Decision Made - Now on to setup.

[Boostable]

Ok, After getting all the answers to my questions it looks like I will be going with the 84 x 24 x 25 custom tank.

I used a on line tank calculator that I found and here is the info it provided.


Tank width:84 in (213.36 cm)
Tank height:25 in (63.50 cm)
Tank depth:24 in (60.96 cm)

Water volume:218.33 USG (826.47 liters)
Water weight:1,860.83 lbs (844.06 kilos)
Surface Area:2,016.00 in2 (13,006.43 cm2)

Suggested circulation:1,964.98 gallons per hour
Suggested water changes:43.67 to 54.58 gallons every two weeks
Suggested lighting:873.32 to 1,135.32 watts
Suggested heating:654.99 to 1,091.65 watts

Does all that look correct?

I am undecided on what to do about flow and if I should used a closed look or not. If I do (as the tank will have a hood) would the over the tank be just as efficient as the drilled setup?

I guess thats the decision that needs to be made is whether to or how much to drill the tank.

I plan on having dual overflows in the corners and though about having an extra hole drilled under each over flow for a return on the CL and port it out the side. I would then just need to have an inlet for the CL some where.

Whats everyones thoughts on this?


My next concern is filtration. All the LFS's in my area still want to sell me the wet/dry setup, but it seems like the consensus here is to use a refugium.

Now keep in mind that my setup is more on the lines of a FOWLR then a full reff and I don't expect to have more then 200lbs of LR in the tank and a few hardy corals. Nothing much more then that.

With that in mind I would like some opinions on the filtration setup.

Also, what about UV, etc...

Thanks for all the help...

Jack

[Steven Pro]

Suggested lighting:873.32 to 1,135.32 watts

Does all that look correct?

Now keep in mind that my setup is more on the lines of a FOWLR then a full reff and I don't expect to have more then 200lbs of LR in the tank and a few hardy corals. Nothing much more then that.

That was what I was looking for. Before you can decide on lighting, you have to decide on what you want to keep that requires light. As for specifics, I love VHO. It gives fish a great appearance and grows coralline algae (which minimizes nuisance algae) like crazy! But, it is probably not the most cost-effective option for a larger tank. You would need something like 8 110 watt lamps to get sufficient coverage. Whereas 4 175 watt MH's with good reflectors like the Lumerarc would be just as good.

Also, what kind of fish are we talking about? Mostly angels and tangs or sharks and puffers? Depending on your answer, my recommendations would shift.

[golfish]

I'd set the tank up for a closed loop for when you go full blown reef;) Do you think you'll need two overflows? How about a larger center overflow with a 2" bulkhead. This way you'll have more room for the fish to swim. You only need to do about 2000 gph though the sump, anymore will just make more noise.

I'd spend the cash on a GOOD skimmer and some more LR rather then get a Wet\Dry..I'd setup a 30 gal+fuge with a real deep sand bed, maybe 10", nothing else in it.

[Boostable]

I current have 2 tangs, 2 clowns, and some damsels in my 75. I don't see us getting or many more "if any" fish after the move up.

The only other fish that I would consider is a trigger, but don't see that happening.

Right now I use PC on the 75 and thought about moving those over and adding a few additional. They are the retro units, so I could easy move them.

Someone made a point earlier that 1 - 4' is more efficient then 2 - 2' lights which kinda makes sense, so I need to consider that with teh new tank.

I hear good and bad about the closed loop "well not bad, just not necessary" I don't have any experience in that area, so im not sure. My only concern there is drilling the tank, which offers more room for leakage... "I know, im thinking worst case".

One of the reason I want the dual corner overflow is so I can port the inlet out the side of the overflow to keep the top nice and neat. Thought it might give me a little better control of my flow. "and im trying keep the back clear. Its up against a wall, so im not really sure why... lol

Thanks,

JW

[Steven Pro]

I am not a big fan of closed loops. As you mention, they are one more possible place for a leak. But more than that, they are not efficient nor cost effective. A Tunze Stream 6060 puts out 1,600 gph at 11 watts and costs about $140. An Iwaki MD 70 RLT puts out 1,536 gph at 27 watts, costs $265, and is harder to install.

[Boostable]

Thanks Steve,

I appreciate the feedback on the CL.

Whats the consensus on refuge versus wet/dry for my setup?

Thanks,

JW

[Steven Pro]

Definitely a refugium

[Boostable]

Hello Everyone,

I ordered my tank today... Didn't end up with the Glasscages after all. I missed my cut off date to order as they are closed for the next 10 days..

Any way I ordered an AGA 210 and it should be here on Friday. Got it for 629.00 which I believe is a pretty good deal.

So now I need order the rest of my stuff.

For pumps I was thinking of some MAG 9's or 12's. or should I got external?

Will the dual mags give me the flow I need?

Thanks,

JW

[Reefland]

Congrats on the order!

I think you should go with an external pump for your return (Iwaki maybe) and then look into a Yunze Streat kit for interal tank movement. Without the closed loop, this is the way to go. Also you need to think about yor skimmer.

[Steven Pro]

Mag-Drive are very inexpensive yet reliable and can be mounted externally, but they are not the quietest pump in the world and they do impart some more heat than other true external pumps.

By the way, I have two Mag-Drive 1200's mounted externally as the return pumps on my 120. But, if I didn't go with the Mag-Drive's, Iwaki would have been my next choice.

[Boostable]

Thanks Scott... Im excited to get it here and get it setup. Got allot of preplanning to do along the way.

Someone recommend using one big pump, but I thought it would be benificial to have two pumps incase of failure. Being in the IT industry for 15yrs, has a way of doing that to you.. LOL

Steven I see you are running two mag 12's on your 120. Should I be running something larger on the 210?

What do you guys think of the sequence pumps?

Thanks,

Jack

[Steven Pro]

If the overflows and sump can handle it, yes I would run two larger pumps, perhaps 1800's. But, I am not sure the standard issue overflows could handle that much flow. I custom built my overflows to handle the flow I planned to pump.

My personal experience with external pumps is somewhat limited: Iwaki, Mag-Drive, Little Giant, and Quiet One (old style). And, I only recommend the first two.

[Poseidon]

I love the MAG pumps, i have 2 MAG 12's on my 90, one for return, one for Skimmer. I will end up going to a larger pump for my return when I put the sump in the basement, but for now it is GREAT!

[BubbaWPB]

Jack,

[BubbaWPB]

I *HATE* when that happens!

Now, as I was saying,

Jack,
So you went with the 210 AGA, eh? The more I look the more I keep coming back to that option. I was thinking of the Tunze controller and a couple of Turbelles for internal circulation. My LFS dude is trying to talk me outta the external pump because of potential leakage problems (although I notice he has them on all of his tanks... go figure).

Lemme know how it goes. I'm very interested in how it turns out for you.

Bubba

[Boostable]

Bubba,

Will keep you posted on the progress of the setup.. I will probrably start a progress thread and update it as I go along.

I started with the 210 AGA for the 72' rangeand like you just kept coming back to it. So that must of been a sign.

Tank will be in on Friday, and Stand/Hood about 4 days later.. "I hope"...

Decisions, Decisions...

Jack

[Boostable]

I love the MAG pumps, i have 2 MAG 12's on my 90, one for return, one for Skimmer. I will end up going to a larger pump for my return when I put the sump in the basement, but for now it is GREAT!

Mike,

Aren't you about ready to put the sump in the basement and sell me thoughs MAG 12's..

Jack

[golfish]

I agree with Reefland, go external...The funny thing I've found about Mag pumps is the two that I've used externally have never failed me and never get cleaned. The three that I've used in sump have all failed. These pumps are a lot like the Seio's, the ceramic shafts lockup when using a ca reactor along with kalk..


FWIW, I have two Sequence Barracuda pumps on my system, I really like the motors they use and their customer service is second to none. I highly recommend them.

[Boostable]

I was reading some good information on the AMPMaster, specifically on the low current pull and the potential saving it could bring.

Any opinions on that?

JW

[golfish]

It just depends on what kind of flow your looking for. I replaced my Amp Master 3000 with a Sequence because I needed a higher pressure rated pump. The Amp Masters are very good, if there's not a lot of head pressure and you keep the pipe 1.5" or more you can get a lot of flow from em... I used that pump for a long time with very little problems. The seal was going bad (about 4 years) so I just replace it with the Sequence. I'll replace the seal and keep it around for backup.

FWIW, The Dart from Sequence is a close match to the AM3k. I think Sequence has a few other low pressure\low wattage pumps.


There has been a lot of seal problems with the older Amp Master. I'm not sure about the newer models, plus their customer service isn't the best in the world.