new 150 gallon

[Palidora5]

i have a 150 gallon (72Lx18wx27t) african cichlid tank built into the wall in my basment that is now going to be torn all done and a reef tank started. :bounce3::bounce3:

so far i have a the lights diy led build form rapid led, 75 gpd bulk reef supply ro/di filter diy 55 gallon sump, saltwater mix, and 120lbs of sand.

need to buy rock and skimmer

thats where the questions start lol i was thinking of buying the brs reef saver rock, should i go with all of this rock or buy 150lbs of this and 30 lbs of live rockor just 180 lbs of reef saver rock :uhoh2:

also i am so confused about the skimers with all the diff kinds and shapes i am so lost lol

thanks for all the help in advance i cant wait to get this thing moving :bounce3:

[TX..r33f]

Hi for the rock i would do 150lbs of reef saver and 30 or more pounds of live. This is so it can seed the other rock. As for skimmer their are alot of them. My favorite is reef octopus. You should look into the brand. Good luck on the build

[Palidora5]

I also have a 29 gallon tank I was thinking using as a qt tank And maybe a future frag tank what kind of filtration is needed for a tank like this

[bnumair]

reef octopus all the way.

[aleonn]

+1 on Reef Octopus as well.

I'd get the 150 lbs of dry rock, and seed it with 20-30 lbs of LR. Personally, I like the BRS Pukani rock better for their shape, structure, and porosity. But the reef-saver rocks are pretty nice as well.

I also recommend drilling the tank if it isn't drilled already. An overflow is a must for a reef tank IMO.

[Palidora5]

It's is a reef ready tank with dual overflows I am running a wet dry system now on the fres water set up

[Palidora5]

What skimmer would you guys go with?

http://reefoctopusskimmer.com/diablo-space-saving-skimmer/oct-db2500/

Or.

http://reefoctopusskimmer.com/internal-external-recirculating-skimmers/dnwb150/

I don't understand the diff.

[TX..r33f]

go with the db2500!

[R_Hudson]

Personally I like Marco Rocks dry key largo. Seed that like above and itll turn out nicely for you. As far as skimmers go, The sky is the limit. you can spend anywhere from 150 to several thousand depending on your needs and budget.

[bretcummings]

Another good bet for dry rock is "Reef Rocks " or "Reef Cleaners". They are both great. I ordered from both and have BRS reef saver/Pukani and Marco. Pukani is nice and and easy to drill or cut, but if you like the reef saver feel comfortable going with Reef Rocks. Its the same stuff, and they provide many vendors with their rock. Good luck with build.

[Palidora5]

I am not dead set on the rocks yet. These just look nice and easy to stack and make a nice aqua scape. I just do not have the money to buy all live rock lol :(:( price plays a big factor on my choices lol!!! If I was to buy the skimmer and cycle with just sand would I be able to add rock after or should I just wait until I can buy the rock?

[Palidora5]

Just ordered my live rock from brs I went with the pukani dry rock :bounce3::bounce3:

Now should I wait till I get my skimmer to start the cycle or just buy the rest of my live rock and start my cycle?

[chad316]

Good choice. You might have to wait longer for it to become live rock, but its worth the money savings. Grab your live rock and you should be g2g.

[Palting]

Just ordered my live rock from brs I went with the pukani dry rock :bounce3::bounce3:

Now should I wait till I get my skimmer to start the cycle or just buy the rest of my live rock and start my cycle?

How much rock? Do you have other powerheads to provide flow within the tank other than the return pump? You need to get a total flow of at least 20X tank volume, otherwise you will get dead spots in your rockscape and those can lead to problems down the line.

If you have the powerheads and adequate rock, I suggest getting at least one piece of lve rock from your LFS. Or cheaper yet, buy a filter sponge, the cheapest one you can find, and ask your LFS to keep it in their tank for a few weeks. That should get you jump started on the REAL bacteria, not the fake bottled kind. :)

EDIT: Sorry, I missed that you said "live" rock. Forget the seconf paragraph :).