So Confused

[chatyak]

I just need to ask litterrally like 50 questions to get this going. I really like this 90 gallon tank at the local fish store. Ughhh where to begin. I have so many questions??

1) 90 gallon is deeper....... so a T5 or metal hallide is needed to light properly (anemone)?

2) It came with a hood already on it. All in one stand/tank/hood etc.... ( open the hood door and then there was an acyrlic or plastic door you open to get to the tank. Can I take the lights that are in there and replace them with the needed T5?

3) How do I buy a sump or build one ( I'm not good with drilling, pvc work etc...)

4) Do I need a sump and a refugium?

5) The tank is going to be glass soooooooo I need

Tank
Overflow box which hangs on tank
overflow box connects to sump via PVC
sump is connected to refugium and I need PVC to go back into the tank?
a sump pump?

Arghhhhhhhhhhh so confused even with research

 

[Paintbug]

[welcome]
first i would look at getting a reef ready tank. the ones that have the overflow in them already. they are much easier to deal with in the long run.

1. i dont know alot about T-5s so i will stick with saying go with MHs. atleast 2x250w and some VHO for actinics, 2x110w.
2. you will end up taking out the covers on the tank, and the lights that come with it. then you will end up putting the MHs onto the wood canopy(hood), along with some fans .
3. most LFS sell sumps. get a refugium instead of a wet/dry. they do a much better job at removing nutritents from the water. the nutritents that feed problem algaes, not the good ones .
4. with a tank that size its best to use some type of sump. it gives you more water volume if nothing else. the more water the more room for mistakes.
5. yes you will have to plumb the tank, or have someone do it for you. its not hard, and theres lots of people here that can help. you will also need a pump, and you will have to plumb it as well.

 

[BadOleRoss]

Lets not forget about a protien skimmer. You might want to take a few days and read this thread.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848

 

[chatyak]

Thanks, I will have to go back and look at the hood/canopy of that tank. It seemed to be covered on all sides and top. This would require completely removing the hood then?

Are there any places to buy a reef ready tank online that ship to Canada? Thanks for the help!

Also, is the sump the same thing as a refugium?

 

[Paintbug]

i dont know of any places that ship to canada. your LFS should be able to get one though.

sump is generally anything that holds water under the tank. there are 3 basic types. refugium, wet/dry, and just a tank to hold water. heres some good info on sumps.
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

 

[chatyak]

How would you place lighting on something like this tank?

http://cgi.ebay.com/252-Reef-Ready-...766340385QQcategoryZ20755QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I know on a glass tank you can buy metal hallides that fit onto the appropriate size with legs but how would you manage this?

Adrian,

 

[Sk8r]

That tank has problems: the top needs those braces to maintain the tank's integrity, but they will be directly under highpowered lighting: mh gets very, very hot. It is acrylic, which will scratch, it is used, and you can't see how many scratches it has; plus you don't know what that tank was used for. If copper was ever used as a medication in this tank, that's a serious problem: it will kill inverts and mess up live rock. There are mh lights that hang by wires from your ceiling above your tank, with reflectors. They're very bright to have in, say, a living room. I'm not keen on staying in a room with unshielded mh light without some sort of rim or barrier to keep it from glaring outward onto you...

Used tanks are something in which it is a good thing to know and trust the person from whom you are getting it, or at least know what the tank was for.

 

[Paintbug]

that tank is Brand New!!

with a tank like that you will need to do a retro kit, and build a custom canopy for it. that way you can place the lights where they need to be. with enough fans, theres not a problem with heat in the canopy, so no need to worry about the braces distorting.