getting back in the game...

[merlin0883]

Hello all. I had a few tanks for several years, and had to sell most everything when I graduated from Texas State (I met several of you in San Antonio with livestock) a few years ago. I've been bouncing around and ended up in Panama City. I'm about to buy a house in Naples, and plan to be there for a while, so it's time to get another tank! I want a large tank (at least 150 gal--up to 300 gal), and I want it to be incredibly nice and as "maintenance free" as possible. Yes, I will keep up with my water changes and so forth, but hope that it is not a major hassle all the time like they have been in the past. The difference will be from having a 55gal with inadequate filtration, no sump, and barely adequate lighting (all HOB filtration, lights, in tank powerheads) to having a large tank (leaning towards 250-300 gal) with at least a 75 gallon fuge tank/sump tank with alternate lighting and macro-algae underneath (with a drilled tank and little to nothing of the filtration and powerheads visible) and the best equipment that is available to make this a well-balanced ecosystem that is eye-sore free! I know how everyone on here likes a new build-in-progress, and since I've been out of the game for a while, I need some updates on the latest technology. It will be a couple of months before I move, and a couple of months after that before I get too serious about it, but want to start tossing around build ideas and parts so that I can come up with a comprehensive list and start acquiring equipment as soon as I get down there and drawing schematics now. The plan was to have it against a wall that I could run the plumbing through and have a sump/fuge room. THis may or may not happen. If so, I'll likely have a 100-150 gallon fuge. If not, I'll have to put it underneath the show tank, so I'll be limited to a 75-100gal fuge. I want an oversized amazing skimmer (I can always turn it down), lighting on the fuge (probably HO t5's--whatever is best for macro-algae), maybe a canister off the fuge (just to make sure!), amazing water flow, a lot of live rock, the best sand (to DSB or not to DSB, that is the question!), and the best lighting. I've never had LED's. They hit the market about the time I was getting out. I'm pretty sure that's what I need, but yall know better than me at this point! I'll likely have mostly LPS (duncans, acans, brains, candy canes, etc) and softies (a couple of leathers, maybe colt or kenya, NICE shrooms, palys, jumbo palys), and a few nice SPS. I will have a couple of small wrasses (6-line, maybe a fairy or cleaner), a small angel (flame, coral beauty, or similar), a flame hawk, several tangs (purple, yellows, hippo, achilles--enough that they school and don't fight, also something I'm not up to speed on, will need recommendations on species and numbers), gobies, clowns, etc. May do fewer tangs and more other types of fish. Will figure that out once I decide on tank size. Want nice shrimps, crabs, n such. It needs to be a full, amazing reef tank with lots of life. The large fuge will help to expand the system so that I don't have to worry about having a few too many fish in the tank, as long as they're not stressed from overcrowding. So toss up some ideas. Pretend like money is no option. I may have to downgrade some stuff if I can't afford it, but would rather save to buy the best stuff even if it takes longer to get it all together.
Recommendations that I'm looking for:
1. Specific tank.
2. Lighting.
3. Sand bed--none, deep, or shallow, and type of sand.
4. RO/DI system and holding reservoir.
5. Place to find all the best plumbing for the tank/fuge/through-wall/RODI system.
6. Powerheads to pump the water back into the tank (tired of BS powerheads going out--want some that will last).
7. Ideas for the fuge.
8. Any other opinions.
9. Foreseen problems from those of you with experience plumbing tanks. I've never had a drilled tank. I assume that I need an overflow box and that gravity will take the water to the fuge. I want the skimmer in/on the fuge (intake or output side?). Yall get the idea. Let's get this going. I've been excited about this for a while. It's finally close enough to time to figure it out!

Thanks in advance!

[merlin0883]

Oh yeah, test kits, chemicals, and to dose or kalkwasser? Keeping the calcium and carbonates perfect has been difficult for me in the past. So maybe a reactor? Not sure.

[footballdude2k3]

I like this thread very much (Borat voice)

1. 300DD
2. EcoTech Radion Pros, prolly would need 3 for that tank
3. I do not like DSBs unless they are remote because you can bring them offline if you see anything bad happening
4. I have a Bulk Reef Supply 5 stage RODI system that has been great so far, I would find the white food grade containers for that much water, or a few Brute garbage cans
5. You can make the plumbing yourself, a mix of spaflex and PVC is what I would do
6. 2 VorTech MP60's, when you combine their wireless pumps and lights you can recreate thunderstorms, I am all about recreating nature, so that is what I would do.
7. Biggest you can afford/have room for, the more water, the more stable the system. I would prolly use a big tub from tractor supply, well I guess two, one for the sump, the other for the fuge
8. The more money you spend initially, the less you will want to replace things that you wish you would not have bough at first
9. I would have the skimmer in the sump, could get a really nice Reef Octopus Diablo or something.

[bugj51]

youre gonna want a controller as well

[merlin0883]

So I found an all glass Marineland 300gallon dd aquarium on the marineland site. I love the dimensions. 72long, 36deep, 27high. Perfect. It has a cornerflow in both back corners. At a quick search, I could not find a price for them--any recommendations for a site that sales them? Also I'm not entirely sure about the drilled holes in this tank. As is, I would still have to use in-tank powerheads. I was thinking about having a few (like 3) holes drilled in the bottom of the tank and spread evenly from left-to-right (a little closer to the back of the tank than the front--like 12" from the back) with double-nozzled return jets that I could hide with my rock-work. I've seen this done before, but have never used them. Is this a good route to take, or are the extra hole just begging for more trouble with extra places that might leak?

[merlin0883]

Lighting. So I found Radion xr30w Pros. I assume this is what was mentioned? Is the 30w the highest output? I found them in one store for $899. I assume that I could find them for perhaps a little cheaper if I did some digging. They don't appear to be very wide though. I haven't found a dimension for the entire hood, but it looks like they're about 16" wide and 12" deep. If so, 3 may not cover the tank well. I may need 4-5. I don't mind if the ends of the tank are a little dim--I can put low-light corals there. I just don't want the tank to be light-deficient or look weird because of too little light. How far above the tank can you mount these? I don't want bubble popping and covering the lenses with salt all of the time. I also don't want concentrated beams of light--or a "spotlight effect" from each bulb. Do they blend well? And as for the controller comment, I assume that you mean a light/powerhead combo controller? If so, I agree, but don't know anything about them. I assumed that the lights would come with one.

[merlin0883]

DSB remarks. Are you saying to go with no-sand, or to have a shallow sand bed? I personally like having sand, but don't want to have to deal with the DSB harboring phosphates after a few years like has happened to me in the past. So I leaning towards a shallow sand bed of crushed coral. Sound good?

[merlin0883]

I have a BFS RO/DI system that I got from Aquarium Design when I lived in San Marcos. It needs a new membrane and all new media. I found it to be a little inadequate for my 55gal tank, but I think it's because I'd hook it up, use it to make enough water to do a change, and unhook it. I've heard that not having it plumbed to allow water to continuously circulate is bad for the membrane. I plan to fix this in the future with a bigger system that is plumbed to a water line. Sound good?

[merlin0883]

Powerheads. I'm digging the vortechs. They aren't cheap, but if they do what they claim, I'm ok with it. I'm sure some of you actually have these. How many would I need for the tank if I do use in-tank powerheads, which I probably will now that I've checked these out--2? 3? 4? Would it be better to use 2 of the next size down on each side or one of the 60's on each side? Seems like the 60's may blast over a 20lb rock...

[BBQHILLBILLY]

If your going big, look into closed loop tanks. Biggest sump you can fit in stand, observing room for external reactors and external pumps and big skimmer.