180 planning

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leftyfish

leftyfish

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
861
Location
New Hampshire
So I'm going to be doing a 180 gallon reef, and wanted to do some planning while I figure out where to get it and where to put it.

So my first question is for you long time reefers 5+years of a tank running (I want to set this up and have it run for a few decades, lol) should I do a 2" sandbed in the display and a dsb in the refugium? I have a dsb in my 72 gallon after researching it, but I keep thinking in the 180 maybe I should put it in the refugium. Any advice?
 
i know i haven't been around as long but in a 180 there will be a much larger area for it to work its magic. there i a mod on here that has had his 125 up and runnign for something like 8 years and has even had a power head fall into the sand which pushed so much that you could see the glass and he's never had a problem with it.

the biggest issues people have with DSBs is they don't let the life build up in the sand and agitate it getting organics in the sand that will decompose faster then the life can break it down or arate the sand so that the gases can disipate. this causes pockets of hydrogeon sulfide which can poison the system. some say the water neutralize it though but why risk it when you can just put your LR in and pour the sand in and let the life spread around the sand.

i've got a great write up on DSBs

Deep Sand Beds
 
I was hoping for some real life long-term use of dsb. As I have it in the 72, I know the benefits short term seem to be working out, but was wondering about long term. I don't touch the sandbed, but I do want a goby/shrimp pair again, which with the raised rocks wasn't an issue in the 72. The snails do a good job stirring things up too.

I actually had a guy who keeps aquariums for a living tell me he would stick something down in between the glass and sand every other week to stir up the sand there and get rid of that "messy look". Referring to the different colors in the dsb. So I decided he may not be the best person to help me with this build.
 
Congratulations on deciding to go with a 180! Looking forward to seeing the build!

I only have less than a year on my DSB but so far so good. I don't mess with the sand at all and have the "messy look" already in progress. LOL Wish I could be of more help but good luck!!!
 
carey said:
Congratulations on deciding to go with a 180! Looking forward to seeing the build!

I only have less than a year on my DSB but so far so good. I don't mess with the sand at all and have the "messy look" already in progress. LOL Wish I could be of more help but good luck!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks Carey and Leo, I guess I'm paranoid about the dsb that massive.
 
cmor1701d he has the DSB that has been up and runnign for many years, shoot him a message and hopefully he responds soon ans i don't think hes very active on the boards these days
 
Gti_Leo said:
cmor1701d he has the DSB that has been up and runnign for many years, shoot him a message and hopefully he responds soon ans i don't think hes very active on the boards these days
Click to expand...

Thanks Leo, I sent him a message.
 
So today I went to Aquacrylic, a local acrylic place here. I am getting a quote on a flat back hex acrylic aquarium, it will be 72" long on the back, 19" wide and 30" tall. Trying to decide if I like that width. The sump will be a huge tub in the basement that will add another 100 gallons to the system, so even though the display volume will end up being less than 180, the total system volume will be over 250+ gallons. I will utilize the space under the tank for possibly relocating my QT, that way the fish can get used to the area they will be in.

So we will see how the quote is, he said roughly a month away on the install. It will have custom oak stand and hood.
 
Need help deciding something...

So the flat back hex can only be 18" front to back, that is what my current tank is. So, I was really hoping to have 24" to work with some aquascaping and to put a big fat clam down in the sand. So if it were you would you go with a rectangle to get the 24" or get a smaller tank with a nice shape to it?

I'm thinking scrap the flat back hex idea.
 
I had a deep sand bed in my 46 gallon bow front for over 5 years and now in my 75 gallon since last March.IMO it works good.But I do not ever siphon or clean the sand bed.I find that if you have the right amount of CUC and are not overfeeding it stays clean.I do have different colors of algae you can see down in the bed from the front,but my understanding is it all helps with the biological filtration.
 
Just my personal opinion, but I would go for the rectangular tank so i'd have the 24". I'm still struggling with my 18" on the 125g to place corals on the sandbed, just no room. lol
 
What happened to Carey's last build?LOL
How far is Orlando from you.You need to get a job at Sea World.LOL

Sorry,I think I posted this On the wrong thread.
 
LOL , i think you may have posted in the wrong thread too. hehehe....I guess it's my last 125 build.
 
Yes, I think she needs a job at sea world! Thanks Carey, that is what I was thinking, and it is good to have someone who knows exactly what I am talking about! I barely have room in the 18" to clean the glass. Okay, so 24 it is. Carey, do you have running water sound from your tanks or is it pretty low? It is the only thing I really can't stand, but it may be diffferent if I am hearing it all the time it might become like white noise.

Also, is there a way to have a tank drilled for holes, but plug some up and not use them right away?
 
I have a decent water sound coming from both my 125g and the 20g rimless tank. I kinda like it, very relaxing to me. I also like the hum from the fans on the lights lol. Yep I'm weird....

You can put dead end bulkheads in those holes you don't wanna use right away. :)
 
I just know what I've read here and other places. hehe....

can't wait to see how you set this tank up, you did such a good job with the current tank. :)
 
Just got the quote and it was less than I was thinking, so it's a go! I am still trying to decide about the basement, but the sump is 48"x16x18 so it can fit under the tank. Do normal sumps slide in/out of the stands? I only ask this because in my 72, I had to put the stand over the sump to get it down there! Thankfully discovered before I started pumping water into the tank, lol!
 
have you compared the price of an acrylic to a glass? you might get annoyed with the acrylic, they scratch so easily and over time they need to be buffed and polished
 
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