New 55gl long setup

[Ryanqk]

Yeay! I got my fish a Christmas present, a 55gl long, made heavy duty by extra thick glass. The empty tank has gotta way as much as a adult human 150-175lbs. I posted a picture of my cat in the tank for size comparison. So after i get a stand, and build a hood for the lights i need to figure out what i need to go with in terms of refugium size and a new pump to increase flow, i use three MJ's in my 30gl, two 900's and one 600 with hydor rotators on the 900's. I'm using a fluval 404 currently to return water from my fuge which is currently 10gl. It also gives me a good place to put carbon, purigen and LR rubble. Tips on seting this up are much appreciated.
Happy Holidays!
Ryan

 

[ek9vboi]

MH/VHO for lighting
Ehiem 1262 for return
2-3 MJs inside the tank (mod or not)

Any refuge is better then none. Try to get a 20L to use for a sump/refuge.

 

[Ryanqk]

ok i know i want to use sand in my new tank, what im not sure of, is if i want to go with fine white oolite sand or a more realistic coarser sand with more rubble mixed in.... What do you guys suggest as far as the sand goes? how many inches should go in the display if i will have a 20gl long refugium which i plan on putting at least 4 inches of sand (DSB) ....

 

[nyvp]

buy from the sand from matt (treeman)

 

[Ryanqk]

I swapped out the 55 long for a wider version of the tank, it may be slightly more than 55 gl now ill have to post the measurments, i think the shallower wider tank is better for a reef. Its a old tank ill have to repair the top brace but it has very thick strong glass...

 

[Ryanqk]

I think the new tank is between 60-75gl since the tank is wider but the rest of the dimensions are pretty much the same. Now that we have a cirular saw and all the other tools i need i am waiting to move so we can begin setting up the new tank. I got a rio 1700 pump for a return, and a 20gl long for my new fuge. I also picked up a 5.5gl so i am using a 10 or 5.5 for a frag tank in addition once i figure out how to plumb it to the system. I also now have my top off system and have decided to use 4 x VHO bulbs as lighting for the main display. Ill probably have 1 actinic, 1 50/50 and 2 x daylight bulbs.
Ryan

 

[ek9vboi]

Good choice for lighting, I am going with a similure set up on my 29g. I already have the canopy, just need to order the lights and I will be good to go.

 

[Ryanqk]

yeah the guy at coral reef farm can get a 4 x VHO kit with everything but the bulbs for under 200. This new tank is a monster, it wieghs well over 200lbs i imagine, i cant even budge it myself it takes 2. glass is so thick!

 

[jeffbrig]

Ryan, you might want to check out hello lights for some great VHO deals. You can price out a set of the ARO AS-220 ballast, two 48" bulbs, endcaps, wiring, etc. for ~$100. Double that for 4 bulb.

 

[Ryanqk]

Ok update guys, I got my VHO kit the other day its awesome but the only drawback is its wired with one on/off switch to the ballast so all 4 lights are either on or off at the same time. Trying to figure out a way to bypass this... Any suggestions on how to breakdown the 4 bulbs? 2 actinic / 2 daylight? are there 20,000 k VHO's i hear the color light is better.... Next project is building the stand. I move beginning of april so we are getting closer to setup time! yay!
Ryan

 

[loyalrogue]

You would need to go with something like what Jeff mentioned from hellolights.
Two ballasts running two bulbs each.
See if the guy you got your lights from will trade out your 4 bulb set for a couple of 2 bulb sets.
That way you could have your actinic and 50/50 on one circuit/timer and your 2 daylights on a seperate circuit/timer.

**Edit**
Also, the 20k bulbs are gonna be bluer than using 10k or 14k bulbs so it's really up to your personal taste.
Keep in mind that if you use the URI VHO super actinics they will put out a deep purple-ish light as well.

Personally I would go for 2 super actinics and 2 - 14k daylights, but that's just my taste.

 

[Ryanqk]

Well the guy i got mine from wont cuase his 2 light ballast sets cost nearly as much as the 4 light setup. I may have to find another solution but i dont think it will be that big a deal.
Are you suggesting 1 actinic, 1 50/50, and 2 daylight?

 

[loyalrogue]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9230905#post9230905 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ryanqk
Are you suggesting 1 actinic, 1 50/50, and 2 daylight?

No, I was just repeating what you said you would probably do earlier.

Right now I have one super actinic and two daylights (10k I think).
It's way too white for my taste.
I'll probably be trading out one of the daylight for another actinic soon.

 

[REDDAWG43]

Where are the pics?

 

[ek9vboi]

Hey Ryan, there is a way to wire a switch in for 2 sets each. If you are using Icecaps ballasts, then the wire harness is basically a 2 channel. it operates in a few ways but if ur using 4 bulbs, which would be 2 channels u can have a switch wired up. i know what i am talking about but it might be hard to understand if u have no clue about lighting systems and so on. wiring is pretty simple.

 

[Ryanqk]

I'm sure we can figure out a way to operate the lights independently just need to do the research and get whatever pieces i need. The tank and equipment is all pretty much ready, but i still need to build the stand and get the sand, so after i've moved at the end of march that will be the next project. plus keeping all my stuff alive through the move and introducing it to the new system. My pink zoa's have gone from 3 polyps to nearly 300 and my eagle eyes have tripled in size and are spreading to the nearby rocks as well. i will try to post some growth pics from the past year before i take down my current system.

 

[nyvp]

I would think all you need to do is ad a switch leg to the hot leg of each bulb so the power is on but its stopped or on through the switch

 

[loyalrogue]

Let us know how it goes.
I'd like to see a wiring diagram, or a "how to" if you have one for doing this.

 

[Ryanqk]

Anyone have suggestions for cooling fans? thats another thing im gonna have to buy for the canopy, i've heard the icecap variable speed fans are really good but kinda pricey... any other suggestions?

BTW the tank is no longer a 55 long as the thread title says, the tank i swapped for is about 60-70gl and wide not long....

 

[Ryanqk]

My stand is almost finished, i swear we could put an SUV on top! right now i am looking at equipment. I already have my VHO system, refugium and return right now im looking at upgrading my skimmer from the coralife super skimmer 65 to the same 125gl model. Does anyone else have one of these can tell me the height i need to know if it will fit under my stand....
Thanks
Ryan