Hi all, been messing around with reef and fish for around two years now, looking to make the upgrade to something larger, around 240 gal (previous 50 gal). Its going to be built in a wall with a room behind any tips or tricks? also advice on making water changes quick and easy.
anyone with tips for 240 gal reef and fish tank build?
- Thread starter Termo
- Start date
fredknack
Premium Member
For water changes I would add an additional 40 gallon tank or barrel to the system. Make it so ball valves can cut it off from the rest of the system. Then you can drain it, fill it with new RO water and mix the salt. Once the new water is ready to go open the ball valves up to let the new water merge with the display tank. It makes water changes really easy and has the added value of adding 40+ gallons to your overall water volume.
If you take Termo's advice of adding a drain and water supply to the room you could do a whole water change just by turning knobs.
If you take Termo's advice of adding a drain and water supply to the room you could do a whole water change just by turning knobs.
I set up a system for a guy with one RO barrel and one SW barrel. RO barrel had a pump to transfer to SW barrel. SW barrel pump would mix and transfer to sump depending on which valves you had open/closed. We put in a "T" on the main return pump line with a valve that went directly to the sewer line. Makes doing water changes very easy!
Hope that helps...
Hope that helps...
RonMidtownStomp
You can edit this?
I set up a 240 and have some thoughts. I don't know if they'll apply or not --
1) I've learned that I should have bought good stuff first rather than upgrading and upgrading again.
2) Do your lighting research and figure out how you want to light the tank. My "best bet" right now for metal halide would be 3 really good reflectors and 20K radiums. I have 4 over my tank right now, mostly as a test, and it's almost too much light, if you can have such a thing.
3) I like simple sump designs. 3 compartments work well for me, fuge, skimmer, then return section. Two $10 baffles and a $40 used acrylic 50 gallon tank and I'm done.
4) Be sure to think about humidity in the room behind the tank. I don't have this situation, but have read about it many times.
5) Plan your rockwork. I started off with what turned out to be a wall of rock and there are much more creative, more appealing rockwork designs. Think about coves and caves and arches and outcroppings and open areas and things that make you have to look behind or look at the tank from a different angle to see something rewarding. I'm definitely incorporating this in my new tank.
6) Read about flow and plan your flow accordingly. The difference between creating flow in a 50 gallon tank where you can throw in a single Koralia 4 and have the whole tank going nuts and a 240 gallon system is not trivial. I have three Tunze 6100's in my 240 and wish I had a 4th. Investigate closed loop. I'm going to try a closed loop on my upcoming 210 and I have high hopes for it.
7) It's taken me more than a few months to learn to let go of the old tanks and focus on one.
8) If you can go to a 300 and have it be 30"wide, go for it.
Those are my thoughts. I haven't been doing this that long, but I've put a tremendous amount of time into the hobby. I'm really excited about my next tank and really think I have figured out what will work for me. Hopefully at least one of these points gets you thinking about something that will be useful to you.
Ron
1) I've learned that I should have bought good stuff first rather than upgrading and upgrading again.
2) Do your lighting research and figure out how you want to light the tank. My "best bet" right now for metal halide would be 3 really good reflectors and 20K radiums. I have 4 over my tank right now, mostly as a test, and it's almost too much light, if you can have such a thing.
3) I like simple sump designs. 3 compartments work well for me, fuge, skimmer, then return section. Two $10 baffles and a $40 used acrylic 50 gallon tank and I'm done.
4) Be sure to think about humidity in the room behind the tank. I don't have this situation, but have read about it many times.
5) Plan your rockwork. I started off with what turned out to be a wall of rock and there are much more creative, more appealing rockwork designs. Think about coves and caves and arches and outcroppings and open areas and things that make you have to look behind or look at the tank from a different angle to see something rewarding. I'm definitely incorporating this in my new tank.
6) Read about flow and plan your flow accordingly. The difference between creating flow in a 50 gallon tank where you can throw in a single Koralia 4 and have the whole tank going nuts and a 240 gallon system is not trivial. I have three Tunze 6100's in my 240 and wish I had a 4th. Investigate closed loop. I'm going to try a closed loop on my upcoming 210 and I have high hopes for it.
7) It's taken me more than a few months to learn to let go of the old tanks and focus on one.
8) If you can go to a 300 and have it be 30"wide, go for it.
Those are my thoughts. I haven't been doing this that long, but I've put a tremendous amount of time into the hobby. I'm really excited about my next tank and really think I have figured out what will work for me. Hopefully at least one of these points gets you thinking about something that will be useful to you.
Ron
Similar threads
