First Proper Tank...Equipment Suggestions (Cross Posted)

[Globalbutterfly]

(Reposting this from Equipment Forum
For all practical purposes, I'm a saltwater newbie. Got a 13.5 gal Evo for my son in September and guess who got hooked? Skipping forward, for the past two months I've been stubbornly trying to piece together my first "œreal tank" (used Oceanic 57) by myself, using assorted used equipment purchased from local online forums. Finally decided to quit trying to "œupgrade the old 486", (already knew I was going to want a bigger, better tank soon) and just buy what I REALLY wanted and be done with it. THEN I went a "œlittle" bit bigger.

Red Sea Reefer 625 xxl
133gal display, 32gal sump, 59"L x 23.6"H x 25.6"W
Goal set up: Full reef with fish (assume I will massively over feed at first). Corals will start out with the easy and forgiving and slowly work my way up to SPS.

Since most of what I have is not going to be appropriate for the new tank, I need to pretty much start from scratch in terms of equipment. Really hoping for advice and suggestions for the basic equipment as well as anything else I may need or want that will get me started off well (idiot proof me).

Lighting: I have 3 used Hydra 26 HD lights (one HMS single arm mounting kit); NEED mounting suggestions

Skimmer: Need a reasonable footprint so that I can maximize the refugium section, would like to stay under $400 if possible BUT assume I will over feed, so needs to be able to reliably handle a heavy bio-load.

Return Pump: Red Sea recommends 1600 gph pump.

Powerheads: Have a Vortech MP10 W that I won't be able to use due to the glass thickness - ¾". Really like ability to control the level of flow as well as the flow pattern, etc. It is a bit noisy at higher flow rates and wish I could direct the flow a bit more. Also have a pair of Hydor 1500's and the Koralia SmartWave controller that my husband bought me for Xmas...without asking me...for my 13.5 gal Evo. Hate the controller - 100% on or all off. Suggestions?

Heater(s): Live in Atlanta but we do get occasional proper cold snaps (10F). Tank will be in finished, daylight basement. Existing HVAC not super effective and can get chilly if outside temp gets too low.

ATO: Tank comes with a gravity fed, simple float valve system that most users seem to find awkward in terms of placement and especially refilling. Would like to replace. Could replace system & relocate the ATO tank to the dry side or possibly run a line from the utility room behind the tank.

Those are the bare bones basics to get started. Your suggestions and advice VERY much appreciated.

 

[Abstract3000]

As for starting out with "easy" corals and moving your way to SPS, I would just start out and gear everything towards SPS from the get go, saves you a lot of headaches and upgrades down the road. If your Goal is SPS, just shoot for the Goal. I would also recommend a Bare Bottom, as this will allow for a ton of flow and keep crap suspended rather than extracting detritus from the sandbed regularly, you also mentioned feeding heavily 2 or 3 times.

Lighting, add 1 more Hydra 26 to that line up and you should be ok, though 4 Hydra 52's would be far better, the idea is to evenly spread the light across the tank, and not to put too much of an expectation on a single fixtures spread.

Skimmer, A large tried and true skimmer under $400, look into Reef Octopus, I don't know any dimensions but I'm sure they will have one that fits and is rated for that size (remember Vol from Display + Sump)

Return Pump can really be anything, look around for something you like and within your price range, More control over DC pumps, longer lasting on AC.

Powerheads: MP10 will not cut it for that size of tank, and if your wanting SPS, you want allot more flow than that! I recommend bare minimum of 2 MP40's 3 would be better, but a couple MP60's would be nice.

All Aquarium heaters are garbage and will eventually fail, the most important thing you need to consider is a Heater controller. You can buy single controller or an Apex System depending on your budget. Don't skip or overlook this one.

ATO, AutoTopOff.Com has great ATO systems that pump from a reservoir for cheap, if coming from a line in the utility room consider an Avast Marine Magnet with Float Switch, auto shut off Valve on your RO/DI\, or for safer method use a peristaltic pump to carry the water a distance.

Those would just be some of my suggestions, not necessarily the views of others

 

[Globalbutterfly]

Thanks SO much for taking the time to answer my absurdly long post!

I have been obsessively researching equipment for the smaller tank that would have the strength and durability to let me upgrade to a “giant” tank like a 90 gal. once I “figured everything out” with the 57 gal. However, after running a cobbled together temporary 20L over a used RS-100 for the past 6 weeks, to hold the stock I got from a departing reefer when I bought his Hydra, I finally understood that bigger WAS easier and that I COULD do this, so quit being a weenie and just buy the BiG tank from the start.

Since I had to start the research process all over again, also figured I’d quit being so bloody minded about the whole thing and ask for some advice and help this time! Thanks AGAIN!

 

[RobZilla04]

Skimmer: Bubble Magus Curve 7 is probably the best "bang for the buck" on the market IMO.

Return Pump: def go with a DC so flow can be adjusted. Do yourself a favor and hard plumb with at least one "T" off and a valve to restrict the flow on each. I've used a Jebao DC 9000 for over two years with zero issues. Knock on wood.

Flow: MP40's or Gyre would be the way to go. There is a cost associated but as I am finding with my 90g DT, the Jebao wave makers just don't ensure a lot of flow everywhere.

Heaters: I change annually and go with a pair of 300w from Amazon. Simple and $50 a year is totally worthwhile.

ATO: Tunze 3155

A lot of this equip can be found right here on the used section at very reasonable prices and great condition.

 

[Globalbutterfly]

Can't use the sales forum yet. I've been using "œsearch" for months before posting questions and have usually found answers without needing to post. Even read that GIANT lighting thread in the equipment forum. So, not enough posts to get me off newbie probation. Can't even see it.

 

[Globalbutterfly]

Can’t use the sales forum yet. I’ve been using “search” for months before posting questions and have usually found answers without needing to post. Even read that GIANT lighting thread in the equipment forum. So, not enough posts to get me off newbie probation. Can’t even see it.

 

[zachogden]

Hey man first off congratulations on getting ready for your first proper setup. I remember mine, which was 7 or so years ago. I also remember how overwhelming it was trying to research equipment so best of luck to you on that. I'm going to go a little against the grain here and advise you to consider something a little smaller to start, maybe something in the 40-90 gal range. Once you get comfortable running a 55g for instance, it's a little less overwhelming to step up to something bigger. I've ran tanks between 5 and 120 gallons and each "weight class" so to speak has its own challenges and requirements that in some ways scale with tank size. Anyway...

133gal display, 32gal sump

you're probably going to want a bigger sump. I ran a 60g sump under my 120 and even that got cramped after not too long. You'll probably want a large fuge, an appropriately sized skimmer for your DT will have a pretty big footprint, return pump etc.

Goal set up: Full reef with fish (assume I will massively over feed at first). Corals will start out with the easy and forgiving and slowly work my way up to SPS.

Have you given any thought to what type of fish you'd like to keep? That may have an impact on what types of corals an inverts you can keep in the tank with them.

Since most of what I have is not going to be appropriate for the new tank, I need to pretty much start from scratch in terms of equipment. Really hoping for advice and suggestions for the basic equipment as well as anything else I may need or want that will get me started off well (idiot proof me).

Lights, heaters (plural), return pump, plumbing. I'm a big advocate of putting the heaters on a controller with a probe as well. You can get a cheap inkbird or something like the reefkeeper for around $100. I usually target 10*DT vol in gph for the return adjusted for head pressure. These are the basics and I wouldn't worry a whole lot about details until the tank is up and wet and cycled, but that's just my opinion. Fuge lighting, powerheads, and skimmer can be added later as there's not much of a point in skimming a fallow tank.

I only suggest going with the bare minimum to start because 1) your vision of the tank will evolve during the start up process and things become "real" and 2) it's easier to avoid overbuying, buying the wrong stuff, etc when you piece things together one at a time, especially on a first time setup.

When I started up my current system (60 cube) I spent around a week on plumbing, cable management, and heater & return selection and it has made my life 10x easier. On my first system I bought everything all at once and it was an absolute mess. Just my experience, keep us posted.

 

[Globalbutterfly]

Thanks ZachOgden!

I'm going to go a little against the grain here and advise you to consider something a little smaller to start, maybe something in the 40-90 gal range.

Well that WAS my first plan, but time went by running my little Evo and the 20L with a sump, realized I was definitely going to want to upgrade relatively soon and piecing the old 57gal system together (including building a stand) was starting to remind me of the time my husband & his friend "œupgraded" his old 486 computer instead of just buying a new laptop as I suggested. In the end, after many trips to Frys Elecronics, they spent more on the upgrade than the laptop would have been and in the end, they still ended up with just a slightly faster POS than they started with. LOL. Long story, long - good advice, already ordered the 625 XXL.

As for fish, beyond being coral safe, I am not sure what I want as the size jump opens up a lot more options. That said, I am pretty conservative about fish choices. No matter how much I want it, if I don't KNOW that I have the system, parameters and experience to keep it alive, it doesn't come home with me.

BTW, the whole saltwater experience (starting with the first cycle on my little EVO has been a kind of Zen exercise in patience, restraint and self control. Until I made the sudden decision to just order the 625 while buying more peppermint shrimp at my LFS on Monday morning. Thank god I have an understanding husband (with his own $$$ hobby).

I only suggest going with the bare minimum to start because 1) your vision of the tank will evolve during the start up process and things become "real"

SO TRUE!! I've been learning as much about what I DON'T want/like over the past few months as I have anything else. For example, siphon overflows are a PITA (and very messy), manually topping off the tank every day sucks (reliable ATO is a must). Also, HATE my existing RS-100 sump. No room for a fuge and the inflow compartment is practically inaccessible for cleaning - totally retarded.

you're probably going to want a bigger sump. I ran a 60g sump under my 120 and even that got cramped after not too long. You'll probably want a large fuge, an appropriately sized skimmer for your DT will have a pretty big footprint, return pump etc.

This is probably my only concern with the Red Sea overall and one of the reasons I went with the 625 XXL vs the 525 XL. 625 has a bigger sump with an adjustable sump/refugium area. That said, I am still keep playing with the idea of figuring out how to modify the stand to fit in the sump I WAS planning to use on the 57. It's an older MRC 36 Reef Sump. The layout and flow pattern seemed ideal. That said, what do I know? Could be hideously inefficient and inconvenient.

 

[Globalbutterfly]

This is the MRC 36 Reef Sump I picked up used. Have since cleaned it up and planned to close the holes previous owner drilled for external pumps, etc. either with bulkheads & caps or acrylic patches. The other picture is a more current model of the same sump. Dimensions 36 x 14 x 14. Hope to find another use for it. Maybe a frag tank??