210g setup please help

[strykker]

Hi everyone i have a few questions that i was hoping some one can help me with. i am not new to aquariums but only small ones i was going to start a 75g reef
and actually ran into a great deal 210g oceanic and stand came with a huge uv sterilizer large pm sump or fuge not sure which by the look of it is odd looking compared
to others and came with a big skimmer and waste collector on the side. tank is already drilled and has over flows and 1 return and supply on each end. apparently it
was in a corporate office and they took it down i got it for 300.00 sold my other tanks 275.00 and basicly paid 25 bucks for it!
what i need to know is what type of setup i should use. looks like it had 3 pumps 2 returns and skimmer pump. should i go with one big pump like a dart and break
down to my equipment or take and go back with 3 smaller pumps.
also should i use this pm sump/fuge and or add the another and have both
also lighting should i go with t5 or led.
i am wanting pretty much easy going stuff not exotics, only cool fish and corals
i have had a small 40 saltwater for 2 years with no issues just want a big one also i am tackling it big time and putting it in the wall i have a small room on
the other side of the living room and gonna make it my fish room/den
i plan on 200lbs of sand,around 250lbs of rock i have a nice couple of heaters and and 2 korila 1050s
any suggestions and advice would be much appreciated!!!!! thanks

 

[chichimom79]

That's an awesome deal! Welcome to the site. I will let others more experienced with larger systems help you with the sump/fuge. As far as lighting, LED is way better than T5. LED or Metal Halide is best, but the LED don't put off the heat metal halides do which can lead to overheating in your tank. If you can afford LED, definitely do it. You are going to need more powerheads. Other than that, sounds awesome! Can't wait to see the tank! :D

 

[kevdogg]

First off welcome to the site. Take some time and use the search to hunt down some older threads they all have some good nugget to learn from!

I would probably stick with the setup as is for right now as far as the pumps go. However I think you are going to need larger circulation pumps. The rule of thumb is 20-30 times the tank volume turnover per hour. More would be better although some have had success with a little less. I would shoot for 5000 gph.

You defiantly want to go with 2 heaters, and I would look into a controller for the heaters. Something that would kill the power for when they malfunction. Its just a matter of time, Ive not had good luck.

As far as lighting goes I think in the long run LED's are the better route but the initial cost is higher. T5's are proven to work but the replacement of the bulbs is required due to the decreased lighting spectrum over time.

I noticed that your sump is drilled for a Automatic Top Off (ATO) and has a float already attached to it, I highly recommend that you use this! You may want to change out the float to make sire the seal is good.

I hope this is a good starting point and I'm sure others will point out what ever I failed to mention or object. Either way good luck with your set up and we all love pics as the build progresses.

K

 

[strykker]

cool thanks im gonna start rounding stuff up
i was thinking on getting one big pump and later get the ocean swirl or something like that after its all established
plus i am a major diy i can build basiclly anything and have major electrical exp so i was thinking of building and led setup just not sure how to know if i have enough

 

[strykker]

my major question is who has the best deals on the big pumps,leds,and dry rock the rest is minimal cost i think!

 

[strykker]

also i was wondering about this as a pump i dont want to make a costly mistake and under buy or over buy does this look usable!
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-HP-Strainer-Water-Pump/dp/B000PBONYS"]http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-HP-Strainer-Water-Pump/dp/B000PBONYS[/ame]

also what size pump should i get for the skimmer!

 

[Northstar24]

For a DIY LED fixture, take a look at RapidLED

 

[JustinsReefTank]

I would get your rocks from reef rocks.net. Steve the owner will personally get rock for your tank and give you a great deal. I would definitely try them. I found them cheaper than anyone else. The quality is outstanding.

Just my. :twocents:

 

[kevdogg]

I would get your rocks from reef rocks.net. Steve the owner will personally get rock for your tank and give you a great deal. I would definitely try them. I found them cheaper than anyone else. The quality is outstanding.

Just my. :twocents:

+1 for reefrocks.net

 

[kevdogg]

I would also look at a different pump, 6.2 amps for 220 liters is not very good.
220 liters = 58.1178515 US gallons


I would look at bulkreefsupply.com for pumps something like this is around the same price.
PanWorld 40PX-External Aquarium Water Pump - 480gph - English

You need to measure your skimmer and see if we cant find something similar to it to be able to suggest a pump/gph. I would say to try and match your return pump and skimmer pump so that you will be at least moving the same amount of water through each at the same time. The main turnover should be coming from the power heads.