Newbie Question

[Ryan009]

I planning a new 210G in-wall setup. I recently found this website and am becoming obsessed with it. I'm spending much more time on RC than my office or wife care for but I'm addicted.

I have learned a ton and am starting to put together an equipment list, but I had some basic questions that I don't want to overlook:

1.) Assuming open top and 3X250 MH lights, how much evaporation should I expect per day?

2.) All mechanicals will be in a utility room that is shared with the furnace. Do you guys have problems with evaporation effecting other elements (ie the furnace!) in your rooms?

3.) Realistically, what is the range of electricity costs to run a full blown 201G reef system?

4.) I'm a bit confused on the reactors. Can I get away with just a Calcium reactor (reef will be mixed SPS and LPS), or will I also need phosphate and Kalkwaisser (sp?) reactors? Or what combination is reommended?

5.) I know this is going to sound dumb, but is the plumbing regular white PVC and PVC cement that you get from Home Depot? Is there any special curring or washing that has to be done to make it reef safe?

6.) Another dumb question, Instead of any expensize custom sump, why couldn't I use 1 or 2 simple rubbermaid containers as sumps to inexpensively expand my water volume (don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to do this system on the cheap, I just don't want to pay more than I have to).

I'll post my equipment list here for (hopefully) feedback once I get to that point but any assistance on the above basics would be very helpful!!!

Ryan

 

[stlouisguy]

Not an expert, but I will try on some of these

1. Hard to pre determine, much depends on how your flow goes, size of room its it, how you vent it etc figure at least a gallon a day

2. You will have rust on everything if you dont vent. Many articles on here going through that

3. Again, depends, but figure on $50+ a month. All comes down to your equipment

4. Calcium reactor and Kalkwasser reactor are to keep ph and calcium up. Phosphate reactor is to take phosphates out of the water. All three are beneficial

5. Yes reef safe, and many clean it, I personally only rinse it

6. Yes you can use rubbermaid sumps and many do. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Usually if you have unlimited space the rubbermaid may be the best choice, but if you have limited space and like to look in the side of your sump and fuge to see what is going on, the acrylic is the way to go. Both accomplish the same thing.

Hope that helps

 

[bbrantley]

Re: Newbie Question

You got a lot of good answers in the first reply already, but I'll chime in:

1. I lost 4-5g/d in my tank of similar dimensions, but your experience will vary enormously with the amount of active evaporative cooling you employ (e.g., fans blowing on the water) and your average humidity in the room. You ask later about big, open sumps... those may drive it more than the tank itself depending on surface area and the above.

3. Electrical costs vary by as much as 3x across the country. It's fairly meaningless to try to get it close unless you adjust for those variations.

Ben