Planning questions

[PVitty77]

im planning a 90 reef. i have a few questions about the hardware i need. im planning on buying a sump/fuge and would like to know what protein skimmer i should get with the total sytem volume likely to be between 120 and 150 gallons. also i was thinking about getting two Eheim water pumps, one for the sump and one for a closed loop system. which ones would work best for the water volume i want? also what lighting fixtures would do the job on both the tank and the Fuge? i plan on hanging the lights from the ceiling over the tank so i can adjust them as needed. any other recomendations about equipment i should get would be appreciated. also ill spend some money if needed but im on somewhat of a budget. thanks in advance for the input

 

[bertoni]

I would target maybe 300-500 gph through the sump. You'll need to calculate head loss for the system. For the closed loop sizing and lighting choices, what animals would you like to keep?

Skimmers to consider would be the ASM, Euro-Reef, and CoraLife would be ones that I would consider.

 

[PVitty77]

well ill probably start with some softies but id like to be able to keep almost anything.

 

[bertoni]

Well, soft corals tend to do better with lower flow, along with many stony corals. Other stony corals require high flow. I guess I'd go for about 1400 gph total flow in the tank.

The same issue comes up for lighting, but I would use 250 metal halide lighting, most likely, possibly with actinic supplementation.
Some people like T5 lighting, though, too.

What are the tank dimensions?

 

[PVitty77]

well i havent bought the tank yet so Im not sure. i know its a 90 gal reef ready tank.

 

[PVitty77]

could you give me some websites where i can find those skimmers? also some sites on the lighting fixtures? thanks

 

[bertoni]

Well, I've ordered from MarineDepot.com, PremiumAquatics.com, and DrsFosterSmith.com with good results. There are a lot of vendors, though.

 

[PVitty77]

thanks for the advice. what type of Pump would you recommend? i was thinking of an eheim and i read a thread where almost everyone recommended them. If its a good pump then which one do you think would do the job for both the CL and the Sump? and could you explain what you mean by head loss? sorry if im bein a pain. just tryin to understand everything b4 i start.

 

[bertoni]

I use Eheim pumps and like them. Head loss refers to the amount of back pressure on the pump due to the height difference between the top of the two water columns plus that from the tubing itself. Just knowing the height difference is probably close enough if the plumbing is simple. This calculator will help:

http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php

 

[PVitty77]

ooo ok i understand. its not gonna be to intricate a plumbing system. the tank won.t be very far off the ground since it will be in the basement, and the sump ill use will be on the ground behind the tank through a wall. i was looking at the Eheim 1260 at about 600 GPh (listed at 602) i thought two of those would do the trick but then i i saw the Blueline Velocity T2 external which is 650 and hour. ever hear of or had any experience with these pumps? also i was looking at the Coralife super skimmer that is recommended for 125 gal. tanks, and the ASM G-1X in sump at 150 gal. know anything about those?

 

[bertoni]

This month's issue of Reefkeeping.com talks about external pumps and why they are more reliable than submersibles. I don't have the experience to say much about the topic, but a good external pump might be a fine idea.

I have the smaller SuperSkimmer and it seems fine, but there's no objective data on skimmer performance, so we're all guessing. I'd probably go for the Euro-Reek (on sale for $200) or the ASM, checking into a used one, but the SuperSkimmer might be just as good. There's more experience with the Euro-Reef and ASM skimmers, though, since they've been around longer.

 

[PVitty77]

Euro-Reef for 200? the one i was looking at was the CS135 and its $528. on Premium Aquatics. is that the one your talking about? also one last thing. i think im gonna use PC's and MH's in case everything goes well and i want to try to keep some Stonies. could you reccomend some fixtures that will do the trick but won't break the bank? as i said before ill spend some cash but im a bargain seeker.

 

[bertoni]

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=ER1231

That's the one I was considering.

For MH, I set up my own using ReefOptix pendants, etc. Also, Sunlight Supply is about to release a new Lumen Max 2 pendant (or some similar name). They run about $150 each. PFO reflectors are cheaper, though.

 

[PVitty77]

It says that skimmer is rated for an 80 gal. im probably gonna have 120gal total sys. volume. i don't think that would do the job do you? and thanks for the MH recommendations. i think i still have some research to do on lighting but i like to know what others use and are happy with.

 

[bertoni]

I don't use the sump volume in the computations for skimmers, so it's closer, but that's a personal choice.

 

[PVitty77]

but would it do the same job? id much rather pay the $200 dollars than pay the $528.

 

[bertoni]

Well, I suspect that with the way I stock my tanks (light on the fish), it'd be fine. Hard to say, though.

 

[PVitty77]

ok. i don't plan on having too many fish. but maybe ill get one a little more expensive. thanks for the help. im only in the planning stages and its gonna be a while before i even begin. i just bought the most important piece to start though. a Typhoon RO/DI unit. from there i think ill get the skimmer and the lights. I sent Melev an email about getting a Sump/fuge built but i haven't heard back from him yet. after that i guess ill get the pumps and take it from there. thanks for all your help!

 

[bertoni]

You're welcome! Good luck with your tank!