tank q's

[helix149]

Hey all I havent yet posted in your forum. looking for some imput we acually live near Dana (huge thanks go out to her for generously letting us come to here wonderfull home and see her beautiful setup a couple weeks back) and are looking to eventually, hopefully in the fall , start putting our system together.
questions are:

What is the minimum width you would recomend? I know the standard 55 isnt wide enough so what do you or dont you like that you have tried? We have tentitivly decided on 72/18/25 135 gal any imput welcome

Looking at the i-tech 200 for a skimmer anyone use one or have other recomendattions? Not opposed to buying used when the time comes. We are on a budget that this tank will surly kill but hey im addicted and roomie is close.

What would you recomend for lighting? Im leaning towards pc's over mh for electrical useage purposes however the tank we like is 25 in deep.

Thanks in advance hopefully we will be able to hit the frag swap briefly that is coming up, if our work scheduals permit, to do some browsing.

helix

 

[ct_vol]

[welcome]

Glad you decided to post... In my opinion, 18" is the minimum width I would want for a reef tank... Due to the necessity of Live Rock, with dimensions smaller than 18" you end up having a wall of rock with little room for livestock...

With a 6' tank, I prefer a 24" width, only because you can add more dimension to the tank with your aquascaping... The 135 is a great tank though... It was my first reef tank...

I techs are great skimmers for the money... A couple in our club have them, as well as some MTRC'ers...

If you ever want to attend one of our meetings, feel free to do so... There is no pressure to join the club, just come and see what we're about...

Glad to have you Helix and welcome to the hobby/addiction...

 

[ct_vol]

Oh, I forgot to add... In my opinion, PC's are crap... T5's are a much better option if you are wanting to save on electricity... I gave my PC's to my wife for use on her FW since they were for the most part useless to me... This is however, just one opinion... Hopefully others will chime in...

 

[GPhiAce]

I was about to hound you for not commenting on the lights. i am not a PC fan either, but what are you looking to have in there eventually?????? If you are going the energy effecient route, then go with T5s. Icecap's new line of T5 and MH ballasts were both claiming to be more energy effecient. What layout are you thinking for your tank-- or are you at that point yet??? by layout I mean- corals, fish, lights how many lights, circulation pumps, return, sump, etc. basically like Randy for current tanks. I would advise you to not go cheap on the equipment in the beginning... even if it delays the date that you want to set up your tank. I think we have all learned our lesson as far as that goes. ie, get a good lighting setup, skimmer and pumps. feel free to post and we will help out with any questions. I am sure that we have plenty of people who know what they are talking about. Good luck

 

[EvilMel]

I absolutely LOVE a 135g tank. The dimensions are fantastic, with the only better size being 6' x 2' x 2' rather than 1.5' wide.

What's that...a 180?

I am with these guys on my increasing disdain for PCs however I think if I were to do it all over again, I would have these two things:
a) metal halides
b) chiller (to compensate for the heat).

With that being said...T5s are really great too. A lot of people super love them.

Russell recommends them down at the store all the time actually, which is kinda what first got me started looking at them again.

Edit: I'm only going to say one more thing...
GOBIES!!! and KOLE TANG!!!

 

[ct_vol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15092424#post15092424 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EvilMel
the only better size being 6' x 2' x 2' rather than 1.5' wide.

What's that...a 180?

Yes, that's a standard 180g...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15092424#post15092424 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EvilMel
a) metal halides

I too prefer MH's over t5's, but if energy savings is a concern, you might choose t5's... Just make sure you get ones with individual reflectors (T5's)... And on the MH's, Electronic or E ballasts are the most energy efficient...

 

[EvilMel]

hijack

hijack

Hey Randy, I had those old magnetic (I think they're called magnetic) ballasts for my 135g. Someone once said to me that they produced a ton of heat and were costly from an energy utilizing standpoint but that they would run my bulbs better (or more strongly or give my corals better coloration).

I can't remember what it was that the person said.

Have you ever heard about the difference between electronic and magnetic ballasts in terms of coral growth (light output)/color (light spectrum)?

Obviously I understand the difference between the different spectrum of light produced by the different bulbs but I was just curious if the magnetic ballasts and electronic ballasts handled the bulbs a bit differently...possibly driving the spectrum one way or the other.

 

[ct_vol]

Magnetic ballasts tend to overdrive bulbs... They burn at a more white light when they are being overdriven (20K's will burn closer to 18K, 14k burn at 12K)... This does equate to higher PAR readings and more intensity for your corals... With the reflectors out there today, I don't think its necessary to overdrive your bulbs... The bulbs don't last as long when overdriven either, so you have to replace your bulbs more often as well as pay higher electricity bills...

 

[macclellan]

I think that you can't discuss a single tank dimension in isolation from other dimensions and your goals/stocking plans.

For a "generic" 3'-6' tank, I agree with Randy... for 48"L tanks, 18"W is the minimum. For 72"L, 24"W (note the ratio is nearly the same).

I prefer carpeting-type corals (corallimorphs, zoas, acans, etc.) and carpeting plants in FW. So, personally, for "normal" tanks, I like tanks where width is > or = height (or very close). 18"W x 24"T on a 135g would not be my cup of tea - check out a 125L - 72"x18"x20" (four inches shorter) than a 135g, or a 180g - 72"x24"x24". If you like tall corals (SPS, Gorgonians, etc.) then more height makes more sense.

If anyone wants to overdrive their 150w bulb, I'll trade you my magnetic ballast for your electronic one.

 

[EvilMel]

That's a good point. I had a blue tipped stag that even at 24" height used to try to grow out of the tank.

 

[GPhiAce]

Ah-- I want a blue tipped stag, and a few other corals.

What Randy said about the electronic ballasts kis what I found and what caused me to make a switch. I also got higher par but never did energy effeciency calculations.

T5s are great, but I don't think you can beat the shimmer that MHs produce. The thing I like about T5s is that you can mix bulbs to get the color, intensity and PAR that you want and need for your tank.

And Mel, I got new additions and they are beutiful. My clowns are mean, especially the female.

 

[Weetabix]

Welcome!
I like tanks that are 18" wide.
I prefer not to have a tank over 20" high at the very most, but that's me.
I find that anything taller than that is harder to work or do maintenance in, but again, that's me.
Don't do PC lighting.
MH is okay, but T5HO is the VERY BEST EVAR!!!!
If you go with T5, I would say keep an eye out for a used fixture.
You can get a good one for a decent price if you pay attention.

 

[helix149]

lighting

lighting

My apologies I got you all worked up when I actually meant t5s all along. I have only briefly looked at lighting comparatively speaking to my other research and am aware of the 3 types typically used currently. I meant t5s for their lower heat and electrical usage. But thank you all for correcting me immediately .

As far as stocking we are planning on a reef tank with very few fish. Maybe a couple clowns, a psycho fish as we call it (I dont recall the name at the moment) and 2 or three other small fish tops. we are more interested in corals small sponges clams and gorgonians.

We have almost def decided we are going to get the packsge from tampa bay saltwater and after relocating the bad guys to the refugeum/sump giving it some time and going from there. I/we like inverts.

 

[helix149]

also a side note the only thing set in stone for us on tank size at this point is the 72 inches in length and after figuring out rough cost last night it will prolly be a year or two at best b4 we start stocking unfortunately but that is due to my agreement with comments made in earlier post about spending the money to do it right within reason the first time being less expensive in the long run as for the height I like the height around 25 seems to be a happy medium between tall enough for stocking and short enough to not have to spend a bunch extra on lighting

 

[ct_vol]

Slow and steady is the way to go... As I'm sure you've read, nothing good happens fast in a reef tank... :thumbsup:

 

[digidana]

hey chad, glad to see ya on board!!! i think definitely figure out what you want in your tank, then figure out what will best suit what you want. i know you like the clams and inverts...a few fish, but trust me, the corals suck you in. if you want to go all out reef...the lights are the biggest concern and the biggest investment. its cheaper to spend $800 for lights once than $500 twice...you know what i mean. if you want the clams, they need light. you've gotten a bunch of good advice, from a bunch of great reefers...they won't steer you wrong!

keep in mind tho, that doing it right doesn't mean that you have to spend a ton of $. keep an eye on craigslist, the dry goods forum here, the frag swaps etc. you don't have to buy new. most of what i have is used and working great...and you know what we've used for the fuge. you're doing it right tho...loads of research!

i'm so glad to see you on board! you have to make it to the swap!

 

[GPhiAce]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15095219#post15095219 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ct_vol
Slow and steady is the way to go... As I'm sure you've read, nothing good happens fast in a reef tank... :thumbsup:

+1. i think I have learned my lesson here. This should be my reefing moto.... I think I just adopted it now.

Sounds like you got a plan. Good luck once again and feel free to ask for more help/advice. We can also direct you to sources to back up our words of wisdom.

If the psycho fish you are speaking of is a spotted or psychodelic mandarin, they are not easy to keep due to their food source and typically starve in the hobby. It takes awhile for the food source to build up to a population that will be sustained as the fish is a constant predator. A good refuge will definately help. I am sure Mel will chime in about it.

 

[ct_vol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15095674#post15095674 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by digidana

keep in mind tho, that doing it right doesn't mean that you have to spend a ton of $. keep an eye on craigslist, the dry goods forum here, the frag swaps etc. you don't have to buy new. most of what i have is used and working great...and you know what we've used for the fuge. you're doing it right tho...loads of research!

Your Fuge is awesome Dana!!! Don't knock it one bit...

Here is a link to the Used Dry Goods Sales Forum...