll get tons of responses. The forum loves people doing their research before they start throwing living things in a tank.

Research your fish as much as you research your equipment. 60 gallons is not a small amount of water but you have the horizontal foot print of a 20 gallon long so let that sink in. You’ll see some recommendations for tank size for certain fish and inevitably they are assuming a rectangular tank. Don’t get me wrong, you can have a good number of very beautiful fish in you tank but lots of marine fish are quite territorial and some will not do well with others of it’s species in the tank. Find fish you like the look of and then ask questions. If you only want 3 fish, then by all means only do 3 fish but you certainly have the option for more. Some are bottom dwellers, some hang out on or in the rock and some stay in the water column all day. Some are probed to disease etc. please never let a fish store pick out fish for you or tell you what fish to get (I hate to be presumptive about your particular retailers but I’ve seen so many issues that start with “my fish store recommended this fish and now I have this problem”).

For lighting, do check out noopsyche. You may have to wait on it to get to you a minute but they are solid lights and will save you some money toward other equipment.
Also look into renting a par meter when you set up lights.
For flow, you can also look at hygger wave makers models with controllers. I find them as reliable as anything else. Find one comparable to the Nero 3’s 2000 gph and it’ll be 1/2 the price.

Leathers and flowing things look cool but some of them like waving hand anthelia will need a good amount of space as they grow fast and will slap corals placed to close. (I need to frag a ribbon gorgonian right now because it’s smacking an zoa colony it has gotten so large.) Other waving things like gsp and Xenia are weeds and will take over if you don’t maintain them (I have both). Kenya trees will sprout baby trees all over your tank. That doesn’t mean don’t get them, just be aware.
Consider actual wet live rock when you start. It will help your tank mature faster. Read about the pros and cons (tons of stuff on this forum).
Enjoy the journey. The research is half the fun.