120 reef. Final checklist.

N

njfish77

New member
Well the new 120 will be here on tuesday so im trying to everything in order. Here is the list:

120 RR 4x2x2 Barebottom
40 gallon sump
Geo Calcium reactor
1/4 Hp Chiller
Captive Sun MH/VHO hood with (2 URI vhos and not sure on the halide bulb yet)
150 lbs of live rock

The skimmer im going to be decided on hopefully in a couple of days.
Also this tank will be SpS and Clams nothing else. How does this list sound to you guys? Am i missing anything?
 
I personly would wait on the CA reactor and get yourself a really good skimmer and also some Tunze streams for flow. After your SPS start to grow you will need to invest in a CA reactor but until that point water changes and additives will work.

A good skimmer and good random flow are two of the most important pieces of equipment in an SPS tank.

I'm in the process of build my 120g tank now also, I'm using the following, DIY recirc skimmer (good for probably up to 300 gallons), 2 Tunze 6100 Streams (3000gph each) on a 7095 controller & 800gph return through 2 1/2" sea swirls. This will give me very good random circulation and a lot of control of it.

You might also consider T5 lighting over the Metal Halides, I'm doing my MH setup and using 8x T5's overdriven on Icecap ballasts. If you went that method you could probably get away with no chiller and just some fans..

Rich
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7546511#post7546511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by h20cooled


You might also consider T5 lighting over the Metal Halides, I'm doing my MH setup and using 8x T5's overdriven on Icecap ballasts. If you went that method you could probably get away with no chiller and just some fans..

Rich
Click to expand...

I dont see why he needs a chiller now. I run 2x250 on a tank half that size, and get away with just fans....
 
njfish , you can get some mod mj900 that will give you a lot of flow, and i think you will just need sand, and for skimmer you can get a asm g3 with rec mod,
 
In my 75 I have a seio 620,820, stream 6000 with controller and a mj1200 modded. I would run 4 mj's that are modded easily and call it good flow with a cheap wavemaker. and a good skimmer so you can get rid of that stuff your pumps are blowing around.
 
Well tunze are a little exspensive right now but maybe another time. For now i will be using seios on their new wave makers and also some MJ 1200 on timers. Also i am going barebottom and for a skimmer i think ill be using an MRC 1. As for the calcium reactor im getting a used one at a good price so i want to take it while i can get it.
 
just a note on MRC skimmers. I used one for alitle while on my 120. I switched to an ASM g3.

First, it took a long time to break in.
second, It is LOUD

Finaly, if you decide to go with this skimmer, make sure your tank is drilled for an external pump because a mag drive WILL NOT run this skimmer with any consistancy

If I were you, I would skip the chiller until you are sure you need it. I use 250 watt halides with one fan on my 120(and the heater is on all the time) my tank runs at 80 degrees.

Spend the money you save on some tunze streams. Im not a Barebottom expert but from what ive seen, a 120 gallon BB tank needs more flow than seios and maxi jets can provide.
 
Go with the Tunze, you won't regret it.

What return pump are you going to use?

I'd go with a MRC-2 if you do go with a beckett, coupled with a gen-x pcx-55 pump. It is a little loud, but there won't be anything left in the tank to remove after a while.

I had a MRC-2 for a while, but I traded it for a G4-x due to the sound.

Chris
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7546853#post7546853 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
I dont see why he needs a chiller now. I run 2x250 on a tank half that size, and get away with just fans....
Click to expand...
Yup, fans are key
 
Ok well you guys sold me on the tunze streams i will be doing them. I was thinking of adding some maxi jets behind the rock so i dont have any detritus really settling??

Also ill try the light with no chiller and fans but if the temp doesnt stay steady i will deff. be going with a chiller.

For a return i was going to be doing an internal pump because i have no way of getting the sump drilled. Any reccemandations on what pump to use for a return??

Thanks for all the advice guys. I really needed it because i want to set this up right the first time and have healthy sps. Any other tips or pointers for me?
 
Go with an ehiem 1262, try to avoid the mag pumps, they add more heat then they are worth.

You will like the streams, I think that they are the best investment besides a ca reactor for a sps tank.

If you mod a mj or 2, you shouldn't have any problems with the flow inside the tank.

Chris
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7564741#post7564741 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Chrisrush
Go with an ehiem 1262, try to avoid the mag pumps, they add more heat then they are worth.
Click to expand...

Actually, they add as much heat as their wattage says, which is pretty much the same as the eheims. A 1262 moves 900gph at 11' max head, for 80w, a mag 9.5 moves 950gph at 14' max head for 93w. The heat difference is small enough that its a non-factor.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7558479#post7558479 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefman77


Spend the money you save on some tunze streams. Im not a Barebottom expert but from what ive seen, a 120 gallon BB tank needs more flow than seios and maxi jets can provide.
Click to expand...

A modded maxijet will give more flow than tunze 6060,6080, or 6000, so thats not true.
 
Rich...thats a pretty big blanket statement. I run a 6000 along with modded 900's and I know the tunze is MORE flow. Plus no noise issue or restart at all. Plus its on a controller and pulses.

Maybe a really good 1200mj mod with a large size prop could push more then a 6000 but it wont be as reliable, quite and controllable. Its a good cheap solution though.....I run my MJ mods in my sump/frag tank and tunze in the display.
 
I agree with the ehiem 1262 for the return pump, they are some of the best quality pumps you can get plus they are DEAD quiet.

If you go with the Tunze's you will not regret it. Very good flow and quality and they will stand behind the pumps.
 
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