Things To Consider Before Setting Up An Acrylic Reef TankI am sure that most people would agree that reef tanks are an exquisite sight to behold. With their vibrant colors of coral, fish and other creatures, and their usually large tank size, you are transported to another beautiful world. So what if you think you would like to give a try to keeping a reef tank of your own? There are many things to consider before you even buy the first thing. You need to think about where to place the tank. You should consider many things in tank placement. One is keeping it away from doors and windows if possible. This will allow the fish to hide easier if they want and will cut down on cooler or warmer air or sunlight hitting it and possibly changing the water temperature. You will need to think about what size of tank you want and calculate how heavy the tank, water, live rock, stand, hood and lighting will weigh together. A 120 gallon tank ends up weighing in excess of 1000 pounds! You may need to think about putting in some sort of extra floor support in this area.
You need to decide the type of tank in terms of glass or acrylic. There are many more benefits to using acrylic, mainly being that they are stronger, clearer, seamless, and easier to drill for tubing holes. An acrylic reef tank is also lighter and easier to move. Then you need to decide what will be inside. There are Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) or a reef. Obviously, the reef will be heavier. The next step is deciding how much live rock you want in your acrylic reef tank. The recommendation for this is to use one pound of live rock per gallon of water. In addition to the live rock, you will need to think about what kinds of fish and other creatures you would like to keep in your tank. Here is an overview of other items that will need to be included in your acrylic reef tank. Lighting - there are mainly six types of acrylic reef tank lights. Choosing which types are appropriate for your tank will depend upon they types of creatures living in your tank and how deep it is. Skimmer - sometimes called a protein skimmer, is used for getting undissolved organics out of the water. Filtration - it is important to keep the water clean and can incorporate both chemical and biological methods of filtration. Your live rock will be a big part of your biological filtration. Water movement - it is important to keep the water moving. An auto top off system - automatically replaces the right amount of evaporated water. A sump and refuge - a separate tank for algae and other biological filters and keeps water flowing. Water - the type of water you use is important. You should use reverse osmosis and/or deionization water, not tap or well water. Test kits - you will want to measure everything from temperature to pH levels. The key is gathering all the information on starting your acrylic reef tank as possible. Read as much as you can. There are books, magazines, online web sites, online discussion groups, and your local pet store owners to talk with. Utilize all your available resources and you will enjoy a gorgeous reef tank of your own. |