Medium Size Tank Planning - 55 gal to 225 gal

[DaveK]

Originally Posted by brbradle

What does it mean to make a thread "Sticky"? I see it mentioned in thei thread.

A "sticky thread" is a thread that a moderator has marked to always stay at the top of the forum. We use it on RAG for threads that contain a lot of excellent information on a specific topic. Then new people can easily find the thread or we can refer them to it.

Also, people can still post to the thread, keeping all the information on the topic in one place.

This has saved me a lot of writting on such topics as lighting, disease, algae and so on.

[DaveK]

Originally Posted by jcslcsmi

i just finished setting up my first 55 gal. it seemed like i would buy something then someone would tell me it was junk.take it back and get something diffrent.i ended up with 40#carribsea reef sand,40#fiji pink,50#live rock,excalibur skimmer,fluval404 canister,200 watt submer.,260watt aqualight.any input let me know dave k you sound like you know your stuff.

My thoughts on what you have were mostly covered in my other posts on this thread. Read through the thread, and then post with any specific question you may have.

[DaveK]

Originally Posted by brbradle

jcslcsmi- I am also using a Fuval 404 on my 65 gallon reef tank. It is newly set up but right now the water is pristine. All I have in the tank are cleaners, sand and rock. I am adding a 16 gallon refugium (Eco style) and will cycle the tank/ refugium before adding the live stock.

I like the Fuval, we bought it for a fresh water tank but I thought the versitality would make it good for saltwater. I did get a response to one of my threads that it would be a "Nitrate factory". That is where the refugium should help.

Adding a refugium can be a way to control nitrates, but it's usually a loosing battle unless you keep nitrates down in the first place. If you don't have have one, get a quality skimmer. It will do a lot more for you on nitrates, than a refugium will.

[thrillplyr]

A few recommendations for those looking to set up a new tank:

Best books: The Reef Aquarium 1,2,3 (Delbeek and Sprung): A good mix of information on hardware and organisms that they keep current. Experts at reefs and writing.
Ultimate Marine Aquariums (Mike Paletta, I belive): Pretty inspirational, the pictures would make good wallpaper, and it gives detailed specs and accounts of what each reefer did to have a successful tank.

Equipment: Sea-Swirls oscillating returns are a cheap way to try out random water flow without investing too much in wavemaking equipment. I have used the same ones for years without many problems

Invest immediately in RO/DI water filter for making saltwater and top-off water. I could have saved a lot of time trying to control hair algae blooms had I done this sooner. I like the one I got from AirWaterIce.com, but good ones all work similarly.

Buy metal halides. Even if you want to go with soft corals/mushrooms initially, it gives you more flexibility later, and even lower light specimens grow faster under halides as long as you take care not to burn them by too long a photoperiod, enough distance of bulb above water, etc. Face it, you'll want to try out some SPS sooner or later, and there are plenty that aren't hard to grow if you have the halides. Plus, it is undeniable that the shimmer effect is cool and makes you want to go diving.

Glass vs. acrylic: Used both, but I'm glad I started with a homemade acrylic tank. Building the tank yourself is not an option for most, but the flexibility you get in being able to say "hmm, lets drill the tank here and try a closed loop" and then take it out a year later and patch it up in ten minutes was great for a new DIY type reefer like me. I don't know if they still do this, but I hate that center divider on large glass tanks; Eurobracing on a wide acrylic tank makes it so much easier to splash around. But yeah, you will scratch the tank eventually.

And don't forget to experiment and learn from your own mistakes, its really the best way to learn anyway.

[DaveK]

Originally Posted by thrillplyr

...

Best books: The Reef Aquarium 1,2,3 (Delbeek and Sprung): A good mix of information on hardware and organisms that they keep current. Experts at reefs and writing. ...

This is an excellent series of books, but getting all three volumes will set you back about $165. I'd recommend them for anyone that gets serious about reef keeping. Lots of excellent information, but this can be overwhelming if you are new to SW. This series should purchased after you already have a few basic books, and have some idea about the basics.

[ReefDoctor]

Any time you step up in a tank and order or buy a new tank I suggest that you special order the drill holes for 1.5" or even 2" drain holes and 1" or 1.5" returns. If every body did this then maybee the manufacturers would get the message that this is REALLY what the reefers want and need. Maybee then this would become the new standard other then the 1' drains and 3/4" returns or even 1"x 1" which I find inedequate for tanks above 100 gallons.