Back to the hobby after a 5 year hiatus....update?

[frijolero]

Hi all,
I took a break from reefkeeping for a few years and my roommate is now stoked to set up a tank. Before we go nuts, though, I wanted to make sure nothing major had changed. Back in high school/college I had a 30g with a plenum, seaclone (yeah I was broke) skimmer, a couple of power heads, and a 175w 10k MH. Had RO water from a cheap 10gpd Kent marine unit. Kalkwasser or supplements occasionally. Kept mostly lps, sps, and a few fish. So, is this still the way to go? I've got all the old stuff still, so was thinking of setting it up the same way to save some cash (grad school) minus the plenum and plus a new skimmer. Was thinking of getting a prizm from Red Sea since it seems to be the best sub $100 skimmer from my limited surfing. I'm starting to get excited to get this thing up and running again! TIA,

-Chip

 

[Jimmy G]

Don't waste your money on the Prizm skimmer, its as bad, if not worse than your old seaclone. If you are going sumpless and need a hang-on, get a Remora.
Good idea to omit the plenum but you might want to consider a deep sand bed ( I almost hate to say that as some are getting away from those too) Its been successful for me going on 7 years.

 

[SnowManSnow]

best HOT skimmers = AquaC Remora and Deltec.. pretty much bar-none.

i dont personally have a DSB... and I've been more than fine without it

Make sure to buy lighting for expansion It'll save you bucks in the long run. If youre going with another 30g id go for 250w DE MH pendant or the like

Good luck!

keep us posted

 

[frijolero]

Thanks for the advice guys! I checked out the Deltec skimmers and they are far out of my price range. The aqua c seems closer, perhaps I can find one used. I've still got a bunch of aragonite from back in the day so I was thinking of using a thin layer (1") of that because I don't like the bare-bottom look (in reefs, anyway). As far as lights, I already have a hood I built and I found a 175 10k german bulb I labeled as a month old from teardown. I guess I knew I'd be back at it eventually. I'll keep the 250w in mind though. Anyway, water and live rock should be up and running in a week or so, I'll keep you posted. Thanks again,

-Chip

p.s. Couldn't take a complete break. If you're interested, this 5.5g has been up and down over the years and moves: http://www.nano-reef.com/gallery/showph ... =frijolero

 

[SAreefer]

HEY, I ran a prizm skimmer and had no problem with them. I had to use a hangon since I had a showtank with no sump, but it never gave me problem and worked like hell