Planning a 90gal tank, help please......

[Drowing_Fish]

Hey everyone. I am planning on setting up a 90 gal reef tank in the next couple of months. Since this is my first attempt, I wanted some input on the equipment that I was planning on purchasing. They are as follows:

Tank - 90 Gal All Glass tank --- $235.00

Protein Skimmer - Euroreef CS6-1 w/ Sedra3500 Pump --- $300.00

Sump - A 40 gal tank with about 20# LR

Calcium Reactor - Korallin C-1502; includes C-1502 Calcium Reactor, Dual Guage CO2 regulator deluxe, 5# CO2 tank, and 8# CarbiSea Reactor Media --- $575.00

RO/DI Unit - Max 60 Hi-S, 60GPD --- $215

Lighting - DYI canopy which houses:
(2) German 400W 10,000K Setup --- $340.00 ea.
(1) Icecap VHO Fl. Light. Sys., 48", 3 Lamp(1- Actinic Blue, 2- Actinic White), 220W --- $295.00
(2) Icecap Super Quiet 4" Fans --- $43.00 ea.
(1) Night Light - (2) BlueLine Moonlight --- $44.00
(1) Icecap Timer - $48.00

Thermometers - (2) Rainbow Lifeguard - Little Time/Temp --- $18.00 ea.

Heaters - (2) Pro Heat II Titanium IC Heaters 150W --- $48.00 ea.

Wavemaker - (1) Red Sea Wavemaker --- $110.00

Powerheads - (2) Maxi-Jet 900 @ 230 GPH --- $17.00 ea.
(2) Maxi-Jet 1200 @ 295 GPH --- $19.00 ea.


I plan on having about 140# of live rock & a 4"-5" DSB(1"-2" Substrate, 2"-3" Live Sand).

AS for the livestock, I am still doing my research. Any suggestions would be great. I am gonna start with leathers. polyps, mushrooms, inverts, and once the tank cures(I will give it about 3-5 months of curing time, I wil start to introduce the fish and corals.



A 10% water change will be done on a weekly basis.

I also got plans from Snailman's site for a CA Reactor and a Protein Skimmer. Should I do those DYI or would it be more prudent to buy them?
I also need to find some good pumps.

 

[LA-Lawman]

hi,

good choice on the tank. it is a good size to start. get the reef ready if you can afford it. consider rigging your own overflow. use a Durso overflow and built your own return. it is easy to do and you have all the help you need here on the board. and you will save between 50 -75 clams from the LFS.
that money is better used toward ur skimmer.

the euroreef skimmer is a good one - or an ASM series from Championlighting.com. I have an ASM G1x. it is great. rated for 150g uses the sedra 3500 pump. very efficient and cheap it is based of the euroreef but less clams.

skip the bio rocker - you will create nitrates. u dont want that. Get 120lbs of LR and 110-140lbs of sand. you will be happier in the long run.

take a look at oceanic sumps. they are great. I have the model 2 and love it. you can also look at the sumps at exoticfish.com. these are popular and easy to rig and maintain.

take a look at the powercompact lights. the spectrum last longer and are easy to replace. you can get a nightlight at championlighting.com. i am gonna order one. my buddy like his and it is built well.

take a look at some retro kits too. take your time and get all the parts and set them up before getting rock and stuff. the more planning the less problems.

HTH - if ya need anything ask

later

 

[Garry thomas]

hmmmmm.. you have done your homework? which is excellant, your list is very good but can be improved?
firstly ditch wet and dry filter, keep all the biological activity inthe tank. Wave machines loads available but yes i class it as must, theres nothing worse than looking at a tank thats blowing corals same way constantly, when the current varies ( like a real reef ) the corals are happier and yes its more pleasing to the eye. Lots of live rock im not going to give you a figure because after x amount you'll have more rock than water and you dont wont that? try 20kgs a time and build it onto glass strips siliconed to back and base to leave you a void behind the reef and a pump or 2 also behind to stop detritus acumilating. after the first 20kgs sttled in 0 ammonia ect get more? follow my drift? your lighting is great, right the skimmer? my opinion you wont get a better one than a turboflotor 1000 multi they are the dogs ********! also Korallin reactor good choice but isnt it a 1501 not 1502 anyway good choice i run the 4001 good results with low co/2 useage...the mine field?
Deep sand beds really a no no im afraid at least till you get more xperianced any way, personally i like to have a gap between l/rock and the front of the tank! others like to put theres up to the front neither is right or wrong its just personal taste,but i like a gap, of which i put a little sand between, easy to keep clean with a gravel cleaner, but not deep enough to cause problems, and will become biological in time. the reason for not putting sand behind reef DETRITUS MAGNET you could never clean it. the sump again very good i tend to use ocean runners flow large amounts, reliable, cool running, or the eheim range all make good return pumps. you will definatly need fans? i'v got 8 on my tank at the moment, how are you going to control them? will they be on a timer? or controlled by a thermostat the better option? Heating basically the same avoid heaterstat 1 piece, they dont turn on off at the right time, they are not as acurate as an external controller ie: octopus, just to name 1 any way im getting cmplicated and i dont want that to happen. Also you dont mention books? what are you reading? getting all the gear first is definatlly a good thing. i'm going to sit back now and wait for the conflicting views? fish stick with it i think you wll! GT S Wales

 

[Sebastian]

ditch the wavemaker and use a rotating return (sea swirl) and add some funds in for a good return pump. also moneys for plumbing ie: pipe and fittings

 

[LFS42]

Nice list, If I'd done that from the start, my better half would have never agreed to the new tank :wink:
I like the new Natilus skimmer's very much, they need at least 700gph to run good though, I think the box recomends 500.
I would skip the Bio-rocker, over time the loose particles get into pumps and destroy them.
I agree with GT on the sand and Live rock. I'm not a fan of deep sandbeds myself, but if you add a little at a time it goes alot better.
As far as after my tank was set-up and LR was in. I waited about 4 months to add anything, just in case I had hitchhikers and to make sure the rock was cured.
I've also seen flow changers that hook up to return pumps. They were pretty neat(for about $35). They look like a T and the plus over a wave maker (besides the price) is:
It won't wear out power heads by starting and stoping
It won't put air bubbles in the tank like I've seen other wavemakers do

 

[Garry thomas]

talking about pumps? seen the new Tunze stream pumps?
GT s wales

 

[ChrisRD]

Drowing_Fish:

Setup looks great. As previously mentioned, I would definitely skip the BioRocker. I'd also definitely go with the Euroreef skimmer over the Kent.

If you're going to use a Ca Reactor you might want to have a plan for dripping kalkwasser (or doing a DIY kalk reactor) in the future, to help keep your pH up.

Return pump choices will have to do with the capacity of your overflow/drain. Are you going with a standard pre-drilled tank? There are lots of good choices for submersible and external pumps. Do some searches on the board and you'll come up with tons of stuff.

A good, quiet choice for a submersible return pump that I like is an Ocean Runner. These can also be used externally, but I have not done it.

Good luck with your new setup.

 

[Drowing_Fish]

Thx everyone.

I decided to ditch the Bio-Rocker. Instead, I will up my sump to a 40 gal with 15# LR and a 3" LS bed. I like the DSB idea. I am not gonna add any kalk Reactor because the CO2 in th Ca Reactor should help keep the ph stable.

I will also up the watts on the halides to 400, this way I will npt have to upgrade later for the SPS corals.

 

[krusty_krab]

Nice lighting choices!

Consider this- if you go with an icecap VHO system, you can add a solar lighting controller- time your VHO lights, plus FADE them in and out- give your scaled friends a nice sunset/sunrise. Also, you can wire in an incandescent moonlight, and it will be timed for the lunar cycle. Very cool.

I dont believe it will time your halides. They do have a model with a built in wavemaker, although the red sea one is probably better. There is a pricier model with some biult in v10 capabilities, unsure if you want halides pulling that kind of power through it though.

I dont have any of this- but I plan to sometime soon. I am a sucker for the cool lighting stuff.

KK

*Note- for the fading option on VHOs, you need to have high quality standoffs/endcaps and ground the bulbs. Worth it IMO. Cant wait to do this myself!

 

[ChrisRD]

I am not gonna add any kalk Reactor because the CO2 in th Ca Reactor should help keep the ph stable.

Introducing CO2 into the water will lower pH. When using a Ca reactor as the only means of Ca/Alk supplementation some people end-up fighting a low pH. You may want to consider leaving room for an add-on that would offset or minimize this effect (ie. second reactor chamber, dosing kalk, kalk reactor) in case it becomes a problem in the future.

 

[girodave]

I would really consider getting seaswirls. They can make a boring tank come alive. Everyone that comments on my tank says they like the way the corals move.

What are all the powrerheads for???? Pumps for filters or creating flow in the tank? If you can, I would increase the overflow and increase your return pump size and ditch the powerheads. Then you could add the seaswirls and they will prevent dead spots and make your corals happy.

As for the skimmer, I am partial to AquaC. I have an AquaC EV400 on Two 55gal Garbage cans that are cycling my rock for my new tank and It rocks.....No pun intended :wink:

Good luck and have fun!!!!!
Dave

 

[madrefkepr]

Nice list! Just a quick comment. I would add at least 15% on top of your "bottom line" for odds and ends. This is what will kill you. Never thought much about it until my wife started keeping track. Now whenever I plan on making a trip to the LFS, she asks me how much I will spend, and adds 25%. Usually pretty close! Good luck!

 

[Drowing_Fish]

Ok, as you can see I edited the list. I removed the filter therefor increased the sump to a 40 gal with 20# LR.

The lights were upped to 400W (from 250) and 3 lamps instead of 2. I also found a night light (championlighiting.com) that I think will be suitable. I also added a timer from Icecap.

The RO/DI Unit was upped to a 60 gal from a 30.

I also upped the powerheads to 2 - 900's and 2 - 1200's from 2 - 600's and 2 - 900's. Although I will start with one and one. Maybe with the return that will suffice, if not than I will add a 1200.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the sump will need lights, in which case I think 2 VHO lamps will be good enough. The heaters will be in the sump. I think I will have 3 thermostats, 1 in the sump and 2 in the tank. I will also have whatever other monitors I can afford and put that in the tank. Where I can I will try to get 2 probes for one monitor and drag one probe into the tank and one into the sump.

I dont kno what I will put into the overflow. I have a reefrdy tank, but no clue as what to do with the overflow. I heard bioballs are not a good idea. Any suggestions??

Also how should the plumbing run?

1. Tank --> Skimmer --> Ca Reactor --> Sump --> Tank
2. Tank --> Skimmer --> Sump --> Ca Reactor --> Tank
3. Tank --> Sump --> Skimmer --> Ca Reactor --> Tank

I get to ask silly questions like this because I am a complete newbie. =)

 

[Drowing_Fish]

anyone??

<bump>

 

[Drowing_Fish]

Ok, I think I will keep the MH at 250. Taking them to 400W might be to high and I would need a chiller (which I really dont have anywhere to install since I live on the third floor.) unless i get the central ac system installed.

I am playing with the idea of making my sump a show tank as well, just hiding some of the nastier things with spray painted glass. Once I get a design, I will post it. I will also try to finalize my wall unit plans for the tank, so maybe I can get some feedback from you guys/gals.


I was also planning my DSB and I figured I would use, like mentioned above, 2" of Southdown Sand and 4" LS.


I also decided to go with a DYI skimmer and Ca Reactor w/ 2nd chamber. The Sump is going to be DYI also. This should save me some $$$

 

[mountainbiker619]

LR in the sump, isnt that just a nitrate builder?

 

[dale nilson]

LR in the sump works quite well. Not a nitrate builder if the pieces are normal size, there is enough anoxic volumn to denitrify

Have you considered a kalkwasser reactor, Nielsen style or similar, rather than the calcium reactor? There would be no problem with low PH, if you use a doser it takes care of topoff at the same time. I run a fan over my sump at night to increase evaporation, therefore kalk dosage, which takes care of the PH flux. I think it would be cheaper, too.

Mine is an Aqua-Medic, a recirculation pump style. MYREEF makes a Neilsen style, he is a sponsor of this board so deserves consideration (I bought before I heard of him, I haven't heard anyone who is displeased) and there are DIY pals available for both types.

 

[Mac1]

You may want to consider upgrading the tank to a 120. They don't cost much more, could get by on all the hardware you mention just ducky, and will give you a much needed 6 inches of space front to back. I have an AGA 90, and a friend has a 120, and I constantly marvel at the difference in how much larger his tank looks.
All in all however, I think you're off toa great start!

- Mac