First Marine Tank - Planning Asisstance Required Please

[cd77]

I'm not a veteran.

Yes, as a general rule of thumb for any habitat -- the bigger the better. Does that mean you should start big is the real question here.

I can tell you what I think. I think I'd rather start small (I chose a 70 gallon) The 70 gallon is small enough to ensure I don't have a heart attack if I happen to crash the tank six months down the line. Small enough so that I don't have to worry about rebuilding an entire portion of my house if there is a leak, small enough so that I don't have to consider structural/foundation concerns, and small enough such that I don't have to spend a lot of time each day maintaining it or paying someone else to, and lastly it's small enough that I can buy it from my LFS without having it custom built to specification and having to consider things like knocking out a wall, re-plumbing, addiional circuit breakers, etc..

It's big enough to allow me to play around with things like sumps, refugiums, automatic topoff systems, protein skimmers, dosing systems, aqua controllers, various lighting options, and a there is a lot of livestock (fish, invertebrates, corals, pods, bacteria, etc..) to learn about from personal experience that I can put in a 70 gallon tank.

Waterkeeper once said in a thread that any tank younger than a year is new to him. From reading lots of other posts, I can see why. It will be a while from now before I can consider myself as having an "established" reef. During that time, I'll learn a lot -- I even try to participate here by answering questions, because I recognize that teaching is part of the full learning process and the veterans here will quickly put me in my place when I'm wrong -- either way, I'm learning. And I've only just begun this journey. I still take time every day to learn a little bit more about various critters, water chemistry, algae, gear/technology and I don't think a day has gone by since I set up my tank that I haven't added a new bookmark to my browser.

AND.. I've already made my fair share of mistakes. Once your tank is first cycled, it's very tempting to run out and immediately buy a small coral or a cleanup crew or a damsel or something.. Hell, I'm still trying to figure out the optimal amount of food for my tank.

For now, I can learn a lot, and pick up a lot of experience before I jump into a larger tank. I'm doing this because I really enjoy the hobby -- the same as with my FW tanks. If you're only doing this to watch the pretty fishes and money is no object, then pay a professional to engineer the entire setup, and pay someone to maintain it. Simple.

When I build my dream tank sometime down the line, I'll be going into it with a lot more knowledge and experience, and I'll have an established tank to seed my dream tank with.

 

[cd77]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10793827#post10793827 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by r0cksteady
Did you mean Starphire (aka low-iron glass)? Can anyone confirm that this does make a difference or is it more of a wank feature? Like fluffy dice in a car?

I'd imagine the glass on a 400-500 gallon tank will be quite thick, so the difference between starphire will most definitely be noticeable. Check glasscages.com and start their build process (they have an 8 foot 500 gallon tank option) and there is a picture showing the difference between the two. Regular glass has much more of a tint to it than starphire.

 

[bertoni]

I wouldn't get another glass tank without StarPhire. I have a 29g glass and a 29g acrylic, and even at 29g the green cast is noticeable to me. That's a matter of personal taste, though.

I would probably cut the height down and make the tank deeper and longer. Tall tanks have less surface area per unit volume and need thick glass. Also, a shorter tank would be easier to light. There's a lot of personal taste, though. If you like tall, go for it.

The Tunze Streams have a matched wave maker. The setup is expensive, but the quality is high. There are cheaper alternatives, although they are less energy efficient, and cost more over the long haul.

 

[r0cksteady]

Thanks for the reply Chris. Yeah I understand what your saying and fully appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions and offer your experience.

Im certainly looking to do this as a hobby rather than a quick "mantle piece" so I am looking to learn and develop my skills rather than someone get to do the core part of learning the hobby.

Wow ive already spent all day researching the equipment recommended.

Would a chiller also be able to replace the heaters? eg. #EUAC50 AquaEuroUSA

http://www.aquatichouse.com/Pumps_files/chillers.asp

 

[cd77]

No, it will not replace your heaters.

That chiller is recommended for aquariums up to 350 gallons -- a bit shy of the 431 gallons you're planning. The unit itself doesn't heat, but it will have an output (or two maybe, didn't see) for your heater to automatically kick your heater on when needed.

With a 430 gallon tank, you'll probably have an aqua controller anyway with a temperature probe that will turn on/off your heaters and chillers when needed -- for starters you can check out the Neptune AquaController III Pro at http://www.neptunesys.com/aquaController3Pro.htm

Just as an FYI -- that chiller can pull 1,600 watts at 4amps.. and you may need another smaller one -- or step up to a bigger chiller. Keep that in mind when your planning your electrical system. And if you live in an area prone to power outages (rolling blackouts in CA, tornados in the midwest, hurricances down south, etc..) you may even want to think about a generator.

Time for me to step aside from this thread --I simply don't have the knowledge or experience to help -- sounds like you've got your mind set on the big tank, and I do sincerely wish you the best of luck and can't wait to see pictures

Cheers!

 

[r0cksteady]

Cheers mate for all your great help.

I think now i just need to draw knowledge from the large tank thread. Thanks again