Mr. Brooks
MASVC Member
So I'm putting together a 225 SPS reef in my office. This is my very first attempt at building an SPS system. My experience with corals in general extends only to my 24 gallon nano which houses mainly softies. Before that I built a 135 gallon FOWLR system. The experience I've gained with my fish only and nano have taught me to research and plan everything to the smallest detail. Let me tell you though, plan something for over a year and you can start to go a little overboard. I'm counting on all my fellow reefers out there to point me in the right direction.
Here's what I have so far. I've got a 225 acrylic display tank with built in overflow, a 48" x 20" x 20" sump/refugium with no less than 3" between baffles. A Deltec AP851 protien skimmer with a normal stocking capacity of 400 gallons and a heavy stocking capacity of 270 gallons. A JBJ Arctica 1/4 hp chiller. I'll be buying three 400 watt metal halides that I'll be placing around 15" -16" off the water in lumenbright reflectors. And I'm having a stand and canopy custom built.
So here's what I'm thinking. Pick up one of these bad boys http://www.plastic-mart.com/class.php?item=471 and have a custom cabinet built around it to match the stand and canopy. I've got about six feet of open space to the left of the display tank that's currently being taken up by my drum set.
Now although the cabinet would match, I think it'd still look a little awkward, especially with a 1.5" and a 2" pvc pipe spanning the distance about three feet off the ground. Not sure if I'd put it in the corner and have an empty spot between the display tank and water storage container, maybe put my drum set between the two, protruding out a couple feet. Or even a prop tank sometime in the future. Or I could butt the cabinet up to the display tank and put a tree or something in the corner, which I think would look better but would then make the tank viewable on only two sides instead of three.
The tank is 24" wide, and I'll be setting it up about 10" off the wall. I'm taking my time on all the plumbing, using clear cement, and trying to make the final product look presentable. Reason for this is when you walk into my office, the first thing you see is the right side and the back of the tank. I debated over the placement of the tank for a long time and I finally came to the conclusion that there's simply not enough room under the tank to fit everything in (unfortunatley a fish room was out of the question). And in a way I'll be just as proud of the equipment, plumbing and filtration as I am with the animals I keep. So that being said, there's already going to be a utilitarian aspect to my setup.
Reeflo has an awesome sale going on with their old darts to make room for the gold version http://www.reeflopumps.com/ which means I can get a pump to feed the container for super cheap. The container isn't too bad at $230. Not sure what the cabinet would cost but it shouldn't be more than $150 - $200. So money wise I'm looking at around $500 - $550 plus bulkheads and pvc fittings.
Now I just need to decide how far I want to take it. Should I add the water storage container? Adding an extra 200 gallons of water volume to my system? Is it worth the money? Is it worth the awkward look in my office? Is it worth running another dart 24/7? Will my skimmer be insufficient with that much water? Will my chiller be insufficient? How much will an extra 200 gallons help my chances of keeping a healthy SPS system?
BTW I have a 55 gallon quaranteen tank with a skimmer and a UV sterilizer in my warehouse. Along with a 100 gallon saltwater mixing and storage station conected to a Dart. By flipping two ball valves I'll be able to pump up to 100 gallons of new saltwater via a hose to either my SPS tank in my office or the 180 FOWLR tank that I'll be setting up in reception. One of the added bonuses I see to adding the storage container is that water changes can be done easily and accurately from the container without ever having to take water out of the display tank. I'm not sure about this but my guess is it's better to leave SPS corals underwater at all times? Anyone want to chime in on this?
So let me have it. Give me your pros and your cons. Tell me what you would do in my situation. Would you "keep it simple stupid"? Tell me if you have a setup with an extra container for added water volume. Do you regret it? Have you noticed any benefits? Other than being able to keep a couple more fish in your display tank?
Thanks!
Chad
Here's what I have so far. I've got a 225 acrylic display tank with built in overflow, a 48" x 20" x 20" sump/refugium with no less than 3" between baffles. A Deltec AP851 protien skimmer with a normal stocking capacity of 400 gallons and a heavy stocking capacity of 270 gallons. A JBJ Arctica 1/4 hp chiller. I'll be buying three 400 watt metal halides that I'll be placing around 15" -16" off the water in lumenbright reflectors. And I'm having a stand and canopy custom built.
So here's what I'm thinking. Pick up one of these bad boys http://www.plastic-mart.com/class.php?item=471 and have a custom cabinet built around it to match the stand and canopy. I've got about six feet of open space to the left of the display tank that's currently being taken up by my drum set.
Now although the cabinet would match, I think it'd still look a little awkward, especially with a 1.5" and a 2" pvc pipe spanning the distance about three feet off the ground. Not sure if I'd put it in the corner and have an empty spot between the display tank and water storage container, maybe put my drum set between the two, protruding out a couple feet. Or even a prop tank sometime in the future. Or I could butt the cabinet up to the display tank and put a tree or something in the corner, which I think would look better but would then make the tank viewable on only two sides instead of three.
The tank is 24" wide, and I'll be setting it up about 10" off the wall. I'm taking my time on all the plumbing, using clear cement, and trying to make the final product look presentable. Reason for this is when you walk into my office, the first thing you see is the right side and the back of the tank. I debated over the placement of the tank for a long time and I finally came to the conclusion that there's simply not enough room under the tank to fit everything in (unfortunatley a fish room was out of the question). And in a way I'll be just as proud of the equipment, plumbing and filtration as I am with the animals I keep. So that being said, there's already going to be a utilitarian aspect to my setup.
Reeflo has an awesome sale going on with their old darts to make room for the gold version http://www.reeflopumps.com/ which means I can get a pump to feed the container for super cheap. The container isn't too bad at $230. Not sure what the cabinet would cost but it shouldn't be more than $150 - $200. So money wise I'm looking at around $500 - $550 plus bulkheads and pvc fittings.
Now I just need to decide how far I want to take it. Should I add the water storage container? Adding an extra 200 gallons of water volume to my system? Is it worth the money? Is it worth the awkward look in my office? Is it worth running another dart 24/7? Will my skimmer be insufficient with that much water? Will my chiller be insufficient? How much will an extra 200 gallons help my chances of keeping a healthy SPS system?
BTW I have a 55 gallon quaranteen tank with a skimmer and a UV sterilizer in my warehouse. Along with a 100 gallon saltwater mixing and storage station conected to a Dart. By flipping two ball valves I'll be able to pump up to 100 gallons of new saltwater via a hose to either my SPS tank in my office or the 180 FOWLR tank that I'll be setting up in reception. One of the added bonuses I see to adding the storage container is that water changes can be done easily and accurately from the container without ever having to take water out of the display tank. I'm not sure about this but my guess is it's better to leave SPS corals underwater at all times? Anyone want to chime in on this?
So let me have it. Give me your pros and your cons. Tell me what you would do in my situation. Would you "keep it simple stupid"? Tell me if you have a setup with an extra container for added water volume. Do you regret it? Have you noticed any benefits? Other than being able to keep a couple more fish in your display tank?
Thanks!
Chad
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