newbie needs help!

[Maunus]

Thanks to ALL of you for GREAT help and advice!! I have a 75 gallon, 6 T5 bulbs, protein skimmer, sump. live sand and rock. so far good luck , perhaps over a year?.

shrimp, snails, brittle star, corals, clowns, 6 line wrasse, small yellow clown goby, sailfin tang, lamarks angel, lawnmower blenny, royal gramma. everybody is happy.

next project is a 120-180 gallon tank. i bought a 150 gallon rubbermaid stock tank for the sump. my goal is halide lights, hope to avoid chiller with the large sump, fantastic protein skimmer. i hope to have lots of really interesting corals, inverts, and some fish.

1. the cost is high, should I buy used equipment? which equipment?

2. thoughts on 120 vs. 180 gallon? I have room it is in basement.

3. which lighting system to get?

4. which protein skimmer, what size.

any advice is MOST welcome. a nice hobby

best

bob

 

[wetWolger]

1. used equipment is great, but it is a case by case basis....depends who your getting it from, depends what condition the equipment is in....and more importantly what the equipment is, not all equipment is designed to last forever

2. my last tank was a 120gal, my current one is a 180gal....the extra 2ft of space is way nice....but a lot more expensive. You need 50% more of everything....the most expensive part of that probably being the lighting. So, bigger is nicer, but also adding substantially to the setup and running cost.

3. on my 180gal I have 2x250watt MH's and 1x400watt MH (all PFO), and 2 VHO's....on my 120gal I used 2x250watt MH, and 2x96watt VHO's....I have been very happy with both lighting setups. I never had issues in my 120gal keeping clams, sps corals, or anything (granted some things need to be higher than others). In my 180gal adding the 400watt in the center was MUCH nicer. If you go with MH, the rule is 1 light per 2 ft of length....I would stick with that rule for good coverage and being able to keep the lights low enough on the tank to keep good par.

4. I used a euroreef on my old 120gal. I have not fully decided what I am going to long term use with my 180gal...but right now I am trying to modify a cheap skimmer to do more than it ever intended to. So far the results are pretty good, I get this about ever 4 or 5 days:

It is a bit wet because I find that it keeps the smell down. Needless to say, I have been impressed with what it can do, but I am still not sold enough on it to recommend it to anyone else.

 

[Maunus]

thank you for the specific info on lights!!! I am a beginner! very helpful. what does "pfo" mean for lights?

120 sounds cheaper than 180, and sounds like the electric bill would be less! I hope to learn to keep more advanced corals. i think I have a current usa light with 6 T5 bulbs, very nice, 2 fans to cool. aqua c skimmer GREAT.

would I need to buy further equipment, like calcium reactor, phosban, whatever they are!! want to keep this simple!! I hope the huge sump will help

thanks very very ;much!! bob

 

[wetWolger]

PFO is just a brand that I have had good luck with

And yes, electricity wise, a 120gal will be more efficient. Adding the 400watt MH to my 180gal means I am using an additional 4.5 amps of power for about 6 hours a day....not to mention the fact I am probably using a bit more in pumps (although I did reduce my pump electricity by using vortech's instead of a CL)

As far as reactors, etc....a large sump wont help that. A large sump will mean that your water conditions will change slower, not that they wont change at all. A large sump will also mean you have more evaporation (unless covered, but then you lose the cooling benefit of the larger sump, so more you reduce evaporation, the closer you are to needing a chiller).

My opinion on reactors is that you don't need one unless your looking at a high coral load. As long as your doing regular water changes, that should provide enough CA/etc for the corals if the coral load is low enough. Once you get a tank full of sps corals, then you might be needing one, so if that is what you want, plan for it early so your ready. But till then regular testing will help you know if your going to need one or not.

As for phosban, my recommendation is to just fix the problem before it starts. Phosban is great for those who need it. But if you can, it is better to use RO/DI water, and to not overfeed your fish. If your careful about it, then the fuge should export enough nutrients. If you plan on not having a fuge, that is a different situation all together.

I should also state that me, like everyone else in this hobby, is extremely opinionated about the ways and methods that I keep my tank. And just because I think CA reactors and phosban are not necessary, unless in unique situations, does not mean everyone will agree.

 

[Maunus]

thanks!!

thanks!!

thanks so very much!!! definitely a big help!!!!

my water at home is filtered with a Kold Sterile 3 stage unit. my last po4 test was 0.5 ppm, a bit high

I feed too much!!!

thanks

bob

 

[Maunus]

fuge?

fuge?

thanks wet wolger!!

I am saving all your answers! i am still on the learning curve. it would sound like I should make a fuge, a refugium. does that use up PO4?

in plain English, how would I set one up, considering I will have that 150 gallon sump. go in the sump? Use what lighting for the fuge? which plants??

leaning towards having a 120 gallon, not large, at this point. I definitely agree that feeding less will help NOT get a po4 problem.

thanks!!

I had an electrician put in a 20 amp circuit and lots and lots of outlets for the new tank!!

bob

 

[wetWolger]

Take a look at my build thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1687187

Specifically this post:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=15600859#post15600859

You can see there that I built a fuge in my sump as the center section. I glued in acrylic pieces to control the water flow direction, as well as a place to make sure it is all held.

Here is a photo of the same fuge two or three weeks ago:

You can see that it has started growing good. You may also notice I added some eggcreate to keep the algae from flowing into the last section of the sump. The plastic container floating contains macros, it is a temporary thing just to make sure I have a solid foundation before I remove it (the small amounts of algae get stuck on pump intakes, etc). I will probably remove it today actually.

Since then I have added more rocks for pods to live in. And the algae has been growing like crazy. The way the fuge works as a po4 export is that the algae uses it as it grows. Then as you tear out the extra algae and throw it away, your exporting the nutrients.

As far as what macro algaes to use, that is a highly debated topic. Personally I go to the idea of diversity. So here is what I have:
Cheato
Two different types of calerpa (thus I have to run my fuge lights 24/7 to prevent it from going sexual)
Halmedia (not too much, it uses a lot of Ca in growth)
Xenia (not an algae, but still a good nutrient export)

I also run a 96watt power compact for lighting, which is a bit overkill, but I had one laying around.

Hopefully that answers some questions.

 

[Maunus]

thanks!!! perfect!!! will check it out!! my tank is doing great!!! everybody happy.


am excited about my next tank!!

will go with 120 gallon glass tank, 150 gal. sump, great skimmer, refugium, live sand and rock, lots of great corals, lots to learn there, and some hardy fish.

halide lights.

bob