Hello All.
After getting a great suggestion from my tank poll...i have ordered.
I am now taking equipment advice in a free for all.
Lets start with what i have. Then i will post what i think i need. Then you all can suggest advice in two categories. 1) "What you need" (or your critique of what i think i need) 2)"what you might want as optional luxury items if money is no object"
Okay here we go:
What I have:
1) Deep See Aquatics Pro 225. 3 Overflows, 2 Returns (Should be here in a week or two)
2) Optional Glass top, matched stand, matched canopy.
3)Trigger Systems Emerald 39 Refugium Sump.
4) 1 Vortech MP 40 with back up battery (in my equipment list already but its unopened in a box)
5) Two Kessil A360W's and a Kessil Logic Controller (on current tank)
6) Two Kessil A150ws (40 Gallon QT Tank)
7) One non-functioning Apex controller (I think lightening hit it and i am not even sure i am going to bother getting it fixed...im gone all the time and it was way more complicated than my wife could handle even with me having remote access this set up did not work well as i cant be reached for periods of up to 12 hours)
8) Finnex Heater Controller x1 (bought after my apex fried)
9) Tunze 3155 ATO unit with back up pump.
10) Reef Octopus 150 ELite Prime with DC pump (vertex knock off - Rated for 100g heavy stocked, 200g light stocked, best skimmer i have ever owned and i really dont want to part with it).
11) 2 Jaebo WP-25s running off a dual controller (works suprisingly well in coordinating the two pumps)
12) Next Reef SMR-1 Media reactor (its a beast, its the one with the dark acrylic meant to retard algae growth, they sell it as a biopellet reactor but i use it for carbon and GFO on an alternating schedule). Best media reactor i have had to date.
13) Bulk Reef Supply 6 stage universal RO/DI 150gpd water saver unit. 70 Feet of 1/4 inch RO/DI tubing and RODI auto shut off float valve which will be inserted into my ATO container inside the cabinent (just ordered today)
14) RODI station is in garage with utility sink etc for waste water.
15) Will be plumbing a drainage line into the home plumbing with the connection coming in through the exterior wall just behind the tank.
What I plan:
1) I will be putting in an extra pump inside the sump and tying it into the external wall draion so i can drain the entire sump with the push of a button.
2) The RODI water will go to a shut off float valve directly in the ATO button but there is a seperate shut off valve already installed in the garage and this will ONLY be ran with supervision to prevent flooding in the event the float valve ever sticks.
3)Lighting will include the future purchase of a Kessil AP700 which will be mounted inside the canopy center of the tank with the two A360ws on either side of it ran via their controller.
4) One A150W will be used as a refugium light.
5) One A150W will be mounted as an inside the cabinent light.
6) Water changes will be via the 40Gallon QT tank which will eventually be retasked as a salt mixing station. I couldnt come up with a good plan here besides just sitting it adacent to the display tank and pump the new salt water directly into the tank with a pump at the time of water change. This is going to suck because getting the fresh ATO water into the mixing station is going to require me to throw a pump in the ATO resovoir under the cabiment and manually fill the mixing station as needed (unless i do a hell of a lot of pluming that frankly i just dont want to do....nor do i want to set up a second RODI system (at least not right now).
7) Plumbing from the 3 returns will be hard plumbed directly to the three return sections of the Trigger sump with shut off valves on each. Plumbing for the returns will be hard blumbed down to about 2 inches into the sump...where i will do the last bit of connection to the return pumps via rubber hoses.
8) Since i am currently anti-tank controller), Control will be via remote control outlet controls. With the main pumps and media reactors and ATO on one circuit, skimmer on its own circuit to easily facilitate feed cycles and maintanance. The heaters will be controlled via their own controllers, as will the lights, ATO, and Wave makers. The wave makers will be direct connected and not subject to ever being turned off. Emergency power outage will be via the Vortech WP-40s 36 hour back up supply and a pair of el cheapo drop in tank bubblers.
What i think i still need:
1) The AP700 (obviously). 2) A second WP 40. 3) A pair of el cheapo Jaebo MP 40s on a dual controller to supplement the two Vortechs. (I am too cheap to buy 3 more Vortechs right now but thats probably an upgrade later or maybe ill try a Gyre in a future upgrade). 4) A pair of 850gph return pumps (or is that two much)??? 5) Two larger heaters 6) An next reef MR-1 so that i can run Carbon and GFO together rather than rotating back and forth (havent really decided on that as rotating seems to work pretty well and its pretty simple just operating a single reactor (Carbon for 2 weeks, GFO for 3 weeks and repeat).
Wife already said no to the dedicated fish room...at least i have a 40g sump and a direct plumbed drain and ATO set up.
The only thing that gives me pause, is giving up the APEX programming where i can use leak detectors to shut down my media reactors and main pumps in the event water is detected inside the cabinent.......
I don't know what i will do with the old 90g. Probably give it to my son in law.
I will not be setting up dosing etc to start with (and maybe never) as i am probably only going do Zoas, Frongspawns, Hammers, Leathers, Palys, etc etc. I will just add a little kalk to the ATO and a little magnesium once in a while.
okay........go
After getting a great suggestion from my tank poll...i have ordered.
I am now taking equipment advice in a free for all.
Lets start with what i have. Then i will post what i think i need. Then you all can suggest advice in two categories. 1) "What you need" (or your critique of what i think i need) 2)"what you might want as optional luxury items if money is no object"
Okay here we go:
What I have:
1) Deep See Aquatics Pro 225. 3 Overflows, 2 Returns (Should be here in a week or two)
2) Optional Glass top, matched stand, matched canopy.
3)Trigger Systems Emerald 39 Refugium Sump.
4) 1 Vortech MP 40 with back up battery (in my equipment list already but its unopened in a box)
5) Two Kessil A360W's and a Kessil Logic Controller (on current tank)
6) Two Kessil A150ws (40 Gallon QT Tank)
7) One non-functioning Apex controller (I think lightening hit it and i am not even sure i am going to bother getting it fixed...im gone all the time and it was way more complicated than my wife could handle even with me having remote access this set up did not work well as i cant be reached for periods of up to 12 hours)
8) Finnex Heater Controller x1 (bought after my apex fried)
9) Tunze 3155 ATO unit with back up pump.
10) Reef Octopus 150 ELite Prime with DC pump (vertex knock off - Rated for 100g heavy stocked, 200g light stocked, best skimmer i have ever owned and i really dont want to part with it).
11) 2 Jaebo WP-25s running off a dual controller (works suprisingly well in coordinating the two pumps)
12) Next Reef SMR-1 Media reactor (its a beast, its the one with the dark acrylic meant to retard algae growth, they sell it as a biopellet reactor but i use it for carbon and GFO on an alternating schedule). Best media reactor i have had to date.
13) Bulk Reef Supply 6 stage universal RO/DI 150gpd water saver unit. 70 Feet of 1/4 inch RO/DI tubing and RODI auto shut off float valve which will be inserted into my ATO container inside the cabinent (just ordered today)
14) RODI station is in garage with utility sink etc for waste water.
15) Will be plumbing a drainage line into the home plumbing with the connection coming in through the exterior wall just behind the tank.
What I plan:
1) I will be putting in an extra pump inside the sump and tying it into the external wall draion so i can drain the entire sump with the push of a button.
2) The RODI water will go to a shut off float valve directly in the ATO button but there is a seperate shut off valve already installed in the garage and this will ONLY be ran with supervision to prevent flooding in the event the float valve ever sticks.
3)Lighting will include the future purchase of a Kessil AP700 which will be mounted inside the canopy center of the tank with the two A360ws on either side of it ran via their controller.
4) One A150W will be used as a refugium light.
5) One A150W will be mounted as an inside the cabinent light.
6) Water changes will be via the 40Gallon QT tank which will eventually be retasked as a salt mixing station. I couldnt come up with a good plan here besides just sitting it adacent to the display tank and pump the new salt water directly into the tank with a pump at the time of water change. This is going to suck because getting the fresh ATO water into the mixing station is going to require me to throw a pump in the ATO resovoir under the cabiment and manually fill the mixing station as needed (unless i do a hell of a lot of pluming that frankly i just dont want to do....nor do i want to set up a second RODI system (at least not right now).
7) Plumbing from the 3 returns will be hard plumbed directly to the three return sections of the Trigger sump with shut off valves on each. Plumbing for the returns will be hard blumbed down to about 2 inches into the sump...where i will do the last bit of connection to the return pumps via rubber hoses.
8) Since i am currently anti-tank controller), Control will be via remote control outlet controls. With the main pumps and media reactors and ATO on one circuit, skimmer on its own circuit to easily facilitate feed cycles and maintanance. The heaters will be controlled via their own controllers, as will the lights, ATO, and Wave makers. The wave makers will be direct connected and not subject to ever being turned off. Emergency power outage will be via the Vortech WP-40s 36 hour back up supply and a pair of el cheapo drop in tank bubblers.
What i think i still need:
1) The AP700 (obviously). 2) A second WP 40. 3) A pair of el cheapo Jaebo MP 40s on a dual controller to supplement the two Vortechs. (I am too cheap to buy 3 more Vortechs right now but thats probably an upgrade later or maybe ill try a Gyre in a future upgrade). 4) A pair of 850gph return pumps (or is that two much)??? 5) Two larger heaters 6) An next reef MR-1 so that i can run Carbon and GFO together rather than rotating back and forth (havent really decided on that as rotating seems to work pretty well and its pretty simple just operating a single reactor (Carbon for 2 weeks, GFO for 3 weeks and repeat).
Wife already said no to the dedicated fish room...at least i have a 40g sump and a direct plumbed drain and ATO set up.
The only thing that gives me pause, is giving up the APEX programming where i can use leak detectors to shut down my media reactors and main pumps in the event water is detected inside the cabinent.......
I don't know what i will do with the old 90g. Probably give it to my son in law.
I will not be setting up dosing etc to start with (and maybe never) as i am probably only going do Zoas, Frongspawns, Hammers, Leathers, Palys, etc etc. I will just add a little kalk to the ATO and a little magnesium once in a while.
okay........go
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