New setup- no fish yet

[eclipsegrn]

Hello all, I'm new to this group. I have a 54 gal corner tank with 2 AI hydra 26 lights. I would like to set that up as a reef tank. The other tank is a 115 gal 4 ft wide but 32inch deep tank. That tank has a 4 bulb VHO T5 florescent fixture. Both tanks are plumbed together to a 55 gal sump in the garage. I am in the process of building a saltwater mixing station with an automatic water change setup where i have 2 30 gal drums (1 for rodi and 1 for saltwater). I have a Apex Neptune to monitor the tank and the heaters are inline to reduce the amount of hardware in the tank because the sump is approx 40 feet away for one of the tanks.

I am trying to get some ideas on a few things. I am tying to decide what to stock my tanks with. And second is what type of light to place over the 115 gal tank because I only have approx 8 inches of space above the waterline. And what are your ideas on Bare bottom tank vs. a 1inch sand bed.

 

[Sniperhank]

So, both of these systems are cycling together?
Are both going to be reefs? What kind of coral or fish are you interested in?

 

[eclipsegrn]

The 2 tanks cycle as one because they are connected. They both drain into a single sump and then i have a Gen X Mak5 return pump that pumps the water back to both tanks. There are ball valves that i can use to separate the tanks but it easier to run them as one.

The larger will probably be a fowlr tank. This is primarily due to ease of access. I had the deep tank set as a reef tank before . It was tedious always having to go get a ladder and longer feeding tools. Plus there is no fish room behind the tank. I have to feed from a trap door above.
The 54 gal will be my reef tank. Both have trap doors from where i can feed. But the smaller tank is easier to access and navigate around.

Not sure what fish i want yet. I was thinking a couple of clowns, a coral beauty, a majestic Fox Face, and a mandarin. That list may change as i peruse the local fish stores. And i am setting up a fuge to host pods for the mandarin because that is the only fish I'm 100% sure I'm getting

 

[Sniperhank]

Well for your lighting concern, what is above the one you want to be a reef are more than able to do the job. As for the other being a FOWLR system, lighting only matters for you. So you can put anything that will fit above it and call it a day.

In terms of bare bead vs sandy bottom, it's a good idea to have 1 lbs of both rock and sand in a system per gallon. If you decided to have one bare bottom, it would only limit types of livestock in that specific tank really. I'd just recommend to either go heavier in sand in the other tank or have some located in the sump system so you can have that beneficial bacteria system.

 

[eclipsegrn]

Thanks for the reply. The reason that I was asking about the lights over the other fish only tank is that the T5s over my old tank after a while started to promote Algae when the bulbs got old. So I want to go with something that will help enhance the fish colors and not worry about replacing bulbs every few months.

 

[Sniperhank]

If you don’t like bulbed units then it’d be leds. And anything would do since you aren’t trying to promote photosynthetic coral health.

 

[eclipsegrn]

What company makes a decent Led that not very expensive. And is there a problem if i have the leds 6 inches above the water line.

 

[Sniperhank]

No they should be covered. And literally anything will do as long as it matches your length. It just has to be pleasing to your eye, which is what makes pointing you in such a direction difficult, like suggesting livestock.

I’d start with cheap units you can get at big box stores to see if they will fit your length and go from there. Nothing fancy. Marineland makes a set I think you could start off with.

 

[eclipsegrn]

Thanks for the reply. I am going to start looking for a reasonably priced led set. I want 2 AI hydra 52's but at over $500 a piece and what i have recently spent on the setup i can't justify that.

 

[Sniperhank]

There’s no reason for hydras over a Fowlr system.

 

[Dbone]

I am using two 30" Nicrew Classic Plus LED's. Cost was less than $100. When I was researching lights These we're the best for the price and they outperform many much more expensive lights. I think I bought mine on either Amazon or eBay.

 

[eclipsegrn]

How do you like the color output of the Nicrew Classic led fixture?