New Tank Bulit ... 172 G

jpython

jpython

Reefing newb
After setting up my nano reef for a short while all that I can think of is having a much bigger tank … however its becoming over whelming and I need your opinions and advise on what to do on the following ( I a sure more question will pop up as I progress)

I bought a fairly large yummy acrylic tank with the following diameters (71 (180 cm) L x 24 (60 cm) W x 24 (60 cm) T) I am currently working on fabricating the stand and buying the equipment related to it initially the below is what I am going for:

1. SUMP with the following diameters (36 (91.5 cm) L x 18 (46 cm) W x 12 (30.5 cm) T) I need your help and how to design the compartments and what type of PUMP to use.
2. What changes should I do if I wanted to do an auto top off system.
3. I am intending on using Live rock and adding corals mostly soft and some hard ones as well. And I am going with 2 sets of Coralife integrated system with Actinic and T5 Lights in addition to LED loner lights.
4. I am also going with the Coralife protein skimmer but I am not sure what capacity should I go for.
5. How Many Wave makers should I use and how strong should they be.

I am still not sure of the Live stoke i will be adding as the variety is low in the area I live in …..

Thanks in advance and I am sure that I will really enjoy this new built ….
 
1. The Mag-7 and Mag-9 seem to be the hobbyist standard for return pumps these days but I've read some really good things about the Deep Blue Triton series as well. Do you want to have a fuge in the sump? If so, three compartments with baffles in between should be fine. Do you know what you're using for pluming?
2. Changes to what? ATO systems are typically (in my experience) fairly self-contained. You need room for some water storage (depending on how often you want to be filling with RO/RODI water. Double up on the float switches.
3. I don't know much about those lights. Maybe they will be sufficient. How many bulbs is it? 2 ft. deep is pretty deep. I personally would feel more comfortable with some metal halides (ick) or some nice LEDs (fantastic...but not cheap...so budget?)
4. I have heard/read terrible things about these skimmers. Reef Octopus seems to be the way to go for in-sump skimmers. You want to double the water volume at least, I believe.
5. For a tank that size you're going to need to have at least 6500gph, preferably more. I would shoot for about 7500gph personally. Position and placement is up to you but you're going to need a LOT of flow for a tank this size. Depending on your budget you could get a couple MP40s and supplement with smaller powerheads to eliminate dead spots...or if that's too pricey you can find some deals on some 1500+gph powerheads all the time.

The only other thing I'll mention is the weight. I'm sure you've thought of this already but this tank, full, will weigh more than one ton. It will likely be over 2500 lbs concentrated into a 6ft x 2ft area. You should be absolutely sure that the floor beneath your tank is completely capable of supporting this weight long-term. If not, you could have a serious disaster.
 
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He has got you covered, although I would go with a Mag-18 if you wanted a 'mag'. But there are other pumps out there.
 
1.Thanks for the advice .... it looks like i will go with the reef octopus skimmer as lots of people are recommending it the main issue for me is i need to buy it online and it will take time and money as its not available over hear and shipping overseas is really overkill. what module should i go with the supper saver or the normal one my sump is flexible as i did not start working on it ...
2.well i dont think that its must now and most probably will add it later on as i still don't understand how it works exactly.
3. i will pass by the shop today to get more details about the lighting specs.

Well i won't have any issue with the wight of such an aquarium the only thing that i am worrying of is the water changes required and premixing the salt ... i have other big aquariums but they are all fresh water tanks.

thanks guys for your support
 
Led's will be expensive for that setup, but if you have the money they would indeed be a good option. I, personally, run halides and dont have much experience with led's. I would definitely look at the Reef octopus skimmers, of course there are other great brands out there as well to look into, dont just limit yourself to a particular brand when it comes to shopping!

As for water flow, the idea of mp40's would be a good idea, but they are expensive. Koralia evos might work for you well if money becomes an issues. 30x your tank volume is around 5200gph 40x your tank volume is around 6900gph. Any amount of flow from 5200gph+ will be sufficient, but more is always better you could shoot for something inbetween those two or something over that maximum.

I also fully support cvc on the weight issue, that tank will be heavy! You need to look into where you plan on keeping it and if needed having it checked out (if you arent comfortable doing it yourself) to make sure it will support the weight of that fully stocked tank plus sump will approach something close to 1500 pds.
 
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Just watch out for what they tell you. Normally they will tell you something to make money.
So if you are unsure about something or want to buy something, I would come to us first to get secondary opinions.
 
i will defiantly ask hear before buying a thing i usually buy online ... but this stuff is heavy and shipping is not only expensive but a lot of times i receive defective products due to bad handling and really bad customs......

In a matter of fact the local fish shops and aquariums usually learn from customers and are really unaware of some of the basics ... i usually only buy something i read a lot of good reviews about but sometimes i have to go with what ever is available .....

thanks again for your advise guys
 
Guys i was just browsing around for the wavemakers today ... i love the MP40s however they are so dam expensive ... however it looks like i will go wih that option .... what are the other small ones that should compliint them (MP10s ???)

the other question is a really basic what is the recommended positioning as if installed them opesit to each other ... i might have a small mess insted of a natural flow ....
 
Back corners about 4 inches under the water line pointed inward towards each other. you could put an mp10 in the middle of the entire thing pointed at the front of the glass if you wanted, or just position to shoot across the back or front of your rock work, not sure if you will have better results with the first or the latter suggestion. You will just have to play around till they are configured with the smallest amount of "dead space" in your tank.(ideally none)
 
it looks like i will go with two Mp40 setup on each side ..... and see wha happens ... if it works than cool if not i will buy the Mp10 one and try again ....
 
Now its time to buy the lights .... after looking at the Mp40 ... i was attracted to the Radion LED's and they look really great but i could not undresand the spects as usual :( ........

The main issue with them is of course the Price tag .... i was going with 2 of the High Output coral life 3 as per the attached pic ... the question is will it be ok for a startup tank and will the Radion really add value to my tank at this stage ....
 
You'll probably be great with two MP40s....if you an afford them that is DEFINITELY your best option.

The Radions are expensive and (I think) you'd need like 3 or 4 of them to get the right coverage...it depends who you ask if they're worth it or not. I think if you can afford them you won't regret buying them. They can sync up with the MP40s too and create effects like thunderstorms, cloud cover, etc and the water movement reacts to compliment. That's all programmable.

You'd probably be ok, though, buying LEDs that don't have all the bells and whistles in the $400-$600 range and being able to keep anything you want, though.
 
with my tank build i decided not to use the MP40 or the MP10. I am going to use 1 Ocean Pulse Wavemakerr (Quadra) with 2 SEIO Prop Super Flow Pumps both running 1500 GPH, 2 Aqueon Circulation Pumps 2400's at 2400GPH, and my return pump will be doing 1700 GPH each outlet with a SCWD attached to the return line. I bought it all off ebay for 300 to 330. all with free shipping.
 
Ohhh . i thought i would only need two unites of the radion .... if i need 3 or 4 the amount will be a bit to high ..... and i am still not sure if i can sqeez my budget even more ... what other good brands are available ..

i really like the idea of the shimmer effect but is it worth it ,,, and how can i calculate how much i really need for a not so havey population of mostly soft corals.
 
Well I'm not positive how many you would need but 72" is a long tank.

Most of the major LED manufacturers have guidelines or tools on their websites to determine how much you'll need. I know Ecotech Marine has one on their site so I would give that a try.

Personally, I would say that LEDs are worth the investment.
 
just visited the site ... i will need 3 of them ...

trying to work on the budget squezzing but it looks bad ive alrady over spent alot ...

may be i will go with the normal setup and use it for a year or so before a full lighting upgrade ... lets see what happend ... thanks for the advice
 
you can alwas build your own LED system yourself. you can research it on the next and watch vids to learn how to do it and get the parts on CL or Ebay were i got mine.
It is really easy to do and understand and it is 10x cheaper to do it yourself than to buy it. and you still get the same results.
for me i like the 5 to 10 watt LEDs and they cover really well.
it was going to cost me 3000+ for the lighting i was wanting. so i made my own for about 900 bucks. that was for the leds, drivers, heatsinks and a controler that can attach to my comp so i can do sun rise and sunsets and have clowds pass that tank and have thunderstorms. and for the tools from radioshack lol :)
it was a LOT chaper to make your own and still get the same or better results than having to buy 3 750 dollar Radions with shipping.
 
what size of pump do you guys recommend for my tank i went for a 850 gallons per hour but i am bit worried that its to much .....
 

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