Welcome to the Reef Forum.
Results 1 to 10 of 10
  1. #1
    Tenant
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    51
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    advice on a 180 or 220

    okay I am ready to get a 180 or 220 by Perfecto. Not sure what type of filtration I need for a reef environment. Would like to have the aquarium not drilled and hang everything off the back of it.

    Is this possible any suggestions or advice before I get started are the drilled aquariums that much better.

    The middle space is 21" the outer is 21.75". There are 2 center braces as you probably know so I will have 3 spaces to fill. I was thinking three emperor 400's but there would be no room for a protien skimmer. Possibly 2 emperor's and 2 skimmers in the middle all hang on. Is this possible.
    Last edited by jckjohn; 03-04-2006 at 12:03 PM.

  2. #2
    Citizen
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    ENGLAND/MILT
    Posts
    116
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    with that volume of water i would realy look at getting drilled. most hot skimmers are only good to a max of 80-90 gallons and that is the most inportant piece of gear. the next thing is drilling for a closed loop system. now i can understand that it does cost a little more to drill but i dont think there is a good way to acomplish all the filteration required by a tank that big without it.

  3. #3
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Bardstown, KY
    Posts
    13,767
    Images
    51
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    Agreed. However, it is very important to decide what you want to accomplish before you take the plunge. Fish tank? Reef tank? If reef, what kind of reef? These are the absolute most important things to know before planning a setup.
    Scott Z.
    75 Gallon Reef Log
    Powered by Reefland's Personal Online Aquarium Log

  4. #4
    Tenant
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    51
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    thanks

    cheers...

    I just talked to foster's and smith and they said I could go with a Cyclone bio-filter model number CY194. up to 200 gallons with a built in protien skimmer. I will have to buy the new corallife turbo-sea external pump to run the thing though

    I think this is the most cost effective way without drilling the tank.

  5. #5
    Tenant
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    51
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    new to this

    I know I don't want hard corals I can't afford it... The light I want is the aqualight pro hqi\compact fluorescent\lunar light fixture.

    72" 834 watt with 4 lunar lamps from foster's and smith

    low to moderate corals maybe some moderate to high not many put these at the top and some fish to create movement along with some powerheads at both ends with the Lifegard customflo water system from foster's and smith.

  6. #6
    Tenant
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Bay Area, Ca.
    Posts
    55
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    The built in skimmers usually do not work all that great, they are usually just a venturi driven type, no needle wheel to chop the bubbles smaller. I had one in my wet/dry and it worked OK, not good. you do not have to drill the tank to run a sump. You can have an overflow box hang off the back and run it down to you sump/refugium, where you have a good protein skimmer. I my opinion the protein skimmer is the most important piece of equipment you can buy, if you had a monster skimmer and less light or less live rock you could survive, but if you had a dinky little crappy skimmer and tons of live rock, your system would eventually crash form a build up of detritus. That is to say if you used the same amount of husbandry of course, I don't mean to insult those of you out there that work allot harder on you systems than I do myself.
    If I only had a bigger tank, I could.......
    What I say to my wife two months after every upgrade.

  7. #7
    Tenant
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    51
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    thank you kindly

    Well maybe I'll go with the CPR Cyclone bio-filter and the coralife needel wheel skimmer so I will have 1 generic skimmer with the venturi action and 1 good skimmer

  8. #8
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Bardstown, KY
    Posts
    13,767
    Images
    51
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    jckjohn,

    If you are going to invest the money in a large system such as a 180 or 200, then there is no need to look at "cost effectiveness" (read = cheapest) equipment to use. Setting up a reef tank, and running it successfully takes time and money, neither can be shortcut. Therefore, I would strongly recommend a pre-drilled tank which uses a sump, external skimmer, good return pump and then a lot of good quality liverock. A deep sand bed of fine sand would be my choice as well.
    Scott Z.
    75 Gallon Reef Log
    Powered by Reefland's Personal Online Aquarium Log

  9. #9
    Tenant
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    51
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    I agree Reefland I would like to make a new transition with the least amount of problems as possible. I was just wondering if there was a way to have a filter without having to drill the tank.

    Is the CPR a good brand? What about the MegaFlow Sump Filter? and the Ocean Clear Model 340 canister filter?

    I have decided on the 180 gallon aquarium 72x24x24 made by Perfecto.
    Last edited by jckjohn; 03-04-2006 at 03:01 PM.

  10. #10
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Bardstown, KY
    Posts
    13,767
    Images
    51
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    Ok, so you are decided on a tank. Now, you need to find a sump. The great thing here is you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on one. In fact, all you need is a good sized standard aquarium. If your case, I would try to find a used 55 gallon or 75 gallon tank, add a few baffles to it and get a good return pump. Don't bother with getting a pre-made sump unless you have some disposable funds and you can get a good system from like Lifereef, My Reef, etc.
    Scott Z.
    75 Gallon Reef Log
    Powered by Reefland's Personal Online Aquarium Log


 

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

     

Similar Threads

  1. Need advice
    By Little fish in forum Saltwater (Fish-Only) Aquariums
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 02-02-2006, 06:35 PM
  2. Need some advice.
    By ghofmann in forum Reef Aquariums
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 11-16-2005, 10:36 PM
  3. Small reef tank advice. Need tank advice
    By Lynsey in forum Tanks, Filtration & Basic Equipment
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 03-27-2002, 03:42 PM
  4. Need some advice
    By Mikeman in forum Reef Aquariums
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-17-2001, 02:03 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108