Advice needed for a 110g FOWLR and some corals

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jcmelski

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I need some advice. I'm going to pick up a 110g 60" tank in two weeks. I can't decide what to upgrade/change out/or add. So far I got:
1 60" Oceanic 110g cherry tank w/ two overflows
2 plumbing kits
stand(i didn't want to risk it making my own)
Oceanic reef ready sump(I think it's 30g)
2 drain socks
1 Titanium heater 400w
pro clear skimmer model 150


I haven't decided on lights yet or the canopy. If I make my own canopy, I can make it a father and son project which would be cool. I only want to keep beginner/ hardy corals. I would like to stay away from MH's. I have a 29g BC with 2 clowns, a bi color angel, a sand sifting star fish, and various snails. I found out from a FS that the angel will limit what type of corals I can keep in my tank since it might nip on them. It is also a major PIA to feed. It might have to go once I get the bigger tank. I'm thinking about adding some Koralia's for water circulation. How many should I get? Right now I have two in my 29g BC. I have them on a timer, one turns on with the day time lights and the other one(a nano) turns on with the moonlights.
I'm undecided with the sand I'm going to use. I can go the cheap route and use sandbox sand for the base then fiji pink sand(that's what I have in my BC) on top of it. Or use the right sand to begin with although more expensive. I plan on getting my LR on line. I figure about 175lbs total, 100-125lbs of LR and the rest will come from the rocks that the corals are attached to.
I haven't decided on what return pump to get just yet. I really don't want to purchase items more than once i.e buy a return pump, skimmer, and etc only to find out I should've gotten a better make/model. I'm by no means in a hurry to get this tank going once I get it. So I have plenty of patience and time to decide. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Look into Oceanic Glass Canopy, Have 75 G Oceanic with their glass canopy which refract more light into tank rather than reflect unless building wooden Cap thus open top.
 
I would like to get/make a wooden canopy. I would have to see how a glass canopy would look like.
 
Thincat
Thanks for that link. It's a VERY long read and I will have to do it over several days. Does any one have any advice about the equipment? Has anyone ever used a pro-clear skimmer?
 
What are the tank's dimensions? I'll leave out lighting and substrate until then. If this were my tank I would ask if the manufacturer or lfs will drill it for you so you can install a closed-loop to eliminate the need for powerheads; otherwise, you will probably be choosing between Hydor, Tunze, or Vortech powerhead systems. If each overflow is rated for about 700gph I'd either go with a Panworld or a Reeflo Snapper Gold for the return (or wait for the Reeflo Blackfin 1800). You'll have to use a valve on the output regardless so you don't push more water than what's available and/or create more nozzle outputs to lower the head pressure. As for the sump purchase a 40g glass and make your own skimmer compartment and baffles (fuge too if you want one). Purchase two heaters at 150w each (Finnex titanium) and put them on a dedicated controller such as a Ranco or Aqualogic digital controller. For a skimmer you are better off with either an Octopus Extreme/MSX 160, Vertex 180, Bubble King 160, ATI 160, or Tunze 9005. Live Rock is normally purchased at 1-2lbs/gallon.
 
Innovator
The tank dimensions are 60"x18"x24. I would like to use a closed-loop system to keep the tank looking clean but I already have the powerheads. I don't know what the overflows(2) are rated for. I'll research the pumps you mentioned to see what good deals I can get on them. I was thinking of using two heaters instead of one. I'll research all the equipment that you mentioned to see which one fits my tank. I'm going with 1.5lbs/gallon of LR.
 
I know you want to begin with beginner/hardy corals, but you have to think of the future; otherwise, you end up spending more than you need to in the long run. The main problem is that T5 retrofits in 60" range come in Very High-Output, which means the bulbs are being overdriven and primarily used in tanks over 24" in depth. You could try either a Tek2 4x80w (better spread), IceCap 6x80w (better peak), or a combination of IceCap 6x39w and IceCap 6x24w V-HO. The first two should allow you to keep anything imo and the third soft corals and lps unless both were V-HO (sps up top).

As for sand, the Fiji Pink is very nice and you'd need roughly 200lbs. of sand (80lbs/cubic ft.).

In terms of drilling the tank, you can make the closed-loop as intricate or simplistic as you want. For a simple design, have a 2" hole drilled at about the 16"-17" mark and run multiple lines over the top. You could even incorporate an OceansMotion device and purchase a Reeflo Dart Gold for the dedicated pump.
 
I agree totally with thinking into the future. I want to start out with hardy/beginner corals but would like to get other types of corals for added variety. That is one of the reasons why I asked about the equipment that I was going to get and what to get. I don't want to buy equipment more than once. been there, done that to death. I'll look into the equipment that you mentioned and get something that is overkill for my tank and set-up that way I don't have to upgrade later.
 
I looked up the skimmers online and the prices ranged from $265-880. I read the reviews but need to look into them further. I also looked up the pumps. They were all external pumps. Is there a benefit to running external pumps v. sump pumps? I currently have fiji pink in my 29bc so that's what I'm going to go with in my 110g.
 
You can use internal pumps, but that is more room taken up in your sump and added heat plus externals are usually more powerful, if needed. For internal/external pumps you can look at Quiet One or Eheim. I dislike Mag-Drives.
 
I like the fact that external pumps don't get all the crud on them as internals do. I'll check out those pumps further when I get the chance. I need to look up the lights that you mentioned also. If only I had the time.thanks
 
I figured out that my powerheads won't be enough and I might have to buy some more. I might as well go with a CL system. The price of 4 powerheads and a controller with enough power to move the water in a 110g would cost me as much if not more than a Cl with one pump running it. I don't know how big of a sump I can fit under the stand. My LFS was out of the Oceanic RR sumps and didn't have any 40g glass tanks. I would like to use a bigger sump for the added water volume but I don't know how extensive I'm going to go with this tank, i.e sump and return pump is a given but I don't know if I'm going to go with a phosban reactor and etc. And If I choose the CL system I will need the space for that pump as well.
 
Sometimes these *insert specialized vocabulary* machines are so frustrating. Ok, let's try this again...

A 40g sump is sufficient for a 110g as long as you compartmentalize correctly/efficiently. Many prefer to use a longer sump and that equal to the main tank, but then there is no room for external equipment including electrical work. As far as pumps, a Reeflo Dart Gold would suit you for a CL with an Oceansmotions (OM) 4-way (version 3). For po4 reactors, there is the TFL 150 that can be used as in-sump or hob: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~category~Two_Little_Fishies_Phosban_Reactor_150_Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies_Filters_Inline___Specialty_Filters_Phosphate_Reactors~vendor~Two_Little_Fishies~SearchStr~phosban~action~view~idProduct~TL4311~idCategory~FIFRISPR.html
or the BRS: BRS GFO and Carbon Reactor Bulk Reef Supply

Can marinedepot provide a longer link?...geeeez, sorry about that :|
 
I saw that wavemaker in another forum but I didn't know anything about it. Has anyone used one? if so, what did you think of it.
 
PO4 reactor by BRS is a winner in my books. Easy to change media..great design
 
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