Reddit reviews Uniclife 80 GPH Submersible Water Pump UL80 with 6ft Power Cord for Fountain Aquarium Pond Fish Tank Hydroponic

Have disposable income. :) I had gotten some overtime hours at work, so I went ahead and took the plunge back into saltwater (pun intended).

These were the steps I took so far. I'm not sure if I did it right or not, but I've been able to keep things alive without any die-off, so I've got that going for me. In total, I've spent probably around $300 for the whole setup. Couldn't be happier!

Step 1: Acquire aquarium. This one is the Aqueon Cue 5 gallon, which has a stock led light of whites and blues with "moonlight" option. Put your aquarium on a sturdy, level surface away from sunlight (or in indirect sunlight if you must).

Step 2: Add pump for flow. I'm using the 80 GPH Uniclife found [here on Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZW6OHHY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Step 3: Mix saltwater. I use distilled water from the store and Kent Marine Reef Salt Mix. It dissolves so quickly! I seriously use a white 5 gallon bucket and a spatula to mix it. I keep my salinity at 1.024.

Step 4: Let the water come to room temp. Measure salinity with a hydrometer (like the Instant Ocean brand). Be sure to rinse it off with fresh water every time you use it.

Step 5 (optional): Add barely 1/2 inch of live sand. I used CaribSea, 5 lb bag. Yes, you will have LOTS left over. Use it for craft projects!

Step 6: Add live rock. Not just any old live rock, I'm talking about the stuff that's been at your lfs for freakin' ever in the dark, unloved corner. This is more established rock and will help your cycle move along. Currently I have about 3.5 lbs in there.

Step 7: Put some live rock where filter floss will go and skip out on filter floss or carbon. Seriously, somehow this works.

Step 8: Add water. Wait several hours for your ensuing sand storm to die down. You're welcome to leave your extra pump off for this part. I did use some filter floss in the filter to catch loose detrius, but once the water was clear, I threw it out. Once your water is clear, turn the pump back on. By now you should have a thermometer in there, too. My tank stays at 73-74F most days.

Step 9: Make a tiny mark with a permanent marker where your "full" water line is. Every day, top off your tank with fresh distilled water up to that line. That way you can stay ahead of evaporation and keep your tank water at a stable salinity.

Step 10: Wait about 2-3 weeks. Watch your rock spring to life! I had all kinds of fun critters crawling on mine.

Step 11: Take a water sample to your lfs or pet store to be tested (Petco does it for free, which is where I went). If your parameters are good, move on to the next step. If not, wait another week. If it's still no good, consult reddit or start over.

Step 12: Add your cleanup crew! This can be an assortment of hermits, different types of snails and so forth. I've listed my current stock in another comment in this thread. My only complaint would be to have more things that eat more hair algae.

Step 13: Wait another 3 weeks. Ensure your livestock is still alive.

Step 14: By now you may notice brown algae clinging to your glass and rockwork. It's the ugly phase, but it'll pass. Scrub lightly on the glass to get rid of the algae. I use a piece of filter floss (but I'll be upgrading to a magnet cleaner today).

Step 15: First water change! Follow the water mixing procedures from above. Then, drain out 90% of the water from your tank and refll it back to your "full" line with the new fresh water.

Step 16: Wait a few days, then get your water tested again. If it's all good...

Step 17: Add corals. This setup doesn't really allow for hard-to-keep corals (unless I upgraded the light...), so try to go for easy, low-light ones that aren't particularly aggressive. You can get them from your lfs, from frag trading groups or online at larger retailers.

Step 18: Wait about a month. By now, you'll see some die off and some growth on your corals. That's great!!

Step 19: Stay on top of your monthly water changes. Remember: the more livestock you add, the less time you'll be able to get away with between water changes.

So far, that's what I've got. I want to add some chaeto or other saltwater plants to liven up the space some more. Might get a yellow clown goby or more frags, then I think I'll call it all good.

I change my water once a month and scrub my glass when the algae starts to be too much. The tank is constantly growing and changing. I'm new to the hobby but I'll be happy to answer any questions you have!

i did a lot of research before hand, cause i wanted a fish. so i need a 80 gal/hr filter, some gravel, i posted here because the directions for cycling made no sense to me, i think you are supposed to change like 25% of the water each day? and 19 gallon tank seems a little weird, doesnt it?

will this work?

You can buy a small submersible pump or filter (less than 100 gph) on amazon for less than $10.

something like this or this sunsun one is interesting

I've used these pumps for a variety of uses. I have one working for over a year now with no issues. Can't beat the price:)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ZW6OHHY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451580191&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX118_SY170_QL70&keywords=uniclife+80+gph+submersible+pump&th=0

This is the one I have. It works great. Got me through about 30 gallons so far. Sorry for the poor formatting. I'm on mobile and forgot how to make it look all nice.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZW6OHHY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_2H6rxbN3FN0AV

I got this one. It's pretty darn slow it's done the job when I've left town for 10 days or so. I can't remember exactly but I think it took like 4 minutes for 3/4 of a gallon. Keep in mind that if you don't wanna water every day you'll need one of those digital outlet timers. I got one from home depot for like $10 that you can program for and day of the week. I usually do Monday and Thursday or something like that

I have a power head that came with a co2 system, it is labeled Red Sea turbo D-800, it is small and adjustable. Something like this might work https://www.amazon.com/Uniclife-Submersible-Aquarium-Powerhead-Hydroponic/dp/B00ZW6OHHY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485119555&sr=8-1&keywords=small+adjustable+powerhead

While I haven't use this yet (still have to build my new shrimp tank), I purchased this and appearance-wise it seems to match the Spec V pumps as I used to have a few of those tanks in the past. This may be a cheap replacement to keep on hand in the event you can't clean out the Spec V pump or it finally quits on you.

Good luck!

I had bought a bubbler from Petco for 15 bucks to circulate water. It was a tight fit but my steaks turned out great. I also found a bubbler on amazon for 8 bucks which is a lot more compact than the petco one. Ill be making steaks for father's day and will probably use the above set up with this bubbler. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZW6OHHY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

One of these, one of these, and one of these. Don't have any pictures, but its a pretty simple set up. You set the temp you want it at, set the window to .1 or .2 degrees. Don't plug the heater into the controller's outlet unless its underwater, otherwise you blow the fuse. Probably a good idea to start with hot tap water and add some boiling water from the kettle. The heater will keep the water up to temp, no problem, but it can take a while to raise the temp from room temp. I always make sure nothing is going to touch the heater in the water. I'm not sure, but it could probably melt a bag. I have a length of high-themp CPVC pipe that I put over the pot or cambro, and use binder clips to suspend the heater and sensor.

You're not relying on it for filtration and the waterfall won't be more than a few inches higher than the pump so a super cheap one (like this or this) would work just fine.