my new tank setup, opinions appreciated

T

that national

Reefing newb
this is my first tank build, let me know what you think

these are the deminsions of my sump
sump.png


and the finished product, its missing 1 baffel here. i wish i would i would have made a little more room for over flow, oh well it should be alright.
tank1.jpg


i have a reef octopus skimmer and a supreme classic md7 pump
tank2.jpg


i have the plumbing going through the wall to the sump that is in the stair well going to my basement.
tank3.jpg


and the tank its still a little cloudy from the sand. theres is 90 pounds of fiji live rock from live aquaria. as of now both the nitrates and nitrites are at zero, the amonia is pretty high (dont know if i should do a water change or wait) and the ph is 8.4
tank4.jpg
 
Sweet!!! Looks good!! I love plumbing going throgh walls and down into basements and other stuff, lol, my Labor-a-tory!!! Muhuhuhuh.

Wlecome to the Reef!!! :D
 
That water level looks a little high in the sump, the baffles are up almost to the top. Have you ever unplugged your return pump to see if it floods??? Just asking a stupid question.
 
yeah, i have a little while before i will be adding corals so i figured i would wait till then to buy one. i unpluged it once and it came right to the top
 
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I have a 55 just like yours, I love it. Maybe I can save you some trouble with the lights, I have bought three (3) lights until I have the one I like now. I finally settled on a TEK 48" 4 bulb T-5, and It is awesome, no heat, no fan, quiet, made in USA, its got the great reflectors, and the light coming out of it is better than any T-5 I've seen, and it cost just as much as the other 2 set ups I bought. Just trying to help a little and save you money perhaps.
 
Did you ever unplug that pump to test for a flood???

There is much debate about lighting, it comes down to budget really. And what type of coral you want to keep. Under that light you have now you might be able to keep a leather, but change the bulb. But if you're going to change the bulb, might as well save up for a new light....
 
those lights came with the tank, i pretty much just have them on to keep some of the heat in. the cheap heater i have is having a hard time keeping up, so i bought a Finnex 500W Titanium Heater with HC810 Digital Controller, it should be here monday
 
Heaters are the most common thing to break in the hobby so its good that you have two.

I would suggest these lights: Aquarium Lighting for Reef Systems: Current Nova Extreme Pro Saltwater T-5 Fixtures

Those lights will let you keep anything you want, corals, clams etc . ..

And Erin is right, the ammonia you are seeing is the beginning of your cycle. Next you should see the nitrites rise and the ammonia drops, and then the nitrates will drop and you will see some nitrates! Then you do your first water change and you are ready for your first fish!

Remember to let your water change water run for at least 24 hours before doing the water changes and wait 3 weeks between adding fish!
 
Yea at first I thought your baffles were super high. As long as it doesn't overflow when you unplug the power then your all good! I like how clean the sump looks. Nice job.
 
thanks for the replies. yeah the glass really is to high but i didnt ralize it until i already had the glass cut. so far i havent lost power in the 7 years ive lived in this house (knock on wood)
 
I dont mean to start a contest with this, so please, its not personal. I had a Current light and worked for about 3 months, then the ballast went, two of them. Well, the parts are in Japan, and not very good or easy to get, but after about a day I did, then they had to ship, across country for 5 days, I was freaking out about my corals. So they came, I install them, two days later, one goes out, I call, the guy says "yea, they have a real problem with those parts, I suggest you buy a new fixture." Excellent.. now what. Also, the reflectors they use in those lights are not very good, mine warped a little from the heat, and once I got another brand of light, I could see the quality difference.
 
that national said:
any thoughts on this light?
CoralVue 4 Bulb T5/LED Fixture 48" , 10 high power 1 watt LEDs, hanging kit, & legs - AquaCave
Click to expand...

What are the wattage on the bulbs do you know? Regardless, the coralvue bulbs arent fantastic and i would replace them with a nice bulb sooner rather than later.

With the 4 bulb fixture you are going to have a hard time keeping some of the more light needy animals like anemones, clams and some corals in a 55. That is why i suggested the 6 bulb fixture.
 
i dont have a decision made yet i was just wondering what you guys thought as i liked the price. yeah, its about 12" deep what options did you get with your TEK light?
 
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