Building 560 gallon Softy tank

[kirkaz]

We are building a custom home which will have 2 fairly large tanks, one of which will be a 10x3x2.5 softy reef (I think I did the math right on the gallons). I'm in Vegas this weekend and meeting the guys from ATM (Brett and Frankie) to work up a quote. My primary background is Fish Only tanks (which the second tank will be). I wanted an idea of what I truly need on the softy tank.

I plan on it being fairly lightly stocked fish wise.....Anthias, Fairy Wrasses, and so on, I.E., no big Tangs or larger fish, those go in the other tank. For Corals, I love Colts, Umbrellas, Devil's Hand, Singularia, Mushrooms and so on. I like interesting "textures".

I know I want LED's (I know they have their own units, but I really like the Radions), probably 3 of the big Vortech P.H.s, and a powerful Skimmer.....What else should I have them work in? I know they recommend UV (I'm not sold on) and will want a Chiller on there. Calcium Reactor? or maybe just a dosing pump? Ozone? Nitrate Reactor? Anything else?

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[montethemoster]

You probably won't need a calcium reactor if you don't plan on any calcifying corals, but I guess your tastes could always change.

 

[wireefman]

if it were my tank... id run 2 separate om 4ways on closed loops using reeflow darts or something else equivilant... leathers and softies love flow... get a big *** skimmer and some leds... only thing I could see you needing to dose is for iodine.. but even that would be a small amount.. its a basic set up but ime softies don not require all that fancy stuff..

 

[Ghetto Man]

If you do regular water changes it should eliminate the need for dosing anything with softies. As the amount of coral you as increases things may change, but I wouldn't worry about much at the start.

 

[fishmate]

i agree with ghetto man

 

[rssjsb]

Is your house air conditioned? I know a lot of houses in AZ have evaporative coolers but no AC. A chiller big enough to affect that kind of water volume will put off some serious heat. If you've got AC that can keep up, it shouldn't be a problem (except for your utility bills). If not, it might help to think about placement ahead of time.

We're in the 90s here today with no AC (we only have a few days this hot all year). My chiller is running non-stop and the front of my house is very warm.

 

[Michigan Mike]

Good powerful lights, powerheads/flow and skimmer goes a long way.
I'd run a large carbon reactor also.

Leathers & softies make Reefing simple and enjoyable. Low maintenance.

Sounds like a great plan/tank, good luck with the ATM guys.