210 Gallon Pre-Build discussion

michael_in_nc

michael_in_nc

New member
So I've decided to upgrade my 75G to a 210G. I'm in the planning stages and wanted to get some feedback from the big tank crowd.

1. Tank vendor. I'm leaning towards Reef Savvy. Shipping cost will probably be high, but tank quality and customization seems worth it?

2. Starphire glass. Front panel only is $200 to upgrade. Is it worth it?

3. Sump / Refugium. I don't have a great fish room setup, so I plan to keep the bulk of the system under the tank. How big of a sump / refugium is right for a tank this size? I was thinking about a 55 - 65 gallon tank?

4. Circulation. I'm leaning towards internal pump system versus a closed loop. It seems simpler, more flexible, and probably about the same cost with maybe less power for the same water movement??? What kind of pumps does everyone use. I like the looks of the Ecotech Vortech, but they are pricey and I have no experience with them.


Lots of questions, and I'm sure I'll have more...

Thanks for the inputs,
Michael

PS - I'll start a build thread once I start getting gear in.
 
i have a 210 also.. i have vortechs.... 2 of them.... would suggest getting 4 total. i dont think i have enough random flow in mine.. you could do a closed loop and 2 vortechs. i think that would suffice.... alot depends on what you are trying to keep... sps? lps? mixture? i would figure out the inhabitants first and go from there.

my personal opinion on sumps is bigger the better... i am using a 75 gallon right now. i used to have a 100 gallon stock tank and 2 75s plumbed together... my tank looks good now but it has looked better..... one thing to consider is that if you have 285 gallons or 500 gallons of water the price goes up for supplements... part of the reason why i went with just a 75 on the new setup..

HTH.... these are just my opionions here.. there are no right or wrong answers. its what u want!!!! happy reefing!
 
Do you have the 40's? That seemed like the best route other than a closed loop. My main concern was the cost on the vortechs. I will probably do a mixture, but mostly fish and lps was my plan.

Do you have your sump under the tank, or in a separate room? I'll be locked to an under the tank configuration, so that is a concern with a big sump. I want to have enough room to be able to work as needed.
 
i have the mp40w... they are awesome... i have mostly lps and i still want 2 more mp40w... my sump is under the tank... my stand was made by me... it is 10 feet long and 45 inches tall.. i didnt like the looking down on a regular stand so i made my stand where the tank sits eye level with you... makes it harder to get in and move stuff around but it does have its advantages too....

u could do a closed loop and 2 vortechs.... cheaper then to buy 4 all at once. u could also just buy the 2 and save for the other 2 to see if you actually need it... 2 might be enough for you.. just not my preferance....

HTH.....
 
I am probably going with the vortechs. Just have to get over the price. I'll start with one to try it out, then add once I get used to them. I'll supplement with my koralia & tunze until then...

Thanks for the inputs.

What kind of skimmer do u run?
 
Just a thought here, but you could use 40s on the ends and a couple of 10s on the back glass. Will drive down your cost and give you some pretty diverse flow in the tank.
 
I have a standard 210 with two of the new MP40's on the left and right side. I love the different flow patterns you can get with the Votechs and I think they are quite strong combined with my returns. I can't keep sand in the middle of my tank towards the glass, it just blows away with time. In my picture you can see how the level sandbed that I started with has been pushed towards the sides of my tank.

I'm just starting to stock my tank with more corals but so far my SPS frags are doing great. My poor anemones/frogspawn/hammer/torch corals are whipped back and forth by the strong flow.

I have a 40 gallon breeder as a sump and I use a Super Reef Octopuss 3000 as a skimmer. It skims the foulest smelling gunk you can imagine.

tank.jpg
 
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I also have a standard 210G. I agree with a bigger the better approach with the sump, however, you have to plan for that accordingly since you are going in stand and always plan for possible failures. I am working with approximately 280G so my skimmer is a bit overkill, a 5ft GEO recirc skimmer, but it does great for SPS and a rather messy vlamingi. As far as flow, I have 2 MP40W's, 2 Tunze 6025's,4 return lines from a PS200 and a 6215 Tunze Wavebox. The 40's are really nice but I think lack the power to push across the tank, hence the Tunzes I have on the side of the overflows.. You may consider the 2 MP60's in place of 4 MP40's, but you are still shelling out some coin.
DSC_0304.jpg

I placed the Tunzes in this location to deal with the lack of flow in this area. Not sure what your plans were for overflows.
 
I picked mine up off ebay through a best offer auction, however, you have to watch with the sellers due to some of them somehow doing something with serial numbers that did not have warranties. I saved approximately 70 bucks a piece through this approach.
 
I'm probably going with a Reef Savvy tank. A custom overflow was part of the quote. I was planning to do one larger (longer) overflow in the center with two returns so I could easily split out the return flow into different sections of the tank...
 
Thanks Aporia. That's a colony of bambam zoanthids.

Michael: That's about 120 pounds of Marco rock. I buy all my stuff from Reefspecialty.com Great prices, ship fast and you can e-mail at night and get either an e-mail or phone call back. Fantastic customer service.
 
The tank dimensions I have quoted are 72" x 24" (deep) x 28" (high). I'm waiting to get a firm commitment that I have someone to build my stand. After that, I will order the tank and start to order the rest of my new gear as well....
 
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