future reef tank

[armison89]

im planning on doing a 500 gallon mixed reef in a few years after i buy a house. i want to do a 75 gallon sump with a 55 gallon fuge. it will be 630 toltal gallons.
what would be the best skimmer for this tank?
what other pumps/filters will i need other then carbon?

 

[skeeter_usaf]

I only have a 220 so someone else may chime in, but I would use a much bigger sump so you get more turnover. Euro Reef makes a very good skimmer. As far as pumps and filters, it seems to me that you are going to have to do alot more research to keep your parameters right. 500 gallons is a HUGE under taking. Good Luck.

 

[Allmost]

Euro reef is out, reef dynamic is the old Euro reef.

but as said above, do ALOT more research ... do you have a reef right now ? if not, maybe the best investment for you is to start with a smaller reef to get a feel for it and learn more in the process.

 

[dahenley]

plan, but dont plan....
equipment changes quiet often, and the new big thing, might be old news by this time next year....

(just a FYI, if your going to spend that much on a tank, plan out the sump, and put effort in it. dont just grab cheap tank and "make it work" if you plan and sketch out what will work best, then you will endup with something totally different.

just saying....

 

[armison89]

i have 2 40 breeder reef tanks now. i wasnt planning on buying a 75 gallon tank. the sump will be around 20" wide but i wont know how big the sump will be untill i find a skimmer. ive read that the sump should be 1/4 the size of the dt. that would be 125 gallon and im looking at around 135 gallons.

 

[armison89]

would this skimmer work?
http://www.marinedepot.com/ASM_Prot...es_Protein_Skimmers-AG1111-FIPSISVSUH-vi.html

 

[tom obrecht]

As mentioned above you need to take a look at some of the build threads here that have accomplished tanks. There is more than one way to build a successful system but the two options you have asked about on skimmers are old, outdated and below average performers by today's standards. Since you have some time before you start your project contact people whose systems you envy.

 

[dzfish17]

Take a look at the sro xp8000 or one of the large atb skimmers... both are great. Even though these will probably be outdated by the time you start, it will give you something to dream about in the meantime.

 

[Haffs09]

I was in a similar position as you 5 years ago. I didn't have a house, but made a road trip to Cincinnati to pick up a 260gal tank and a bunch of accessories. I put all of that in storage for several years until I purchased a house. At the time, I planned on a 350 gallon system, accumulated additional equipment and thought that was my dream system. When I got my house, I realized I could go much bigger. Not wanting to second guess myself later, I decided to go bigger and sell the 260. Over the 5 years I spent planning, technology in the hobby changed quite a bit, so what may have been top of the line stuff then, wasn't when it came time to set up the bigger system. So, I wasted a bunch of money thinking I already had my dream system.

My advice is to keep your prospective tank and equipment on paper only. Once you get your house and realize the space you have to work with, then start purchasing everything. You'll save a lot by doing that. If you're ever make a road trip to Rochester, shoot me a pm and I can show you what I have up and running. You can check out my thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1831347

 

[armison89]

thanks for the info and pm sent