# Specifics on what to buy?



## Guest (Apr 28, 2005)

Hello again,

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Well I am going to be buying the equipment that was suggested but I need some suggestions of brands and sizes etc...

Play sand: someone mentioned getting playsand at Home Depot, I read. Is this still correct? (I read this about 6 months ago) How much sand would I need to put into a 29 gal 12.5"w X 30"l X 18.5"Tall and how deep would the sand need to be?

Protein Skimmer vs. Refugium: Which to purchase and what size and do I need any other equipment with these (overflow tank or another powerhead) I have a powerhead running with the undergravel filter, what do I do with this since I won't be using the UG filter?

Mechanical Filter or Biological Filter what size and brand would do the best or will I need one with the above equipment?

Light change for liverock: What lights do I need to buy and would I need to change the hood? I have an Eclipse F18T8-natural daylight bulb in my hood what do I need to change to?

I also need to get a test kit. I have been using strips that are for both salt and fresh water and they are not very accurate. What would you old guys suggest? I want something I can keep on top of things but doesn't cost too much (as you can see gonna be a big bill this month). They have not been showing a problem with nitrate-nitrite but I am having problems that you all said was related to this so am wondering about the accuracy of these strips.

Also, I read about the UV sterilizer for keeping out pests. Is there one for this size tank and what is the best brand for a decent price?

Also, FishFirst how would I ship those fish to you? Honestly, I would like to get rid of them but don't want to kill them. They have been super healthy(too bad, :roll: LOL) and I hate to just sacrifice them so I could have peace in my tank. The big one is so aggressive she even will have stand-offs with our tomato clown which is about the same length as her. They do tail smacking at each other. The big one is about 3 ins. and the smaller one 2.5 in.

Okay, I think that is it for now. Oh, if I replace the gravel with sand a little at a time some of the gravel will probably mix in with the sand, will that be ok? and can I leave the undergravel filter under it without causing a problem.

Sorry, for all the questions, but would like to get this straightened out some with extra money from taxes.

Becbeach[/size]


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

i believe mixing sand and undergravel filters is a no no... I think it get into your impeller housing and turn into a problem. Not to mention in may make your water cloudy. As for the other stuff i have no idea


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## Guest (Apr 28, 2005)

Thanks for the reply.

I wasn't going to use it or have a pump hooked up to it. I was just going to leave it on the bottom or that means I will have to take out everything in the tank and start over and I didn't really want to disturb the fish that much. 

Do you think it would be ok if I didn't have it hooked up just used it as a base for the sand?

Thanks again.

Becbeach


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Playsand is hard to find at home depot, but it is a lot cheaper when you do find it. Tropical play sand with the little boy on the bag is what you want, I've also heard of southdown?southtown?sand and other kinds of sand that can be used that are silica free. They come in 50lbs bags for 7 bucks... you'll need about 20-40lbs of this... if you want a deep sand bed 40 or a shallow 20.

As for the protein skimmer or fuge... you'd probably like to do both, but either one is fairly good at keeping those parameters in check. No undergravel filter, but the powerhead can be used in the tank for circulation
Too keep liverock healthy I would recommend 2 watts per gallon or more (up to 5). 
Test kits you want are ones with the drop method instead of strips.
UV sterilizers are completely optional and quite unnecessary with a good filtration system, a regular water change here and there, and QT tank where you med the fish before going into the main.
Also pm me for details about shipping them to me.
I wouldn't use a UGF for a base, just sell it! lol


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

"Southdown" tropical playsand was only found in Home Depot's in the Northeastern US.

yep - *was*

They (southdown) were recently bought out by Yardright/OldCastle - my understanding is that none of the HD's up here have tropical playsand anymore, although local reefers are finding southdown/yardright/oldcastle tropical playsand at Agway stores - so you might want to see if there is an Agway near you.

rather than typing a whole long post that will repeat what everyone else will say - I highly HIGHLY recommend picking up at least one, maybe more, good modern aquarium books.

Bob (robert) Fenner's Concientious Marine Aquarist is excellent, as is John Tullock's Natural Reef Aquarium.  Jeff Kurtz Simple Guide to Marine Aquariums is also very good and about half the price.

If you really want to learn about refugiums, sandbeds, etc - I think Fenner and Calfo's Invertebrates book (from their Natural Aquarium series) has the best discussion in print on setting up a 'fuge.  Plus lots of other good info 

All of these should be available at Amazon.com if you can't find them locally.


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