125 Gallon Fish Only, filtration setup

[Justler]

I plan on setting up a 125 gallon fish only tank. I have a 55 gallon tank from the last SW FO tank that I did. As well, I have an extra 29 gallon tank.

My plan is to use the 55 as the sump, and using an MRC MR-2 w/ a MAG 18. As well, I'd like to use another MAG18 as a return pump connected to 2 or 3 Sea Swirls. It will have a head of 5 ft. Is this a ludicrous amount of water turnover for the size, or should I get a larger pump? The sump will be your typical sump w/ two sets of "three baffle bubble blockers". I could use the 29 as a refugium, or I could just add that into my 55 gallon.

I plan on having a 3-4 inch sand bed using south down from the local home depot. As well, i'll get a "sand activator" kit from one of the sponsoring vendors. I also would like to have around 150lb of live rock.

Tank will filled with messy eaters (mostly triggers and puffers).

Should I get two 300 watt heaters to put in the 55 gallon sump? I've got an old AquaClear 500 in storage incase I hit some water quality scares.

What would any of you do different? Are there flaws in my plan? I see fitting the 55 in the stand as a potential problem...

[Reefland]

Justler,

I think I would look for more flow than the MAG18 return, however if this is an AGA aquarium, the overflows might have a hard time keeping up with the return the pump is going to push through so you will need to look into other options, such as a closed loop or some powerheads. The 1 overflow on our 75gallon cannot keep up with a MAG9 which is why I suggest this.

Other than that, looks like a good start-up plan.

Scott Z.

[Justler]

Justler,

I think I would look for more flow than the MAG18 return, however if this is an AGA aquarium, the overflows might have a hard time keeping up with the return the pump is going to push through so you will need to look into other options, such as a closed loop or some powerheads. The 1 overflow on our 75gallon cannot keep up with a MAG9 which is why I suggest this.

Other than that, looks like a good start-up plan.

Scott Z.

Instead of drilling the tank, should I get a high-flow hang-on overflow? I remember some time ago I talked to you about purchasing one made by you?

[Reefland]

Hi Justler,

Having a drilled tank is much better than a hang-on overflow. The trick here is to get the overflows to handle a high amount of water flow. I would definitely go with built-in overflows. Do you already have this tank and if so, is it drilled?

Scott Z.

[Justler]

Hi Justler,

Having a drilled tank is much better than a hang-on overflow. The trick here is to get the overflows to handle a high amount of water flow. I would definitely go with built-in overflows. Do you already have this tank and if so, is it drilled?

Scott Z.

Haven't got the tank yet... I'm hoping to set this up sometime in July. I bought a new town house and thought I would wait til it's built and I move in to set it up. Can you adjust the size of the overflows with the AGA tanks, or is 1" standard? I guess I may have to have multiple overflows? I really would like minimal plumbing.