RonMidtownStomp
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My wife and I started in this hobby a year ago with a 100 gallon "complete setup" that we got locally. It was basically set up as a freshwater tank with saltwater in it. We didn't really know the difference, and through a series of upgrades, wound up with a 240 gallon and 100 gallon acrylic tank and a 125 gallon glass "frag tank" that wound up somehow being another reef.
The problem with trying to maintain two or even three systems is that even something as simple as an auto top off gets very expensive when multiplied by two or three. The intent is to sell all of the extra lighting, skimmers, pumps, tanks and equipment after getting a single tank set up and running.
After some consideration of where to put the tank and what type of tank we would prefer, we have concluded that a peninsula tank would allow us to have both sides viewable and effectively be twice as long. I love the look of the Starphire tanks that I have seen and I'm very tired of acrylic scratches. In order to go behind the couch in the living room, we are limited to 6 feet in length. 30 inches in width is adequate and we don't want more than 24 inches in depth because we would like to use 250W Metal Halides instead of 400W bulbs.
As it turns out, someone who literally lives in our neighborhood was selling exactly the tank we wanted, only it was drilled on both ends for closed loop and had a few chips in one of the glass panels. It's now back at the builder's for resealing and to have the drilled end and chipped panels replaced!
The first pictures!
Starphire overflow:
Behind the overflow, drilled for closed loop:
I haven't decided whether to go with a closed loop or use my Tunze 6100's yet. I'm leaning towards using a total of 4 Tunze's with two on at a time and switching between a gyre and reverse gyre. I'm also considering switching between the two closed loop inputs with a controlled ball valve and trying to accomplish the same effect that way. I have a ReeFlo Barracuda and three of the four Tunzes, so I'll be able to do some testing once I get everything set up and decide between the solutions.
The tank also came with a nice sump, a stand that I'm going to investigate reskinning and a pair of 20" Lumenarcs. I'm also going to do some testing with the Lumenarcs to see if I can cover the tank with two 250W 20K Radiums on a Galaxy E-Ballast. I'm a big fan of VHO Superactinics and would like to design a slick looking well ventilated hanging fixture to hold the Lumenarcs and the VHO's.
There is a lot left to figure out, but I can't wait to get started!
Ron
The problem with trying to maintain two or even three systems is that even something as simple as an auto top off gets very expensive when multiplied by two or three. The intent is to sell all of the extra lighting, skimmers, pumps, tanks and equipment after getting a single tank set up and running.
After some consideration of where to put the tank and what type of tank we would prefer, we have concluded that a peninsula tank would allow us to have both sides viewable and effectively be twice as long. I love the look of the Starphire tanks that I have seen and I'm very tired of acrylic scratches. In order to go behind the couch in the living room, we are limited to 6 feet in length. 30 inches in width is adequate and we don't want more than 24 inches in depth because we would like to use 250W Metal Halides instead of 400W bulbs.
As it turns out, someone who literally lives in our neighborhood was selling exactly the tank we wanted, only it was drilled on both ends for closed loop and had a few chips in one of the glass panels. It's now back at the builder's for resealing and to have the drilled end and chipped panels replaced!
The first pictures!
Starphire overflow:
Behind the overflow, drilled for closed loop:
I haven't decided whether to go with a closed loop or use my Tunze 6100's yet. I'm leaning towards using a total of 4 Tunze's with two on at a time and switching between a gyre and reverse gyre. I'm also considering switching between the two closed loop inputs with a controlled ball valve and trying to accomplish the same effect that way. I have a ReeFlo Barracuda and three of the four Tunzes, so I'll be able to do some testing once I get everything set up and decide between the solutions.
The tank also came with a nice sump, a stand that I'm going to investigate reskinning and a pair of 20" Lumenarcs. I'm also going to do some testing with the Lumenarcs to see if I can cover the tank with two 250W 20K Radiums on a Galaxy E-Ballast. I'm a big fan of VHO Superactinics and would like to design a slick looking well ventilated hanging fixture to hold the Lumenarcs and the VHO's.
There is a lot left to figure out, but I can't wait to get started!
Ron
