Need advice for tank setup

M

mcarpenterjr40

In Memoriam
Hello everyone, in order to get to the point of my question, I'd first like to thank Tanque Verde, Cerreta and Prickles for all their help getting me started with my first saltwater tank. It is a 20 gal. tall: Coralife power compact lighting, Rio Nano Skimmer, 2 generic powerheads and a Jager heater. 20 lbs. live rock, 20 lbs. live sand. I hope the pictures show up, this is my first post.

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The tank cycled in a week- parameters: Ammonia=0, No2=0, No3=0, PH=8.4 (is this a good PH?)

zooanthids, frilly mushrooms, green mushrooms, GSP, snail and crab from Prickles added about a week ago are doing great.

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I also have a 20 long with about 50 lbs. of live rock and 20 lbs. sand almost cycled.

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So my plan is to combine the rock and sand from the 20 long with more live sand and rock, probably 120 lbs. rock and 100 lbs. sand total? (Is this a good amount?) And begin setting up the 125 gal. acrylic tank I just purchased. The tank has about 100 gal. of open space with overflows and inlets on both sides of the tank, at opposite corners of the tank. The overflows spill into a space of about 12.5 gal. on either side and are seperated by baffles in order to accomodate some type of filtration system. Here is what it looks like.
Length-67" Width-14" Height (depth)- 31"

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I would like to use (suggested by Cerreta) crushed live rock in the first baffle, followed by a deep sand bed in the second and a combination of filter cloth (or pads) and charcoal (my idea- not sure about the charcoal) in the third? maybe not in this order. As I am able ($$$) I will eventually add a skimmer to one of the reservoirs, unless I am able to achieve a balanced reef without one. Will the sand, rock, charcoal/pads combination hold me over for a while (weeks probably) with a few frags added to the tank until I can get a skimmer? I hope to add some frags to the tank after it cycles and can wait a while before adding fish; if necessary.

For lighting I am looking at an Odyssea 48" 500W Metal Halide System Basic that is within my constraints ($$$) it is described as follows:
External 250W Electronic HQI Metal Halide Ballast with Power Switch
4x Power Cord (Ideal for Separate Timer Setup)
2x Power Switch on Fixture (1 - LED, 1 - Cooling Fan)
Non-Corrosive Powder Coated Aluminum Housing
Heavy Duty Cooling Fan
Tempered Glass Covers
Highly Polished Reflector
Mounting Legs Included

along with 2x Odyssea 250W DE HQI Bulb 15000K and 12x Dual Bluemoon LED

Will this lighting system grow and support a wide variety of life even in the bottom of my reef? Also, It was suggested to me to upgrade the MH bulbs to phoenix 14000 k's which I plan to do as time allows ($$$)

The fixture looks like it will fit perfectly with one MH shining directly into each opening in the top sheet of acrylic, but i'm wondering if heat will be an issue for the acrylic and water. The room is kept at 75 degrees. My other option is a Odyssea 36" 442W Metal Halide System with Power Compact. It comes with:

1x Odyssea 250W DE HQI Bulb 15000K
2x Odyssea 96W Compact Fluorescent Bulb Actinic Blue
4x Dual Bluemoon LED

The problem with this one is that it's only 36" and the MH will fall directly over the acrylic cross support if placed proportionatly above the tank. I prefer the 1st choice.

Thanks for any advice!
 
I would look in to buying a better brand light used as I have owned the odyssea fixture and unless you upgrade all the bulbs and ballest you will not be happy. The 250 watt is more like 175 watt with the ballest that the fixture comes with. As for the tank I would drill it and add a sump.If it was me I would also get a good used skimmer first. If you look you can get a good skimmer used between 80-150. I just bought a Euro-reef for 100.00 remember there are alot of people getting out of the hobby do to the economy so there are good deals out there.
 
Hey, Hey,

That little tank cleaned up nice! I am delighted that it helped get you off to a good start.

I am a very big fan of skimming. You can keep a lot of fish in 125 gallons and with that sort of bioload, there are many benefits to skimming. If it were my tank, I'd prioritize the skimmer. But one way to buy yourself time would be to keep the bioload very light in the interim.

I don't know much about odyssea brand lights, so I'll leave that to others to decide, but with MH at 75 degree ambient, heat may be an issue. Will these be in a hood or open? You could arrange your powerheads to disrupt the surface to promote evaporative cooling. You might also look into T5s.

Have fun and good luck!
Ben
 
Thanks for your reply fishaholic. I was skeptical about the light fixture and I think I saw the post where you bought your skimmer (in phoenix right?) I definitely have my eyes open for the right deal here or phoenix. The best part about the odyssea is the way it would fit over the tank- I guess most mh fixtures with two bulbs will have similar spacing between the bulbs. As far as drilling goes, I do have a 55 and an 80 gallon glass I was going to sell to help offset the cost of lights and a skimmer, I guess I could keep one of them and use it as a sump. Is 80 too big? I would still like to use the space provided on the sides of the tank for some type of filtration to take advantage of the space, even if only for asthetics (spelling?). The way I understand it is that drilling will maximize circulation in the tank? I do undestand circulation is integral in a healthy reef. Not sure how to set up baffles for the chambers of a sump... Thanks again
 
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Hello Ben, the light fixture would be open- disturbing the surface for evaporative cooling would not only help keep temps down, but wouldn't it also assist in nutrient exchange by lowering surface tension in turn promoting the waters breathing of gases- I think breaking surface tension is a win win. Thanks again
 
The bigger sump you can fit the better but the 55 would work. As far as the skimmer goes talk to Rob at Southwest he can get you a otopuss new for a good price or look on the selling Forum. Again talk to Rob about turnning your 55 into a sump he did mine fast and at a great price.
 
Fishaholic, the 80 will fit, its 60" and I have 64" between the stand supports- its made of heavy duty square bar. My main concern with buying a new skimmer and having the sump built is of course the price, with a limited budget, if I allocate too much to the sump, I will fall short on other major necessities like more LR, Sand and lighting. Because I plan on keeping the load very light in the begininning I may end up just putting a skimmer in the baffles the tank was built with. Would you tell me How I get to the selling forum? I think I had before, but can't remember how I got to it. There are several posts in the Frag forum which I believe is in the Phoenix area, but I'm really not sure what to go with- gotta keep looking
 
At the top of this page click on Forums and then scroll down until you find drygoods selling page. AS for the sump it should cost the same to biuld the 55 as it does the 80 (75.00) for labor and mat'l
 
that tank has a lot of potential. all I can tell you is to take your time and do a lot of research. If you have regrets later things are alot harder to change after the tank has been set up. Drilling and adding a sump is probably the best place to spend your money. You can add a skimmer later as long as you do not add too many fish. Be patient take your time and youll be alot happier with the outcome. Good luck and be sure to take pics
aquaph8
 
oh yeah,
take it easy with the halides unless you plan on a chiller. they can really heat up a tank. fans help a little but I never got an ideal temp until I broke down and bought a chiller
 
I ran that same set-up on a 75 gallon with no heat issues as it has good fans. I have never ran a chiller and do not think you will need one if you have enough air flow. The trick is to keep temp stable if your water gets up to 82 keep it there ( heater) I run 960 watts of vho with no fans and my temp is at 78-80 and fish and corals are happy. Of course sps might be differant but I do not have any for that reason as they are just to picky. I keep my AC set at 72-74 all day long this might also play a big roll in my tank temp
 
tanks look nice man! cant wait to see that big guy up oh and if you ever need Kenyan trees..........ill give you as many as your heart desires............
 
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Aqua- I think with the budget I have the MH are going to be my best option, I like the idea of a sump, but I prefer to maximize the tanks design. Have to think about this one..

Fish- I could definitely lower the ambient a degree or two to help with the water temp if necessary. As you have experienced the odyssea fixture what are your major dislikes? Since you suggest upgrading the bulbs and ballasts I would guess the light simply wasnt bright enough? Or was it not Blue enough? I'm thinking I'll start with the 48" odyssea to get the tank going then as $$$ allows, I will upgrade the bulbs and or ballasts and possibly supplement with a seperate VHO fixture w/ actinics to get more blue light- Is there a way I can modify the tanks current baffling sytem to create the same affect as the sump will? As I mentioned to Aqua, I'm wondering if the tanks design can be maximized to provide the necessary circulation and filtration. I know adding a 55 or 80 gal. sump will obviously help keep the system stable, but it will also dramatically increase my startup costs. I don't plan on putting many fish in at all in the beginning. Maybe a few small guys just to have some movement. Would the Odyssea support acropora, LPS and Softies as well?

MPearl- Thanks, can't wait to get it running, but as Aqua advised, I'm going to do my best and take my time to set it up with the best possible combination of equipment (not terribly patient, but I'm working on it). I googled Keyan trees and found Kenyan trees they look pretty awesome, I will definitely take you up on that once I get the tank cycled. Thanks Man!

How about plumbing in a narrow skimmer into one of the reservoir?
 
How much are you paying for the odyssea? New bulbs and ballest will run you 450.00 plus. look @ this

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/for/1200812075.html

I bought mine used and it came with new bulbs Pheonix 14k and I replaced the actinic pc bulbs but still did not come close to the retro SE 250w that I have run in the past. I think all odyssea products are cheaply built and you get what you py for trust me.
buy a good used unit you will thank your self. If it is cost go with T-5's they will grow SPS I would not trust the odyssea unit as it is pushing 175 w at best.
 
I'm looking at about $230 shipped on the odyssea- I know you get what you pay for for sure, but as I am a student with a family, I think it gives the best bang for my buck- is that the picture with the odyssea? upgraded lights? Or you current lighting system? Beautiful reef, great work
 
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