Hi all,
I have been browsing this forum for some time, and now is the time to start my build thread I think :rollface:
Like most I started with FW - my first tank was when I was about 12 years old that I bought from a teacher... about 37 years ago! I have never been without a tank since. I have a period in the '80s when I kept a marine tank... and boy was it different then!
It was lit with two flourescent tubes - one 'daylight' and one 'actinic' and filtration consisted of a canister filter containing nothing more than a bag of charcoal... which was washed under the tap every couple of weeks :rolleye1:
I did have a reasonable amount of tufa rock and the substrate was a coral sand. And I loved it. I was mainly into inverts and had a fantastic nem, numerous hermits, a cucumber, feather duster worms, an arrow crab to name a few. A little filefish I had grew like a rocket, a lovely french angel and a yellow spotted boxfish. He was the best. If anyone came into the the room he would hide. If he saw me he would follow me up/down the tank. He would eat from my fingers and if i held the food over the surface he would spit water to knock it free.
Unfortunately, the heating system was an expensive system... two heater controlled by an electronic stat. Which failed. On. When I was at work. I lost all the fish. I was so distressed I took all the inverts to my (great) LFS and just gave them back. The tank was run down and then I switched to FW again.
The plan always was to do a big marine when I got into a permanent house. Well, I bought that in 93, and in 2000 I put on a 7m x 7m extension living room... and part of this was prep for the tank. When the architect saw the size of tank I wanted, he got a structural engineer to do the math and he wasn't happy to have it on the concrete floor and so the plans were changed and 3' deep concrete footings were added together with brick piers through the floor. These were topped of with 15 6" floor joists bolted side to side... and the money ran low. And kids arrived. And I lost my job. etc. Tempus fugit and the super strong stand, capable of holding a 13' long tank waited... for 16 years!
The kids are pretty much grown. I have a job that pays OK. My Mrs is happy with her car. etc.
So here we are. I am in the initial stages of planning and would appreciate any thoughts on this 'spec' for a mixed reef setup. I have decided to scale back on the 13' tank to a 72"! but with all the toys.
Tank: 72"x24"x26" - 195 USG, 162 Imp Gal, 736 litres. Weir across one end into Bean/Animal overflow.
Sump: Custom to fit into a 30"x30" space under. (Will need help with the design!)
Lighting: LED only
Computer: ProFilux
ATO: Salt and RO/DI controlled by Profilux, 'constant' water change from two reserves - approx 30% p.m. = 2 gpd.
I am thinking of sump-tank turnover of about 4-5x and tank of about 25x (about right?)
Here is the first sketch (Overflow not detailed as sizing not sorted).
I would love to have your thoughts on this.
Cheers from the UK!
John
I have been browsing this forum for some time, and now is the time to start my build thread I think :rollface:
Like most I started with FW - my first tank was when I was about 12 years old that I bought from a teacher... about 37 years ago! I have never been without a tank since. I have a period in the '80s when I kept a marine tank... and boy was it different then!
It was lit with two flourescent tubes - one 'daylight' and one 'actinic' and filtration consisted of a canister filter containing nothing more than a bag of charcoal... which was washed under the tap every couple of weeks :rolleye1:
I did have a reasonable amount of tufa rock and the substrate was a coral sand. And I loved it. I was mainly into inverts and had a fantastic nem, numerous hermits, a cucumber, feather duster worms, an arrow crab to name a few. A little filefish I had grew like a rocket, a lovely french angel and a yellow spotted boxfish. He was the best. If anyone came into the the room he would hide. If he saw me he would follow me up/down the tank. He would eat from my fingers and if i held the food over the surface he would spit water to knock it free.
Unfortunately, the heating system was an expensive system... two heater controlled by an electronic stat. Which failed. On. When I was at work. I lost all the fish. I was so distressed I took all the inverts to my (great) LFS and just gave them back. The tank was run down and then I switched to FW again.
The plan always was to do a big marine when I got into a permanent house. Well, I bought that in 93, and in 2000 I put on a 7m x 7m extension living room... and part of this was prep for the tank. When the architect saw the size of tank I wanted, he got a structural engineer to do the math and he wasn't happy to have it on the concrete floor and so the plans were changed and 3' deep concrete footings were added together with brick piers through the floor. These were topped of with 15 6" floor joists bolted side to side... and the money ran low. And kids arrived. And I lost my job. etc. Tempus fugit and the super strong stand, capable of holding a 13' long tank waited... for 16 years!
The kids are pretty much grown. I have a job that pays OK. My Mrs is happy with her car. etc.
So here we are. I am in the initial stages of planning and would appreciate any thoughts on this 'spec' for a mixed reef setup. I have decided to scale back on the 13' tank to a 72"! but with all the toys.
Tank: 72"x24"x26" - 195 USG, 162 Imp Gal, 736 litres. Weir across one end into Bean/Animal overflow.
Sump: Custom to fit into a 30"x30" space under. (Will need help with the design!)
Lighting: LED only
Computer: ProFilux
ATO: Salt and RO/DI controlled by Profilux, 'constant' water change from two reserves - approx 30% p.m. = 2 gpd.
I am thinking of sump-tank turnover of about 4-5x and tank of about 25x (about right?)
Here is the first sketch (Overflow not detailed as sizing not sorted).
I would love to have your thoughts on this.
Cheers from the UK!
John
