Kiss 180?

[block head]

Finally bought a house where I can have a 6 foot tank. 93 cube failed again. Front seem lasted a little over year. I'm done with rimless. Marineland is cutting me a check
And I'm basically starting over. Trying to take advantage of summer sales on a tank. I don't need the best money can buy. Not trying to go cheap. AQUEON AND Marineland both offer reef ready off the shelf. My initial thoughts were to go with a non reef ready. Drill it and go with bean /overflow system. I have the option of going with a basement sump. Really don't want too. I'd like a kiss 180 if possible. Tank, skimmer, sump ? Tom's 180 at the reef shop comes to mind. Mixed reef, nothing too demanding. I've babysat , big tanks. Never owned anything larger than 90. I'd love to keep the madness to a minimum. Safe , reliable, self contained would be huge ! Petworld in Rochester seems willing to order tanks at a reasonable price. Wouldn't mind going to another Lfs. Is there a significant difference between marineland vs aqueon? I know overflows on reef ready are corner vs center. Am I wrong with either brand non Reef ready ?

 

[Srixon]

ABC In Fairport will order anything you want also...Possibly (most likely) at a better price

 

[block head]

Haven't seen g I'm forever, I'll give him a call

 

[daveverdo]

I have a Marineland 90g corner overflow reef ready and have not had any problems. It is a single overflow. I also have a basement sump and will never go any other way. If I move and can't do basement sump, I wouldn't have a tank.


I added plumbing in the basement for a drain, water, and slop sink. I haven't had to haul water in ten years. Turn one valve to drain ten gallons, turn another to fill with ten gallons of new salt water. Auto top off for the tank and the saltwater mixing barrel. It is also quiet with the skimmer and everything somewhere else. No bending over and squeezing under the tank for maintenance, additives, changing charcoal, ...

 

[block head]

No plumb

 

[block head]

No plumbing in the basement to speak of . Don't even have a sump pump. Not sure how much effort is required to create drains ,add sinks, etc. I tend to get carried away . Don't want the fish room ,or sprawling web of reef madness. Basically, a minimalist 180 would be fantastic. Don't mind hooking up a python every other week . Ato with kalk ,skimmer, maybe a controller? Have a brand new ac jr in the box I never set up. Automation has not really been my friend. Ran a 90 corner overflow for a bit. Tote ,skimmer, return pump worked well enough. 2 part got it by. For a mixed reef , am I wrong to think I could essentially run 180 as a standard 90 ? Don't want to go cheap. Just don't want the nightmare of crap. Nice 180 without all the bells and whistles .

 

[daveverdo]

Actually adding the sink and drain were fairly easy.

I have these with the sump and salt and top off water sitting net to each under. It all fits nicely under the stairs to the basement. Nothing fancy.

 

[Neoz]

I can attest to Daveverdo system. Seen it years ago and that setup was slick. Made me wish I had a basement LOL.

 

[RoscoPColtrane]

I have the same components as daveverdo in my basement and my system is very simple. A few float switches and a few valves to turn when I do water changes. It makes having a tank so much easier.

 

[jd371]

No plumbing in the basement to speak of . Don't even have a sump pump. Not sure how much effort is required to create drains ,add sinks, etc. I tend to get carried away . Don't want the fish room ,or sprawling web of reef madness. Basically, a minimalist 180 would be fantastic. Don't mind hooking up a python every other week . Ato with kalk ,skimmer, maybe a controller? Have a brand new ac jr in the box I never set up. Automation has not really been my friend. Ran a 90 corner overflow for a bit. Tote ,skimmer, return pump worked well enough. 2 part got it by. For a mixed reef , am I wrong to think I could essentially run 180 as a standard 90 ? Don't want to go cheap. Just don't want the nightmare of crap. Nice 180 without all the bells and whistles .

That was the idea when I set up my tank 3 years ago...KISS. I have a 75g with sump, skimmer, ATO and a RKL for basic controls and some fail safes, that's about it. I do biweekly WC's using a Python and it takes from start to finish about 30 min to complete. Maintenance is changing out the filter sock every few days, making sure there is 2 part in the dosing containers, and adding water to the ATO.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

My favorite approach is a basement hybrid. I like to keep the sump right under the tank, so the system is self contained and the sump pump doesn't need to be huge. I find that a sump under the tank forces you to think carefully about keeping it simple versus the sprawl that's possible in a basement sump. Plus, I really like being able to see the whole system at once when troubleshooting, ie when adjusting a drain or something.

But, I do like to keep the topoff reservoir and water change reservoir in the basement. This way, you only need to poke a few small holes in the floor and the pumping demand is smaller. You get the "easy" topoff and water changes of a basement system, but you don't have to run your main drains and returns through the floor.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I used that Mustee sink and Liberty pump at my old house in basement and I set the same combo up again in my new system in closet behind display.
(Sump is great in basement- even better in closet behind display!)
I do not like reef ready aquariums.
I would drill a 180 and install a Reef Savvy or Synergy overflow.
I do think many Python's are destined for a dusty shelflife in the future of reefkeeping.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

check out this KISS 180

check out this KISS 180

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2395250

 

[block head]

Hybrid doesn't seem too bad. Probably will love it. That dsr tank sounds interesting.