Lighting requirements? Fluval 240L Conversion

[Dan Steveo]

Hello guys,

Now i may sound crazy but i went into my lfs the other day and was looking at this lovely little bottom feeder (like a pleco in FW) But was in SW, he was amazing, then i paid attention to the other fish in the sw section and the corals and there are some truely beautiful fish that are a darnsight cheaper than i thought they would be.

Anyway.. i got chatting to the manager who i know really well now, and she told me as much as possible in the hour or so i was there...

I am DEFINITELY going to convert my Fluval 240l into a saltwater aquarium over the coming months.
I do have a few questions however..

i have been reading a lot of the stickies on here and just wanna get some basics straight before i go into refractometers etc... (although someone will say that is basic i am sure haha)

Filtration:

Now from what i've been reading you can get live rock to colonise with bacteria etc which will effectively become the filter (of course needing protein skimmer), however would a sump be better to have aswell as i have no real room for a protein skimmer up top? If i used my Pre-drilled holes for external filter as a surface skimmer(one pipe going to top for inlet like i saw in the shops) leading to a sump would this be better than a canister filter? i dont really want a canister filter, and if i did use one i'd change the standard Fluval 305 for something like a 406? or equivalent (aquamania? better design by the looks of it)(Aquamania is a maidenhead aquatics own brand which is apparently overtaking fluval's filters in the UK) My real question is, should i get a sump with live rock and corals etc, or just stick with a canister filter and somehow fit a protein skimmer to back of tank?

I was thinking of buying something like a juwel rekord 40/60 litre tank and D.I.Y'ing perspex slots etc to make a good filter, then would have protein skimmer on this and heater etc to hide it, however if heater is not a good idea there it can stay in tank....

Lighting:

A biggie for me, i want to be able to keep corals, and possibly some SPS, Although most LPS's are beautiful enough for me, But obviously standard 40w fluval lights arent enough right?
What kind of lighting should i go for? i think Metal Halide is a bit over the top right? sooo bright and has to be far off water surface... is there another way? i've read about T5HO but not too sure, they're only a little more wattage than standard...?

Basically overall. i really wanna get a good few live rocks and corals and fish and have a little reef going on, cost isnt really a issue but it would be a work in progress...

Im still learning about SW, and will be trading in all my FW fish (including rare plecs)(unless someone local will buy)
and then will use credit to pay for some startup stuff, i will then leave tank 8 weeks and get bits here and there like ro kit and so on...

Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dan

 

[Dan Steveo]

Ok, basically, i went into the store again today before work and the staff there said that i could get T5 High Output (HO) lighting and would need 4 bulbs and then two of the blue marine glo lights..

i have the fluval T8 lighting unit.. Should i get a whole new unit, (apparently there is a fluval unit) or keep it and use it for the two blue marine lights? and then get four t5 normal bulbs? or will the marine glo T8 not be enough (x2)? Would it have to be T5 Blue aswell? I've seen some T8 to T5 adapters but not sure how well these will work.


i can DIY some holders for the T5 Bulbs, so thats not a problem, and the fluval light unit would be nice to keep, but would there need to be good ventilation to the water? in other words, the fluval lighting units cover the whole top and leave two small slots at the back... if i cut 4 rectangular holes (approx 2 by 5 inches) in those lids (2 on each one)and raised them by 1 cm on brackets would that be enough? or will it need more than this? or not need any extra than standard?

The tank does have a plastic lip round the whole inside and i can hang things on that, so wouldnt be hard to support the bulbs with a diy mount. and there is a plastic support across the middle, im only worried about how many T5 Bulbs i'd need and if there is a need for ventilation/openings

T5HO doesnt give off much heat so i've heard, so this is what i have in mind, would it however allow me to keep a majority of corals? my tank isnt that deep, approx 50cm

 

[Dan Steveo]

Ok well i've decided that T5 HO x6 will be more than enough for my tank all will have reflectors and i have ordered T5 connectors and ballast to adapt my Fluval lights to house two T5 instead of T8,

It Did smell like it was burning a little and water had got in somehow so i guess i got a faulty unit, could have been amusing when it blew up haha.

Anyway, Im keeping my old 160L to breed my bristlenoses, they've been at it non stop since they've had this new wood, three batches of eggs already in the last month or so, its crazy.

I worked it out, there's gotta be about 100 every month or two, more when the females get bigger. and at 1/3 sale price i can sell it to the store, they sell for approx £6.50 si ill get minimum £2 per pleco so thats approx £200 every month or so... A good way to feed the costs of my marine tank? haha, And i could also keep my rare pleco's if i so desired.