Wrasse Lovers! Opinions needed for my new tank!

[blennielove]

Greetings everyone at Reef Central!

I am looking for YOUR thoughts on building my next tank.

Due to my many difficulties IN THE PAST with keeping wrasses, especially in my 220 with three very active and large tangs, I've decided to creat a tank specifically for them.

I've decided that it will be a 72x18x22 tank - at least the size is decided. It is as "big" as I can get with the placement limitation set by my hubby.
Question: Will the shortened depth (18") be an issue with wrasses as large as 6 inches? I'm wondering because if there are several of them, would they get agitated or irritalble making those tighter turns?

I am thinking about it as a non-photosynthetic reef tank.
I will "make sure" that I don't drift back to "the Light side" by buying just simple Aquatic Life T5s. I'm thinking about the AquaticLife T5 HO 4-Lamp Light Fixtures w/ Lunar LEDs (8x39w) or the AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture w/ 6 LEDs (12x39w) - this one may be too "wide" for my 18", or the 72 Inch 4x96 Watt AquaticLife PowerCompact CF Light Fixture w/ 6 Lunar LEDs. I think as the list progressed, I'm heading back to that higher power lighting again.

For filtration, I'm a little stuck as the cabinet is limited in height of 20 inches!!! I'll be lucky to find a sump less than 14 inches...maybe it will have to be a tupperware sump? I've read that all non-photosynthetic corals need to be fed from a schedule of three times a week to "constantly" throughout the day. I've also read that these tanks tend to run higher on phosphate and nitrate due to the high levels of available nutrients in the water that is needed to sustain the corals...so, no protein skimmer will be used? Well, I think my sump is too short anyways, unless I go with a free standing one.
I've read about algae scrubbers and from the look of my set up "down there", it may actually work well as I will have more length than height space.

My goal with the tank is to have it be peaceful, asthetically different than my other "coral reef" setups and hopefully, make a lovely home for the wrasses.

I hope I'm thinking of this in the right direction!

Your input will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[username in use]

Couple things I notice right away.

A 20" stand will put your tank at about thigh high, not a great viewing height, even seated you will be looking down at the tank. Why so short? What is dictating that height?

If your going strictly non photo, you don't even need 4 bulbs, you could do 2 and be perfect.

Also, for non-photo, I would say a skimmer is a definite for the amount of food youll be pouring into that tank.

For a sump, a 30 breeder is only 12" tall, so that could solve your problem, but I would think a taller stand is a better idea.

 

[username in use]

Read about this guys tank. Its a non-photo reef. Also happened to be a tank of the month.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/67-tank-of-the-month

 

[blennielove]

Hi Joshua, and thanks for the link for that tank. I saw that several months ago and thought that it is a beautiful tank. I will read all the details now, and learn.

About your concerns:

A 20" stand will put your tank at about thigh high, not a great viewing height, even seated you will be looking down at the tank. Why so short? What is dictating that height?

Well, I will share! The "new" tank will be taking the place of a quarantine turned reef tank which is sitting on my fireplace hearth... What? You might say... It was placed there when it was the quarantine, but when it magically turned into a reef tank, we (me, hubby, and the dogs) enjoyed laying on the floor watching it, BUT as I do once weekly water changes, it got to be literally "painful" as it is hard to get good suction going with it being so low, and so, I complained enough for my hubby to agree that I need the tank elevated.
Now planning on ways of elevating the tank, I thought since I will be buying a new light and making a new stand for this tank, why not get a bigger one...so.
The height is dictated by where the fireplace mantle is. Yes, you are right, it will be funny looking because "Hey, You've got a fish tank blocking your fireplace!"

If your going strictly non photo, you don't even need 4 bulbs, you could do 2 and be perfect.
Yes. I see now. How wonderful is that - I will be SAVING electricity! So I can buy more expensive lights for my 220! Hahahahahaaa!

Also, for non-photo, I would say a skimmer is a definite for the amount of food youll be pouring into that tank.
I will definitely be researching this!

For a sump, a 30 breeder is only 12" tall, so that could solve your problem, but I would think a taller stand is a better idea.
I tried to convince my husband of placing a "real" tank setup on the left side of the fireplace but he...I don't know...Maybe I should tell him that what I'm actually planning on doing?!?

 

[username in use]

ok, now that I know your plan the stand makes sense. It will end up being higher than I thought in terms of the viewing height, Here is my though for a skimmer. If you put a 30 breeder sump front to back so that it actually goes into the fireplace, you can put a skimmer in the back and you have a lot more height to work with. Of course you will have to build the stand so there is a big enough opening in the middle to allow you to reach back there to service the skimmer, and it will still be a PIA but at least you can get the skimmer you need, not just what will fit under a 20" stand.

 

[piusma]

I have a similar setup due to the fact that my 180 gallon had to stay underneath the stair case. I would suggest you to go with a custom sump, a 30 gallon is not a lot during power outage and you can easily get flooded. I am lucky that my tank is in my garage so it wasn't a huge problem when it flooded. It took a long time for me to get that worked out (especially if you have a wavebox, it tends to drain more water into the sump if you keep that runing while turning off the return pump)

I used 4 by 4s instead of 2 by 4s to build the stand and it took extra clearance from my sump access. It is a pain to service that so I suggest you to start with filter socks immediately so you do not need to work on vaccuming your sump (it's not going to happen!!) plumbing was also difficult with that but I got around with it. I had a 48" x 12" x 12" (33 gallon) under there but if I got to do it again, I'll have a custom size plexi tank to maximize its size. I actually run a second sump next to the tank where I run my skimmer, zeo reactor. The sump that is underneath my tank is only to take care of the bubble traps and the overflow from power outage. It can be done but it is not easy. The height of the tank is indeed a little low at about 20" (mine is actually 22" I believe) but it worked out great because I've got a 2 year old and a 4 year old and it's at the perfect level for me when I sat on a step stool! Good luck with your setup and keep us posted!

Steven

 

[blennielove]

Thank you, Joshua, for reminding me that there IS some extra space IN the fireplace itself!
And, Steven, where where you when I build my 220 with its beautiful LifeReef sump??? I wish I knew about the filter socks!!! I have detritus in the bottom and have NO CLUE how I will ever clean them out! I'm actually planning on getting a powerhead and attaching a hose to it to work like a vacuum cleaner...We will see when I tackle THAT project!

I think the most time restricting portion of this project would be the stand. I am not good with saws and things and so will have a friend come to help, then getting the correct sump will be challenging as, until Steve mentioned the flooding, I didn't think about it at all!

I will keep on planning, planning, planning...and in the mean time, work on convincing hubby that to do this with the current 55 gallon is the "same price" as going for the 120!

Wish me LOTS of luck!