New Tank question:

[Katmanblue]

I'm thinking of setting up a tank as a sort of room divider in one large open area. I've attached a draft diagram, not to scale, hopefully it loaded correctly.

The tank is going to be in the 90-125 gallon range (haven't decided) and the length would then be in the 4-6 ft range. It will be a live rock/live sand reef set up. I would plan on setting up the rocks to be in a rough line down the middle length of the tank so that both front and back sides would have visual interest (not the standard fruit stand rock set-up
Obvsiously I will want all the powerhead wires and the Rogue HOB skimmer to be on the short panel against the wall so my question (finally) is:

All of the under water flow would be heading in one direction in the tank, is that a major problem? Sorry for the long wind-up and thanks in adv for any replies.

 

[lukinrats]

That will look really nice... First of all, my opinion on the whole 90-125 thing, would be to go with the 125... Even larger if that is possible for you... If you are going to go with a 90-125 then I would also suggest that you do not make it 6' long... That will mean that it has to either be shallow, or it will have to be narrow from front to back... Some thing like 48" x 24" x 24" would look nice... A 6' long will also cost you more in the lighting department, and it would probably be harder to get the flow from one side, like you have it.
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To answer your original question... If you bought a Ecotech Vortech power head then I would think you would be a lot better off... Putting it on one side like that, will almost make it a necessity to have a powerhead with a wide dispersal of flow... Two would be even better, and would allow you to make a nice wave action in that tank... If you don't want to spend the money on the Vortechs, then you can check into Tunze's, Koralia has a new pump coming out, and several others... The point I am making is that you will need the flow to be dispersed, and strong, in order to install them that way
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Lastly, I notice that you do not mention anything about a sump... If you are going to have that room dividing type setup, then you will probably hate the fact that you have to put a hang on skimmer, canister or other type of filter, heaters, PO4 reactors, carbon reactors, etc, etc, Down in your tank... It can get pretty ugly, very quickly... If you have even a simple sump, then all of that can stay out of the display, and then you could also have a place to do all kinds of other things (auto top off)
check out Melevsreef.com... He has all you ever wanted to know about
sumps all in one place

Good luck,
Nathan

 

[Katmanblue]

Great answer, very thorough, thank you. And I appreciate the other food for thought. No wonder this hobby is so time consuming, you can obsess on just the set up w/out even buying 1 grain of sand.

 

[Katmanblue]

Ok--more details for some of the points you brought up. First, I hadn't thought of the wave action that 2 powerheads would create, I love that idea. Secondly, my other 1/2 and I had some intense negotiations about me even starting this up again. I had to make some concessions, such as NO overly visible wiring, NO 24 hour running water sump noises and the entire set up had to "enhance" our current living area. The room divider idea was a great hit so I'm running with it while I can. Point being a sump set up with that tank alignment wouldn't allow imho for a nice aesthetic when viewing from both sides. That's why I thought about the HOB Rogue to be hanging on the side panel against the wall. Everything would hang on that one panel so no visible cords would be seen on the long panes. Also, I am prohibited from making this a second mortgage type investment, therefore it will be lr, fish and soft corals (shrooms, leathers, etc); there won't be need for PO4, carbon reactor, etc. The only thing I will be sacrificing would be another method of mechanical filtration i.e. canister or another hang on, but I'm hoping with the Rogue, lots of rock and regular water changes I will be fine. <fingers crossed>
Finally, as to tank size, maybe I'm going at it the wrong way. I'm using a site that lists standard sizes/dimensions as: 90g:48x18x24, 125g:72x18x21, 150g:72x18x28 and 180g:72x24x25. Are you thinking a custom made. Hope not cuz I just got a glare from the other room.

 

[fivesmallworlds]

What will it be sitting on? Open stand? Enclosed Stand and Canopy? What type of fish will you have?

If you're going to have an enclosed stand and canopy then the sump idea will actually give you more flexibility in hiding wires and equipment. Theres been a lot of advances in making the overflow and sumps practically noiseless. All I ever hear on mine is the pumps for the koralias and the skimmer. Look for a peninsula style tank in this case which will have an overflow only on one end making it viewable from 3 sides.

The size of the tank will depend on the size of the room. IMO bigger is better, but if you have a smaller room, a 4 foot 120 would be a great size. If you have a wider room and can fit the 6ft tank, I'd go with the 180.

To save some $$ on LR, check out EcoRox. They're just regular old live rocks that have been dipped in muriatic acid and allowed to dry. That way you don't have any bad hitchhikers coming into the tank. Also EcoRox are about $2-3 / LB vs. $10-12 for fully cured LR. Not to mention, dry rocks themselves weigh a heck of a lot less. check out bulkreefsupply . com about these rocks. in a 180 you could get away with maybe 60-70 lbs. You can also "aquascape" with these rocks while dry without causing any die off. I'd also seed it with just a couple pounds of cured premium LR from a reputable source.

Hope it goes well.

 

[Katmanblue]

That's a good point about the stand, as I said the arbitration agreement I signed with hubby--lol--says I have to enhance the living room therefore we are planning a closed stand that looks more like "real" furniture vs an open back with all the junk visible. The 3 sides idea is interesting. As for fish, haven't gotten far down that road yet but I'm a basic type, i.e. perculas, grammas, etc.
I actually stumbled on Craig's list for rocks, there's a guy in my vicinity trying to unload 100lbs of lr because he has to move ($2/lb). The price seems too low but either he's desparate or it's real base rock with zero growth. Either way i like the idea of shopping on Craig's.

 

[cdness]

You could make a very nice looking closed stand that houses a sump in it. Just make the sides of the stand on latches that are hidden under the trim boards. This way you have the flexibility to make it match the entire living space while adding the functionality needed for a sump. That way you are not limiting yourself and you can have the room to upgrade later if you wanted to...

BulkReefSupply is a great place to get rocks but at the price you found them on Craig's I'd say go for those...

 

[Katmanblue]

Lukinrats--I see now what you mean about tank dimensions. Oceanic has a 140 gallon 48.5x24.5x29. I assume cheaper lighting with that size vs the 6' length. And it's pre-drilled. If I pretend I didn't know that when I bought it, the spouse will HAVE to let me put in a sump right??

 

[lukinrats]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13101367#post13101367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Katmanblue
Lukinrats--I see now what you mean about tank dimensions. Oceanic has a 140 gallon 48.5x24.5x29. I assume cheaper lighting with that size vs the 6' length. And it's pre-drilled. If I pretend I didn't know that when I bought it, the spouse will HAVE to let me put in a sump right??

I think the other questions you asked about, were answered fairly well by others already... I am going to just tell you this... I have tried the "I hope that HOB skimmer, live rock, etc will be enough"... IMO it does not work that way... You will need Phos removal no matter what... It will get in your tank by the food you feed, if you use tap water, salt, etc... It is what will cause the significant other to say, " that is ugly as hell"... You will eventually grow algae that will ruin that hole set up... Most likely your S.Other will want a sandbed, because most people find it more attractive than a Bare bottom... In that case you will accumulate nutrients that way
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Now!!!! My question about the sump, was going to be the same as one you have already answered... I was going to ask what you were going to sit the tank on... If you are going to have it on an enclosed stand, then there is no reason for you to not have a sump... IMO!!! If you have a contract stating that you will keep visible wires, etc from view, then a sump will be a must... Otherwise you will end up with all kind of stuff hanging from the display... Even if you do not think you will... You Will!!!
IMO, no one starts out thinking they will need auto top off, PO4 reactors, larger skimmers, carbon reactors, extra heaters, fans, etc, etc... The longer you go, and as you run into problems, you will put whatever is necessary to solve the problems, and you will end up with more equipment than live rock, fish or corals
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The lighting will be most likely be cheaper, yes... You can look @ tanks that are pre-made and you will find something you like... You can also get www.glasscages.com to build you whatever you want... They can build one for pretty cheap actually... Custom does not always mean outrageous... you can have the overflow drilled into anywhere you want, and even get a rimless tank, which to me is the best looking tank you can get... There are several things you can apply to the overflow to make it quiet... Mine is silent, and the only thing that I can hear, are my pumps
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As far as the Vortechs go, for the wave action, they would be the best option for you since the only thing that you will see in the tank is the actual propellar and it's housing... Talk about neat and clean look... They are expensive, but you could buy just one, and supplement it with something cheaper, until you can afford more
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By the way, I am not trying to act like a know it all, but things I tell you are coming from experience... One more thing that I need to mention, is that when you decide what tank you want... You need to take into account that the more boxy, and less rectangular the tank, will be much easier to work in... You will be able to create better looking rockscapes, and all around it will just be more convenient... I think that you need to keep the depth 24" or shallower, and front to back needs to be 24" or larger

HTH,
Nathan

 

[Katmanblue]

Unless it's an out and out flame, I don't take anyone who took the time and courtesy to respond, as a negative. This, like anything all amounts to opinions and experience. Even something as basic as...what salinity is necessary for my tank...will render 10 different answers.
You brought up some good points too, so thank you. Such as putting the overflow anywhere in the tank. I didn't think of that. I think I am now sold on the sump, water can't drain below the level of the overflow so the only real risk is the seal at the bottom and I can't stay up nights worrying about that....

 

[lukinrats]

I am not sure if this will make sense, but I will try to explain as best as I can... I used a piece of PVC ripped open all the way across, as my overflow (wier)... This created a cheap and easy coast to coast overflow... In case you do not know what that is, it just means that water from the surface cascades over into the overflow (all the way across)... This brings the most protein laden water down to the sump, so it can be skimmed... Now, my tank is set up normally, meaning that the hidden part of my tank is the long end on the back... You will have the short end to work with, so I was thinking that you may be able to apply the same system, Sort Of... You could put 2 holes in the side of that tank, and then run the same ripped PVC pipes down the side, right up @ the top... Cap them off, and then you have a visually pleasing coast to coast... You can always go the normal route, but this is DIY, and fun