Questions on getting started with the right setup

Brat

Brat

Delta Sigma Theta
Okay, I have been looking and searching the forums but have truly been unable to find exactly what I am looking for. Okay, I have kept freshwater fish for several years and it will be a few years before I start my dream of having a 300 gal. tank. It was 180 gal. but 300 gal. was my original goal and I'm going for it. Okay, since this will be a big and expensive project I want to make sure that what I initially buy is top of the line. Even if I may not need it in the beginning if it's easier to include it in the initial setup of the tank I'd rather do it then and be prepared. I just would like your opinions and advice on what I have been looking at for my tank as well as books. If you have any advice on what else to look into I would love to know. The more advice I get the better even if all the advice is different.

Books to read so I can daydream about my tank:
The Reef Aquarium Vol I
The Reef Aquarium Vol II
The Reef Aquarium Vol III
need more recommendations for books especially dealing with species of fish and types of coral and invertebrates

Tank:
300 gal. (96x24x30) Acrylic tank w/ built in overflow stand and canopy
320lbs. of live rock
4-6in Deep Sand Bed(DSB) containing live sand and a little oolitic sand

Equipment:
2x 48 inch Giesemann Moonlight Infiniti 2x250W HQI + 4x54W T5 Light Fixture 1432watts total which is about 5w per gal.
1x Euro-fil 360 acrylic Sump for tanks up to 360gal. 36 X 12.5 X 20
1x protein skimmer for sump (not at all sure what type to get or anything)
2x return pumps not sure what type or anything
1x chiller not sure what type or anything
I want my filtration system to look sorta like this http://www.vividaquariums.com/filterGeneral.asp
2x hang on refugiums am not sure if I should get them with a protein skimmer or not
1x Maxxima RO/DI 50GPD Unit
wavemaker am totally lost on
2x EBO-JAGER Aquarium Heater 250 watt (one placed on each end of the tank)

Quarantine tanks:
1x Aquapod 12gal. 54W compact fluorescent for fish
1x fission nano skimmer
1x 50w Hydro Theo heater
1x Hagen Thermometers w/ suction cup

1x Aquapod 24gal. 150W HQI Metal Halide for coral/invertebrates
1x fission nano protein skimmer
1x 100w Hydro Theo heater
1x Hagen Thermometers w/ suction cup

Species interested:
feeder shrimp
pistol shrimp
other shrimp
snail
reef cleaners
anemone (red bubble tip)
sand shifting star fish
variety of corals LPS, SPS, mushroom ( I really like bubble coral)
sponges
fan worms
urchins
Tridacna clams
Chromis
reef-safe wrasse
dartfish
gobies
jawfish
Pseudochromis
Anthias
2 tangs (1 powderblue and one more)
clownfish


What I am worried about the most is my lighting system. I am afraid there won't be enough light for the clams or anemone. I like how the lighting system I chose is easy to set up and it has all those nifty features but I want to make sure that my animals thrive in my tank. I am also totally lost on what is the best way to produce a strong random current in the tank. I would at least like to be able to configure it to have a night time current, daytime current and slow down the current when I feed the animals. About the refugiums, I plan on using them to grow food for many of the animals as well as another source of biological filtration and I like the hang ons. Should I get the ones with the protein skimmer?
I read the articles on protein skimmer here and I am still confused on what type is best. I hear that berlin protein skimmers are pretty popular so I am thinking of going with one of those. Does what I am thinking about getting sound good so far. I can't think of everything I want to ask right now but if I have more I'll post them in this thread.
 
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look in to a light that has three 250's or do a retro light and use two-or three 400watt bulbs just an idea. plus atinics
 
Daugherty is right, if it were me, I'd look into 400 watt MH instead of 250 for a 300 gallon tank.

You probably won't need a chiller. Best to wait on that piece of equipment to see if you need it or not.

For books, these are two of the best out there, IMO are the Pocket Guides called "Marine Invertebrates" and "Reef Fishes". They are the livestock bibles.

You most likely will not need a quarantine tank for inverts. Inverts don't need to be quarantined. Either dipping them in freshwater or iodine will kill off any bad guys most of the time, and that's what most people do.

Your livestock list looks good.

Most HOB refugiums are too small to get the job done. Especially for a tank that size, an under the tank fuge would be the way to go.
 
okay, I know nothing about retro fitting and am lost on that part. Could I retrofit the the lighting system that I picked out to use 400 MH?

Okay, so a refugium under the tank sounds good. I really wanted the hangons to use so I could grow some eatable plants. Okay, i'll look at under the tank fuges.

what about a UV sterlizer for the tank? Should I look into getting one?

you guys are awesome!

I'm looking for glass tanks online as well just in case I can't find a big enough tank locally.
 
I would look into building your own sump/refurgium. They're easy to do and a lot cheaper. Unless money is not a problem.
 
as for retro fiting you will not be able to use the lights that you picked out. a retro fit is a sheet of reflector and you screw the lights to it than screw the reflector to a hood or canopy. with a retrofit lighting you are unlimited on how many and what kinds of lights you use but you will have to bulid something that the lights will hook to.
 
Another good book to pick up is"Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman"It'll get you a lot more indepth with the corals and their requirements.
Save the money on the UV too.
 
ok well now I'm looking at Hamilton lighting systems and they seem to have the wattage I need. It doesn't have all the cool stuff I want but that's okay.

I guess I can attach lunar lights to the hood, but I am kinda worried that the MH bulbs will burn it.

Okay and get "Marine Invertebrates", "Reef Fishes" and Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman. I am glad people like these because I was looking at them.

*throws out UV and puts chiller on hold*

I was looking at this lighting system.
2x Hamilton deluxe 2-MH 400w 2 Compact 130w bulbs so total that's 2120w which is about 7watts per gal. I like that a lot better. I hope it doesn't burn the corals. Is that good?
 
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If you retro your lights,look at using T-5s in the place of the PCs.T-5 bulbs go 12 to 18 months before needing replaced,PCs need replaced every 6 to 8 months and cost about double what T-5 bulbs cost.T-5s use less electricity also and dont produce the heat that PCs do.More light,less cost,less electricity used,and the bulbs are cheaper.
 
messiah023 said:
I would look into a custom built lifereef sump/refugium system.
http://www.lifereef.com/lifereefugiumII.html

Heck, you're looking at like $7K in lights, why not invest into the sump.

Anybody got any total tank estimates on this one? I see the $20K mark approaching quickly!

Good luck!
Click to expand...

yes, I was figuring 20K-30K for everything. After medical school I will start saving up and Mr. Brat will pitch in as well. So it will be a long undertaking but oh so worth it. Even if I buy the tank and stand and wait a few months for the lights and another few months for something else I won't care. It took my stepdad a good while to build the koi pond. I got several, several years before this happens, but I suppose it's never too early to start learning and getting estimates. I may open a savings account right now just for the project. You should have seem what I spent on my dog in one year when I had extra money.

And...yes Titty Sprinkles. That was going to be my username but I decided not to. It's my current phrase right now.
 
Wow,you have big plans!

First,there are plenty of companies selling 400w fixtures if you choose.Geismann does make nice,elegant fixtures.Seriously,4x250 is enough unless you really want to go heavy into sps corals.There are so many different options you should consider.Hanging pendants,retrofit kits and complete fixtures like the Geismann.My ultimate reef would have one of these two,here are a couple of ideas.

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28_419_421&products_id=2394

Four of these hooked up to an Icecap ballast.They will focus more light in a larger area than a fixture would.

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28_165&products_id=750

Hamilton does make good fixtures.I had one many years ago and they work well.You can order them with T5 supplements instead of PC.

Your sump is only 36'' long.There should be alot of room to add a refugium separately.Hang-ons really are to small for that size system.I'm not sure a chiller is really needed for a system that large,but why not.You have everything else,why not have the cake and eat it too.Why not a UV as well,I'm sure there will be some expensive fish you might want.A UV is fairly inexpensive,they can wait after the system is setup and cycled.

Good luck,I like to see this system come to together.
 
thanks reeffreak!! Well I always thought that if you had a lot of equipment then it was best to get a chiller. The only thing about the UV I was worried about was the fact that it would kill my floating zooplankton and phytoplankton and my goal was to feed my corals live phytoplankton and I don't want them to die.

It will come together. As long as I have wanted one it will happen even if it's 10 or 20 years from now. :) I want to move into a house that I don't plan on moving out of because I don't want to move this thing. Who knows what the future will hold. I hope I'm not crazy for looking into this project years in advance. I feel kinda silly asking all these questions and my dream tank is so far away.
 
Look at this way Brat.Even though your planning so far a head,you'll have more insight on what you need and what its going to take to get it.And in this hobby,only bad things happen quickly.The good stuff you have to wait on.
 
Thanks for the insight. Everyone is really helping me get a realistic grasp on this goal. I am getting a better understanding of everything I was curious about before. I see lots of different lighting fixtures with awesome wattage and I figure I can install lunar lights in the fixture or on the tank somehow. Now I'm looking at wavemakers and this is what has me lost. I'm not at all sure what is best. I saw this one http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~wavemakers_tunze_wavebox.html and looks good, but in all honesty I'm not sure.
 

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