gofor100
New member
Hey Guys,
So I've been planning my upgrade to a 300+ gallon mixed reef tank for a while now, and I've been able to obtain some equipment already, and am still saving/looking for some of the other items.
The tank (which has yet to be ordered) will measure approximately 84 to 96"L X 36 to 48"D (front to back) X 24 to 26"T... this will all be determined in the next year or two when our house hunt is underway.
Could you please review my equipment checklist and let me know, 1) If you've had any problems with the brand I mentioned and what brand you would recommend instead, and 2) If I'm missing anything... :spin2:
LIGHTING
Main Lighting- Metal Halide
(4) LumenMax Elite HQI 250-watt (already have)
(4) Lumatek 250-watt Digital Ballasts (already have)
(4) Phoenix 14,000K DE bulbs
Supplemental Lighting
T-5 or LED???
If T-5, then...
> (2) 36-inch 4X39W Tek Lights- was thinking of retrofit, but prefer the pre-made fixtures instead, plus these are competively priced
If LED, then...
NEED SUGGESTIONS!!! I know many of you DIYers like to make your own fixtures, but are there any "ready-made" items out there you would suggest for supplemental lighting? Keep in mind, that these will be used solely for supplementation and to ensure the front of the tank inhabitants get sufficient lighting as well.
Water Circulation
Powerheads
> (2) Vortech MP40's ES- placed on the back (already have)
> (2) Vortech MP60's ES- one on each side of the tank
> (2) Tunze Turbelle Stream 2 Controllable Pump 6105- these will be placed in each back corner of the tank to ensure there are very few deadspots and controlled by an APEX controller
Return Pump
> (2) Water Blaster HY 5000- good power with low power consumption; planning on 2 so if one goes down, then other one should be able to handle turnover until I discover the issue (I travel)
Filtration
Skimmer- in-sump
> Bubble King Vertex Alpha Cone 200 (already have)
> 2nd skimmer (used in case one of them fails while I'm away on a trip)- open to suggestions, but would like to have more than enough to handle a pretty decent bioload. This skimmer should be rated higher than the Alpha Cone above since I know that the Alpha Cone would be slightly overwhelmed if used as the only skimmer on such a large system.
Carbon/Phosphate Reactor
> (2) BRS Jumbo GFO/Carbon Reactor- one for each media
Supplementing Equipment
Calcium Reactor
> GEO CR 818 w/Pan World Pump px40; Aquarium Plants Electronic CO2 Regulator; 10 lbs. CO2 Aluminum tank
Dosing Pumps
> LiterMeter III and remote pumps (already have)- this will be used in conjunction with the Calcium reactor partially as back-up (in case something happens with the Reactor), but also because I've found that my corals react very well to B-Ionic 2-part
Kalkreactor
> Two Little Fishes OR GEO OR BRS... suggestions?
Temperature Control
Chiller
> JBJ Arctica 1HP 230V Commercial Chiller (already have)
Heaters
> (2) 350W Won Brothers 3 Prong Titanium heaters (already have)- open to suggestions, but these would be controlled by the APEX controller
Canopy Fans
> (4 to 6) Stealth Double Ball Bearing Case Fans
Sump Fans
> (2) Sunlight Supply Air King 6-inch Clip-on Fan (already have)
Monitoring Equpment/Controller
> Neptune Systems AquaController APEX plus expansion energy bars
RO/DI System
> Spectrapure MaxCap RO/DI System 180gpd
Substrate/Rock
Substrate- looking for a somewhat shallow sandbed ranging from 2 to 4 inches (depending on where the PH's blow it)
> CaribSea Aragonite Special Grade Reef Sand- probably about 8 40 lbs bags or so... but will increase this number if needed.
Rock
> Looking at either BRS or Marco Rock- heard good things about both, but suggestions are welcome.
So I think other than the actual tank/sump/stand/canopy and the plumbing, that should be it... right? Any feedback would be great!
Thanks in advance for your help!
-Chad
So I've been planning my upgrade to a 300+ gallon mixed reef tank for a while now, and I've been able to obtain some equipment already, and am still saving/looking for some of the other items.
The tank (which has yet to be ordered) will measure approximately 84 to 96"L X 36 to 48"D (front to back) X 24 to 26"T... this will all be determined in the next year or two when our house hunt is underway.
Could you please review my equipment checklist and let me know, 1) If you've had any problems with the brand I mentioned and what brand you would recommend instead, and 2) If I'm missing anything... :spin2:
LIGHTING
Main Lighting- Metal Halide
(4) LumenMax Elite HQI 250-watt (already have)
(4) Lumatek 250-watt Digital Ballasts (already have)
(4) Phoenix 14,000K DE bulbs
Supplemental Lighting
T-5 or LED???
If T-5, then...
> (2) 36-inch 4X39W Tek Lights- was thinking of retrofit, but prefer the pre-made fixtures instead, plus these are competively priced
If LED, then...
NEED SUGGESTIONS!!! I know many of you DIYers like to make your own fixtures, but are there any "ready-made" items out there you would suggest for supplemental lighting? Keep in mind, that these will be used solely for supplementation and to ensure the front of the tank inhabitants get sufficient lighting as well.
Water Circulation
Powerheads
> (2) Vortech MP40's ES- placed on the back (already have)
> (2) Vortech MP60's ES- one on each side of the tank
> (2) Tunze Turbelle Stream 2 Controllable Pump 6105- these will be placed in each back corner of the tank to ensure there are very few deadspots and controlled by an APEX controller
Return Pump
> (2) Water Blaster HY 5000- good power with low power consumption; planning on 2 so if one goes down, then other one should be able to handle turnover until I discover the issue (I travel)
Filtration
Skimmer- in-sump
> Bubble King Vertex Alpha Cone 200 (already have)
> 2nd skimmer (used in case one of them fails while I'm away on a trip)- open to suggestions, but would like to have more than enough to handle a pretty decent bioload. This skimmer should be rated higher than the Alpha Cone above since I know that the Alpha Cone would be slightly overwhelmed if used as the only skimmer on such a large system.
Carbon/Phosphate Reactor
> (2) BRS Jumbo GFO/Carbon Reactor- one for each media
Supplementing Equipment
Calcium Reactor
> GEO CR 818 w/Pan World Pump px40; Aquarium Plants Electronic CO2 Regulator; 10 lbs. CO2 Aluminum tank
Dosing Pumps
> LiterMeter III and remote pumps (already have)- this will be used in conjunction with the Calcium reactor partially as back-up (in case something happens with the Reactor), but also because I've found that my corals react very well to B-Ionic 2-part
Kalkreactor
> Two Little Fishes OR GEO OR BRS... suggestions?
Temperature Control
Chiller
> JBJ Arctica 1HP 230V Commercial Chiller (already have)
Heaters
> (2) 350W Won Brothers 3 Prong Titanium heaters (already have)- open to suggestions, but these would be controlled by the APEX controller
Canopy Fans
> (4 to 6) Stealth Double Ball Bearing Case Fans
Sump Fans
> (2) Sunlight Supply Air King 6-inch Clip-on Fan (already have)
Monitoring Equpment/Controller
> Neptune Systems AquaController APEX plus expansion energy bars
RO/DI System
> Spectrapure MaxCap RO/DI System 180gpd
Substrate/Rock
Substrate- looking for a somewhat shallow sandbed ranging from 2 to 4 inches (depending on where the PH's blow it)
> CaribSea Aragonite Special Grade Reef Sand- probably about 8 40 lbs bags or so... but will increase this number if needed.
Rock
> Looking at either BRS or Marco Rock- heard good things about both, but suggestions are welcome.
So I think other than the actual tank/sump/stand/canopy and the plumbing, that should be it... right? Any feedback would be great!
Thanks in advance for your help!
-Chad
