336 A.G.E. Peninsula Tank
- Thread starter bag151
- Start date
Bag151, How big is your sump going to be, are going with a heavy stocked tank, my concern is if you are,will the ATI skimmer keep up with your load. It's only rated at 500gal and i think you might be cutting it close. I'm just trying to help you out here, i done a few upgrades my self and the worst thing in the world is having to buy some again when you buy something and it does not cut it, I would suggest maybe the reeflo250 if you can go that routeif you have not bought the skimmer yet, Also do you think you might be dealing with some serious heat in the summer, the 1/2 chiller might also be another concern for me. In my opinion, a tank this big needs a chiller that won't be running for long periods of time to chill tank, if your home is central air and you keep temp pretty cool you might be ok, if not. then this may be another issue i would be concern with. If a chiller is being used on a tank that it can not handle, it will kill youe electric bill. Please don't get upset. just trying to help...
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11828849#post11828849 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bag151
Djay,
I am having AGE build the steel frame for the stand for me, it was the only way that they would warranty the tank. ~$800 for the stand.
I had Jame's friend lined up to weld the tank which would have been cheaper but not by loads. We were going to build a two part stand so that we could get it through the door, didn't work out so I had to reduce the tank size
I am ordering my skimmer and chiller today, the skimmer is a ATI bubble master 250 and the chiller is a Trade Wind 1/2 hp inline.
bag151
Premium Member
Djay- Don't worry about making me mad, thanks for the input. I have done my homework, I spoke with one of th engineers from Trade Wind and he recommended using the 1/2hp model, I also don't have a large temp swing because my place is insulated very well, so the A/C can provide some support.
I really do like the ReefFlo skimmers but I opted to go with an in sump skimmer this time around. I also spoke with someone from Reef Geek and he loves this skimmer, its very efficient and isolating the pumps in the water will help reduce some of the noise of the tank. I may even go with a ATI bubble master 300 when they make it out. I will also save in energy because you don't need a feeder pump in addition to a recirc pump. I already ordered them so it's to late anyway
The sump is 107g and has a large skimmer section to support a wide variety of skimmers in the event that I want to swap them out.
The tank will be SPS dominated with a decent fish load. I intend on keeping a school of Anthias, a few tangs, gobies, and a wrasse or two. I have a fish list around here somewhere in one of my million excel spreadsheets for the tank.
I really do like the ReefFlo skimmers but I opted to go with an in sump skimmer this time around. I also spoke with someone from Reef Geek and he loves this skimmer, its very efficient and isolating the pumps in the water will help reduce some of the noise of the tank. I may even go with a ATI bubble master 300 when they make it out. I will also save in energy because you don't need a feeder pump in addition to a recirc pump. I already ordered them so it's to late anyway
The sump is 107g and has a large skimmer section to support a wide variety of skimmers in the event that I want to swap them out.
The tank will be SPS dominated with a decent fish load. I intend on keeping a school of Anthias, a few tangs, gobies, and a wrasse or two. I have a fish list around here somewhere in one of my million excel spreadsheets for the tank.
jjackson
New member
Nice tank idea, I had something similar in mind so I will definately follow your progress. Regarding the BM250, I don't think it's going to be sufficient once your tank is fully stock. I currently have that same skimmer running on my heavily stock 140g system( 150lb rocks, loaded with corals, and about 15 fish) and in my opinion it's just keeping up. A side note, the meshwheel is not as durable as you would expect. I've had the skimmer now for about 10 months and had to change and/or resecure the mesh material twice. So make sure you have some mesh material available just in case. Other than that, the skimmer is a good performer for me. Again I would reconsider the skimmer options on a tank of your size.
bag151
Premium Member
James is right, I do have the option of purchasing one of the new BM300's coming out but I cannot make up my mind. The 300 is larger and had an additional pump. It just costs an additional $400. As far as the mesh wheel goes, if I can go 10 months and only have to maintain a piece of equipment twice I will be in great shape, I have had 3 different types of skimmers which all required attention fairly frequently to run properly, my dual becket skimmer needed to have the beckets cleaned every week almost. A BM250 or BM300 will support my tank either way. A BM300 will just be a little more efficient. I ordered a 250 which hasn't been sent out because they are adding a modification to my skimmer to make it more efficient. I have the option to be one of the first on the list for the 300 I would just have to wait 1-2 months for the skimmer to arrive.
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I am bare bottom. I used to have a Euroreef RS250 rated for 250g and no matter what I set it to, skim wet or dry, it would always pull out nasty stuff. Macro algae would also grow rapidly. I then decide on the BM250, since then macro has decreased drastically and skimmate almost double in quantity. This skimmer is still pulling out as much nasty stuff as it did the first week. To me that's is a sign that the skimmer performance is at par with the waste output of the system. If it was too effecient for the system, I would get light skimmate or very little, but that's not the case after 10 months of use. So IMO it can't be effecient for a tank more than twice my size. Not much has changed in terms of livestock, feeding routine (small once a day), maintainance procedures.
bag151
Premium Member
Felixc the skimmer will maintain performance because of the constant influx of waste into the tank, You feed on a daily routine and your fish and corals constantly produce waste. Your skimmer will maintain exporting the waste at the same rate. The reduction of macro algae grow is most likely related to the fact that you are pulling all of the nutrients out of the water with your skimmer so the macro doesn't have enough food to grow. Despite all of the opinions on RC I don't believe in a bare bottom tank, I will be using a DSB which plays a significant role in the export of nutrients in a tank. This will reduce the load that the skimmer will have to support.
bag151
Premium Member
Well I am on the list to get one of the first batch of BM300's. They are currently doing the last of the product testing in a few LFS's and have a batch of 300's on order. Sounds like I will get mine in about a month.
The tank is scheduled to be delivered on Friday and they are going to bring down the sump when they deliver the tank. So it sounds like I will have a fun time plumbing the tank this weekend. The Girl Friend might not think thats so great.
I also got in my bulkheads from Savko. Just trying decide if its really worth it to spend the extra $120 on the Savko ball valves. If they are smaller then the ones that they sell at Lowes I might just have to spend the money.
The tank is scheduled to be delivered on Friday and they are going to bring down the sump when they deliver the tank. So it sounds like I will have a fun time plumbing the tank this weekend. The Girl Friend might not think thats so great.
I also got in my bulkheads from Savko. Just trying decide if its really worth it to spend the extra $120 on the Savko ball valves. If they are smaller then the ones that they sell at Lowes I might just have to spend the money.
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