new reef tank setup!

[kyle]

Originally Posted by RyanG

He definately beats me. Ive made a conscious effort to mend my ways!

lol thats halaroius i cant spell for shit! lol

[Bifferwine]

Ryan is dead on, for a 5 foot tank, you can't just have one MH bulb in the middle. A foot and a half on each end of the tank would be dark.

I would go with three bulbs spaced out evenly. In my 7-foot long tank I have 4x250 watt.

The problem is, MH fixtures are usually made in either 4 foot or 6 foot lengths, so in your case, I'd get one that is 4 feet long and just keep lower light corals on the ends of the tank (my fixture is 6 feet long, so I do the same thing).

[Bifferwine]

I used to use a CPR overflow box on my old 55. It plumbs right into PVC. There is a certain diameter PVC that fits it, but it depends on the size of the overflow box. Check out www.marinedepot.com, their description will usually say what fits it.

Your best bet for the sump is to silicone in some plexiglass dividers, that way you can have a section for the equipment and a section for live rock and chaeto, and they can be kept separate.

120 lbs of rock will fit, in fact that's on the low end. I prefer 2 lbs per gallon to maximize biofiltration, and if it were my tank, I'd at least 200 lbs of live rock.

I would go with 4 Koralia 3's instead of 3. It's a long tank, so you will need more powerheads to achieve ample water movement.

[kyle]

i never really thought of putting lower light corals on the side thanks biff

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, since my tank is 7 feet long and my lights are 6 feet long, I have about a foot of dark area on both ends. I keep mushrooms, zoanthids and some softies on the sides of the tank, and my LPS and SPS are in the middle where they get more light.

[kyle]

when you doing the plumming for the sump, do you have to glue the pvc or can i get pipe that snugs tight togther. and if i have to glue it what kind of glue do i use?

[RyanG]

You should either A glue it with PVC cement you will need the PVC primer first, or B get the threaded pipe which is not cost effective at all. When you do you plumbing plan it all out on paper first. Do a little reading into reef plumbing first so that you are familiar with unions, ball valves, true union ball valves so on and so forth. Just google Aquarium Plumbing. Make your system as modular as possible without over doing the fittings as they will cause friction which will in turn slow your flow rates down. By modular I mean be able to take apart for service. Be able to isolate every pump without having to drain water from the tank. Remove the plumbing to fix breaks or move the system. Hope that helps some.

[kyle]

i think i might go with the threaded PVC. it seems like it can be easier in the long run. is it water tight or will i have toget some of that white tape stuff?

[NewbReefer]

yes you will need teflon, tephlon uh-oh now i can't spell

[Bifferwine]

Teflon?

If you glue, use PVC primer and PVC glue.