Everyone has one and i want to see yours (your opinion, that is)

[squirmy]

Well, after 6 years i have decided to upgrade my 54 corner. I have learned that you need to think/read/ask/plan for as much as you can before you buy anything. So, i am asking for your humble thoughts on what i am thinking so far. I know there are lighting geeks, skimmer geeks, fuge geeks, etc. So, feel free to pick the plan apart. i can take it.

1) Tank – 120 Oceanic with twin overflows (4*2*2)
2) Setup – all equipment will need to be housed in hood and stand.
3) Lighting – 6 or 8 (?) 54 watt T5’s with some LED moons (looks cool to me) retrofit into a hood.
4) Sump – decent size with refugium, skimmer and return to be housed in stand
a) Sump size?
b) Internal or external pump? How big (?) – please see water movement below…
c) I am planning on routing one overflow into the skimmer and splitting the other into the skimmer and refugium to limit the flow into the refugium.
d) I would also like to be able to perform all water changes from the sump.
5) Water Movement
a) I am planning to split the return to feed both return columns and use an OM squirt to provide some wave action. The return columns have two cutouts at the top, so I may split each return into two water spouts (giving me four water spouts)
b) While I like the idea of a closed loop, I also like the idea of not seeing a lot of external plumbing.
6) Skimmer – I currently have a mag 5 feeding a red sea berlin on my 54, but can change/upgrade (?)
7) Refugium – rock rubble and algae (which kind?)
8) Do I need/want a calcium reactor?
9) I also like the look of some sand on the bottom of the tank.
10) Desired Occupants
a) Corals – Zoo’s, Shrooms, Polyps, Softies & LPS
b) Inverts – Peppermint Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, Brittle Star, Sand Sifter Star, Cucumber?
c) Fish – Tang (not sure which one?), Mandarins (once tank is mature), Royal Gramma, Mated Percula Clowns, shoal of Green or Blue Chromis (?)
d) Custodians – Banded Trochus, Super Tongan, Cerith and Astrea snails and Scarlet Reef Crabs.

Well, i am asking for it, so let me have it...

thanks.

[Sindjin]

Are you going with a store bought stand or custom?

I built the cabinet for my 120 because I wanted more room.

[squirmy]

i was thinking about the stock one. i really dont have many woodworking tools. did your custom give you a lot more room?

[know-it-all]

By no means am I an expert at everything,

1) Tank – 120 Oceanic with twin overflows (4*2*2)
Seems like a great size

2) Setup – all equipment will need to be housed in hood and stand.
Might be a tight fit in the stock stand offered

3) Lighting – 6 or 8 (?) 54 watt T5’s with some LED moons (looks cool to me) retrofit into a hood.
?, I'm a MH person myself

4) Sump – decent size with refugium, skimmer and return to be housed in stand
a) Sump size?
as big as you can fit

b) Internal or external pump? How big (?) – please see water movement below…
external, I like the Poisidon(sp) T4's myself

c) I am planning on routing one overflow into the skimmer and splitting the other into the skimmer and refugium to limit the flow into the refugium.
sounds good

d) I would also like to be able to perform all water changes from the sump.
good luck, siphoning out of the sump is a PIA
add a valve off the return line to pump the water out

5) Water Movement
a) I am planning to split the return to feed both return columns and use an OM squirt to provide some wave action. The return columns have two cutouts at the top, so I may split each return into two water spouts (giving me four water spouts)

the 4 "water spouts" may reduce the flow alot.


b) While I like the idea of a closed loop, I also like the idea of not seeing a lot of external plumbing.
with the new super flow power heads coming out/already out, no need for one

6) Skimmer – I currently have a mag 5 feeding a red sea berlin on my 54, but can change/upgrade (?)
"you can always use a better/bigger skimmer"
I'm personaly not a fan of the RS skimmers

7) Refugium – rock rubble and algae (which kind?)
many areas of debate hear
I grabbed some red stuff that was growing on my LR, and now everyone that comes over wants some.
(check my gallery for a pick)

8) Do I need/want a calcium reactor?
YES and YES
the best thing I added, well before the Phosphate reactor

9) I also like the look of some sand on the bottom of the tank.
add a ssb, 1-2" in the fromt should be fine
BB behind the rocks

10) Desired Occupants
a) Corals – Zoo’s, Shrooms, Polyps, Softies & LPS
b) Inverts – Peppermint Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, Brittle Star, Sand Sifter Star, Cucumber?
c) Fish – Tang (not sure which one?), Mandarins (once tank is mature), Royal Gramma, Mated Percula Clowns, shoal of Green or Blue Chromis (?)
d) Custodians – Banded Trochus, Super Tongan, Cerith and Astrea snails and Scarlet

this list may change by the time you get there
I like the fish,
I prefer Blue legged hermits to the scarlets
IMO, stay away from the peppermint shrimp, unless you have a aptsasia problem
mine attacked all my corals as soon as the ran out of apstasia

KIA

[squirmy]

Thanks know-it-all. Good info.

which calcium reactor do you like?

and please tell me of these super flow power heads. do they mount in the tank just like the old ones, but just have greater flow?

anybody else?

[know-it-all]

I like wmtasker CA reactor in design.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=587186
unfortunatly, I built my own before it was posted.

The super flows out now are the Sieo's and Tunze's
but a new one called Vortex is going to be released this summer
If I remember correctly
A person in my reef club has already been put on the waiting list
I think he said like $50 a piece

inpeller/prop mount inside tank, the motor mounts outside
very nice design

[carpetride]

New Ice Cap Pump (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=672444)

Deposit was $50, expect actual price in the $250+ category


Looking at doing the same tank, but think I'm going with euro bracing, the shadow on my 90 drives me nuts.

As for the T5's if your going with a Tek light then buy the 8 bulb, you can always take two bulbs out if it is to much light. My clam (teardrop) has been happy on the bottom for a little over a year now.

[lfjewett]

My comments.

A high sump turnover will just cause you problems with bubbles. Loose the OM off your sump return idea. Get nice low flow Velocity T2 or T3 if you have a drilled sump. These are like know-it-all said GREAT pumps, very very quiet..

O' and I love my T5's, for your coral list I suggest 6x 54w Tek T5's.
If you you want an OM at this point go for a full blow closed loop powered by a T4 and an OM Squirt.

The only problem I see with your stalking is the sand sifter starfish. Do some research on these critters. You DO NOT have enough sandbed to support even one. From what I've read they need several square yards of a good DSB to live. They last about a year before they starve to death in tanks.

[know-it-all]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6614978#post6614978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by carpetride
New Ice Cap Pump (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=672444)

Deposit was $50, expect actual price in the $250+ category




Thanks,
I knew the $50 was a bit cheap

but still better than a closed loop system

[squirmy]

Also, one more questin. i think i know what a calcium reactor is, but what is a kalk reactor? when you do need either, when do you need both?

[know-it-all]

Calcium reactors disolve the calcium out of basicly crushed coral
in a low pH area
once ste, they maintain calcium at good levels
Kalk rectors, from what I understand
use a kalk mix and slowly dissolve it into the tank
(I could be wrong about that, I don't know everything)

I don't see a need for both