need a little advice

[crum04]

Currently have a 120 glass and 360 acrylic both fw. I've been lurking around here for two months researching b/c I want to switch the 360 to sw.
I want to set it up as FOWLR with a bare bottom.

The 360 footprint is 96" long x 36" front to back x 24" deep. It has 2 overflows both w/ 1.5" drains and 1" returns. They drain to a 55 gal sump and are returned to the tank by a mag 36.

New equipment I plan to buy:
RO/DI unit
Captive Purity 75 GPD RO/DI Pro http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=CP1343

Protein skimmer
I read through all 1 million pages of skimmer debates I know the "get the biggest you can afford advice" so let's not get crazy with that. I'd like to spend about $1000 between skimmer and pump.

Have two Fluval 404's not in use, I thought would be good for additional mechanical filtration.

I have refractometer and test kit on order.
I was thinking a 50/50 split between base rock and live rock, I know it will take a little longer but patience isn't a problem I have.

Now that I've given you all the details, I need suggestions, comments etc. How plumbing should be done. Circulation, if a closed loop is needed. Sump setup(too small?, remote dsb?, refugium?). And also anyone with pics or draw ups of their plumbing, that would be a great help.
thanks,
Jeff

 

[uztaryn]

Well, if cost is a concearn you don't HAVE to do a DSB or refugium and 55 gallons isn't too small either. That being said a bigger sump is easier to work with for water changes, a refugium will help with the nitrates and the DSB will help as well.

As for a pump, how high of a return line will you have? This will determine what pump you will need and how much it will cost.

Closed loop can be done for flow if you are interested in adding holes to the tank or if you want to plumb it inside the tank or from the top. You can also add circulation with wave devices later on. If you are just looking for flow I would probably just look at putting some Tunze in there to give it the flow you want.

I would actually recommend the half base half live rock option on a fish only tank. The rock will become live soon enough anyway.

Bare bottom will limit the fish you can put into the tank, but there are plenty of fish you can have still.

360 will be a nice sized tank and you should have plenty of swimming room for some really nice fish.

Skimmer, You are going to have 400+ gallons of water so you are going to want to decide how many fish you are going to have and find a skimmer that will handle that bio load and that many gallons. The more fish you get the more skimmer you will need. This is one item I would not skimp on. You said patience wasn't a problem so I would be patient on saving for a really good skimmer.

That being said you can also just do more frequent water changes and not worry about any of these things. I personally like to have the skimmer, fuge, DSB and not have to do large water changes every week.

Look into a GEO skimmer, IMO they are the best. I run one on my 500g display and love it. It is very easy to clean and pulls tons of bad stuff out.

check out my gallery for a good number of plumbing pics and setup pics. Feel free to ask any questions I will do my best to answer.

 

[LNell]

For the skimmer, I would look up Deltec, Euroreef, Bubble King, and ASM for starters. I'm sure some other people will chime in with more. Also, I highly recommend a refugium. It helps to feed the tank with pods but more importantly it gives you extra filtration, which is always a good thing.