More questions....

[dusterdan]

Ok I've bought some things since the last time I posted. I now have a 37 gallon tank and I'm going to use the 29 gallon as a sump/refugium. I also bought the coralife super skimmer 65, 30 pounds of argonite sand, mud for the refugium, and a fan to blow air across the water for the canopy.

Now on to my questions. I sold my lights so that I could get a new setup. I am now thinking about getting the medal halide retrofit kit from Marine Depot. It includes a 175 watt medal halide, and also 2 VHO bulbs. I was also going to upgrade the medal halide to a 14,000k hamilton bulb. This setup will give me 325 watts. Is this going to be sufficient for SPS corals and clams?

Second question: I am looking at the wavemakers from Doctors Foster and Smith, what size powerheads do you all think would be a good size for my tank? A fellow reefer here at work said to get the 1200 system which is 3) 295 gph powerheads for a total of 885 gph. It seems a bit much to me, but I wanted to ask all of you. I am placing my sump and refugium in the basement(wife said it had to go there), so I am going to be using the Little Giant 3MDQX-SC. I used reef centrals calculator for seing what the GPH would be after head loss and all the fittings and such and it looks like about 300-350 gph it will be pumping at. So what wavemaker system would be good?

Third and final question: As mentioned above I bought 30 pounds of sand. I am also going to seed that sand with 20 pounds of live sand. I was wondering how much live rock I will need for my system. I was thinking about ordering 45 pounds of Fiji from Liveaquaria.com, and also ordering 30 pounds from hirock.com, is this a wise choice, if not what are you recommendations. Thanks again for all the help!

Dan

 

[bkv1997]

The lighting should be plenty for a 37 gallon tank for anything you want to keep. Depending on what the PC bulbs are in that unit i might keep the MH bulb at the 10k. Example it the PC bulbs are actinics then stick with the 10k MH.

On the watermovement the 300-500 GPH on your return plus the 800 GPH on the wavemakers is ok for SPS, but would be a bit much for Leathers and soft corals. I would recommend checking out two SEIO 620s instead... a little more watermovement, but its flow pattern is much better for in tank current and if they were alternating would probably be perfect for a tank your size.

Hope this helps you some and good luck. Keep us posted on your project.

BV

 

[dusterdan]

Thanks for the info. What would be a good gph rating for keeping a variety of corals. I do like the leathers and the softies, but I would also like to keep a few SPS corals, if the 800 is to much what would be the right gph to get? Also is my 45 pounds of live rock going to be enough for a 37 gallon? Is is a smart choice to get the 30 extra pounds of hirock? I just got my overflow in the mail today and I'll be going out to pick up a pump soon to get this all started. Also if anybody recommends another pump besides the little giant, I'm open to suggestions. It has to go up roughly 12 feet vertically and with all the twists and turns it will have to take, I figured it to be around 200-300 gph, which I beleive is going to be great for my setup. But if there are other pumps out there that are better please let me know. As usual thanks for all the help!

Dan

 

[jhnrb]

Hi rock is very dense, i would recommend some fuji, tonga, or marshal island. you want pourous and light. shop around. you should find some. maybe some one will drop you a thread for this item. Hi rock is good for bottom base though, but, not for mid or upper reef setup.

 

[dusterdan]

I was going to use the hirock for my base rock, then get 45 pounds of fiji for the top. Is this a preferred setup, or is it better to just get more live rock, and stay away from the hirock?

What about my wavemaker? What is a good gph for this setup. I really like the wavemaker kit from Dr. Foster and Smith. I just want to get the right one. I want to keep a variety of corals, so I want to make sure I have enough flow, but not to much as I will not be able to keep softies. Thanks as usual for the help.

Dan

 

[jhnrb]

if cost is not a problem i would go with all fugi. hi rock is a mined rock from an ancient reef above ground. im using it as the bottom base only and if you want to do that its ok since most wil be burried anyway. actually your choice on the base. both will work.

I have used the red sea wave maker with the old hagen 402 pumps and put bent pvc on ends to get direction. worked ok but wasnt really happy with it. you might consider the SCWD. you could run a couple of those which will alternate the water flow and it can be inside or out side the tank. just a thought. also the flow rotating deflector is an interesting device. im using 4 of thoes for my returns in the loop system see my gallery. hope this helps you. good luck. its personal preference as are considering decent equipemnt.

just remember to be clear on what you are trying to do and how you want to do it and then get the equipment that will get it done. good luck.