180 gal equipment advise

[greatgman]

i have decided on my next upgrade
a 180 bowfront acrylic reef tank setup

have some general ideas fo the equipment i will need
how bout some advice?
filtration : berlin style reef tank (ls and lr about 400 pounds)
skimmer : turbo flotor 1000 or aqua c remora plus / urchin pro
lights :coralife aqualite pro or diy mh in a custom canopy
stand :custom diy stand over engineered to withstand roughly 2500 pounds of weight or more
pumps :???? maybee mag 24 (2) with a scwd
fuge :29 gal eclipse system
sump :havent decided on size
any thing else i missed?
let me know of your advice on any of these soon to be purchases.

dont have to talk it over with my significant other (single un married)

 

[AndyH5512]

FWIW, I just got a Euro Reef CS6-2+ skimmer for my 120 gallon (soon to be reef tank), and that thing skims like mad. A little pricey, but it sure does it's job. Never had a Turboflotor, though. Everything else sounds like a good plan.

 

[greenmaji]

ASM makes a mean knockoff of the Euro Reef for around half the price. for what its worth..

 

[greatgman]

what about mh?
i was thinking of three 175 w
would that be enough ?
or should i get 250 w
will be having a variety of corals ( shrooms, anemone ,sps ,lps, etc )

 

[greatgman]

i'm considering an
aqua c ev 180
any body got one
how much skimmate do these put out ?
dry foam?
noise level?
ease of use ?
maintence?

 

[greatgman]

greenmaji
do you have the website for asm skimmers
also do u know of any diy sites for a skimmer like the aqua c ev 180?

 

[greenmaji]

I have never seen a jet injection DIY skimmer design.. I dont have a clue why, it seems like a good idea to me.. heck.. his pattent on the thing looks cool.. I would try to shoot for improvement, like a reciculating one.. as to not incroch on his idea too bad.. his patent on the jet system (wich I have never personaly seen or seen pictures of it up close, my browser doest have the plugins to see it at the pattent offices site) is relitivly new, 2000, maybe no one has thought to build a similar one DIY..
ok.. enough of that.. LOL
try this site for ASM's http://www.asmskimmer.com/
I know that the asm is adjustable as to what type of skimmulate comes out of them.. Ive looked at teh AquaC design and it seems like the adjutments are only for better foam production.. hopefully someone with a in sump model can respond to that..

 

[greenmaji]

as for the lighting.. what are the dementions of the tank.. 3 MH would be standard for a 6 foot tank.. how many watts is going to depend on how deep it is from my understanding.. as far as the total gallons.. I would think 250 bulbs would be on the low side like soft coarls and mushrooms.. I would pump it up for SPS and clams If I were you..

 

[greatgman]

i dont have the tank yet
i want to get the equipment first
the size will be a normal one with a bow in the front (72L - 30h-30d)
thought of diy-ing it for a sec but wont
maybee the sump (maybee 40 gal w/integrated fuge)

 

[Brenden]

I have a AquaC EV 1000 skimmer. Works great, Not a noise producer. The only noise will come from the pump you use on it. I was reading through your equipment list. My advise to you is to stay away from the larger mag pumps. Big heat and noise producers. I bought a mag 36 that I ran as a closed loop for about one week. Now I am trying to figure out a way to convert it into a boat anchor. Everyone that I have talked to have had the same results with them. Get a nice external pump. With the MH lighting you want to minimize adding any other heat sources. FYI I use mag 12,s to make my sw. They heat 35 gallons of 60 degree water to 80 overnight. I just saw your location and realized I do not like you. My in-laws live in Washington, PA

 

[greatgman]

what pump(s) do u suggest?
i have a quiet one 6000 (1500 gph)
was thinking 3 250 w mh
tank size is incorrect
72 L - 24 d -24 h (new size)
(72 l x 30d x 30 w = 280 gallons)

 

[HoopsGuru]

I believe 3x250w would handle your needs very well, keep the SPS in the upper half of the tank which is probably the most popular place for them anyway.

If I was doing this tank, I would only run a small amount of water down through the overflows into the sump to help keep things quiet. Enough to feed the skimmer area well without creating a jacuzzi. Then I would drill the back for a closed loop using one large or two smaller external pumps into a manifold with several outputs into the tank.

 

[Brenden]

There are several "good" pump manufacturers. I run dolphin and Iwaki pumps. Everyone has there favorites. Just be sure to stay away from the few "bad" ones. Mag pumps work great also as long as you use the smaller ones. One MH for every 2 ft of tank is correct.