exspecting new tank lots of questions hehe

[hackteck]

well i'm getting the 180g tank saturday and i got tons of questions keep in mind its not predrilled

1. what type of filtration would you guys recommend for this big of a tank? i'm assuming i can pretty much forget about hob filters hehe.

2. how many lbs of lr would be enough for this type of a tank i got near 100 lbs in my 55g if i transfer it to my 180 how much more would be good?

3.about ballpark how many lbs of ls would i need i got 60 lbs in my 55g i'm assuming i need a ton more.

4.how many power heads will i need?

5.how many watts am i going for here for the lighting system?

6. is it better to keep the hood canopy off and place the light over the bare aquarium? or should i build a lighting system into the canopy?

any more useful info would be greatly appreciated im so excited cant wait to get it hehe

 

[jasno999]

Wow. Lots of questions. I think I can help with some.

1- I think most people are goign to tell you that your LR is your filtration. YOu could probaby add soem type of canister filter if you wanted to but it it probably best to add a sump/fuge. IT woudl also be good to find a good skimmer for that size tank especially if oyu are goign to have fish in it.

2- I foget the calculation. Other can answer this better.

3- I foget the calculation. Other can answer this better.

4- # of powerheads depends on flow output and flow required. Different thins need different flows. SO more information is needed. But you are probably goign to beed somehting pretty big or a few smalelr ones. Typically people liek to do 2 PH at max inside a tank.

5- Again it all depends on your desires. What kind of coral do you wantto keep. I say a a general rule 3-5 watts per gallon is good for lower light stuff liek shrooms. 5-8 watts per gallon is good for soem medimum stuff (bubble coral) and 9+ is good for higher requirment stuff. Clams are i na leage of their own and you would probably need like 15 watts per gallon but I do nto keep clams so I don't know.

6- I suggest doing an open sump and keeping the top of the aquarium sealed to cut down on evaporation. As for lighitng I think it is probably best to keep it off the top to help cut back on the heat tranfer from you lights into the tank. YOu may have to buy a chiller for a tank that size. If you want to get away with not purchasign a chiller then I really suggest yo udo the sump and keep your lights away fro mthe top of the tank.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[austinsdad]

Just now in the process of setting up a 155g, so I feel your pain. Still deciding on some of the questions you've asked. I'm learning a lot during this setup. I'm probably about 2 weeks away from adding salt. Plumbing maybe next week. Here's what I've got so far:

1) I'm doing about a 30g berlin style sump. Thinking about an Aqua C skimmer -180 or 220, with a 30g fuge w/miracle mud and sand topping base. Some say you don't need to skim and fuge. Other who have large fuge say they sould still skim.

2) If reef, 1 1/2 lbs of rock per gallon is recommended. 270lbs if reef. At least 225 or so IMO.

3) I believe it's Reef central that has a sand calculator based tank dimensions.

4) Depends on the flow you desire. I've been recommeded between 10 & 20x water turnover rate for reef. Figure out your return pump (that same site's calculator). Your return pump might give you 5 - 8x. From there you can figure from either powrheads or a closed loop sysyem to get up to the desired amount of flow.

5) Light depends on whether fish only or reef. I just did the 4x96w PC & 3x150MH from Coralife (pricey - ouch). Mine figure out to 734w @4.7 per gallon.

6) Depends on the amount of light you're gonna use. Some generate a lot of heat. I'm gonna do the canopy and fans on either end near the back openings.

Good luck! Gonna PM you.

 

[hackteck]

the guy i'm buying the tank from said the fans in the canopy are broken, shouldnt be to hard to replace if i wanna go that route , explain to me why i would a sump,skimmer and refugium or is a refugium not needed?

 

[austinsdad]

The fans are easy to find.

I just like the idea of a fuge with much slower water flow. The fuge is not needed but there are so many benefits to having one IMO. An area thact consumes excess nutrients from the main, a place to have more life, a place to keep macro algaes to consume phosphates. PM me with a fax # and I'll show you what I'm working with so far if you'd like.

 

[melosu58]

Like Austin said the fuge is not needed but it would be a big nutrient remover.

 

[hackteck]

i think i remember reading somewhere u can use sand from home depot for your aquarium if so what type would i be looking for that would save me alot of money

 

[ColdFish]

There is a thread here (sticky I think) concerning playsand that has a lot of good info in it. I just set my tank up using Quickcrete "Medium" sand. This stuff is mostly silica I think, but it looks really nice. Pure white. I mixed some aragonite in with it and it came out really nice.

 

[hackteck]

heh i found playsand at home depot today for 3.27 for 50 lbs i brought 3