210 Gallon Pre-Build discussion

[michael_in_nc]

So I've decided to upgrade my 75G to a 210G. I'm in the planning stages and wanted to get some feedback from the big tank crowd.

1. Tank vendor. I'm leaning towards Reef Savvy. Shipping cost will probably be high, but tank quality and customization seems worth it?

2. Starphire glass. Front panel only is $200 to upgrade. Is it worth it?

3. Sump / Refugium. I don't have a great fish room setup, so I plan to keep the bulk of the system under the tank. How big of a sump / refugium is right for a tank this size? I was thinking about a 55 - 65 gallon tank?

4. Circulation. I'm leaning towards internal pump system versus a closed loop. It seems simpler, more flexible, and probably about the same cost with maybe less power for the same water movement??? What kind of pumps does everyone use. I like the looks of the Ecotech Vortech, but they are pricey and I have no experience with them.


Lots of questions, and I'm sure I'll have more...

Thanks for the inputs,
Michael

PS - I'll start a build thread once I start getting gear in.

[Aporia]

The most important thing is to make sure it has casters:lmao:

[am3gross]

i have a 210 also.. i have vortechs.... 2 of them.... would suggest getting 4 total. i dont think i have enough random flow in mine.. you could do a closed loop and 2 vortechs. i think that would suffice.... alot depends on what you are trying to keep... sps? lps? mixture? i would figure out the inhabitants first and go from there.

my personal opinion on sumps is bigger the better... i am using a 75 gallon right now. i used to have a 100 gallon stock tank and 2 75s plumbed together... my tank looks good now but it has looked better..... one thing to consider is that if you have 285 gallons or 500 gallons of water the price goes up for supplements... part of the reason why i went with just a 75 on the new setup..

HTH.... these are just my opionions here.. there are no right or wrong answers. its what u want!!!! happy reefing!

[michael_in_nc]

Do you have the 40's? That seemed like the best route other than a closed loop. My main concern was the cost on the vortechs. I will probably do a mixture, but mostly fish and lps was my plan.

Do you have your sump under the tank, or in a separate room? I'll be locked to an under the tank configuration, so that is a concern with a big sump. I want to have enough room to be able to work as needed.

[am3gross]

i have the mp40w... they are awesome... i have mostly lps and i still want 2 more mp40w... my sump is under the tank... my stand was made by me... it is 10 feet long and 45 inches tall.. i didnt like the looking down on a regular stand so i made my stand where the tank sits eye level with you... makes it harder to get in and move stuff around but it does have its advantages too....

u could do a closed loop and 2 vortechs.... cheaper then to buy 4 all at once. u could also just buy the 2 and save for the other 2 to see if you actually need it... 2 might be enough for you.. just not my preferance....

HTH.....

[Dwerbs]

awesome

[michael_in_nc]

I am probably going with the vortechs. Just have to get over the price. I'll start with one to try it out, then add once I get used to them. I'll supplement with my koralia & tunze until then...

Thanks for the inputs.

What kind of skimmer do u run?

[bevoboy]

Just a thought here, but you could use 40s on the ends and a couple of 10s on the back glass. Will drive down your cost and give you some pretty diverse flow in the tank.

[::PixelFish::]

I have a standard 210 with two of the new MP40's on the left and right side. I love the different flow patterns you can get with the Votechs and I think they are quite strong combined with my returns. I can't keep sand in the middle of my tank towards the glass, it just blows away with time. In my picture you can see how the level sandbed that I started with has been pushed towards the sides of my tank.

I'm just starting to stock my tank with more corals but so far my SPS frags are doing great. My poor anemones/frogspawn/hammer/torch corals are whipped back and forth by the strong flow.

I have a 40 gallon breeder as a sump and I use a Super Reef Octopuss 3000 as a skimmer. It skims the foulest smelling gunk you can imagine.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f295/WrasseAttack/tank.jpg

[michael_in_nc]

PixelFish, how many lbs of live rock is that?

[UWUALineman]

I also have a standard 210G. I agree with a bigger the better approach with the sump, however, you have to plan for that accordingly since you are going in stand and always plan for possible failures. I am working with approximately 280G so my skimmer is a bit overkill, a 5ft GEO recirc skimmer, but it does great for SPS and a rather messy vlamingi. As far as flow, I have 2 MP40W's, 2 Tunze 6025's,4 return lines from a PS200 and a 6215 Tunze Wavebox. The 40's are really nice but I think lack the power to push across the tank, hence the Tunzes I have on the side of the overflows.. You may consider the 2 MP60's in place of 4 MP40's, but you are still shelling out some coin.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p309/jrm03/DSC_0304.jpg
I placed the Tunzes in this location to deal with the lack of flow in this area. Not sure what your plans were for overflows.

[michael_in_nc]

Where's the best place to get the Vortech's?

[UWUALineman]

I picked mine up off ebay through a best offer auction, however, you have to watch with the sellers due to some of them somehow doing something with serial numbers that did not have warranties. I saved approximately 70 bucks a piece through this approach.

[michael_in_nc]

I'm probably going with a Reef Savvy tank. A custom overflow was part of the quote. I was planning to do one larger (longer) overflow in the center with two returns so I could easily split out the return flow into different sections of the tank...

[michael_in_nc]

I will keep an eye on ebay...

[Aporia]

PixelFish nice tank is that a sun-coral in the middle? If so how often do you feed it?

[Aporia]

Michael,
Have you ordered anything yet.

[::PixelFish::]

Thanks Aporia. That's a colony of bambam zoanthids.

Michael: That's about 120 pounds of Marco rock. I buy all my stuff from Reefspecialty.com Great prices, ship fast and you can e-mail at night and get either an e-mail or phone call back. Fantastic customer service.

[ddefilippis]

What's the 210 tank dimensions from Reef Savvy? Thanks.

[michael_in_nc]

The tank dimensions I have quoted are 72" x 24" (deep) x 28" (high). I'm waiting to get a firm commitment that I have someone to build my stand. After that, I will order the tank and start to order the rest of my new gear as well....

[michael_in_nc]

I'm not sure I've heard much about "reefspecialty.com". I will check them out. I have been using Marine Depot and Premium Aquatics.

[gary faulkner]

Hi Michael,

What large city are you near in NC?

[michael_in_nc]

I am just outside of Greensboro.

[gary faulkner]

Great place to be compared to Fayetteville. You won't have any trouble getting fish and coral locally. Good luck on the build and I will be tagging along.

[michael_in_nc]

Tank is ordered!

210G from Reef Savvy. I'm going to start a build thread when I get farther along...

I've already ordered most of the gear and it should be here this week.

[dossfj]

I have a 210 gallon (84"x24"x24") and I mainly agree with the bigger sump advice. We are currently running a 55 gallon sump under the tank and the 12" width is getting really annoying. You have extra room under the tank and the 12" width wastes it and makes working in the sump difficult. Get an 18" width tank under the tank for ease of use. A standard 75 would work nice. Personally I'm breaking my sump down and going to use several different size tanks, all gravity fed, for different sump areas. Good luck!

[geaux xman]

so what did you decide on the final dimensions? is that 1/2" glass eurobraced? what about overflow?

for the sump, i got me a used standard 75g from a person on a local forum. you should try that rather than a slim 55g. they generally go for about $75-100.

as far as Vortechs goes, try to find a vendor that has 10-15% off. I got my mp60 for 15% off so it wasnt that pricey at all.

[michael_in_nc]

Dimensions are 72" x 24" x 28"(H). It's Eurobraced. The tank includes a custom overflow however I want it. Felix @ Reef Savvy is great to work with. He suggested (2) 1.5" drains in the overflow box, but then run the returns on the outside and over the top to reduce the overflow size. It looks like the overflow would be about 12 - 14" wide by 4" deep positioned in the center. That would be enough room to put in the drains.

The first piece of equipment that came in happened to be the skimmer. I got a Super Reef Octopus 3000. I'm pretty happy with the fit and finish so far, but haven't fired it up. I picked up a used 55G & 40G breeder off of a local board for cheap. The skimmer in that 55G looks *REALLY* tight. I'm having the same concerns that everyone else is having, but now I've got a 55G sump. Fortunately, I don't have alot of money in it.

The 40G breeder is going to be my RO/DI reservoir.

My current display is actually a 75G. That could become my sump! Problem is it's already drilled with a corner overflow. I wonder if there is an easy way to deal with that? Any thoughts?

[michael_in_nc]

I got my first order in this weekend (the skimmer) and another big shipment came in today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58151731@N03/5344471501/

[caliking]

cant wait to see the new tank..

[michael_in_nc]

Let me try this again...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_NAmb8F9awzQ/TSvJirjZzfI/AAAAAAAAAEU/XkzqdJ-3olk/s1280/IMG_1141.jpg

[michael_in_nc]

I'm going to start a full build thread now...

I was going to wait but I've been getting valuable feedback, so I am going to go ahead and start the build thread to get more inputs. I'll try to keep the pictures coming...

Thanks!

[michael_in_nc]

You guys were right... The skimmer is *really* snug in the 55g.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_NAmb8F9awzQ/TSvJiZrCEkI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/5hUzfteHZTA/s1024/IMG_1137.jpg

[michael_in_nc]

I started a build thread. Hope everyone joins in and keeps the feedback coming in...

[gary faulkner]

You guys were right... The skimmer is *really* snug in the 55g.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_NAmb8F9awzQ/TSvJiZrCEkI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/5hUzfteHZTA/s1024/IMG_1137.jpg

And that's exactly what you want a snug fit. Now you have to place baffles in the sump to keep the water level at the skimmer constant and to help keep bubbles from returning to the display.

HTH

[GKill]

I am considering upgrading to a 200+ gal system. If I get enough flow using vortechs within the tank, how much flow do you suggest thru the sump and refugium?

[gary faulkner]

Great question, people ask this all the time. Some folks think that you have to have a tremendous amount of flow through sump but the fact is you only need enough through sump to allow skimmer to work properly and usually that doesn't take much at all. The flow through the sump is only as much as the overflow on the display will handle anyway. There is a calculator on here somewhere that will tell you this. I used to know it off the top of my head but haven't dealt with it in a while now so don't have it commited to memory any longer.

HTH