300 gal zoa tank!!!!

[FISHMAN350]

ok everyone i just picked up a used 300 gallon clarity plus tank. it was in bad shape and needs alot of tlc. but i want to make it into all zoa/leather/shroom tank. need your input on equipment/setup /lighting and i really only want to fill with strange/hard to find stuff. need a top 20/30 zoa list and some help on placement and flow,feeding ect. i wouldent mind making this a group project and i will gladly take any and all input into consideration. i need you to give me the(if it was my tank i would....)answers. i still have to buff out all the scratches and some other stuff but i would like to get the ball rolling and have learned that as a group things come together much better. i also would like to thank the guys who helped me aquire the tank and equipment. they know who they are and will get a great favor in return. the tank is 8ft by 2 ft by 30 high. i have alot going on over the next couple days but will try to monitor this thread as much as possible. thanks to all in advance

 

[HorseoftheSea]

with a tank that deep halides are the way to go, as far a filtration i would go with a sump with a refugium, and as far as a skimmer there are a million options, it just depends on what you want

 

[FISHMAN350]

water?

water?

well ive heard all kinds of conflicting stories about them wanting nutrient rich water and very clean water ect. just want whats best for the whole tank. what lights will help them grow nicely without looking crappy? will t5s work? at this point im trying to be as cost effective with electric as possible. i already have multiple tanks and told the wife that this one would not raise the electric bill too much!!!!!thanks

 

[surfnvb7]

a 300g tank not raising the electric bill too much? ha....dont think thats possible

 

[FISHMAN350]

well not much i guess

well not much i guess

lets not start shooting holes in this thing before it starts!!! she knows it will go up but i will try to keep it within reason. i would rather spend now on energy efficiant pumps/lights ect and see some savings on the overall cost of running. once it is up its staying that way for a long time. i think t5s will cost less to run and save on bulbs? please lmk if i am incorrect and will run cooler so no chiller involved. i also would like to keep a dsb in the tank but would like opinions an personal experiences please. space is not an issue because it will be in the basement and i also would like to gravity feed as much as possible to help on pumps/heat/electric. thanks

 

[levon15]

Why not try running airlifts on this tank. They could easily be hidden behind rock in a 300 gallon tank, upfront costs could be more but the saving in energy will be much more. Also airlifts add no heat your tank at all (unless you pump in 100 degree air)

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Holy whopping Zoanthid Tank, Batman! ::jealous::

You could also put in whopping lot of macro algaes to take care of some of the water quality concerns,,, plus in a tank that big they would make it much less articfical looking I would think.

Pictures! I want pictures!! I bet it is going to be awesome.

Laurie

 

[surfnvb7]

i think you'll have better luck getting advise on equipment in the large tank forums. most people here have no clue on lighting for a zoa tank over 120g-180g (including me).

but obviously, if you are doing a zoa only tank its advisable to have a sand bed. and you will obviously not need as much light and flow as you would for an sps tank. its a pretty long/deep tank, so i'd think either 3 or 4, 400w metal halides would do the trick (mostly 14k - 20k), no idea about T5's on something that large.

 

[mdt178]

first draft for the "low power 300G tank":
return pump Eheim 1262
skimmer Octopus RC200 + eheim 1260 feed pump
rubbermaid sump
12x54W t5HO
2x6100 Tunze streams + 7095 multi controller
Tunze Osmolator
calc optional, but it keeps your alk stable.


I'd imagine you need at least $3-4K before you tank can see any water. Not to mention the increase in your monthly electrical bill - well I'm going with the $1/gal average in CA.

 

[Jaime_309]

i love the t5's they put out a lot of light with the least amount of heat... as far as MH i would go with 250wbulb's... they put out lot of juice and dont heat up as much as the 400w..

 

[FISHMAN350]

pics

pics

i will post pics of the tank after this weekend. i have a very crazy next couple of days. i would like to set it up as natural as possible/ 120 gal sump with dsb and chaeto on a gravity return. do you think going skimmerless would work? its not a cash issue but i have a ton of equipment on my other systems and would love to have this one as maintence free as possible. any suggestions or personal experience would help. i have always used skimmers but have seen and read about tanks that run awesome without. thanks for the input so far and i will show some pics soon. john

 

[FISHMAN350]

air lifts?

air lifts?

sorry did not mean to forget but please explain air lifts and how they work or point me in the right direction? thanks

 

[hexedagain]

Please post pictures of your progress when you get started.