n00b wants to start a frag tank!

[anen]

So it looks like I'm going to have to wait to set a DT up because my floors are getting sanded. In the meantime, I've been reading and reading and getting impatient! So I've decided to set up a frag tank. Since I'm new to saltwater, I figure it's better to make my mistakes with this and get my feet wet anyway. This is what i'm thinking of doing and would really appreciate some feedback:

Looking around the house, I have a 10 gallon tank, and some 30 gallon Rubbermaid containers. What I'm thinking of doing is purchasing a 20 gallon tank, and plumbing both tanks to a rubbermaid sump. The sump would be used for water only. (Or should I throw a bunch of LR in there?) Then I would fill the 10 gallon with LR and sand for bio filtration. In the 20, I would have some a bit of rock, but mostly just frag trays.

I would then purchase a light to go on top of the 20. Cycle this thing, and then buy some frags! Is it ok if I only put lighting on the 20? What types of frags do you suggest a newbie start with? I'm thinking zoas...

 

[D1J8Z]

i think its a good idea go for it

 

[anen]

Does my plumbing make sense? Should I just put sand and rock in the rubbermaid and skip the 10 gal? I think it would make things simpler, but my reasoning for using the 10 is that the sump could get messy and I couldn't easily so what's going on in there from the top.

 

[D1J8Z]

I would not add both to the same but that is just my opinion. I think adding as much rock as you will be great because when you set up your main display tank you will have nice cycled rock.

 

[anen]

So basically a 10 or 20 plumbed to a rubbermaid tub full of live rock? What's the cheapest way I can do this? Can I get away without drilling or buying an overflow?

I would not add both to the same but that is just my opinion. I think adding as much rock as you will be great because when you set up your main display tank you will have nice cycled rock.

 

[D1J8Z]

in this hobby I do not know the meaning of cheap lol

If you want to cut cost dont even waste your time and money setting up a frag tank just wait.


Your idea of cycling live rock is still a good idea tho if your interested.

 

[SevTT]

So it looks like I'm going to have to wait to set a DT up because my floors are getting sanded. In the meantime, I've been reading and reading and getting impatient! So I've decided to set up a frag tank. Since I'm new to saltwater, I figure it's better to make my mistakes with this and get my feet wet anyway. This is what i'm thinking of doing and would really appreciate some feedback:

Looking around the house, I have a 10 gallon tank, and some 30 gallon Rubbermaid containers. What I'm thinking of doing is purchasing a 20 gallon tank, and plumbing both tanks to a rubbermaid sump. The sump would be used for water only. (Or should I throw a bunch of LR in there?) Then I would fill the 10 gallon with LR and sand for bio filtration. In the 20, I would have some a bit of rock, but mostly just frag trays.

I would then purchase a light to go on top of the 20. Cycle this thing, and then buy some frags! Is it ok if I only put lighting on the 20? What types of frags do you suggest a newbie start with? I'm thinking zoas...

I advise putting live rock anywhere you can, basically. Plus, a sump with live rock rubble in it and a shoplight will help generate pods and is a great place to throw excess soft-coral frags to take root. (Seriously, if you get kenya trees or anything related, you'll get tired of gluing the damned things to frag disks really quick. ) If you're into polyps or zoas or similar things, put some rubble in your frag tank too, 'cause these guys will sometimes cut loose and float around until they take root somewhere. Plus, again, it'll host pods and such.

What to grow depends on what you like. Soft corals and polyps are mostly easy-mode, and acans and duncans grow out quickly and well. Most montiporas seem relatively undemanding for an SPS, and the same goes for polliciporoids and birds-nest corals and other relations. I'd say -- get some cheap frags of each once the tank cycles, and see if you can keep 'em all alive for a couple months before investing any real cash into frags. This is enough time for you to get used to the way that they tend to grow and react and all the other various husbandry aspects of the hobby.

 

[SevTT]

So basically a 10 or 20 plumbed to a rubbermaid tub full of live rock? What's the cheapest way I can do this? Can I get away without drilling or buying an overflow?

There're things you can cheap out on, but this isn't one of them. I <i>strongly</i> advise getting a tank drilled versus an add-on overflow; it's so much easier to deal with.

 

[anen]

points taken. I googled frag tank and saw a guy using one of those sterilite containers you keep under the bed. maybe i'll drill a bulkhead into one of those.