Hi Amber,
Let me begin by addressing your light fixture. While that is a clever fixture and suitable for freshwater needs, I hate to say it, but that is not going to work for a reef set up. Let me explain the reasons why...
First it doesn't have the correct bulbs in it. Compact fluorescent bulbs are not all created equal. The type of bulbs needed if you choose to go with compact fluorescent bulbs for this tank would be these:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fish-supplies/lighting/aquarium-compact-fluorescent-light-bulb-lamp/ps/c/3578/3733/8068
Notice they have pins on them and do not screw in? That means, unfortunately, they would need the proper fixture... which would look like this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+9654+23507&pcatid=23507
I'm sure you've looked at the cost of this type of fixture and bulbs by now and are groaning... so let me offer you a less expensive solution for your lighting. Take a look at the HO T5 fixtures suitable for reef keeping...
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+23590&pcatid=23590
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+23753&pcatid=23753
HO T5 fixtures can be suited for freshwater or saltwater, it's just a matter of what bulbs are put into it. If you order the fixtures suited for marine/reef tanks they do come with the proper bulbs for a reef, and these bulbs are typically easy to find for replacement once/yr. (and yes, they do need replacing once/yr to avoid losing their spectrum and intensity which will cause a host of problems in a reef tank)
Aside from the bulbs in your current fixture there are some other reasons why it is not suitable for a reef. The height that it sits off of the tank allows for far too much light loss... and if you look at the photo you posted of the whole tank setup you can see how much light is reflected on the wall behind the tank as well as onto the tank sitting off to the side of this one. Corals, even the easy, lower light needing species, need much stronger lighting than what this fixture can offer you as well as a different spectrum than what the current bulbs offer.
Another problem with your current fixture is the wood as well as the bulb's open exposure to salt creep. (and yes, salt creep can get that high off of the tank) Not only will the salt eat through the wood of your current fixture but it would also have the ability to get into the sockets around those bulbs... which is a huge fire hazard.
I hate having to give bad news and I hope you're not too upset... but I wouldn't be helping you if I told you this fixture would work for you. I don't want to see you have a fire in your home, nor do I want to see you waste a ton of money in corals that will only die if added to this set up as it is now.
While studying your photos I also noticed another potential problem that I need to make you aware of for safety's sake. I noticed that the table this tank is sitting on is not an aquarium stand, and that the edges of the tank hang over the ends of the table a bit. This tank, at some point, will break if it remains this way long term. Saltwater is heavier than freshwater, (it is more dense), which makes the risk of cracking/breaking even higher. As you begin to sort out the other problems such as correcting the substrate and adding enough live rock, the weight of this tank is going to increase even further. The manufacturer warranty on this tank has already been voided because of the table it sits on, so if/when it breaks, there would be no way to recoup your losses... both tank as well as damage expenses. 29 gallons of salt water can cause an extreme amount of damage to your home. Again, I mention this because I don't want to see you have to deal with a disaster which is only a matter of time as this tank sits currently. Aquariums are made to hold the weight of the things we want/need to put into them, but only if they are braced properly to accommodate the weight distribution.
I liked your idea of using your bf's tank as a main tank and then using this 29 gallon as a quarantine. That would be a good solution to your quarantine problem without having to spend a ton of money... however, to quarantine corals in this tank you would still need to address the problems mentioned above. Corals without the proper lighting for even a few days to a week will quickly begin to fade away and die, and unlike plants in a fresh water situation, bringing them back from near death is extremely difficult to impossible. Please remember that corals are not plants, they are animals, and they have very specific needs, both for lighting as well as water chemistry. Dead/dying corals in a reef tank will quickly pollute the water and affect everything else in the tank.
So sorry to have to bring you "bad news" but as I said, my desire is to help you and not see you go through the issues and expense that would be coming your way without this information. The saltwater hobby is not cheap because it is a much more exact science than freshwater, requires much more specific types of equipment/lighting, and that means it allows less room for error before disaster strikes. Making mistakes is much more expensive in the marine hobby and can be much more difficult to correct once it happens.
Please let me know what else I can do to help you as you proceed.
Dawn
--- In AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com, Amber Berglund <arberglund@...> wrote:
>
> Sorry I'm so late, had issues getting my computer to recognize my phone
> when I went to upload the photos. Took me hours. LOL.
> Anyways.
> I put the pictures up on the group page, I have 2 of the tank and one of
> the light fixture.
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AquaticLife/photos/album/1965213528/pic/list
>
> Amber
>
> On 9/21/2012 12:06 PM, bill 1433 wrote:
> >
> > I hinted as much Dawn but I think for right now she's having
> > a time issue with work.
> >
> > bill in pa
> >
> > --- On Fri, 9/21/12, dawnshungryeyes4u2c
> > <dawnshungryeyes4u2c@...
> > <mailto:dawnshungryeyes4u2c%40yahoo.com>> wrote:
> >
> > From: dawnshungryeyes4u2c <dawnshungryeyes4u2c@...
> > <mailto:dawnshungryeyes4u2c%40yahoo.com>>
> > Subject: [AquaticLife] Re: Salt water tank
> > To: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com <mailto:AquaticLife%40yahoogroups.com>
> > Date: Friday, September 21, 2012, 3:42 PM
> >
> > Both light fixture and tank photos would help a lot. :-)
> >
> > Dawn
> >
> > --- In AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com
> > <mailto:AquaticLife%40yahoogroups.com>, Amber Berglund
> > <arberglund@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I'll get a picture of it after work today. I'm assuming you're asking
> > > about the light fixture? I'll take some pics of the tank too, just
> > in case.
> > >
> > > Amber
> > >
> > > On 9/21/2012 5:24 AM, bill 1433 wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hi Amber,
> > > >
> > > > Yes, its been a while. A favor? Is there any way to get some
> > pictures of
> > > > this unit? I think Dawn would benfit too?
> > > >
> > > > bill in pa
> > > >
> > > > --- On Thu, 9/20/12, Amber Berglund <arberglund@
> > > > <mailto:arberglund%40gmail.com>> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > From: Amber Berglund <arberglund@
> > > > <mailto:arberglund%40gmail.com>>
> > > > Subject: Re: [AquaticLife] Re: Salt water tank
> > > > To: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com
> > <mailto:AquaticLife%40yahoogroups.com>
> > <mailto:AquaticLife%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > > Date: Thursday, September 20, 2012, 10:33 PM
> > > >
> > > > I double checked the CFL (spiral kind) bulbs, they are each 42 watts,
> > > > and there are 6 of them. It's a custom made light fixture, not one
> > that
> > > > was made for the tank. They are definitely daylight bulbs (6700K), not
> > > > sure if I need a different spectrum for corals, I'm used to freshwater
> > > > planted tanks. The live rock I have in the tank is one large piece
> > that
> > > > weighs about 15 lbs. It seems very dense and was very heavy when I
> > > > lifted it out of the tank to move it to mine. I'm hoping to get
> > some of
> > > > the lighter live rock (some of them come in really pretty colors of
> > > > algae growth on them too), I just can't afford it quite yet. Our local
> > > > fish store only special orders saltwater fish/inverts so I'll probably
> > > > be doing my own ordering off of aquabid or somewhere online, as I will
> > > > get a better deal using my fedex account to ship stuff in.
> > > >
> > > > It's a mixture of crushed coral and (what was once live) sand, I may
> > > > have forgotten to say that, it's not ALL crushed coral. I'd say
> > it's at
> > > > least a 50/50 mix of sand/crushed coral. The sand I moved from my
> > > > boyfriend's tank was from an established (over 5 years) saltwater
> > tank.
> > > > Thanks for the tips on the water bridge idea, I'll probably not do
> > that
> > > > now that I have more info on what could go wrong, but it was a nice
> > > > thought to have the tanks connected.
> > > > Is a sump/overflow necessary for a saltwater tank? I had one that came
> > > > with my 125 gallon tank, but I gave it away about a year ago, so I no
> > > > longer have the sump box and powerhead that was in it.
> > > > As far as the equipment goes I have 2 filters running on the tank, a
> > > > Rena XP (I think it's a XP 2), and a Magnum 350 canister filter. I
> > also
> > > > have 2 extra powerheads that can be used in the tank if I need
> > even more
> > > > water flow for corals, I wasn't sure how much I need and the
> > powerheads
> > > > have been in the closet for about a year but they still work just
> > fine.
> > > >
> > > > I have a calcium test kit around here somewhere that I can use, I just
> > > > have to find it, LOL.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > > Amber
> > > >
> > > > On 9/20/2012 4:23 PM, dawnshungryeyes4u2c wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Amber, can you double check the info on the light fixture and
> > bulbs as
> > > > > well as the measurements of your tank please? Something in the
> > info is
> > > > > off... compact fluorescent bulbs don't come in 90 watt sizes and a 6
> > > > > bulb fixture over a 29 gallon tank wouldn't fit. Not sure what
> > is off
> > > > > but would like to help you sort it out. Knowing for sure what
> > you have
> > > > > is important because it will determine what animals (corals) you can
> > > > > keep in the tank. Can you tell me what is written on each of the
> > > > > bulbs? (the print directly on the bulb) There should be letters as
> > > > > well as numbers there. That would help me to identify what you have.
> > > > >
> > > > > Hermits can work with crushed coral but they tend to have a more
> > > > > difficult time finding enough food or keeping the substrate cleaned
> > > > > up, especially if you are sticking to hermits that are reef safe
> > (not
> > > > > all crabs are reef safe). You might want to consider removing the
> > > > > crushed coral and making up the difference with live sand. This
> > can be
> > > > > done with a strainer where the sand can fall through but the crushed
> > > > > coral pieces are too big and will remain in the strainer. This would
> > > > > preserve the sand you have at present and then you'd only need
> > to add
> > > > > to it. Also, the sand in your tank that's mixed in now will
> > settle to
> > > > > the bottom under the crushed coral because it is smaller and lighter
> > > > > weight, so using a tube to suck the crushed coral from the
> > surface may
> > > > > also be an option... depends on your ratio of each and how you
> > are set
> > > > > up. I suggest this now because it will make the long term keeping of
> > > > > this tank much easier and because doing it now before you start
> > adding
> > > > > animals also makes the process easier.
> > > > >
> > > > > I do not suggest connecting the tanks via some kind of
> > > > > tunnel/tube/bridge system. In a healthy saltwater tank there is
> > > > > coraline algae growth that will build up quickly, that's a good
> > > > > thing... however, it's very hard, can get very thick quickly, and is
> > > > > near impossible to remove from a tunnel/tube type of situation. Put
> > > > > simply, it would start out looking nice but would quickly be crusted
> > > > > in coraline algae where you wouldn't be able to see through it and
> > > > > then eventually it would slow water flow/circulation as the coraline
> > > > > continues to build. If your intention is for the animals to be
> > able to
> > > > > pass back and forth through this "tunnel" from one tank to another,
> > > > > again I say don't do it. There are so many things that will get
> > up in
> > > > > there and get stuck or begin to grow where you have no access to
> > > > > remove them, it would become a nightmare situation before long.
> > Things
> > > > > such as tube worms, aptasia, various forms of algaes, bristle worms,
> > > > > etc. would all "live" in there and make for one heck of a mess.
> > If you
> > > > > know anyone who is running a saltwater tank at present, an
> > established
> > > > > tank that is at least 1+ yrs old with a sump/overflow system,
> > ask them
> > > > > if you can take a flashlight and peek into the overflow box for a
> > > > > minute or 2 and you'll quickly see what I'm talking about. If you
> > > > > don't know anyone where you can do this let me know and I'll try to
> > > > > get some photos for you on this end. It's important for you to
> > > > > actually be able to see what I'm referring to.
> > > > >
> > > > > I have company due to arrive any moment now, but later after they
> > > > > leave I will get out my camera and take some photos for you of my
> > > > > saltwater tanks. One is a quarantine tank that I don't really have
> > > > > anything in so I just let it do it's own thing and the other is my
> > > > > main tank that is maintained daily. I will be able to then show you
> > > > > some of the things to prepare for and watch out for as well as avoid
> > > > > in your own tank. Every tank is different but there are some things
> > > > > that are common about all marine set ups... and going in unprepared
> > > > > can mean more work as well as more expense later. I'd hate to
> > see that
> > > > > happen for you.
> > > > >
> > > > > I'll be back later.
> > > > >
> > > > > Dawn
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
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