Hi all
I've been running a 4 x 1.5 x 2 for a year now and loving it. Especially with the information and help I have received from firstly Reef Central, and also MASA, it really enhances this fascinating hobby in which I have had a passion for 20 years now (mainly freshwater).
I am seriously considering upgrading to a 4 foot wide, 4 foot deep and 2 foot high glass tank, utilising my current sump which is 30 inches by 18inches. I have passed the most important step, getting permission from the family CEO, my wife.
Here's the plan:
I plan to run it bare bottom.
For filtration I'm planning to use my current Tunze 9010 skimmer, a phosban phosphate reactor and a remote dsb in a bin next to the sump. I currently use an eheim 1260 to return flow to my tank. I have another 1260 so I would probably use both as dual returns. Do you think this is necessary? What size diamter durso standpipe should I use. Do I need 2?
For lighting I'm planning to use my current 2 250w metal halides with lumenarc mini reflectors. They easily cover the width of my current 4 foot so they should handle the width with no problems. I realise they will not cover the 4 foot depth but I'm happy to have slightly darker portions at the front and back of the tank, it adds to the depth perspective IMO. I could add some t5's at the front and back later if the MH's arent enough.
For calcium and alkilinity I plan to use my current Tunze Calcium reactor as well as a diy kalk reactor that my diy ATO drips through. This may need upgrading I suppose but I will wait and see.
For flow I currently have a tunze 6000, the return of my sump which is an eheim 1260, and 2 Tunze 6045's which are modded. For my current setup they add up to 50 times water movement per hour which I would like to maintain in the new tank. I am open to suggestions but I'm thinking of maybe 3 more tunze 6080's and upgrading the 6000 to a 6100. This would total about 45,000 litres per hour turnover, so just over 50 x turnover.
I would appreciate the help from all you clever people in the know, especially those who have successfully put together large cube tanks. This is by far the biggest tank I will have attempted so I really want to do it properly. If I do go ahead, which is very likely, i would love to begin a build thread on RC and MASA, as they are so interesting just to read, let alone be involved.
Many thanks
I've been running a 4 x 1.5 x 2 for a year now and loving it. Especially with the information and help I have received from firstly Reef Central, and also MASA, it really enhances this fascinating hobby in which I have had a passion for 20 years now (mainly freshwater).
I am seriously considering upgrading to a 4 foot wide, 4 foot deep and 2 foot high glass tank, utilising my current sump which is 30 inches by 18inches. I have passed the most important step, getting permission from the family CEO, my wife.
Here's the plan:
I plan to run it bare bottom.
For filtration I'm planning to use my current Tunze 9010 skimmer, a phosban phosphate reactor and a remote dsb in a bin next to the sump. I currently use an eheim 1260 to return flow to my tank. I have another 1260 so I would probably use both as dual returns. Do you think this is necessary? What size diamter durso standpipe should I use. Do I need 2?
For lighting I'm planning to use my current 2 250w metal halides with lumenarc mini reflectors. They easily cover the width of my current 4 foot so they should handle the width with no problems. I realise they will not cover the 4 foot depth but I'm happy to have slightly darker portions at the front and back of the tank, it adds to the depth perspective IMO. I could add some t5's at the front and back later if the MH's arent enough.
For calcium and alkilinity I plan to use my current Tunze Calcium reactor as well as a diy kalk reactor that my diy ATO drips through. This may need upgrading I suppose but I will wait and see.
For flow I currently have a tunze 6000, the return of my sump which is an eheim 1260, and 2 Tunze 6045's which are modded. For my current setup they add up to 50 times water movement per hour which I would like to maintain in the new tank. I am open to suggestions but I'm thinking of maybe 3 more tunze 6080's and upgrading the 6000 to a 6100. This would total about 45,000 litres per hour turnover, so just over 50 x turnover.
I would appreciate the help from all you clever people in the know, especially those who have successfully put together large cube tanks. This is by far the biggest tank I will have attempted so I really want to do it properly. If I do go ahead, which is very likely, i would love to begin a build thread on RC and MASA, as they are so interesting just to read, let alone be involved.
Many thanks
