Hello, converting form reefkeeping to dart frogs

[rockytop47]

Hey all,
Well I'm so new to this hobby that I still have my 65 tall set-up and running as a reef tank. Main thing I am doing right now is waiting for the first Tuesday of the next month so my livestock can go back to my LFS. At that point I will begin the break down of the tank. I have a couple of questions that I'd like to throw out. First and foremost, re-usable equipment. My tank is drilled with a 20 gallon long sump/refugium under cabinet, running a Reef Octopus 110 GPH protein skimmer. 165 watt leds lights on seperate switches, 75 watt 10,000 kelvin "whites" and 90 watts, 20,000 kelvin "blues". When running together, they are rated at 14,000 kelvin. They put off virtually no heat and I'm sure that that's probably overkill, but they sure make corals and algae grow like crazy and the colors really pop.
1) lights. I haven't seen ANYONE that uses leds in vivariums, or I haven't found anyone yet. I plan on using mine, maybe not using the blues and if possible, getting a dimmer card to dim the whites if need be. Any thoughts on leds as whole in this hobby? I know that the gold standard in reefing is compacts like the T-5's this hobby uses with a switch coming now over to leds in the saltwater community. I'm aware the lights are for plants and not for the animals per se.
2) False bottom. I WANT to incorporate my protein skimmer and sump into the vivarium. I don't want a water feature, but would like a reservoir under the false bottom that circulates and cleans all the water that comes down through the substrate and media. I have a 5 stage rodi/distilled water purifier setup that automatically adjusts my water levels due to evaporation.
Thanks in advance for your answers and as far as re-using my equipment? If I can't boil it to clean it, I won't use it!

[deranged chipmunk]

Welcome to frog forum and frogging. I'll try to answer your questions best as i can.

First off, led's will work just fine for growing plants, but your color temps are too high. 6500k-6700k is ideal for plants. The 10000k's are great for algae, as you noted that they grow corals incredibly. You can always go trial and error on number of leds and the spreads. 40degree optics are seeming to be the trend in the planted tank world, but i haven't played with them.

I'm thinking that is you are not having a water feature, a sump is overkill. I'm all for filtering the water reservoir, but a sump and protein skimmer are just a bit much for water that is just going to be removed. Unless you plan on breeding, in which case an algae sump where the tads can live and grow and feed on algae would be helpful. I have one for my mantella tank and trust me it is actually a pain to grow algae......lol:

[rockytop47]

Nice! Hadn't thought of using the sump for tadpoles! My sump is actually set up as a refugium as well, so having a refuge for tads may be an idea down the road. As far as the 10,000's Kelvin? Yea OVERKILL, however I forgot to mention I can install a dimmer AND driver to the lights to dim and simulate dusk/dawn features. I'm hoping for the price I put into the lights already, I wont have to switch back over to t-5's. I would only run my "whites" anyway and @3 watts per bulb @ 25 bulbs, 75 watts is hopefully doable? And dimmed even more? And I'm a fish guy at heart, so the protein skimmer was just my idea of keeping the water clean and circulating under the false bottom. Suppose I could just still do water changes every so often as my water gets brown. Thanks Bill!

[deranged chipmunk]

no need to switch to t5's. especially if you can get 6500k leds for your set up. but i would play with the 10k's first. i know a few guys who keep planted tanks with 10000k bulbs. the plants grow nice, but it's just too darned blue for me. you'll just need to play with the dimmer for a few weeks to see where you get the most optimum plant growth. going to be a lot of trial and error there, i'm afraid.

it's funny, i too, am a fish guy. been keeping tanks for 30 some years, and it took a bit of adjusting. kind of like what? i don't need $10k in equipment? no way!!LOL so as i was reading your original post i was like cool, a sump. that would be awesome. wait, he wants to do what with a sump?? i had to read it a few times to get it straight in my head because the fish guy said yeah man, but the frogger was like, overkill!!LOL but hey, you're water can never be too clean, right??LOL i run a fluval fx5 inline with an ocean clear canister on a 75. my tank doesn't even look like there's water in it.....LOL so believe me, i understand over kill.

good luck with your build and if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask

[rockytop47]

I KNOW right? I have a 65 tall w/20 gallon sump/refugium. I have an Eheim 1400 GPH return pump, Reef Octopus NW110 protein skimmer, LED'S, 2 Hydor Koralia 450's, 250 pounds of live rock, Blah, Blah, Blah! I wouldn't ever run my blues, because, quite frankly, they're too blue (makes my golden headed sleeper goby look like a freak of nature when it's just the blues.) I would however, incorporate a moonlight strip into a driver(Eco Tech is the way I'll go). I just HATE selling anything I couldn't at least TRY to use on a vivarium!

[deranged chipmunk]

nice list. i love koralias, i won;t ever buy anything else again. want to hear the truly funny part? you could probably get away with a $20 shop light from home depot and the plants would be just as happy. i actually have one running a 60g viv. my ferns LOVE it....lol you can always pick the plant geeks out in a crowd, we're the ones talking about lighting, and not much else....LOL

so a 65 tall? please tell me you're gonna put a species in there that will use the whole thing!!

[Heatheranne]

Welcome

[rockytop47]

Thank you Heather!

[flybyferns]

rockytop47 meet 'Mr Bill Begonia'
Tell me if I'm wrong.
But.... I think after reading this thread --- that this might be 2 man forum

Again Welcome to FF rockytop47

[deranged chipmunk]

Jim, there are many vines that work in a viv besides creeping fig. there's creeping charlie, which is a pilea sp., philodendrons, pothos, most of the cissus family do well in vivs, if you can find them. peperomia rotundifolia is another. i just picked up a couple cool ones, a mini aroid vine, which i assume even the seller couldn't identify, and rhaphldophora pachphylla, which i should be able to hook you up with when you are ready to plant.

Lynn, you may be correct, this thread may just need a woman's touch

[Heatheranne]

Thank you Heather!

You're welcome

[rockytop47]

Hey Thanks Bill! I HAVEN'T begun to even research plants I'd like to have. In between work and the wife's birthday party, research, research and then some frog research, I know it'll come together. LADIES! By all means chime in! I think a ladies touch is always welcome whether a man would admit it or not. y'all seem to have an eye for detail we sometimes lack! Anywhoo, I'll be going the pink insulfoam/drylok route for my background and I'd like to do the whole back and angle in the 2 sides. The tank sits where it is in full front view from my living room and I can see it as well from the dining room table. I want a "layered" look for the plants, low in front, tall in back, "flowing" off the back wall and sides, ledges for tsillandias AND frogs, columns for depth, Blah, Blah, Blah. Got to get the wife's camera looked at and fixed or the build pics will be with my Iphone!

[rockytop47]

Here is what the tank looks like right now! Not much I admit, but then I had a HORRIBLE algae bloom because of the lights and I just got tired of the hassles.

[rockytop47]

[Heatheranne]

Hey Thanks Bill! I HAVEN'T begun to even research plants I'd like to have. In between work and the wife's birthday party, research, research and then some frog research, I know it'll come together. LADIES! By all means chime in! I think a ladies touch is always welcome whether a man would admit it or not. y'all seem to have an eye for detail we sometimes lack! Anywhoo, I'll be going the pink insulfoam/drylok route for my background and I'd like to do the whole back and angle in the 2 sides. The tank sits where it is in full front view from my living room and I can see it as well from the dining room table. I want a "layered" look for the plants, low in front, tall in back, "flowing" off the back wall and sides, ledges for tsillandias AND frogs, columns for depth, Blah, Blah, Blah. Got to get the wife's camera looked at and fixed or the build pics will be with my Iphone!

I am doing a similar approach in either my retf viv or my dart viv...layered back wall with cascading plants out of it, cascading waterfall down the right side and plants and pool on the main floor space it there's enough room .

[deranged chipmunk]

LOVE those perculas!! Algae is a mother isn't it? Lol i'm purposely trying to grow it, and i can't!! But it has no problem rearing it's ugly head in my planted tank, no problem.....lol

[rockytop47]

Yea Heather, that sounds AWESOME! I'm going to do my background in the color of Alabama clay, if you've ever seen it, you'll know why. Here's a link to a pic alabama red clay - Bing Images
Just found out one of our lady cashiers at work keeps a Whites dumpy, now SHE'S all about me getting up and running. Bill! We named the Perculas Jack and Dianne, hope to find them a good home, they have been entertaining and they were ORA tank raised, so they had no CLUE what an anemone was, until I shut out all the lights and shined a flashlight over the anem, they took to it literally overnight. I NEED a place online where I can get driftwood! I want a planter for my Orchid made out of a stump, I know, no pine. I'll be walking the Conecuh national forest Thursday to see if I can find a stump on my own, then using a peanut pot at work to boil it down, then home to the oven to bake. I know it's overkill, but go big or go home...

[deranged chipmunk]

jack and diane...sweet!!! here's a link for driftwood
The Planted Tank Forum

[deranged chipmunk]

well, i was actually talking to Heather, but when your's is ready for plants, the 53 footer will be pulling up to your door....lol

and you are talking about this tank
Waterfall Paludarium - Creating A to Z

[deranged chipmunk]

I am doing a similar approach in either my retf viv or my dart viv...layered back wall with cascading plants out of it, cascading waterfall down the right side and plants and pool on the main floor space it there's enough room .

there better be enough room for a pool....i'm sending you an a$$load of plants for it saturday.....LOL