exodus
Aquarium Advice Freak
So I decided to move into a reef setup after having freshwater tanks for quite awhile. I'm getting bored of them and need a bigger challenge. Plus, reef tanks are completely gorgeous.
The plan is to build myself a reef setup using a 40 breeder as the main tank and a 20L as the sump. I plan on following the design on this thread: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=53046 . I plan on building a stand and canopy for it as I've done with my 55, 20L, and 10g. Lighting is going to be 1-2 250w metal halides.
How many 250's I use on a 40 breeder? I'm assuming one would work quite nicely. Also, do I need a special reef bulb, or will a normal daylight MH work?
The pump I plan on using will probably be a Mag pump with a flow of 350 or 700gph depending on which one I buy. I already ordered a skimmer - Red Sea Berlin Turbo which I've read is quite good.
In the sump I plan on having a LR compartment, skimmer, pump, and I'm reading conflicting things about the benefits of a 'fuge in a reef setup.
Should I go with a 'fuge or not?
I plan on drilling the tank to fit bulkheads for drain purposes. How many do I need on a 40g?
And how big should they be? I was thinking one in each corner @ 1.5".
Also, how do I plumb the return line from the sump? Should it be drilled into the tank as well?
What should I use for the actual bulkhead fittings? PVC parts, or are there special aquarium bulkheads available?
For other equipment, I'm gunna be going with 2x Jager 250w heaters, one as a backup. I can get them for $20 new with my discount, so I'll take advantage of that Powerheads are most likely going to be two or more AquaClear powerheads, which I'll probably throw on a wavemaker.
I'm planning on using about 60lbs of live rock, and fine grained marine sand @ 2" deep. I'm gunna swap about half of that for seeded sand from the LFS I work at and put new sand back in those tanks. I figure that should help get a jump on my cycle. PFS isnt a good option for salt, correct?
I'm also debating getting a calcium reactor at some point as well. I already have a CO2 setup on my 55 planted FW and it would be very easy to throw a manifold on there and run a CO2 hose under the floor to the other side of the room. I see the coralife reactors are listed fairly cheaply, which means list price that I pay is very cheap. Would it be worth it?
Thanks for the help, and sorry for so many questions. I started searching for the info on all this stuff but thought it would be easier to throw it into a thread.
Any help/tips are quite welcome.
TIA!
The plan is to build myself a reef setup using a 40 breeder as the main tank and a 20L as the sump. I plan on following the design on this thread: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=53046 . I plan on building a stand and canopy for it as I've done with my 55, 20L, and 10g. Lighting is going to be 1-2 250w metal halides.
How many 250's I use on a 40 breeder? I'm assuming one would work quite nicely. Also, do I need a special reef bulb, or will a normal daylight MH work?
The pump I plan on using will probably be a Mag pump with a flow of 350 or 700gph depending on which one I buy. I already ordered a skimmer - Red Sea Berlin Turbo which I've read is quite good.
In the sump I plan on having a LR compartment, skimmer, pump, and I'm reading conflicting things about the benefits of a 'fuge in a reef setup.
Should I go with a 'fuge or not?
I plan on drilling the tank to fit bulkheads for drain purposes. How many do I need on a 40g?
And how big should they be? I was thinking one in each corner @ 1.5".
Also, how do I plumb the return line from the sump? Should it be drilled into the tank as well?
What should I use for the actual bulkhead fittings? PVC parts, or are there special aquarium bulkheads available?
For other equipment, I'm gunna be going with 2x Jager 250w heaters, one as a backup. I can get them for $20 new with my discount, so I'll take advantage of that Powerheads are most likely going to be two or more AquaClear powerheads, which I'll probably throw on a wavemaker.
I'm planning on using about 60lbs of live rock, and fine grained marine sand @ 2" deep. I'm gunna swap about half of that for seeded sand from the LFS I work at and put new sand back in those tanks. I figure that should help get a jump on my cycle. PFS isnt a good option for salt, correct?
I'm also debating getting a calcium reactor at some point as well. I already have a CO2 setup on my 55 planted FW and it would be very easy to throw a manifold on there and run a CO2 hose under the floor to the other side of the room. I see the coralife reactors are listed fairly cheaply, which means list price that I pay is very cheap. Would it be worth it?
Thanks for the help, and sorry for so many questions. I started searching for the info on all this stuff but thought it would be easier to throw it into a thread.
Any help/tips are quite welcome.
TIA!