What is the limit to gear that will fit inside the stand?

[AustinVines]

I tried to search but it was turned off and I can't think of good search terms for this question, so here goes.

I have a large, 7'x9'x3' (WHD) nook in my dinning room that seems like an intersting place for a tank. The problem with it is that it is on an outside wall with a northern exposure but in Texas that may actually be a benefit since the summers here are much, much worse than the "winters". It is a nice large space, and the tank could even come into the room more than the three foot depth. As my sig says, I am looking at starting a nano but it is never too early to plan the next tank

What I would like is to have everything I need housed within the stand, minus perhaps ballasts or other quieter items that can sit behind the tank, next to the wall. There are no basements in Austin and no good storage rooms nearby that I can offer as sacrifice. I am assuming a 2-2.5' depth for the tank and stand. The stand would house a sump and a skimmer, most of the electrical, although the space behind could be used for a plug board.

Are metal halides one of the main reasons why people need chillers? Say I had a 180g and my ambient temps are 80 in the house during the summer when no one is home (low 70's otherwise), if I tried to keep sps or just used MH lighting, would I require a chiller? Noise is a concern and I assume a chiller would be loud oustide the stand, and hot inside the stand.

Assuming MH lighting, the above ambient temps and an enclosed canopy what kind of evaporation can I expect per day? Would an 18g water change each week be overkill or not enough for a tank that size with 270# LR, 4" sand bed, with the gamut of coral+inverts and under 5-7 smaller fish and maybe one larger species?

Thanks for the help!

 

[stevebydac]

I am not a reef expert, so I'll pass on those questions. But regarding space requirements, keep in mind that you will accumulate more "stuff" than can fit in your stand. You'll want room in your stand for a sump, perhaps a refugium, plus a skimmer and pump(s).

Then you will have test kits, dry food, salt and supplements, a smaller quarantine tank and its equipment, nets and all sorts of parts and oddball extras. Maybe a RO/DI plus a water-change container. Then books, magazines, etc.

My 180g stand was stuffed full, and I was fairly light on equipment with only a FOWLR. Yet I still filled a small closet with the rest of the things I had accumulated. You'll have even more with a full-blown reef setup. So plan not just for the actual tank size, but for where you are going to put the rest too.

 

[AustinVines]

Thanks for the response, Steve. I will absolutely have room for equipment outside of the stand, but I was wondering more about the plumbing, cooling, cleaning equipment that I could fit in stand. What is the largest tank I can get away with without increasing my workload exponentially without the use of tank room or basement for plumbing, have my sump, fuge, calcium reactor, kalk doser, on and on.

I am not saying I need all that but is there a size of tank that requires those things or makes it much more work without a tank room.