new to hobby

[shimergloom26]

Hi I'm new to ARC and wanted a few opinions on some future equipment purchases. I have a 20 gallon flat back hex and looking to purchase 2 800 gph powerheads, fluvial m 100 watt heater, and 24" 4x24 watt t5 ho fixture, 20 pounds of live rock and 20 pounds of live sand. I'm looking to keep some of the begginers corals and a pair of clown fish. Also maybe the gob and shrimp combo. I would like to know what would be a good testing kit and would a hang on back refugium be a good addition. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will be purchasing everything around the middle of July.

 

[ralph atl]

Test kits: Elos

 

[shimergloom26]

OK thanks. Ill check it out

 

[eddie'sfig]

I've always Loved seachem. I'm a beginner and have gone though a lot and might can help if yu need anything

 

[shanepike]

Welcome! I'm new as well, and I'll give you my best piece of advice: Spend as little as possible to get started. It was enormously helpful to me to get to jump in and play around with things without having paid for a huge setup. A lot of people end up either getting addicted and deciding to go big, or realizing it's way more work than they're willing to put in and deciding to close everything down. In either case, you'll be glad you didn't invest a lot in your first system.

 

[tgriffin]

Welcome to ARC

 

[picoreefguy]

welcome to the club you picked a great hobby api is a decent test kit for not too much money but if you know you are going to stick with it and be in the hobby for a while then id invest into some seachem kits they cost a little more but are worth it imo

 

[shimergloom26]

Thanks for all of the advice. I think my biggest concerns is if the lighting I posted will work and wondering if the powerheads are going to be to much flow for a 20 gallon flat back hex.

 

[eddie'sfig]

I think flow and light yu posted is good choice

 

[picoreefguy]

i agree with eddie the light should be fine as long as the tank isnt crazy deep which i doubt since its a 20 gal and for the flow that sounds good as well and heres a bit of advice try to point the powerheads in diffrent directions and get a little flow to the entire tank so there are no dead spots where detritus can build up

 

[ripped tide]

If you want accuracy and consistency, buy photometers for everything.

 

[shimergloom26]

@picoreefguy I was going to point one up and one a little down but no so far down that it blows the sand.

@Ripped Tide OK I'm a little dumb on that. What are photometer and what are they used for?

 

[ripped tide]

There are a wide variety of photometers that are made. The ones in our hobby operate primarily by measuring absorption of light. With my phosphate photometer, you take a sample of water from your aquarium and put it in a vial. You put the vial in the photometer and "zero" the meter. When you zero it, the meter shines a light through the vial and to the receiver. Assuming that the water is clear and the vial is clean, there should not be much light refracted. This gives you a control. You then add a reagent to the vial and wait three minutes for the sample to color up. The reagent darkens the water depending on the amount of phosphate. The dark pigment absorbs light, therefor less light passes through to the receiver. The more light absorbed, the higher the phosphate.


This is nice because I hate messing with color comparison charts. Seachem has the best color scale if you decide photometers are out of your budget.

 

[shimergloom26]

Sounds interesting I'll have to check those out. Thanks

 

[picoreefguy]

sounds like a good plan for pointing the powerheads in diffrent directions and dylan is right photometers are the way to go but they can be a bit pricey even at the hobbyist level

 

[shimergloom26]

I checked into the photometer and they were really nice, but right now they are a little out of my price range.

Does Seachem make a master test kit? I have been looking and the only ones I can find check different things in each kit.

 

[picoreefguy]

as far as i know they dont have a master kit

 

[shimergloom26]

Do you know of anyone that has a master test kit besides API.

 

[shimergloom26]

I have been looking around my house for things I can use to help out my tank when I get it started. I found some old glass that I had and was thinking about building a refugium out of it. The cute will be 16" x 12" x 4" I will be sitting it behind my tank like a hob fudge but it will be sitting on a shelf. I plan on drilling a 1" inlet and a 1 1/2" outlet. Will this be enough our should I change the size of the holes? I know fugues are normally built with acrylic but I'm limited on funds so I thought the glass would work.

 

[frantz]

I'm down in griffin 3 times a week for work. When you're all set up shoot me a message and I'll give you a few beginner coral for free if you become a member =-D