Needing suggestions on reef aquarium equipment

[fishgeeksrus]

We are in the process of getting our 180g up and running properly. Obviously this is not a cheap hobby. So, we have been buying things a little at a time. I am looking for suggestions as to what the next purchase should be?

Currently we have...

180g all glass aquarium w/ diy stand and canopy
3 250W MH
2 VHO actinics
2 3" fans in canopy
Iwaki WMD 30RLXT running the two returns back into the tank
18 X 18 X 47 refugium which houses a Red Sea Berlin Style PS which is operated by a pump (of which I don't even know the make or size) It seems to be a pretty powerful pump though.
100 lbs of lr (plan to add another 100 - 150 lbs fully cured)
40+ lbs of base rock
9 bags of live sand
3 bags of live sand in refugium along with about 15- 20 lbs of lr in refugium

I have attached a few pictures for you to get an idea of how our system is set up. I took these this am so just the actinics are on.

Thank you in advance for all of your suggestions.

[RayPollett]

We are in the process of getting our 180g up and running properly. Obviously this is not a cheap hobby. So, we have been buying things a little at a time. I am looking for suggestions as to what the next purchase should be?

Currently we have...

180g all glass aquarium w/ diy stand and canopy
3 250W MH
2 VHO actinics
2 3" fans in canopy
Iwaki WMD 30RLXT running the two returns back into the tank
18 X 18 X 47 refugium which houses a Red Sea Berlin Style PS which is operated by a pump (of which I don't even know the make or size) It seems to be a pretty powerful pump though.
100 lbs of lr (plan to add another 100 - 150 lbs fully cured)
40+ lbs of base rock
9 bags of live sand
3 bags of live sand in refugium along with about 15- 20 lbs of lr in refugium

I have attached a few pictures for you to get an idea of how our system is set up. I took these this am so just the actinics are on.

Thank you in advance for all of your suggestions.

I would add all the detrivore variety you can and wait 3-4 weeks before adding the next grow of animals.

Ray

[fishgeeksrus]

Thanks, when you say detrivore, do you mean clean up crew? If so, what clean up crew do you recommend?

I am really looking more towards next equipment purchase?

[orion25]

Detrivore kits are not the same as clean up crews. Try ipsf.com or inland aquatics.com. they can provide the little worms and pods that will give your tank and ref. true diversity.

I would also suggest that you ditch the "Berlin Style" skimmer you have and get a My Reef skimmer. I have a Berlin Turbo and I cannot wait until I have the $$ to get a MR1. You can find them at the following link:

http://www.myreefcreations.com/index.html

Hope this helps...

[Ninong]

As far as equipment goes, you might consider a good calcium reactor as a worthwhile addition to your present setup. Eventually you will want to replace your Red Sea Berlin skimmer. It is not adequate for a 180-gal reef tank.

How are you doing temperature-wise? You may need to consider a chiller if you are unable to maintain a stable temperature in an appropriate range.

If you do not already have one, get a refractometer as your very next piece of equipment. You can get them for about $50 now. These are much better than hydrometers and the best $50 you will ever spend in this hobby.

[tanker300]

I agree on skimmer, spend money on a euroreef for your tank, you will have less problems and good oxygen exchange. The biggest one you can fit under your tank. They are plug and play,very easy to operate and your tank will love you for it.

[kevinpo]

I also advise getting a better skimmer. The two mentioned above are great skimmers but I like the Barr Aquatics one best

http://barraquatic.com/index.html

You don't mention if you have any other flow besides the Iwaki or what types of corals you plan on keeping. If you plan on SPS types then you will need to increase your flow in the tank to about 2,700 GPH or so.

HTH,
Kevin

[fishgeeksrus]

As far as equipment goes, you might consider a good calcium reactor as a worthwhile addition to your present setup. Eventually you will want to replace your Red Sea Berlin skimmer. It is not adequate for a 180-gal reef tank.

How are you doing temperature-wise? You may need to consider a chiller if you are unable to maintain a stable temperature in an appropriate range.

If you do not already have one, get a refractometer as your very next piece of equipment. You can get them for about $50 now. These are much better than hydrometers and the best $50 you will ever spend in this hobby.

That is definitly something we want to get.
Temp. wise we are stable at around 81 - 82, but we haven't installed the doors on the stand yet and we have a window fan that sucks the air out of the room. We are definitly going to have to get a chiller. Just to see, one day we proped the doors up to the stand and the temp got up to 85 deg that day.

Refractometer for sure. The cheapest one that we have found has been around $75.00

[fishgeeksrus]

I agree on skimmer, spend money on a euroreef for your tank, you will have less problems and good oxygen exchange. The biggest one you can fit under your tank. They are plug and play,very easy to operate and your tank will love you for it.

Forgive me for asking, but euroreef, is that a name brand or another product? Sorry <shrug>

[fishgeeksrus]

I also advise getting a better skimmer. The two mentioned above are great skimmers but I like the Barr Aquatics one best

http://barraquatic.com/index.html

You don't mention if you have any other flow besides the Iwaki or what types of corals you plan on keeping. If you plan on SPS types then you will need to increase your flow in the tank to about 2,700 GPH or so.

HTH,
Kevin

I will check out that skimmer. Thanks

Mostly sps, what do you suggest, getting a bigger pump? We just have the two returns.

[Ninong]

Refractometer for sure. The cheapest one that we have found has been around $75.00

Here is a good one for only $50.00: http://www.northcoastmarines.com/REFRACT.htm The $75.00 one that they offer is lighted. You don't need that. Just hold it close to your tank's lights or walk outside in the sunlight to read it.

[fishgeeksrus]

Here is a good one for only $50.00: http://www.northcoastmarines.com/REFRACT.htm The $75.00 one that they offer is lighted. You don't need that. Just hold it close to your tank's lights or walk outside in the sunlight to read it.

I saved that link to my favorites. Thank you!!

[Ninong]

Euro-Reef is the name of the company: http://www.euro-reef.com/ Their skimmers have been extremely popular the last couple of years.

[kevinpo]

The challenge with getting a bigger pump will be that if you put too much flow through the refugium/sump then you have the risk of microbubbles getting back to the main display tank. Also you have a limit on what the standard drains will handle.

It would be better (IMO) to create additional flow just inside the tank. There are many ways to do this like adding a couple of powerheads, surge tank, or Tunze stream devices.

HTH,
Kevin

[fishgeeksrus]

What about uv sterilizers for a reef aquarium? reccommended or not?

[Ninong]

What about uv sterilizers for a reef aquarium? reccommended or not?

See here: UV Filter