Need some advice, upgrading from a 75 to a 120 oceanic

[Patman1]

Hello,

Well, we are redoing our kitchen and dining room, so my current 75g reef that has been up and running for 3 years has been broken down and moved to a temp site with no losses...thank god


Here are my plans.....our current dining room had a 4 ft closet that we have torn apart and finished into a recessed area in the wall..... 50L x 24 D x 8ft H. I think this would be an awesome place to slide a tank in. I was hoping for an oceanic 110 reef ready, but thats too long. so:

Any opinions on the Oceanic 105 that is 4 ft long but taller ? Or maybe I'll just go with the 120 (48 x 24 x 24) which would fit perfectly and appear 'built in'.

Any words of wisdom in general?

Also, I would like to have the sump and all maintainace stuff in the basement. How big a pump would I need as a return to a 105g tank assuming it was in a sump in the basement? Can this be done? Any advice? It would just be so nice to have all of the stuff in the basement where the mess wouldn't matter..

I'm looking forward to starting fresh....I'm going to set up the new tank with a fresh DSB (seeded from mine) and then slowly (over a few months) transfer everything over to the new tank..


I'm really torn between the basement sump vs. the traditional under-cabinet sump.....I would really prefer to have all the junk out of the way.

Also, since this will be a piece of furniture in the dining room....any comments on Oceanic stands and caps? Are the caps tall enough to mount MH lighting (I was planning 2 x 250 (or maybe 400?) and 2 48" VHO actinic....anyone seen the "signature series' from oceanic?


Anyway..thanks a ton 8O

Thanks in advance


Pat

 

[klingsa]

Absolutely, the signature series is beautiful. I don't think the tops are tall enough for MH. We had to build a hood for my 75 gal, 2 x 250 watt MH and actinic lighting. I'd always always go for the larger tank that will fit in the room you have for it. As for the sump, I'm not sure what kind of pump it would take, but it would be a darn powerful one! May be worth it, though, to get rid of the mess. I certainly understand that. I really can't advise on the pump situation, other than it's a great idea if it works! And I've always wanted a built in aquarium, so go for the 120!! I do have a suggestion for the hood...if you can't build a tall enough one, or don't have room, maybe you can hang the MH's with the pendants, and build a door that swings up for maintenance, but that will block all the BRIGHT lights. It's kinda like a hood, but more open so the tank will get less heat from the lights. Don't know if this is do-able, just an idea.
Hope this helps! Good luck.

Sara

 

[Patman1]

Thanks for the input...any idea how much more the signature line runs?

Just curious


Pat

 

[klingsa]

How much more than what? :? Their old line? I'd think their website could answer that better than me. I only know what we sell them for, and they've been on sale and none as big as you want. So, I'd think a few hundred more than the old line, but don't take my word on that.
Sara