So I have decided what I want to keep, now what?

[pcola]

After several months of reading, I have decided to go with an SPS tank. I like the look and the variety of color combinations of SPS corals. I have a 225 g acryllic tank. I plan on going with:
ASM g4x skimmer in a 100gallon sump w/refugium.
Lighting is still up for debate I a currently following the SPS and T5 thread.
PurleyH20 RO/DI unit
About 180-200lbs of LR (I visualize a kind of open aquascaping)
250lbs of LS
CA reactor (suggestions welcome)
I would like to keep my hands out of the tank as much as possible and i am curious about any auto dosing that i might need. (Still learning)
The only thing that i have purchased is the tank\stand\canopy. ($400, )
:D
It is not impossible but, I have had a bit of a time trying to find other 225 tanks and their setups to use as a guideline.

Please add comments\suggestions regarding my plan. What am I missing, what needs to be considered for this size of a tank?

I am a little weary of the lighting setup. I will probably go with the T5, I see now that there is a 72" retro fit setup out there, but I am unsure of the bulb combination. My tank is 72"Lx24"Wx30"T

Thank you for your guidence, it is greatly appreciated.

[DaddyJax]

I am partial to MH myself. On a tank that tall I would really look into MH if you want to keep a sps dominated aquarium. Probably 400w at that. You will want to have enought light to have stuff on the bottom or the middle and with T5 you will need alot of lights. This is my opinion.

[Frankysreef]

check my gallery....

[PUGroyale]

Great deal on the tank !

I'm biased... I'd go with 3x 400w halides and then pour yourself a Guinness :D Leave the flourescents for the light work, actinic.

[Frankysreef]

T5's are nice, but you will need MH + the T5's for Awesome colors. I use 4 250wt 20k helios, but that is all I use, but I have supplemental sunlight.

[pcola]

Thank you all for clearing that up. I will add a couple MH in the mix. I have a dilema, I have a 100g glass tank that I am thinking about using for my sump. Could I get by with a smaller sump? I could sell the 100gallon and use the money for something else. Or I could use the 100 as the sump and have that much more water being circulated in the system. Do I really need a calc reactor?

[pcola]

By the way nice pics Frankys,
I see that you are using a 60g sump, do you feel that it is sufficient for your 225?

[pcola]

Frankys, how may lbs of live rock are you working with?

[DaddyJax]

I dont think you need 100g sump. I also dont think you need to have a calcium reactor. It would be nice and it will make things easier but I dont have one and I am running around 400g. I use a dosing pump and Randy's 2 part. Cost alot less and I keep consistent levels. The pounds of LR depends on what kind of lr you are getting. Gulf rock is very dense and takes alot more to get the surface area you need for filtration. Kalini and others that are very porous and light has alot more surface area and holes for bacteria and pod breeding so you need half as much.

[tnyr5]

agreed, you don't need a reactor or a 100g sump, those are just things that will help make your tank stable. if you plan to have a fish load on the high side, keep the sump, if you plan to one day have beachball size stags and basketball size clams, get a reactor. Also, if you optimize your light / ballast combo, use a good reflector ( lumenarc), and keep the water well filtered; you can get away with 3 x 250w halides easily on a tank that size. Check sanjay's site www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com, there are some 250w halides, like xm 10k, that are as strong as many 400w bulbs.

[pcola]

Great! Thank you. I just listed my 100g aga for sale on caigslist.
Also good new with the CA reator.
That will give me some money to use some where else.

When it comes to the live rock do you see a preference of the type of LR when keeping SPS?
I am going with an open look and hope that the SPS will fill in nicely over time. This is a really exciting time and I haven't put the first drop of water in the tank.

What about the skimmer? Think the ASM g4x will be alright?

Thanks again.

[DaddyJax]

I think so. I would look into getting it recirc later on down the road. I like Kalini and Tonga or Fiji. They are all nice. Be sure to know if it is cured or not. If not then I would use it to cycle the tank(my preference).

[Philwd]

Look for an auto topoff unit. I use the Tunze osmolator but JBJ makes a good one too.

The skimmer will depend heavily on several factors. If you have a fish room then all bets are off and you can go for pure size and brute power. Becketts come to mind. If it has to fit under your tank you are more constrained and I would recommend a good recirc skimmer fed from an overflow. The one to use is highly debatable but look to how you think you will stock your tank. If you are stocking heavily in fish then get a skimmer overrated for your tank size.

[pcola]

I am starting to read about the recirc. I am a new to salt and don't know the difference between the two. So... I will read some more. I am not to familiar with that setup yet. Feel free to indulge me please. Learning this stuff has been fun! I have dual overflows in the back corners of the tank. Looks like maybe 1" and 1/2" pipes. Returns and Drains. I will take a better look tonight at the size of the pipes.

As far as fish stock go. I don't want a great amount in there but I do want movement. I would like to have a school (6 or so) of small fish in there somewhere in the mix. I also want fish that will give me a hand in maintaining a good stable tank. A good clean up crew along with fish and food for corals....

The auto top off is a must and I have been reading about it. I am trying to come up with (just thinking and drawing out) some kind of system where RO\DI fills up a container that will be transfered into another container where salt can be mixed and then from there make its way back to the tank automatically when needed. This way I will always have water on hand for water changes. I don't know how this will tie into either system yet.

[DaddyJax]

Rubbermaid BRUTE trash cans for the water. They are commercial grade.

A recirc skimmer has two or more pumps instead of one. One pump pushes water/air into the skimmer and out. The other pump/s are mounted on the side of the skimmer and take the water/air in from the top of the cylinder of the skimmer and pushes it back down to the bottom of the cylinder of the skimmer. This causes the water to be "cleaned" repeatedly for maximum efficiency.

[pcola]

Gotcha!

[pcola]

Yep, 1/2" return and 1" drain