whats a good set up?

[kngsht420]

ive never done done a saltwater tank but kinda got the basics. i just bought a 250 gallon tank and stand for a real good price.i wanna make it a reef tank, but what i dont know is how my filtration system should be. i was gonna get a wet dry filter system with a protein skimmer but when i try to read up on the different kinds of systems the more confused i am. i not a cheap [moderator edit], i have no problem spending a couple bucks for high quality stuff. jus wanting to know some input from people who know this not people tring to sell me the stuff. any comments would help much

 

[Fishking22]

Sump would probably be best. And you want the sumps filtration atleast 4x the amount of gallons you have. So about 1000gph. But that's just me.

 

[nxb161]

Nice, being that it is a 250G, well I'm jealous. Is the tank drilled? Is there room under the stand for a sump (another tank)? To get dow nto the basics, you'll want 250lbs of sand, 250 - 325lbs of LR, a few powerheads in the DT (Display Tank) and then oh wow, not sure mabye at 75G sump with a spot for a skimmer, LR rubble, and a third for macro algae.

Did the tank happen to come with a good light fixture?

 

[PrettyFishies]

Get two to three heaters for the sump, I think a 90 gallon would be better. You want as big as you can fit. Get a skimmer that skims three times the size of your tank. You'll need bins or cans for SW mixing. Rubbermaid Brute is food grade. Get an extra heater and a strong powerhead for each. RO/DI filter because tap won't cut it. A refractometer is a must. Test kits. Get the reef kit and add on calcium, phosphate, iodine, magnesium. Get a turkey Baster and a plastic syringe for target feeding. Extra powerheads and thermometers for water changing, buckets, airline tubing and valves for drip acclimation. I could keep going, but my thumbs hurt

 

[Henry405]

I dont mean to steal the thread, but I'm planning to do a 200g when I get comfortable with SW tanks, but why does the sump have to be so big? From what I'm understanding, you should have equipments that'll rate 4x the filtration of your tank, so if you can fit all of the equipment into a 55g, why the need for such a big sump? I was looking at marineland's 200g RR tank and it comes with their model 4 sump which is only 54g

 

[tjm80]

Get two to three heaters for the sump, I think a 90 gallon would be better. You want as big as you can fit. Get a skimmer that skims three times the size of your tank. You'll need bins or cans for SW mixing. Rubbermaid Brute is food grade. Get an extra heater and a strong powerhead for each. RO/DI filter because tap won't cut it. A refractometer is a must. Test kits. Get the reef kit and add on calcium, phosphate, iodine, magnesium. Get a turkey Baster and a plastic syringe for target feeding. Extra powerheads and thermometers for water changing, buckets, airline tubing and valves for drip acclimation. I could keep going, but my thumbs hurt

You just overwhelmed me, and I have most of this stuff already!

 

[tjm80]

I dont mean to steal the thread, but I'm planning to do a 200g when I get comfortable with SW tanks, but why does the sump have to be so big? From what I'm understanding, you should have equipments that'll rate 4x the filtration of your tank, so if you can fit all of the equipment into a 55g, why the need for such a big sump? I was looking at marineland's 200g RR tank and it comes with their model 4 sump which is only 54g

I think you got it backwards. You don't need a 200 gallon sump for a 50 gallon tank. I have a 75 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. There really isn't a rule for sump size except get the biggest you can. 20 is the biggest I can fit under my DT, so I went with 20. But a 10 would have been better than nothing.

And to answer the "why" - more water means more room for errors or other mishaps.

 

[Henry405]

I meant 200g DT haha. I can understand the bigger the sump the better because more water, but in such a big tank, I can't really see too much benefit from using a 55g sump compared to a 90g sump. As long as you can fit all of your equipment in the sump, it should be good right?

 

[tjm80]

If you can fit a 90 under your DT, it'd be better than the 55. But the 55 is plenty. A 55 gallon sump on a 200 gallon DT is the about the same proportionally as a 20 gallon sump on a 75 DT, which is what I have. But a 30+ would be better for me, just as a 75+ would be better for you. Better doesn't necessarily mean feasible.

It's also for more than just hiding equipment (heaters, skimmers, etc.) but if you have a bigger sump, you can have a bigger refugium which can hold macroalgae and/or a deep sand bed for nitrate absorption. It also adds water volume. If you leave home for a weekend and a fish dies and begins to decay, the ammonia won't be as harmful on a 200 gallon tank with a 90 gallon sump as opposed to a 55 gallon sump - make sense?

Lastly, if you already have a 55 I wouldn't bother BUYING another tank (sump) for sure.

 

[Henry405]

thanks for clearing it up, I understand it a bit more haha

 

[kngsht420]

the tank is drilled and the stand for it is huge so plenty of room for play. i think im gonna build the sump than. im thinking 75 gallon should be plenty my only concern is that there is only 2 holes drilled in the glass. one in the back center for the drain is 1 1/2" and the return hole is 1". is that gonna be enough do you guys think or should i have another hole drilled? agian thanx for all the help