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airtime23
01/15/2014, 05:45 PM
Hi,

We're building a new home and I'm planning to setup a 150-200 gallon reef. I've kept reefs before, I've had a 90 back in college and most recently a 20 that I maintained for 13 years (before moving). I know most of the basics of reefkeeping, but I'm not too familiar with a larger setup and what I need.

Should I go for glass or acrylic in this size?
I will buy the tank along with a stand and a canopy unit.
What size sump will I need? How about pumps? Protein skimmer? Is a refugium necessary? How about lighting? I will not have an hard coral ( except for perhaps hammers and brain) - it will mostly be a softie reef.

Any advice about equipment needed would be much appreciated. Please feel free to include anything that I didn't mention.

Thanks in advance!

:thumbsup:

S14Swap240sx
01/15/2014, 08:08 PM
I say glass. It won't be too heavy and less worry about scratching

Sump is largely based on budget.. I'd say go for the biggest you can at a reasonable price... Possibly used 75g?

Fuge is always nice.. Adds lots of room for pods to safety grow.

Take a look at the new variable dc pumps for a return pump.. That way you can fine tune ur return rate especially if you add reactors inline

Mark Bianco
01/15/2014, 08:12 PM
Should I go for glass or acrylic in this size?
I prefer glass its much more resistant to scratches.


I will buy the tank along with a stand and a canopy unit.
I buy them together that way if there is a problem you do not have the issue of the tank manufacture refusing to correct due to them saying the problem was caused by the stand.


What size sump will I need? How about pumps? Protein skimmer?
As big as will fit and still leave some room for additional equipment such as a ATO setup.


Is a refugium necessary?
I have never had one on any of my tanks.

How about lighting?
I would look into a mid range Led system or look into a T5 setup however unless you go with a retrofit the only option for T5's I like is an ATI fixture and they are expensive, but you may be able to find one used.


Please feel free to include anything that I didn't mention
Most successful reef's use RODI water so IMO one is a must. A protein skimmer is a great investment as well...

Mark

thegrun
01/15/2014, 08:13 PM
I would also go glass, but believe me it will be VERY heavy (or I'm a wimp). I would use a standard 120 for the sump if you are going to use an in-sump skimmer. Lighting is going to be the biggest expense for a large reef tank. I would either use high end manufactured LEDs or if you enjoy DIY projects build your own with quality parts.

airtime23
01/16/2014, 04:08 PM
Thanks for the recommendations, fellas.

How about calcium reactors and automatic top off mechanisms/addition of additives?

Is there a website that would be a good guide in terms of all the equipment recommended for a particular size of reef tank?

Thanks again.

Palting
01/16/2014, 04:27 PM
Thanks for the recommendations, fellas.

How about calcium reactors and automatic top off mechanisms/addition of additives?

Is there a website that would be a good guide in terms of all the equipment recommended for a particular size of reef tank?

Thanks again.

Reactors/dosers are not needed while the tank is young. Water changes are good enough for a long time.

ATO is an excellent back and time saver. Lots of good choices out there. I use the Tunze Osmolator since I like the idea of a "magic eye" better than float valves.

As for websites recommending equipment, you can easily get fleeced by vendors selling you just to sell to you rather than what you need. I believe you are better off doing a search on build threads on 150-200 gallon tanks here at RC. As an example, you can check out my build thread, a 150 gallon mixed reef with 50 gallon sump (30 gallon water volume while running) and a 20 gallon dedicated refugium. Start here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1853170 , and continue here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2191618 . There were multiple changes as the thread build progressed, like I started planning on a 125 gallon but ended up with a 150 gallon.

HTH!

Badfish_Reefer
01/16/2014, 04:49 PM
Agree mostly with what has been said before.

I would definitely go glass, that's a personal preference though, but it is true that they scratch less easy.

Lights- If you're doing mostly softies you don't need to do anything crazy for lighting. You could get a relatively cheap pair of LEDs like Reefbreeders or something. LEDs will allow you to get good growth with your LPS and also the lighting they provide just makes the tank that much more beautiful.

Sump- I would say about 75 gallons. A 75 gallon tank has good dimensions to fit all your equipment, etc, isn't too skinny but not too high. You can get a used one for cheap. Just make sure when you are planning the size of the stand, that you factor in the size of the sump and leave room to access it and do maintenance, take out equipment when needed, etc. One common mistake people make is not leaving enough height in the stand to take out the collection cup from their skimmer.

Refugium- Definitely a good idea to have one. It goes right in your sump and is good for exporting nutrients. Definitely check out some of the build threads on here if you are unfamiliar with how to set up a sump and section off a portion for a refugium. Basically, your sump will have a section for a skimmer, a section for a refugium, and then a section for a return. There are a couple common refugium designs. One way to do it is to put live rock rubble on the bottom of the refugium, put plastic egg crate on top of that, and then have a nice big ball of chaeto algae resting on the egg crate. This provides natural filtration/ nutrient export with the live rock and chaeto. Another way to do it is to just use Miracle Mud on the bottom of the refugium with the ball of chaeto resting on that. You can use a simple dome light for light for the algae in the fuge.

Skimmer and other equipment- this part really depends on your budget. If you have the money to spend, there are alot of reasonably priced Reef Octopus skimmers that are really well made and effective. But, there are some cheaper options out there too. You just want to look at how large of a tank the skimmer is rated for. If you have a 200 gallon tank, keep in mind a 75 gallon sump adds another approximately 40-50 gallons to the total volume of water. So, in that case you'd want a skimmer rated for around 300 gallons.

Then there's other stuff like the powerheads, since you're doing softies you don't need to go crazy here. Koralia makes some good and affordable powerheads- I use them on my tank and they work great.

You can add other stuff like a UV sterilizer if you plan on keeping Tangs, also I would definitely recommend a Phosban reactor. I picked up a Phosban 550 reactor on Amazon for $60 and it is rated for upto 600 gallons. They're easy to set up and operate and can really help to keep phosphates down in your tank.

Not sure if I'm telling you alot of stuff here you already know, or that you learned years ago...but not sure you're level of expertise.

Lastly, if you don't use RO water already, definitely get an RODI unit. It's the foundation of your water quality, and thus the foundation of any good reef (in my opinion).

My main advice would be to take it slow and plan everything out. Keep asking questions on here. Once you've got it all planned out start a build thread, everyone loves to see a new tank get set up and progress and it is a great place to ask questions and get feedback from the community as you go.

Good luck!

DasCamel
01/16/2014, 10:22 PM
Save your money and get hookers/blow. Cheaper. :)