New tank setup help please :)

[extremeshannon]

Hello everyone. I have just picked up my first 150 Gallon tank that I want to make a [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Salt [COLOR=blue ! important]Water[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] Aquarium. I am in the planning and buying stage of what I need. I am new and have been reading but I would like to get some ideas from everyone on what I should buy. My friend is giving filtration system next week that goes along with the tank and I think lighting to. I know I will be upgrading the lighting.

What I want out of my tank. I want a reef tank with hard and soft corrals. I would like to have fish in there to like clown [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]fish[/COLOR][/COLOR], tangs, an eel and any other cool critters I can find. I plan on several months of getting the parts needed and getting the tank set into my bar. So I need to figure out what I need to buy. I also would like to have a computer watching over my tank with probes(not sure what is out there). My friend used a program called octopus 13 years ago and I like the concept.

OK time to make the list of what expensive things I need to buy. My plan is to have everything I need before I put water in, then get the system running with just water to get the water just right. Next will be live rock just foundation rock. After I can handle that put a few fish in and a clean up crew. After everything is good put some really nice beautiful coral. Wow sounds like a lot of work and I say 1 year and I should have a nice tank set up.

any suggestions would be great and I will start posting pics as soon as I get to putting the tank into it new home.

[Steve McKay]

Hello everyone. I have just picked up my first 150 Gallon tank that I want to make a [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Salt [COLOR=blue ! important]Water[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] Aquarium. I am in the planning and buying stage of what I need. I am new and have been reading but I would like to get some ideas from everyone on what I should buy. My friend is giving filtration system next week that goes along with the tank and I think lighting to. I know I will be upgrading the lighting.

What I want out of my tank. I want a reef tank with hard and soft corrals. I would like to have fish in there to like clown [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]fish[/COLOR][/COLOR], tangs, an eel and any other cool critters I can find. I plan on several months of getting the parts needed and getting the tank set into my bar. So I need to figure out what I need to buy. I also would like to have a computer watching over my tank with probes(not sure what is out there). My friend used a program called octopus 13 years ago and I like the concept.

OK time to make the list of what expensive things I need to buy. My plan is to have everything I need before I put water in, then get the system running with just water to get the water just right. Next will be live rock just foundation rock. After I can handle that put a few fish in and a clean up crew. After everything is good put some really nice beautiful coral. Wow sounds like a lot of work and I say 1 year and I should have a nice tank set up.

any suggestions would be great and I will start posting pics as soon as I get to putting the tank into it new home.

Welcome to Reefland. Here is a link read this material. Click here before you ask, (links to answers)

It is not wise to keep soft and hard corals together. Research this.

If you have an eel, you won't have much else. There predators, they eat meat. Fish is meat.

If this is your first tank period. I suggest you take few months to research. It doesn't sound like you know too much. Now is a good time to research, not after you have a problem which might have been circumnavigated.

I would highly suggest you state what you are going to do before you do it, at least while your setting up your tank. Not so we can criticize you but to help you before you make a mistake, we here at Reefland look out for each other.

[extremeshannon]

Thanks for the post. I am doing my research and don't plan on having water in my tank for about 6 months. I want to start buying the expensive gear I am going to need and have it all before I start putting it together. I figure a bout a year before I put any fish in there. This is a big project and I do have one friend that has been doing reefs for a long time to help me.

[Steve McKay]

Thanks for the post. I am doing my research and don't plan on having water in my tank for about 6 months. I want to start buying the expensive gear I am going to need and have it all before I start putting it together. I figure a bout a year before I put any fish in there. This is a big project and I do have one friend that has been doing reefs for a long time to help me.

A friend with experience is a good thing to have.

[reefer@zoom]

You will definitly need a protein skimmer along with some other stuff.I would also make very sure you pick the right livestock keep in mind if all goes well you have these animals for quite awile,and some of them simply wont tolerate one another.If your friend has had a reef tank for a long time maybe consider using some of the water from their water change when it comes time to set up yours.I did that when I set up my 120, the mature water from a older healthy tank had me ready for fish in 2weeks.

[TheMarineGuy]

a good size sump is gonna be needed thats for sure....30+ gallons should work....

[Steve McKay]

the mature water from a older healthy tank had me ready for fish in 2weeks.

So that's why you were having so many problems. The water from another tank doesn't have anything in it that would help speed up or cycle a tank. What it might have in it are not what you want.

[extremeshannon]

Thanks for all the reply's Here is my working document I have for my Reef Set up

Here is what I have so far after doing some of my research. I plan on doing everything up front as far as all equipment I need I will get and set up before I start introducing life to the aquarium. I am looking for above Adequate for the tank I want everything to thieve. I understand I have lots more to learn about chemistry and what can and can’t live in a tank. My goal right now is to find out what I need to buy and get the plumbing in order so I can build my bar. The tank is the center piece of my bar and I need to figure out how much space is needed where and what is needed to operate a tank of this caliber. I will be buying the parts as I go and placing them in side and getting the plumbed and tested for leaks. I am not in a hurry I want the tank done right so one day it will be a beautiful reef like the galleries I see. This is a working document for me and I will be meeting with my Contractor (friend) this next week to figure out where the bar goes and ideas he has. Lots of pictures will be taken and I will post a link to all plans for the bar design and tank design set up.

Bar
Any suggestions on placement, clearance above, below, behind, on the sides of the tank would be great. Everything will be hiding to the eye except the tank and life in the tank. This is a huge project and I am trying to find what placements the bar will be next week so I can get the layout and start the frame work next month.

Tank
150 Gallons of crystal clear habitable water.

Sump /Refugium
Skimmer à Return ß Refugium (¼” Acrylite FF)
I am going to build my own acrylic sump to fit under the bar were the tank will reside. The actual size will be determined after the frame of the bar is constructed. I plan on 70-90 gallons. I have read go as large as I can but any guide lines would be great.

RO/DI
Filter Direct Online Store (C)
Six Stage RO/DI not to badly priced.

Plumbing
½ or ¾ inch PVC pipe. Leaning towards 3/4


Lighting
AquaticLife™ HID Light Fixtures
72 Inch 3x150 Watt 10,000K HID 4x39 Watt 420/460 NM AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture W/ 6 Lunar LEDs

AquaticLife HID Metal Halide fixtures with T5 HO and Lunar LEDs
I like the idea of full spectrum and lunar lights.


Protein Skimmer
Reef Octopus NWB-200 Protein Skimmer *2010 Model
Reef Octopus NWB-200 Protein Skimmer *2010 Model
This skimmer will do 250 gallons This should cover the 150 gallon tank and up to 100 gallon sump. If I find my sump more than 100 gallons I will have to find a larger skimmer.

Controls
Reef Keeper ELITE V2 System by Digital Aquatics
Reef Keeper ELITE V2 System by Digital Aquatics - AquaCave


Live rock
A package from Tampa Bay Saltwater and this will be
150 lbs of live sand
300 live rock
150 Blue Leg Crabs
75 Astrea Snails
6 Tiger Tails Cucumbers
3 serpent or brittle stars
3 peppermint shrimp

Pets
Not too many pets planned yet. I want a coral reef and fish second to that. I have not done much research on Fish yet to see what can live together. These are just fish I have wanted.
Clown (nemo)
Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Clam
Sea Horse

[Steve McKay]

Thanks for all the reply's Here is my working document I have for my Reef Set up

Here is what I have so far after doing some of my research. I plan on doing everything up front as far as all equipment I need I will get and set up before I start introducing life to the aquarium. I am looking for above Adequate for the tank I want everything to thieve. I understand I have lots more to learn about chemistry and what can and can’t live in a tank. My goal right now is to find out what I need to buy and get the plumbing in order so I can build my bar. The tank is the center piece of my bar and I need to figure out how much space is needed where and what is needed to operate a tank of this caliber. I will be buying the parts as I go and placing them in side and getting the plumbed and tested for leaks. I am not in a hurry I want the tank done right so one day it will be a beautiful reef like the galleries I see. This is a working document for me and I will be meeting with my Contractor (friend) this next week to figure out where the bar goes and ideas he has. Lots of pictures will be taken and I will post a link to all plans for the bar design and tank design set up.

Bar
Any suggestions on placement, clearance above, below, behind, on the sides of the tank would be great. Everything will be hiding to the eye except the tank and life in the tank. This is a huge project and I am trying to find what placements the bar will be next week so I can get the layout and start the frame work next month.

Tank
150 Gallons of crystal clear habitable water.

Sump /Refugium
Skimmer à Return ß Refugium (¼” Acrylite FF)
I am going to build my own acrylic sump to fit under the bar were the tank will reside. The actual size will be determined after the frame of the bar is constructed. I plan on 70-90 gallons. I have read go as large as I can but any guide lines would be great.

RO/DI
Filter Direct Online Store (C)
Six Stage RO/DI not to badly priced.

Plumbing
½ or ¾ inch PVC pipe. Leaning towards 3/4


Lighting
AquaticLife™ HID Light Fixtures
72 Inch 3x150 Watt 10,000K HID 4x39 Watt 420/460 NM AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture W/ 6 Lunar LEDs

AquaticLife HID Metal Halide fixtures with T5 HO and Lunar LEDs
I like the idea of full spectrum and lunar lights.


Protein Skimmer
Reef Octopus NWB-200 Protein Skimmer *2010 Model
Reef Octopus NWB-200 Protein Skimmer *2010 Model
This skimmer will do 250 gallons This should cover the 150 gallon tank and up to 100 gallon sump. If I find my sump more than 100 gallons I will have to find a larger skimmer.

Controls
Reef Keeper ELITE V2 System by Digital Aquatics
Reef Keeper ELITE V2 System by Digital Aquatics - AquaCave


Live rock
A package from Tampa Bay Saltwater and this will be
150 lbs of live sand
300 live rock
150 Blue Leg Crabs
75 Astrea Snails
6 Tiger Tails Cucumbers
3 serpent or brittle stars
3 peppermint shrimp

Pets
Not too many pets planned yet. I want a coral reef and fish second to that. I have not done much research on Fish yet to see what can live together. These are just fish I have wanted.
Clown (nemo)
Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Clam
Sea Horse

BAR: There is noway for me to know your thoughts and how you visualize it when completed. Evidently you want to incorporate it completely into the bar. As I mull it over I see a regular flat top bar approx. 4' tall, to short to work because the tank would sit to low to be pleasing to the eye. If built taller would look like a monstrosity and not be able to serve as a bar. Again I have no idea what you are visualizing. I framed houses and decks for twenty years among other things so I do have that experience. I do know that it would be nice to be able to sit comfortably at the bar and view the tank, having said that if you built a wall to hide the tank and placed the tank where in a bar the big mirror would go with your bar supplies on the left and right and the bar in front of that you could comfortably view your tank at a reasonable distance. That or set it up in a regular way in a good viewing spot.

TANK: Please don't go with a acrylic tank, they are better in so many ways but one and that kills it for me. They scratch to easy and over the long run will look like ****. I would recommend a drilled Oceanic tank, but Aqueon bought them out and I don't think they have a standard 150 anymore so I'm at a loss. The next best would be a Aqueon brand tank. It has two small center braces that won't interfere with light transmission.

RO/DI: Yes.

PLUMBING: Use what is needed probably 1".

lighting: A 150 is usually taller about 29", you could use A T-5 HO light fixture with good bulbs such as Giesemann bulbs and be quite fine, less heat and energy cost. Or go with a MH light fixture, but I have no experience with such fixtures.

PROTEIN SKIMMER: A skimmer is the most important piece of equipment for a reef tank. I would look into the Bubble King Alpha cone skimmers series and get one of suitable size at least a 170, better yet a 200. I have the 170 for my 50 and it does a great job.

CONTROLS: Never used them.

LIVE ROCK: I would suggest at least 1 1/2 lb. per gallon.

SAND: I would suggest a 5" DSB (research this) for a standard 150 you would need 262.5 lb. for 5". I would suggest Carib Sea Aragamax it is fine grained pure white sand.

LIVE STOCK: Sea Horses do not do well in reef aquariums, they should have there own tank suitable for them. Research this too. If you need more help or have questions post them here, my thread or pm me.

[extremeshannon]

Thanks for the reply. I have a glass tank I was given. I will pick it up this weekend and get the exact measurements. As for the bar the tank is not going under the bar top. I plan on putting it behind the bar top where all the shelves are and cabinets. It will be set around the top of the bar height so when you sit at the bar top on a bar stool you can see the tank right in the middle. I figured if I put it under the bar top and incorporated that some how my tank would get stressed out from all the movement and noises from drunks. All I really need is how much space around the tank I need and the best way for me to place the tank. Thanks for all the great feed back and as soon as we get the concept drawn up I will be posting links for people to comment on and see what I need to change.

For the live rock I did not put lbs on it. I plan on using 300 lbs so that would be 2 pounds per gallon. For sand and rock I do not include my sump size to calculate or do I?

Thank you for all the help I know I am new and going to be reading and asking lots of questions to build the best reef I can.

[Steve McKay]

Thanks for the reply. I have a glass tank I was given. I will pick it up this weekend and get the exact measurements. As for the bar the tank is not going under the bar top. I plan on putting it behind the bar top where all the shelves are and cabinets. It will be set around the top of the bar height so when you sit at the bar top on a bar stool you can see the tank right in the middle. I figured if I put it under the bar top and incorporated that some how my tank would get stressed out from all the movement and noises from drunks. All I really need is how much space around the tank I need and the best way for me to place the tank. Thanks for all the great feed back and as soon as we get the concept drawn up I will be posting links for people to comment on and see what I need to change.

For the live rock I did not put lbs on it. I plan on using 300 lbs so that would be 2 pounds per gallon. For sand and rock I do not include my sump size to calculate or do I?

Thank you for all the help I know I am new and going to be reading and asking lots of questions to build the best reef I can.

As far as tank placement that's what I had in mind. You want as much space as possible, if it sits in the wall with cabinets on the sides try to leave a good amount of room between the cabinets and tank or it will detract the view of the tank. The wall can come up to the front sides of the tank and if dry walled will only be 4 1/2" thick, leave the back open for good access.

2lb. per gallon is fine, that is what I have. There's no set size for a sump, 30 or 40 gallon would be sufficient but it must be big enough for your skimmer and other equipment keep this in mind. You should also have a refugium probably 30 to 50 gallon or you can have a sump/refugium combination of about 50 to 75 gallon depending on what equipment and what you want in a refugium. I have a separate sump and fuge (for short) I like one dedicated place for equipment and one for macro algae and what not. It also adds more water volume and adds more stability to the entire system. No you don't add sump or fuge in the equation, 300 is perfect don't worry about the weight of sand or rock I have talked to Aqueon about this and you could fill a tank to the top with sand or rock without worry.

[Steve McKay]

Actually there is one thing you might think about and that is keeping the walls on the sides back about 4 to 6 inches to make it easier to get a magnetic algae scraper in there, also leaving the same space up top for ? who know something is bound to come up. To hide this space you can place a thin frame around the tank opening.

[extremeshannon]

here are a couple links to what I have in mind for my tank. Smaller scale at my house.

http://www.ecoism.co.uk/photogallery...fishtank_1.jpg

http://www.seaviewaquariums.com/imag...ial/12_med.jpg

http://www.acrylicaquariums.com/2009/bar_tank/bar.jpg

[Steve McKay]

here are a couple links to what I have in mind for my tank. Smaller scale at my house.

http://www.ecoism.co.uk/photogallery...fishtank_1.jpg

http://www.seaviewaquariums.com/imag...ial/12_med.jpg

http://www.acrylicaquariums.com/2009/bar_tank/bar.jpg

They all look good, but in photo #2 I would have kept the shelves back a little further. The one thing they have in common is that the tank is flush with either the wall or the front of the cabinets, except #2 and you can see how it detracts from the view.