Critique my set up please!

K

kdumph

New member
Ok so this is where I"m at. Really looking for a short and simple buy list, but couldn't find one on here.

30 gallon tank cylindrical tank 22"Dia, 20" deep

20 gallon sump, haven't figure exactly how to set this up yet, but have a pretty good idea of where things should go.

Old wine barrel I cut a door in. Not sure of how much heat I'm going to accumulate here with the door shut? There is a "bung" hole in the back that I plan on running wires through that is about 2 1/2", 3" Dia. Would a small fan suffice near this hole? Also there is plenty of room so the sump isn't cramped at all.

Buy List,
RODI, size, filters, make?
ATO, Make?
Skimmer 60-100 gallon rating? Make?
Return pump not sure on GPH? Make?
Nassi LED, not sure on the size can I get away with a single 150?
1 MP10 or should I go with two?
Filter Sock
Reactor?
Rock
Sand
Salt
2 heaters
test kits
quarantine tank

Stocking wise I like coral more then I do fish. I would really like to do a mixture of soft and stony corals. Perhaps a snowflake eel and one or two other fishes, but I'm very open when it comes to this.

I'm open to all suggestion and ideas, this is my first fish tank!
 

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woah, cylindrical tank! Very cool, especially with the cylindrical barrel.

You probably want a big hole in the back for the pipes and cords and a surprising amount of power cords, along with ventilation.

I also suggest serious googling on powerheads for cylindrical tanks. I know people with bow fronts have some issues so the issues may be magnified for a fully cylindrical tank, though I'm not sure what are those things you show in the top down shot.

I guess I will throw in one brand recommendation - I really like the neo therm heaters since they have a very small profile + seem unbreakable. With that said, I have a nano tank and space may not be as much as a premium in your sump.

Also not sure what brand is Nassi or your budget, but perhaps one kessil on top of this might look very sharp.
 
Looking forward to seeing this tank put together :)

RO/DI - Just about any brand works fine. It's the media that is most important. I'd say eBay if you know what you're looking for and can ask the seller for certain replacements or pay more for a refurbished/used RO/DI from Spectra Pure.

ATO - JBJ ATO is cheap, small, and IME better than many more expensive units. If you're going to automate your entire system, I might go another route.

Skimmer - What's the exact area? Reef Octopus comes to mind though - if it will fit.

Return Pump - Eheim, size depends.

Lighting - Totally up to preference; cost, options, and appearance are very important and I haven't seen all the options out there.

Flow - The return aimed clockwise while the MP10 is aimed counter-clockwise might work well. If not done well, it could create a vortex.

Filter sock - Yes.

Reactor - Depends on what you're going to be keeping and what kind of reactor you'd prefer. I'd plan on one, attached to the inside against the wall of the barrel perhaps.

Rock & Sand - I prefer dead rock (reef saver or reef bones) which can be broken apart, drilled, epoxied, cemented, and shaped over time. I'm totally over the "interesting" life LR an bring to a tank. Once you put some coral in there, plenty of things will enter your tank. Live sand is fine, added after all the reef scaping has been accomplished.

Salt - Reef Crystals or Red Sea Pro Salt, with a slight sway to Red Sea due to mixing clarity.

Heaters - Whatever is required for your total volume. I use Eheim Jager.

Test kits - Cheap API Master Test Kit (after the first month, you'll rarely use it again), Red Sea for everything else except for pH (depends) and phosphates (Hanna). If you're not going to have SPS, then Red Sea for pH & phosphates.

QT - Yes.
 
Thank you for the replays!

RO/DI, my house already has a RO system but I"m not sure about the DI part. Would it say right on the filters? It's a 3 canister set up with a 5 gallon holding tank.

ATO: I would really like to automate as much as I can, seems it would make owning the tank more enjoyable. Options?

Skimmer: Sump isn't glued together yet so I have some fudge room.

Return pump: What's the easiest way to figure out the size needed?

Lighting:Kessi is what I meant to say here. Just not sure on the size to get? 150W be enough?

Flow: As chicagoreefer20 brought up not sure if I'll be able to mount a m10 on a round surface? Now on the back with my overflow and where my return line will be plumbed I do have a flat surface. Only problem is that this is wet on both sides of the wall. Suggestions?

Reactor: Want to keep mostly soft coral, perhaps a few stony. Snowflake Eel, 2-3 other fishes. Haven't researched exact requirements yet.... so open here as well

Rock:I was leaning towards dead rock also, I'm patient and am in no big rush here.

Test Kits, Heaters, salt, QT seem pretty well covered.

Issue I keep running into is the lack of information on cylindrical tanks. Not the best starter tank, but I enjoy a good challenge.
 
cool tank, and love the stand. Just make sure the barrel can take the weight of the tank with water and rock.
 
I think the barrel should be strong enough, its required to hold 400 or 600 pounds of pressure when used for wine by the cooperage I bought it from. Though this is before I cut a whole in the side of it;) If not I'll just go ahead and reinforce it.
 
Love Kessil's. You'd have to go with a A360W (wide) with those dimentions.

RO/DI units have 4 or more stages. The DI cartridge is usually see through with a resin, not a block, filter in view. Resin usually changes color as it is exhausted. To know better, you need to buy a TDS meter and test your watet out of the tap then out of the RO filter to know it it is actually filtering well. If the TDS meter shows a hunber larger for the tap then the RO, the RO is working. There's a calculation to see by what percentage. After the DI stage TDS should show zero, no other elements in the water, just pure H2O. If you already have an RO unit you may be able to buy a DI kit, splice into the outgoing line and use a T connector, some tubing, the DI filter, more tubing, and finally a valve (Home Depot and Lowes carry these parts) and you'll have DI water. DI kits range in cost of thirteen to one hundred dollars - seriously. I got an eBay 1500g for 13 bucks attached to my RO unit and it lasts me a good while. It's up to you.

If you google jelly fish aquarium, you miight run into more information.
 
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I too had an RO system already.
I just added a DI unit from BRS.
You'll need a T connector to plumb it in and a shutoff.

BRS
 
kdumph said:
What do you guys think about this round LED from China?

http://lum.en.alibaba.com/product/1...013_new_design_nano_aquarium_accessories.html

It's about half the price and seems to offer more options and power or am I missing something.

Haven't seen RO/DI systems yet for 13, but I'll keep looking!
Click to expand...

You will want to check the spectral ouput of the leds....they may claim full spectrum, but without the graph, who knows.... KESSIL are the way to go i think....that's what i ended up going with after trying a china i customed out only to find i had way too much yellow green orange and red which were the nature of the lights themselves...nothing i could do about it. Reefbreeders has done a great job really pinpointing the proper spectral output and needs of corals.



Love the circular divided sump...that thing is awesome.
 
kdumph said:
What do you guys think about this round LED from China?

http://lum.en.alibaba.com/product/1...013_new_design_nano_aquarium_accessories.html

It's about half the price and seems to offer more options and power or am I missing something.

Haven't seen RO/DI systems yet for 13, but I'll keep looking!
Click to expand...


After a little research, these things are basically PAR38's with a new shell and compressed diodes at the center - and they're big! The housing and new innards (like fan) weigh in at 8.8 pounds. No way that's going to go on a gooseneck clamp. (YouTube) I'm interested in seeing someone review them, but I would probably never use them. Too many unknowns.

I didn't say RO/DI for $13 - just the DI. Here's a link to an example (eBay). Guess the December sales are over. I purchased one for a buddy that's building a FW planted aquarium as a Christmas gift. I'm guessing they will go on sale again at some point (lowest I could find as of this post was $16.99).
 
Maxxumless said:
After a little research, these things are basically PAR38's with a new shell and compressed diodes at the center - and they're big! The housing and new innards (like fan) weigh in at 8.8 pounds. No way that's going to go on a gooseneck clamp. (YouTube) I'm interested in seeing someone review them, but I would probably never use them. Too many unknowns.

I didn't say RO/DI for $13 - just the DI. Here's a link to an example (eBay). Guess the December sales are over. I purchased one for a buddy that's building a FW planted aquarium as a Christmas gift. I'm guessing they will go on sale again at some point (lowest I could find as of this post was $16.99).
Click to expand...

I was planning on hanging this from the celling and not using a gooseneck, same goes with the Kessi.

As for the DI, thank you for the link I was looking at the different larger DI's with canisters that were around 50. I think I can make this work perfectly:)
 
The larger canisters will last longer - how long depends on what your starting water quality and the efficiency of your other filters. Long story short, you'll need to refill the smaller one more often. When you do, try to compact the resin has much as possible. The beads need to be close together to work properly and last the advertised life. My cartridge lasts around 1000 gallons vs the 1500 advertised, but my tap water is 666 TDS, RO is 23-30 TDS first six months, and 0 TDS via DI.
 
any suggestion on TDS meter? Also on automation for this size of a tank (controller type) or is this even worth it with such a small tank?
 
Not really. They're really inexpensive (like this one). The in line ones are nice (this one), but I like playing chemist and test other water sources for the heck of it like my tap water and bottled water from the market. :)

Yes, controllers are VERY nice, regardless of tank size. It's nice to have everything automated. If the tank water gets too hot, it shuts off the lights, turns on the room fan, and tells you what's happening. What happens if a heater gets stuck in the on positions and cooks your fish? A controller can see the temps raising and will shut it off. It can does, turn on a web cam so you can have a look, turn off all pumps if it senses water on the floor, and so much more. They're not cheap - else I'd recommend one for everyone.
 
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I agree with what others have said above me about venting the stand. If you don't want a big hole in the back, maybe you could do two small ones on the side with computer fans in them. One blowing out and the other in to exchange air and keep the temp and humidity down in the stand.

I can't wait to see more, that setup is going to be SWEET!!!!!!
 
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