500G Reef Tank in Puerto Rico

Hi everyone

Just an update on the progress of the rock cleaning.

It's been two weeks in a 1:20 solution with Clorox, it looks very clean except for one or two pieces I had laying around that came from another supplier.

Last weekend I drained the whole tank and it will stay empty for a few days. Next weekend I will pressure wash and afterwards leave the rocks with a declorinator running with plain water.

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I took these pictures with my phone and there was not such good lighting but they came out looking great.

Thanks for your comments and reccomendations. They are all welcome.

Best regards

Jan
 
Stanley-Reefer said:
With the effort and cost in this set up, I'd def go with a large deltec external....I love my SC2560 and they have the externals for your volume too!!!

I love that sump--it's killer to be prefab!

Going to be nice!:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Stanley-Reefer

I am trying to get one for a volume of minimum of 1000 gal but preferably 1500/2000 gal as I will be setting up later on my second 500gal tank and joining both in the same system.
I do like the self-cleaning head of the Deltec.

Thanks

Jan
 
markie mark said:
I run 50lbs of miracle mud in a 200+ gallon system and have a huge vertex skimmer and it want kill the caulerpa...Be sure to put you a nice skimmer on your tank..I will say that miracle mud is the greatest thing I've ever used..Awesome stuff...
Click to expand...

markie mark

I was thinking of putting ~100lbs in the sump and the biggest skimmer possible. Up to 2000gal capacity.

In your experience using a skimmer...
Does the Caulerpa grow at all?
How about lighting for the sump?
How many hours do you run the skimmer a day?

I've only heard good things about the Miracle Mud and it's been recommended to me by several LFS and from what I've been researching.

Thanks for the Info

Jan
 
Diablo mi pana, buena compra. I wish I would have a tank like that, currently setting up a 30gal FOWLR. Saludos desde Mayagüez.
 
nandor said:
Hola Jan,
fantastic project and very nice apartment. Congratulations on your tank acquisition. I am looking forward to see the first animals move in.


Just some first thoughts:

- Vortech MP60: I saw them running since already some time at a distributor in Europe. Nice flow but some noise to them. Even the distributor said he is a little bit worried about the noise and would rather go for more MP 40s. I would not run them in an in-house reef

- I understand that you are planning to cover the tank behind a false wall. However I prefer the open look it has now; only MHO

- Second tank I would do not before some time of the first build. New ideas will come up like AZOO, Species Tank or so; same is true for my build: I would like to incorporate a second tank on the lower floor but my wife thinks I am nuts :(; time will work for me on this

Please keep posting

Hannes
Click to expand...

nandor

Hannes.. Thanks for the visit once again and for your comments

Regarding the Vortech's ... I was thinking of using a couple of MP60's and combining them with the Tunze wave boxes. Since I don't want to have a closed loop I have limited options. My glass is 3/4" so the MP40 could also work. Not sure, I would like to see & hear them in person.

The aquarium is located in the family room and I dont want to let anyone see the equipment and filtration. It will be using this room as a family/tv room so noise/smell/humidity might be an issue. That's why I decided to enclose it as an "in-wall" installation. My only issue that I have not been able to solve is to cover the front glass while watching TV without turning off the lights.

I'm open to ideas. :headwally:

I have the same problem with my girlfriend. She is against the seccond tank as she thinks is "too much" but as you say "time will work for me on this"

The seccond one would be a room divider with only the two large sides exposed.

Hope you get started soon so I can watch some pictures as well.

Saludos

Jan
 
Pro 7222 - EcoSystem Pro Filter System 7222

Looks nice but i'm just wondering how handy are you? I've seen guys make similiar sumps from older fish tanks that are readily available for little cost. I have a 300 gal rubbermaid stock barrel that I was able to get from a reefer getting out of the hobby, thats going to be my sump in some combination with a small fish tank. http://home-and-garden.become.com/shop?&bskuid=894257886&pid=650000000&cid=0&q=&reab=102&nofilter

something like this reefers tank-- http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1838572&page=4

on the other hand if you have the money and want mostly plug and play then go for the sump you like.
 
cougaran said:
Pro 7222 - EcoSystem Pro Filter System 7222

Looks nice but i'm just wondering how handy are you? I've seen guys make similiar sumps from older fish tanks that are readily available for little cost. I have a 300 gal rubbermaid stock barrel that I was able to get from a reefer getting out of the hobby, thats going to be my sump in some combination with a small fish tank. http://home-and-garden.become.com/shop?&bskuid=894257886&pid=650000000&cid=0&q=&reab=102&nofilter

something like this reefers tank-- http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1838572&page=4

on the other hand if you have the money and want mostly plug and play then go for the sump you like.
Click to expand...


cougaran

Actually I do have two very large sumps (I'll put up a picture later) but it's a wet/dry system and even though I can use them or modify them they are too high. I went by an acrylic manufacturer to compare prices as I can get the mud anywhere and have something custom made. I should get a quote this week.

Since I need to make a couple of separate tanks (fuge, QT, overflow) etc... I might just get the custom one.

The lamps of the EcoSystem 7222 are metal halide amd those I can get from anywhere.

What's important is the Miracle Mud

Thanks again for your comments, they are more than welcome

Jan
 
This is the Wet/Dry filter that I have. It is not functional for my purposes as the dimenssions do not work with the type of filtrartion I am trying to acomplish.

Specs: (48" - long) x (24" - high) x (14" - deep)

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5.jpg
 
I've gotten away from the whole wet/dry filter, which has worked for me over the years. I seem to remember other reefers also doing the same as they became a nutrient sink, which I can not speak from experience on. On the 90, I have a mountain of liverock and a DSB. My sump is more a refugium w/ a light where I grow my cheato. I have played around with filter socks and sometimes have it on and sometimes just let the gunk collect in the sump. I have kept my unwanted inverts in there like the conchs that started dining on my snails and hitchhiker crabs. My tank nitrates have spiked recently but that was from not replacing the sump's lightbulb in a timely fashion more than anything else. I still like to run the old style whisper filter for better water purity with charcoal. I've seen inline setups but aside from anything else, I've found it easier to use these filters when setting up an instant QT tank as I just take the cleanest filter bag, rinse it in a pail with tank water and put the bag in a small dedicated qt filter and qt tank. No ammonia issues.

When I finally setup the 300 I'm going to do something similiar to the 90 with the rubbermaid sump and get a large protein skimmer, most likely a Reef Octopus....
 
Hey Bud!!

Saludes desde Colombia!!!

I have a 300G right now and planing a 500g display setup also!

I plan to use a closed loop with a reeflow dart or bigger because I have 6 mp40 and they just dont cut it! my tank is an sps dominant with lots of fish! but i still need more flow!

What skimmer do you have in mind? I just got a orca proII for my 300 and works great, but the 500 is going to need a bigger one.... i am thinking of using a MRC MR-C4848 Commercial Skimmer... i dont know if its too big... but i feed a LOT and i have 40 plus fish mostly tangs so... losts of SHI@$#&%^@* jajajajaj.

Nice to see more pics!!

Juan
 
cougaran said:
I've gotten away from the whole wet/dry filter, which has worked for me over the years. I seem to remember other reefers also doing the same as they became a nutrient sink, which I can not speak from experience on. On the 90, I have a mountain of liverock and a DSB. My sump is more a refugium w/ a light where I grow my cheato. I have played around with filter socks and sometimes have it on and sometimes just let the gunk collect in the sump. I have kept my unwanted inverts in there like the conchs that started dining on my snails and hitchhiker crabs. My tank nitrates have spiked recently but that was from not replacing the sump's lightbulb in a timely fashion more than anything else. I still like to run the old style whisper filter for better water purity with charcoal. I've seen inline setups but aside from anything else, I've found it easier to use these filters when setting up an instant QT tank as I just take the cleanest filter bag, rinse it in a pail with tank water and put the bag in a small dedicated qt filter and qt tank. No ammonia issues.

When I finally setup the 300 I'm going to do something similiar to the 90 with the rubbermaid sump and get a large protein skimmer, most likely a Reef Octopus....
Click to expand...

cougaran

I have ot used wet/dry myself either in the past as the largest tank before this one was around 70 Gal. It was a "Dutch Aquarium System DAS", it had the filtration system inside the tank itself complete with protein skimmer. This was a few years back and I have been away from the hobby for several years.

From what I've read from Wet/Dry systems they work more for FOWLR systems and not for reef settings.

What I plan to do is to get an Ecosystem sump/fuge and use Miracle Mud with it. ~100lbs

It will have a couple of filter socks and I was thinking of using a metal halide lamp for the caulerpa.

I've used canister filters before but for this amount of water I dont think there's one big enough.

When do you set yours up? I want to see some pics!!!

Jan
 
Looking good!! :thumbsup:

I would get a bigger sump though.. never can hurt to have too much filtration.. and use socks too.. JMO..
 
Mangodude said:
Looking good!! :thumbsup:

I would get a bigger sump though.. never can hurt to have too much filtration.. and use socks too.. JMO..
Click to expand...


Mangodude

This is the sump that I have at the moment. I will not be using it. It is too small for what I want to do.

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Rather I will be upgrading to this one:

Ecosystem 7222 Sump
Del7222M.jpg


Regards

Jan
 
ruidos99 said:
Hey Bud!!

Saludes desde Colombia!!!

I have a 300G right now and planing a 500g display setup also!

I plan to use a closed loop with a reeflow dart or bigger because I have 6 mp40 and they just dont cut it! my tank is an sps dominant with lots of fish! but i still need more flow!

What skimmer do you have in mind? I just got a orca proII for my 300 and works great, but the 500 is going to need a bigger one.... i am thinking of using a MRC MR-C4848 Commercial Skimmer... i dont know if its too big... but i feed a LOT and i have 40 plus fish mostly tangs so... losts of SHI@$#&%^@* jajajajaj.

Nice to see more pics!!

Juan
Click to expand...

ruidos99

Saludos desde el Caribe

I was thinking of getting a couple of MP-60's and some Tunze Wave Boxes. Why don't they work for you? Hmmm Interesting, you are the only one that has said anything negative about them.

As far as the pump, I'm getting a 1HP but not for a closed loop. I still need to figure out how to do the returns since I can't drill my tank.

For the skimmer... It will definatelly be an external one. I'm trying to get one for ~1500/2000 gal capacity.

For your application.. I would either go with the largest your budget can handle. I like the Bubble Kings but they are extremely expensive. If I had the budget I would go with something like this:

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Do you have a thread open here? If not.. post a picture to see it.

Regards

Jan
 
JanVelazquez said:
cougaran

I From what I've read from Wet/Dry systems they work more for FOWLR systems and not for reef settings.

What I plan to do is to get an Ecosystem sump/fuge and use Miracle Mud with it. ~100lbs
Click to expand...


Good luck with the wet/dry it looks nice, I try to save some money when I can.


JanVelazquez said:
When do you set yours up? I want to see some pics!!!
Click to expand...
Mine is still in storage..Unfortunately..fortunately??? I'm going to have to set it up as I'm going to be losing storage, but where i'm setting it up temporarily is in the living room. I'm going to have modify the floor a little bit as I have rugs. Originally I was planing a sunroom/fish room off the living room. I still want to do that, but only lately have had more time to spend on my hobby and house.The plans were only partially drawn and building right now will take too long before i lose storage...When I do setup ill have to run a thread, but its going to be on the cheap..lol...


That protein skimmer is a monster. I was following the reef octopus threads
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1727974
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1659495

You have to keep in mind that they are sponsered forums, but this thread which is not sponsored rates them as very good for a budget, but not the best skimmers out there which are generally ALOT more expensive.http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1589426&highlight=reef+octopus+skimmer+5000&page=142 Mojo runs the thread, I would probably give him a shout as a recommendation for your tank. It seems that if you get too big a skimmer you wont get the most out of it and can waste money, and if you get too small of one then well you get the picture...lol

Good luck!
 
That brand of skimmers Skims looks very nice. I was looking at prices in AquaCave and appears reasonable. The Reef Octopus line is my favorite, excelent skimmers and very reasonable prices.
 
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