Returning to the hobby

[czinn]

Hello all it is nice to be back I have been away from the hobby for the last 2.5 years due to work moving me around and now all of that has come to an end for at least 5 years so it is time to set up a new tank.
So I am planning setting up a larger tank the foot print I have space for is 60 long by 24 wide and 24 or 30 tall or a 30 by 30 by 30. So I was looking for something that would fill the either of these spaces. And allow for the stocking list I was panning. The planned stocking list is 2 Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish, a BTA, 1 Yellowtail Damselfish, 1 Tracey's Damselfish, 1 Blue Sapphire Damselfish, Orchid Dottyback, 1 Mimic Lemon Peel Tang, and maybe a blue spot jawfish plus zoa and lps with a few sps down the road.
For the set up I planned on using Hydra HD's for lighting, heaters, a reef octopus skimmer, vortech mp 40 or 60, running carbon, and a Kalk reactor. Please let me know if I am missing anything on the equipment list or if there are better options. Also what is a good controller that will work with the hydra's. I was planning on setting up 2 40 gallon qt tanks or would smaller qt tanks work with the planned stocking list? I have a RO/DI unit and refractometer coming in this week from bulk reef. After these come in I plan on picking up the qt tanks during the petsmart dollar a gallon sale that starts in a few days. I would like to have the main tank up and running by August with the clowns in it. Is this a reasonable plan or am I rushing it some I want to do this right so I avoid the problems from rushing it. Thanks all

 

[champion6sigma]

I don't like any 30 by 30 but 30, mainly because 30 height is hard to reach bottom. I have a cube but if I had room id get a wider tank any day of week and twice on Sunday. Flow for me is harder in cube I think . Fish prefer width and mp40 or 60 needs some space to truly utilize their potential. In my cube I have to dial down my mp40 too basically nothing. I think an mp60 in a 30 cube is impossible and an mp40 is overkill which is what I did. Go with true width . . . wider is better. Depth is whichever and height... I prefer a little lower but 30 would seem to be a maximum for me

 

[czinn]

So what I ended up with is a 150 gallon Tall 48 by 24 by 30 with a corner over flow. I have a trigger systems 36 inch ruby sump, mag 18 for return, MP 40, and 2 300 watt heaters. I am planning on picking up a reef octopus skimmer and I am caught between the Hydras or kessil 360's. I have a 3.5 inch sand bed and 200 lb of live rock. I have set up a 10 gallon QT to start cycling as well. Am I missing any thing at this point? Any feed back is appreciated

 

[frey]

I just took 3 kessils off my tank for hydra hd's and I am not regretting it so far. SPS seems to be loving the Hydra's much more than the A360's. I run a APEX controller but with the HD's I didn't put them on the APEX because they are easy enough with the app on the phone. I have a reef octopus skimmer that I am not in love with, which one are you getting? I would also get a Auto Top Off (ATO). I have a JBJ one that is ok, but the Tunze I have on my big tank is far superior IMO. If you plan on doing SPS down the road it is almost a must to have an ATO to keep salinity from going all over the place. You may also end up needing another powerhead down the road.

Also is there a reason for all the Damsels? You can do some decent fish in a 150, but once those damsels get in there they can be a menace and not so easy to get back out if one goes rouge.

 

[dbigfoot111]

welcome back to the dark side

 

[czinn]

I was looking at Reef Octopus Classic 202-S Protein Skimmer. Frey what about your skimmer it is that fell short. OK I will have to look in to a Tunze ATO thanks. my main focus is LPS I will have zoa and SPS. I Love duncan, torch, hammer and war coral. On the stocking my wife loves the Damsels she wants bright fish in the tank. So if there is a better alternative to get the bright colors she would probably be ok with it but we will not have any wrasses we had a six line years ago that just started killing every thing.

 

[NaturalReef]

You wont regret hydras. Im a BIG fan of aqua illumination. One thing i learned over the years of using them is, coverage over power is what gave me the most success.

 

[Sadpanda67]

+1 on the damsels. They're kind of a pain once they get established. I had several when I first started my setup. Eventually you'll end up with one damsel and whatever else was able to avoid the abuse.

 

[joshua_00030]

Seriously I've had damsels that attack my hand during maintenance. Would never recommend them.

 

[champion6sigma]

I will never get damsels again. I gave my only one to a fish store. My tank is peaceful and I can further add more peaceful fish without them wanting to commit suicide.