Simple Saltwater Tank Part 2: Getting Ready For Corals
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- Would you like to set up a Simple Saltwater Reef Tank cheaply, but don't know how or where to start? This is the video for you! I've designed a beautiful and affordable beginner setup that you can upgrade easily and cheaply as you progress in the hobby.
In part 2 of 2, I'll show you how you can upgrade the $182 tank to get it ready for corals. And i'll do so with affordable, but importantly, good quality equipment.
Here's Part 1: • How To Set Up A Saltwa...
Here's all the equipment I used to setup the tank:
Tetra 105L Starter Tank - amzn.to/3zIaniA
Black background - amzn.to/3JI0Z2S
Sand - bit.ly/3zxJC0a
Rock - use your LFS
Upgraded heater - amzn.to/3G4FcjV
Jecod SOW-4 - amzn.to/3raQeOa
Tunze 8811 - amzn.to/3r9BoaI
Fluval skimmer - bit.ly/3tui9vc
Fluval sand cleaner - amzn.to/33bvm1t
Find my best fishy photos on Instagram - search 'Reef Dork'.
A select few great reef buys:
RO filter - amzn.to/2Xsq0KQ
Tunze algae magnet - amzn.to/2YydNku
Tunze frag rack - amzn.to/2XrW4d0
Tunze auto top off - amzn.to/2XrEryR
ATM colony - amzn.to/2YDlMwQ
Digital thermometer - amzn.to/2xy145i
Heating controller - amzn.to/2LDhmlB
Activated carbon - amzn.to/2YtLZO6
Coral glue - amzn.to/2XparDP
ICP test - amzn.to/2XsrZ1M
Rowaphos - amzn.to/2Xqx8m6
Red Sea salt - amzn.to/2XqGxub
Some of these links have an affiliate code - so if you make a purchase, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
For any commercial enquiries, please send me a PM, contact me via Instagram or leave a comment below.
0:00 Intro
0:35 The rimless look
1:44 Adding flow
3:27 Upgrading the light
5:42 Accessories and upgrades
6:40 Total cost
7:36 Recommended inverts
8:20 Answering your questions
9:05 Watch next
Here's part 3 - czcams.com/video/bPdV0Sfxoj8/video.html
Man, sliding in that quagmire "gigidy" joke was priceless
I love this, you should keep the series going. Love these smaller tanks
I agree
Alex, you are tremendous contributor to this hobby. Keep up the great work.
I love these 2 videos. No nonsense. Straight to the point and incredibly helpful. I'm in the process of planning my own tank and your two videos are a tremendous help. Thx.
Thank you so much for this I’ve always wanted to try saltwater. But I’ve never really had a great chance. But you make it seem really simple so I’m pretty keen to give it a go after watching many of your videos
Same
As a first tank, people can make a lot more savings by getting some things second hand as well.. as a lot of things will need to be experienced to learn..the stability to even simple things like acclimation to salinity and temperature levels of water changes. When you consider that, you can start a reef tank for cheap...but we any experienced reefer will tell you ..this will just be the cheapest stage of this hobby.
Once you go marine, you never go back and so will your upgrades, coral costs etc..so jump on this hobby knowing that full well. This hobby is a drug, I don't know any reefer has switched off and stayed without a marine tank for the rest of their life, they ALWAYS come back like an ex!
One of my favourite reefing videos
Been excited for this second part, thanks in advance!!
Was really looking forward to the part 2. Thank you.
Great stuff! Always fun watching your vids!
What I love most about your videos: your narration and facial expressions 😁👍
Great video as always Alex! I really, really enjoy them every week! 😀👍
One of my favorite youtubers! keep it up
Thank u for this and the first video!
I have zero ineterest in a salt water tank but I was led here by CZcams and never left :)
Well done and best of of luck with your channel!
Thanks for info, very nice set up for the beginner.
Love the beginner friendly videos as I've been thinking of getting my first saltwater tank.. And this video made it seem more achievable than ever!
Loving the Fluval siphon/gravel cleaner
Excellent video and advice!
Very cool build! 👊
Thanks for the good videos. It's nice to know you can keep clowns without a huge financial outlay! I've kept cichlids for years, this really isn't that much different!
Thank you for useful information. Subscribed
I use that same light on my 5 gallon pico and it looks great and grows coral really well. Even some easy sps up top.
Been watching your excellent videos for a while but never commented. This topic is one I’m passionate about - affordable “reef” keeping. Done something similar myself recently - only real difference is that I have the power head and heater only - no filter. With nothing in the filter it seemed pointless and save a lot of real-estate in the tank 👍🏻 oh and I put reed in quotes because I’m a macroalgae fan - it’s great for fast growth, filling out a new tank quick.
Great video. It's hard to find a good video that talks about cheaper pieces of equipment that are still good. Most videos and articles review products that look either bad or super expensive. TYSM
Your content is great. I’m in Cape Town, South Africa. I’m going to start building my first marine tank tomorrow 😁
Great job mate
Great series.
I really like your suggestion on the budget light option
supper for a frag section in my refugium
Awesome. We have been trying to figure out an under the hood option to turn our current fresh water tank onto a saltwater tank. Thanks for the recommendations.
The new AI Blade is worth a look too - it's a bit more expensive but worth it if you have the budget.
Super nice ! ! ! Like the tank ! Maybe in the future something like a 40 gallon Breeder drilled for 2 return pumps on their own return lines ' synced ' . Maybe with random flow generators ? Think you could or would want to go without a wave maker ? Less maintenance & redundancy on the pumps . That new 60 gallon Breeder also looks like a nice tank . Great Job ! ! !
I really like a glass cannopy and most rimmed or rimless tanks can adapt. You won't lose as much water and you can always add better lighing. Most bare tanks you buy at an lfs or petshop come with glass tops if they are rimmed such as a 20 long. Fluval 3.0 led bars are a great budget light with app control or if you don't mind spending a little bit more you can usually find a decently priced used kessil tuna A80
Fantastic video perfect set up for a beginner or even a second office tank. I think the one thing you should add to the whole set up is an ink bird heater controller though. And maybe a pop bottle ATO. I started with a similar set up all be it half the size. Total cost was around the same though. The heater failed on me after 8 months and wiped out a fish two corals and a shrimp. Good old Amazon told me where do go also when I explained that there sub standard product caused such a disaster. Fast forward to now I swear by this item of equipment on every tank I set up. I still use inexpensive heaters set to a couple of degrees higher than my controller temperature. That way I have the redundancy and know my fish won’t freeze or worse boil! 😀 Also just to be sure I replace the heaters once a year.
I know it’s an old video. But there great!!! Cheers!!
Thanks
I am just getting into the hobby, I think I will follow your advice this tank looks great! Only thing i don’t like the look of the light on the front.
20L-$27
20lb rock-$40
Seachem tidal 55-$50
Live coral sand-$25
Phlizon 165w light-$90
200w heater-$25
Clownfish pair-$50
Total cost-$307
I'm going to use the light and wavemaker you suggested to upgrade my fluval flex 15g into a nano reef. I didn't realise you could get a good light for so cheap, outside of the chinese brand lights which can either break down within weeks or last years 🤣 Only thing i'm concerned with is the cost of water changes over time when buying from the store.
Great setup with toilet roll lol joke on the side absolutely great help from you mate,how much of crushed coral I can use for a 170l tank as a substrate
Just been to reef dreams after watching your videos mentioning it. I asked my partner if I died in a car accident on the way there because I was in heaven. Soo many fish and corals and fish I never seen before or only ever seen online. Prices were high as reviews say but their colours makes it worth it. Didn't buy anything but still setting up so couldn't buy anything so only went for window shopping and a browse. I've learnt not to go with my toddler son, can't browse whilst stopping my son trying to put his hands in the sumps and pressing buttons on the controllers.
Could also add an air-stone. I have heard and not tried but as I understand it; protein-based waste molecules often bond to air bubbles and this could be make it easier to remove the waste since most small tanks don't have a protein skimmer. But it was warned to be ran only for two hours and best at night when the light is off. But as I have through about getting back into this it seems the prices are insane as it's far above £183 now.
Can you do a video on water change mate for this tank specific salt water change
Giggity 🤪
They make a Gravity feeding Ato and sell it on Amazon. It cheap and perfect for nano tanks. My youngest son has it on his nano tank. No pumps=no worries. It's perfect for the budget reef builders.
What is this?
If I remember correctly it called Auto refill fix.
Giggidy! 🤣
I looked at the tunze lights a few times but just couldn't find a way to mount them I liked, ideally 2 of them on the back glass pointing to the front would work for spread but they would need cleaned often I imagine being in the water too? Still a great product though! 👌
Nice video! 👍
I run 6 of the Tunze lights in my refugiums and they don't get algae on them much at all (surprisingly). Ideally you want them on the front glass to illuminate the part of your corals/fish that you see best, which is why I didn't put it on the back. It would look neater though so worth trying to see how it looks.
@@ReefDork ohh that's surprising given how much light the lenses are getting, yeah I totally see why you did it that way to light your view point, interested to see how it does 🤞
Awesome idea for using that light, I was guessing you would use AI Prime but I’ve never seen anyone use that Tunze.
The AI Prime would be better, but it means spending another £100 taking the lid off and another £150 on the light itself. Something to upgrade to in the future though!
Hi Great vid, which is the best fish to add to first with Clownfish? Can a sponge filter be used? Thanks keep up the enjoyable content
Loads of options but i'd go for a shrimp goby or a royal gramma. Yes you can use a sponge filter if you want
what fish do you recommened for starting a tank and i know you showed some that eat algy and left over how many would you say to get in that tank and fish with out making it cramped?
Another great video can I ask a I really wanted an anenimone for clowns to host is there a best way to add one as I saw in one of your older videos you said to avoid them. But I'd rather have one than any coral if that's what it would take to house one effectively.
I've never bought one because I don't want to risk them walking over my corals (which they can do). So if you want one that badly, go for it and set the tank up accordingly.
those hermit crabs, urchin and shrimps, do they need to be held up in the months the tank needs to stabilize, as well as this would they not eat the corals, and do I need to feed them if I only want them and corals
Giggety Giggety Fluval Skimmer is pooh! Avoid.
Great vid though. All too easy to get too much high-end gear in the beginning. If your tank crashes with outbreaks, deaths etc it's disheartening. This method for beginners has longevity.
Keep up the good work young man. Mucho appreciated.
Hey, love your videos thinking about going to salt water from fresh currently have a 4ft juwel tank can i easily convert this into a marine tank or should I just start fresh ?
It's doable for sure - lots of people have done it. I had a Juwel when I started and thought about converting it. Decided against and went for a sumped setup. A dedicated marine tank is much better, but it can be done with a freshwater tank. If you have the budget though, you won't regret a dedicated system...
Awesome stuff. Would u recommend a random flow generator?
They're a bit meh in my experience but might be worth a try on a tank like this
How did you go about ordering the rock from the website? Or did you order the linked £100 box with a mixture of rocks and chose the right ones?
Really enjoying your videos cheers.will the tunze light be OK for anemone?
I've never kept an anemone (other than rock flower anemones) but from what I understand they like strong light, so maybe not.
@@ReefDork ok cheers for reply.
Awesome video! I was at the fish store today, saw a “complete kit” for $650.00. To much for first salt tank. Your option is great, and I will be doing it at some point in the next few months. The only thing I see you not mentioning that I am curious about is what water parameter do I need to check and what to buy to test water parameters. Other than the fresh water kit I use all the time, what do you think I need? Thanx much!
Salinity (refractometer), nitrate and phosphate at first. Then alkalinity and calcium when you have corals
Well done! What filter are you using in the tank? Or is this all in one?
It comes with a small filter but it just has a carbon pad. I might be tempted to swap the carbon out for some Siporax...
Giggity
What kind of lighting schedule would you suggest for a setup like this? Ive been on the freshwater side of the hobby for around 15 years at this point, but Im looking to go salt.
12 hours per day, although less wouldn't hurt at first
Q. How do u work out what size wave maker you need for your tank size? P.s love the vids
There are loads of x power per y litres of water, but the more the better really and you can always turn a big pump it down, but you can't turn a small pump up above 100%...
Hi Alex.. Where would I be able to get a cover for this tank (like the one you have in this video) so I can remove the supplied standard lid?
Also.. would you still recommend this light upgrade a couple of years on, or would you recommend another now?
Thanks mate!
Yep, they're sold as DIY aquarium covers - easy to put together. I'd go for an AI Blade Grow now instead of the Tunze - much better spread.
Hi can u pls make a video about featherduster care?
yes tha would be interesting
Chinese lights are overhated. You could've gotten a very good Aquaknight Spectre for 60 dollars. It's really not as unreliable, and many people have had a lot of success with it.
A strange thing to ask but have you ever looked into uk native fish and corals? Even some of the macros have gorgeous colours and textures as do the little fish like the topknot
No, they don't really appeal to me - I like the bright, exotic stuff 🙂
I have always wanted a salt tank. So with the power head, how do you know how much power to use and the wave setting for it? Is there such thing as too much power or wave setting on any tank?
Best to watch a few videos of established tanks to see what the flow looks like. But basically, if it's blasting your sand everywhere, it's too strong. If it's not, you're good!
have you used the poop pipe on your bottom ?
How does de skimmer work?
Hi reef dork . I've got 2 of the same lights in my tank bit it looks more of a whiter look . Do you think adding the black back ground helps to bring out the blue from the light?
Don't know but might be worth trying. It might just be the way the camera presents the colour. The 8850 is really blue, but it's expensive.
@@ReefDork OK buddy thankyou. will try the black back ground out . Thanks for replying. Keep up the great videos
Hi I am setting up my first tank. What brand is that auto top off please. I like the look of that but cannot find it anywhere. Have watched loads of your stuff and am now going for a fish only and rock saltwater tank.
It's a Reefloat ATU Pro 3
What light is it. Sir.
Hey Alex, what do you use for measuring par in your tanks?
A Seneye Reef
Only thing I like about a small tank is easy water changes
Could you please give me the name of the new lighting system. As I'm trying to grow corals .many thanks
It's the Tunze marine eco chic
Iv looked up Marco real reef rock it’s like £35 for 6kg it’s dry live rock but it’s from dried up reefs
Is it hard to add a sump as an upgrade to this tank? Or is the sump not needed on this smaller tank size since its possible to do 20-30% water changes if needed?
Sumps are fantastic and do make life easier. You'd have to drill the tank and install plumbing. I'd worry about cracking the glass...
Thanks for the video! I've been watching reef tank videos for a couple years but I've always dismissed the idea of buying into the hobby due to cost and maintenance. What would be the cost of running this type of small tank setup? and how much work would it involve? How likely is in such a small tank for parameter shifts to wipe out fishes and corals? Thanks in advance!
Really hard to say but you could spend £5 a week on water changes, a few pounds a month on food and not much else. Or you can buy a new coral every week, upgrade it regularly and spend a fortune! Fish will be fine, soft corals should also be fine. If you go for harder corals and don't keep up maintenance, your odds start to decrease...
There are no guarantees friend. There are experienced reef pundits reporting an entire loss of both fish and corals in huge tanks with all the bells and whistles.
@@ReefDork Hi. I’ve currently got a 50 litre marine setup. I would ideally like to double the tank volume to something like the tank you have in this video. The filter that came with this tank. Are you using it for anything other than to create flow because in the first video you showed it with the carbon sponge and the empty cavity. If you could fit anything into it what would you put in there?
How far from the light could this light grow corral?
6 inches either side probably at most
My G, honestly we should be giving new reefers more firepower with an all in one tank and a Kessil light. A Kessil A80 light is beginner friendly, and any all in one tank would be better for a beginner. The power head and skimmer you recommend will work too. With that alone the hobbiest is way better off. I seen people come and go, and usually it's the light that kills their spirit, along with the chemistry of the water. It can be very discouraging for beginners when they get a regular freshwater set up for saltwater and expect the same results. Either way they will have to spend money, usually less than 500 bucks to make a really great tank.
Reef dork the rock you used is it artificial rock or dry live like from dried up reef my LFS sells the same aquascape rock for £5/kg
It's artificial
When you do water changes, do you also need to mix more salt?
Yep, you mix up a new batch of saltwater for every water change.
Everytime you upload the closer I want to get a tank and start one for myself. I want to ask whether do you require chillers as it can get hot in Australia, right? I live in Malaysia and no one dares to tell me to start a tank without one. I dont have air condition on at all times, I always wondered which would be more cost effective in a hot and humid country like Malaysia it is to use a chiller or just the AC turned on all day.
You're asking the wrong person i'm afraid, it's freezing most of the time in the UK! But if your tank regularly gets above 28 degrees, it won't be good at all especially for corals
@@ReefDork Thanks for being frank with me. I never could find any videos about it on CZcams that is clear and direct but I'll keep doing my research on it before I start then. Thanks! Love your personality and your informative videos for aspiring reefers like me.
Hey Reef Dork! Just Finished my Fluval Evo but like 3 weeks after setup I'm getting brown algae on the live sand. I've read and apparently it's something that always happens but I'm still a bit confused so if u could help I would be really happy! 😊
Google diatoms - that's totally normal and your clean up crew will make light work of it
@@ReefDork alright! Thank you! For my clean up crew I've got 1X Halloween Hermit Crab 2 Trochus Tubro Snails and 1 Nassasarius Snail ( idk how to type them 😂 ) and a Dancing Shrimp!
What lights are those I'm interested
Tunze 8811
Is there much difference between the aquascape rock and real reef rock also what rock do you use in you 500l tank
RRR looks 10x better but I don't know what they're made of - I'd go RRR if you have the budget
Could you do an update to this to include the cost of testing kits etc. Really want to get into reef tanks but want to better understand the costs of all the extras I will need.
I closed it down after I made this video but I've been running a Fluval Evo 13.5 for a while now and have made a few videos on that.
Plz make another video for a slightly more expensive tank at £1k-1.5k cost
This setup was just under a grand - czcams.com/video/dCSU6ZnOVTg/video.html
Hi mate not sure if I missed it but you said take the carbon sponge out the filter and add better filtration in the space.. . But what would be put in it . Thanks
I'd use Siporax - it's really porous filter media 🙂
@@ReefDork ok so thats all I need and.my small protein skimmer.. I do have another 3 compartments at back of tank .First one holds skimmer . And last one return pump .. so I add the siporax in the middle one
I started with a "budget" build less than a year ago and am already upgrading which means buying pretty much everything all over again, so the budget build didn't save me anything at all!
Sounds familiar! 😁
Consider its cost as paying for the knowledge that reef keeping is something you want to do, are capable of doing, and about things that you'll do better/properly on your next tank.
@@jackkain7141 great points! Thank you!
In a tank like this ... is it possible to have more than 2 fish? Which fish would you recommend if one wanted to add anything further. Alternately, if we go for slight higher budget say £1k, what can we do with it.
Yep, 3 or 4 should be fine. Royal gramma and a shrimp goby
Which livestock have you got in this 2 clownfish plus what else
Just 2 clowns but I closed it down after making this video...
Do you use the normal filter or is there a special one for saltwater
Protein skimmers are the most common for reef tanks
So you did a video with the orphek light bar how do you like it ????
Not a lot more to add other than what was in the vid - good light, nice colour, bit of extra power. Recently sold it though to replace it with Kessils for a bit of extra shimmer.
@@ReefDork love kessel
Hi, would the light be OK for nems x
Probably, although i've never kept nems (apart from rock flowers) so I have no experience with them.
How do you find the Seneye as a par meter please?
Nothing to compare it too, but it's a useful bit of kit and is accurate as far as I can tell
Only watched as far as the lighting for this post. But if the light is as good as you say, why isn't it mentioned more often as a 'go to' light instead of the £200+ lights out there? Does it also ramp up/down for dusk/dawn at all? Or is that why it is so cheap?
edit: You didn't mention what filtration you would need to add to this setup to get it working. I am looking at getting into marine and the majority I have seen is spending about £900+ (25-30g max is all I have room for) before stocking it.
No dusk and dawn and no intensity sliders/app. If you have the budget for a £300 light and an auto top off/cover, I'd go for more expensive kit. The point of this setup is to do it on the tightest budget without buying poor quality equipment. For £70, most people would go Ali Express but the Tunze is much better than them imo. Filtration is the rock and sand, nutrient export is weekly water changes. I've done another 'how to set up' video that cost about £800 but this tank is only supposed to be a simple, budget tank. I talk about filtration in part 1...
When doing a 10% water change, will I replace with fresh water or salt water?
Saltwater
When replacing the evaporated water from the tank - do not USE regular tap water to replace the evaporated fresh water. Use RO water. Also use proper judgement and just measure salinity before adding regular RO water as this could bring the pH levels down.
Or draw a fill line on the side of the tank and do it by eye. When it comes to topping up you can accurately measure.
Pop bottle ATOs are pretty good to and cost about £6 from Ali express. Ideal for a small system and no moving parts so don’t fail. Your right regarding RODI generally but at a push and bearing in mind this is a budget solution tap water with a decent chlorinator like prime will be absolutely fine for fish only or even softies…. When I first started that’s all I used and I had some great success I think the only real issue was a little bit of more algae in the ugly stage. I was lucky to have tap water with only 90 ppm though so already winning a bit I guess…. Further down the line I invested in an RO unit but only because that’s what the videos told me I needed. Recently I upgraded one of my tanks and ran out of salt water. I didn’t have the time to wait for the RO unit to make more water so I could mix and LSF was closed so I just dumped 50 litres of tap water into my mixing bucket with prime and salt. Two months later no issues what’s so ever no issues at the time either (test every couple of weeks) it was only a 200 litre volume tank to. I think the beut about these two videos is it show how accessible the hobby is to anyone. It also gives them a fighting chance to succeed. It also stop people buying Evos which in my opinion are just too small for clowns.
How many fish and what type could I have in a 60l tank running 2 mini canister filters all pond solutions ef150 and all pond solutions hob 500
Probably only a couple, maybe 3 small ones
@@ReefDork 2 clowns royal grammar cleaner shrimp and few snails or hermit crabs
What size sump would u recommend for this tank ?
I wouldn't have a sump with this tank personally - not sure I'd want to drill it.
@@ReefDork no worries got the tank now just buying bits and bobs ready to set up would of loved to see what else u did with this tank in turns of coral massive fan btw thanks for replying
@@ReefDork am debating making the filter inside the tank if not a sump lol
Perhaps a stupid question but I'm still gonna ask. Where do I get a stand? I don't trust cheap ikea stands and no websites say the max weight of their stands.
They do an official stand, otherwise I'd look for some more sturdy furniture