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Brandon's WTH was I thinking 125 gallon madness

Brando457

Brando457

About 3 months ago I got in to the world of fish. I started with a 14 gallon biocube and recently got the urge to upgrade. Well I was looking for a 75-90 gallon tank to setup and stumbled upon my now 125 gallon oceanic. I know it is a huge upgrade and I am a tad bit scared TBH, but this should be an adventure that will either end up with me in a white jacket or something beautiful I will have for a long time.

Here is a picture of the tank sent to me by the seller:

fishtank.jpg


Here is the list of things I need to do and would appreciate recommendations from members to help make this as easy as possible because right now I am a bit overwhelmed.

1. finish renovating my room
2. buy or build a stand if I cannot find one
3. buy or build a sump
4. buy a protein skimmer
5. buy a return pump
6. figure out how I am going to add RO water
7. LR to start cycle
8. LIGHTS and move over everything out of my 14 gallon

Am I missing anything here?

In regards to 6. I was considering buying an RO maker, but I really have no place to put it and I think it'd be a PITA IMHO to set something like that up. (Maybe once everything is settled then I will figure out how I can incorporate it.)

I was wondering I see alot of people talking about tap water, I'm a bit confused on the subject. Would I be able to fill the tank with tap water when the LR is in and then add salt once the tank is cycled or do I need RO water immediately while cycling?

What confuses me is I know there are alot of minerals and elements in tap water, where I live we have well water not sure if that makes a difference.

Also as far as equipment goes I am at a loss of what to buy I see people saying needlewheel skimmers are the the best, do T5 not MH, do MH not T5 etc.

Preferably I'd want an in-sump skimmer and an in-sump return pump.

The sump would be: skimmer | refuge (sand/lr) | return pump

Lighting I plan on keeping mostly Softies and LPS and maybe one or two SPS (NO RUSH! :)) I was thinki :eek:ng 2 x 36" Wavepoint T5s like I saw at AF over their zero edge tank.

Sorry for the long thread, but I am trying to take this all in and I know the members on this board are extremely patient and helpful!
 
Brando457

Brando457

Realized I forgot to ask an important question. As the tank is used what is the best mixture to clean it with water/vinegar? If so what is the mixture 2:3 etc.



Picture I took for an idea of length:
IMG_0056.jpg
 
qwik

qwik

Lots of luck with the new tank . I'll try to answer some of your questions .
RO- You will end up needing one so set it up from the beginning if anyway possible . At the rate of .50-1$ a gallon the initial fill up and cycling of lr waterchanges will more than pay for the initial investment . They are real easy to set up .
You say add lr cycle than add salt ?? You need to cycle the lr in saltwater to try to save as much life as possible . You want to cycle with a few powerheads ,heater and a skimmer if possible .
Forget tap water . It has way to many contaminants in it and will be a total algae food source . This is the last thing you want while cycling and setting up a tank .
I can not tell if the tank is drilled for an overflow . A simple sump like you said will work . Check melev's site for sump ideas .
Everyone will suggest a different skimmer and lights . Cone skimmers are the new toy now but all the "old" non cones worked great before the cones and still do . T-5's should be all the light you need, look at jerseywendys tank, all t-5's, sps with amazing growth and colors . Forget buying lights(or anything) from AF . Expensuve . I posted a link to eBay auction from current direct, great lights at great price. That light you suggest is probably not enough . I would go with a 6-8 bulb 6 foot t-5 setup .
You will also have to figure out flow in the tank, I am a big fan of vortechs ans 2 will be good in that system.
Cleanup-Lots of fresh razor blades and water/vinegar. Theres no magic ratio, just dilute the vinegar a bit and start scrubbing .
Most important is to figure out what you will want to keep in the future and buy equiptment to support it now,once,and not have to keep upgrading and adding money into the system . Also ask questions/read ,use other peoples experience/mistakes to save yourself some troubles .
Oh yeah, Have Fun !
 
Brando457

Brando457

RO - I'm going to buy a RO maker I've decided. Will I have an issue if I say fill up like 25 gallons add that to the tank, rinse and repeat until tank is entirely full?

LR - I think I'm going to go with about 100 pounds base rock and then I have about 20 pounds from my current tank and maybe another 20 pounds of LR.

Overflow - It has 2 overflows, one in each corner.

Light - the CurrentUSA sale is done, but any recommendation on a 6 ft fixture that won't break the bank too too much?

Skimmer - I'm kind of loss as to which to do

Return pump - Was thinking a mag 18

Would it be better to run an external skimmer and pump or are in-sump ones fine? I know in-sump adds heat, but other than that I see no advantages to external. Also I don't have the tools necessary to drill the sump so kind of stuck I guess.


"buy equipment to support it now,once,and not have to keep upgrading and adding money into the system"

You are 100% correct on this I plan on eating the initial costs, but at the price in the future I won't have to worry about upgrading my equipment if I want to add more stuff.


I would love to do vortechs, but IMHO they are a bit pricey. Unless I could find 2 for $400 then I could justify it.

Also I was wondering about heaters, I was thinking 2 x 300 watts, but I'd like to place them in the sump. I am confused though because wouldn't the water in the sump being moving at such a constant rate that the heaters wouldn't have enough time to actually heat the water or would it be one of those things that the water passing through is slowly heated and gradually builds to that uniform temperature?

Sorry so many questions, but I want to make sure when I DO DO this I am secure in the thought process.
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

Great idea on getting the RO Unit now....It WILL save you headaches down the road!! Check out AirWaterIce...I have their RO and I have no complaints.

Good idea with the base rock ;)

Check for sale forums...I got my MH fixture on ReefCentral at a REALLY good price. I'd still suggest getting MH over T5. I know there are many people out there with T5's who have great tanks!! I really like the look and penetration of the MH's. Check out this site...it's a very interesting read about lighting...http://www.reef-eden.net/lighting.htm

I have an ASM G3 skimmer and I have no complaints. All you need to do is make sure its rated for more than your tank is. A lot of the big named skimmers will work great, but if you get a name, people can give their opinions.

For return pumps I'd go with 2 seperate pumps...one on each return line. I have it set up that way and it works really well. I get great flow from both and I have the piece of mind that if one fails, I still have the other running until I can replace the broken one.

Go with the in-sump skimmer and pump. It won't add that much heat in a system that size. And I always worry about anything external springing a leak.

2-300 Watt heaters will work perfectly!! And yes they will work in the sump. It's a good idea to have 2 of them in case one fails. And it's nice to have them in the sump as you can't see them there. And no worries...I'm not exactly sure how the heaters work with the flow, but they do work.

Now don't forget...if you are thinking about setting up an in-sump fuge, then the water shouldn't be rushing through the fuge. It should move through the fuge at a nice steady pace, but not so fast that the macro is tumbling out of control. And the longer the water is in the fuge, the more elements the macro will use up.

Good luck man!! And keep asking questions!! And like qwik said....HAVE FUN!!
 
qwik

qwik

To save some money you can build your own sump, get a large tank that fits under your cabinet. I went to lowes and had them cut one big piece of glass into the baffles I needed .I covered the sharp edges with plastic molding sold in the tile department .Place your equipment in the sump to plan out the baffles . Silicon it yourself and you have a cheap sump . I have all my equipment in the sump. I know it adds some heat but I think the no-leak aspect is worth the heat . I do not run filter socks,hated cleaning them, but added another area in my sump as a settling area. It measures 5 gallons and I just vacuum it out and add 5 gallons of fresh water during a change .
You do want enough flow to tumble the macro so it all gets some light. The heaters will work fine in a fuge . You will save money buying base rock but loose out on diversity . You can buy used live rock cheap, just be sure it comes from someone reputable . Theres really not all that much difference in cost of live vs base if you shop around .
 
Brando457

Brando457

Lol Steve I might end up buying you a keg to help me!

I should've looked at your sump better when I was there to see the pumps, I was just actually looking at this MH fixture http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...1060&idCartRow=17826263&isKit=0&child=CU01066

but it does not come with T5 for blue actnics, which I think would cost more to setup as opposed to an AIO fixture.

As for stand I need to either find one used or I might go buy a metal one and frame it out with some wood to cover it. (Any recommendations if this is ok or not?)

For the sump yeah I'll end up making my own, I forget Steve did you have a fuge in yours? I know I saw the skimmer, filter sock, and what appeared to be a lot of rock.
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

An all MH fixture might come across too yellow or white for your taste.

If you are looking to drop $700 on a fixture - you could just do this t5 one:
http://www.marinedepot.com/Current_...xtures-Current_USA-CU01083-FILTFIT5T5-vi.html

or find a 30% off coupon and head over to That Pet Place on a wed.

Now don't quote me on this - but I read that MH will have coverage of about 24" per light. so your tank being only 18" front to back - you'll actually have light being "wasted". If it were me - I'd use T5's on your tank.

Definitely consider getting an RODI from a sponsor. TBAquatics sells them, so does AWI. I have the AWI typhoon 3.
In terms of saving money - hey in this economy you are one of the few who are buying/setting up. A lot of people are leaving the hobby and there are deals to be found if you are patient. That stated - consider buying pumps that may be discontinued. For example, I use tunze streams - you can typically get them cheaper today since everyone is upgrading to tunze stream 2's. You may also want to post a "WTB" for a 72x18 stand. Never know.
 
Q

quollster

i went through what you're doing a year ago (except i started with a 200gal tank).
one thing, in retrospect, i did get right was the whole base rock thing.

i started with choosing an approximate aquascaping scheme.
i then ordered 3-4 boxes of rock from reefcleaners.org (this is the generic
floridian coral rock they mine inland, available from marco rocks and
other places as well) with requests to favor specific shapes (i needed 9x3x3 shapes
to make my arches). i did buy some local live rock but none of it was as
pretty as the base rock. i also bought some GARF grunge to seed it as
well; that has paid off handsomely in terms of biodiversity.
 
qwik

qwik

Alot of people use tech?(tek) lights for t-5's . You get to pick bulbs that way .Worth a look . If you go metal stand you can attach front and/or side panels with magnets to have easier access to your equipment
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Give the 24/25" height on the tank, I think both the 39watt T5s and the 150watt MH lighting you are looking at will be insufficient for the tank.

For MH, I'd think you'd want at least 250watt, and given the 2'x2' coverage of metal hallide, you'd need 3 of them.

Best bet is still going to probably be the 6' 80watt T5's, I'd say 6 bulbs. If you do not plan to have a canopy on the tank, and need a fixture, this is an option:

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...oduct_Code=SL-960145&Category_Code=SunlightT5

If you plan to have a canopy, you can go with something like these:

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...oduct_Code=SL-250520&Category_Code=SunlightT5

Either way, it's about the same price, and you would have to add in for bulbs.

As for skimmers? I dunno. You'll get a ton of different opinions on this. Personally, I don't believe you have to spend over $500 on a skimmer for it to be "effective", and I really don't think the ginormous $1500+ skimmers offer all that much more. Find something realtively somewhere in the "middle", and be sure it's overrated for your tank.

Definitely go with the RO/DI unit. Water, not lights or skimmer, is the most important component of your system. It will save you nightmares later.

Keep your eyes peeled, slow and steady wins the race!
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

+6 or whatever on RO/DI AWI or TB aquatics you are getting a good product.

Where is your tank going to be in your house? Even if you have the sump in the stand, which I do, you can put some of the equipment below/behind the tank. Things like auto top off containers, salt water mixing containers, etc can be hidden. See my tank thread for what I did as an example.

I second the fixture that mfisher points out. I am a T5 guy, another brand is Catalina Aquariums they sell direct and for initial cost they come with bulbs. You will want to replace almost any stock bulb with maybe exception of ATI fixtures(expensive)

Sand or no? My suggestion is some live sand mostly dry. Would suggest the same with rock for cost. A lot of people are selling ... here or Manhattan Reefers you can get good live rock at a discount. I would buy dry rock and sand from Marco Rocks or you could get sand from Drs Foster...cheap and they don't charge a lot for shipping....I bought 120lb of dry and 40 live.

If I were you I would make myself very familiar with www.premiumaquatics as we will be doing a group buy eventually if you can take your time. Think dicount from the prices and you cannot beat it. No shipping either.

I have a Mag 12 and it was enough for me, too much am runing a TLF reacto also off it. Remember the more flow you have the more waterfall sound you have. Mags are quiet and reliable.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

You won't want to put SPS in that 6inches most likely but so long as you are going to hang it you should be fine.
 
Brando457

Brando457

JRWOHLER said:
You won't want to put SPS in that 6inches most likely but so long as you are going to hang it you should be fine.
Click to expand...

sweet and as far as mounting moonlights? or are they even necessary
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

No but they are a lot of fun, you get to see what comes out at night.
Also for some corals they are dependent on lunar cycles, somewhat beyond me.
 
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