Planning tank upgrade

[leonarsi]

Hello

Planning in 3 weeks to upgrade from a 72g bowfront to a 120g (48x24x24).

Sure i'm not the first to go through this and think this tie i'm going to plan this better so here is the plan:

1. going to move tank aver to a wall wher ei can directly feed my ro/di water into the fuge. No more jugs of water!

2. going to get stand with canopy. Missus wants something that looks more like furniture

3. Going to switch from 8x54w T5's to 2x150 and 2 xt5 retofit for the canopy

Seems that the cost of retrofit MH vs T5 isn't that much more and allows me to grow more in the tank.

Can i get away with just fans in the canopy or am i going to need a chiller?

4. Invest in a 30g fuge

Currently have a 20g DIY fuge and dealing with bubbles every now and then and "soft" plumbed. Guess i'm looking for piece of mind. Is 30g big enough? Also is PM a good choice of brand?

5. Speaking of PM i currently have a PM Bullet 1 skimmer. Thinking i may keep it though it drives me nuts right now. Had to take out of sump because it was incosistent skiiming with water level and wanted to turn sump into fuge. But it's a big skimmer and doesn't fit in the stand with a sump there. So currently sat to the side of the tank. If i choose to sell and maybe get a hang on does anyone have any recommendations?

6. New tank will have dual overflows. Do i need 2 return pumps or can i just split one and what sort of flow rate should i be looking at? Currently use a mag 9

pheww

last question. Is there any real benefit in putting the live rock down on pvc pipe cut in halfthen fill sand around? Read that it helps flow around the rock

Sorry alot of question here but i want to get it right this time. Any help would be awesome

 

[leonarsi]

oh

3 more questions

1. with the ro feeding straight in the fuge. Any suggest a good float switch

2. Currently have 2 seios (820 and 620) am i going to need to upgrade

3. Is an aqua controller worth getting?

Might have a few things to sell here in a month !

 

[jackson6745]

Leonarsi, what do you want to keep in this tank?

 

[leonarsi]

currently have xenia, polyps, star polyps and frogspawn which the t5's can handle. want to add anemone and move to LPS clams etc. You think i can do that witht he t5's?

 

[jackson6745]

Lonarski, I think the 8x54 T5's will be more than sufficient for LPS, Softies, and clams as long as water quality remains high.

OK let me do my best to answer your questions.

1) cool,ok
2) Sweet
3) T5's are fine, chiller maybe needed depending on environment + pump heat
4) Sure, it can only help
5) ACK! Don't skimp out on a skimmer. It is the best piece of equipment to keep your tank "clean" If you must go with a hang-on, a Deltec will be your best choice. Freakin $$$ though IMO you should make more sump room and go with an ASM G4. Good skimmer for the $$
6) The tank will most likely have dual 1" overflows which will handle 1200GPH. A mag 9.5 will be OK but if you can get your hands on a MAG 12 that would be better. Replace metal mag screws with nylon screws.

1) I like a Tunze osmalator system
2) A Tunze stream would be a nice choice
3) You really only need a Temp controller and some cheapo timers but the AC is a nice option. I would rather put the cash to other upgrades.

 

[leonarsi]

Thanks Rich really appreciate the help. This reef keeping is just a never ending list of questions:spin:

So the ASM a better skimmer than the PM Bullet? I guess if i can jam the bullet into the stand and is a good skimmer i should stick with it. Just such a fiddley piece of equipment.

 

[jackson6745]

Leonarsi, wait 1 sec. Is PM 1 a beckett? What pump are you using with it. For some reason I thought is was the same an the Aqua C EV series which I really don't like.

 

[jackson6745]

Looking at pics online it looks like a beckett. Only 5" acrylic, i'm guessing you're using a mag 12? Not a bad skimmer for a mixed reef. Just don't go crazy on your fish load.

 

[leonarsi]

yep i have a mag 12 for the Bullet. Another problem is that the "muffler" clogs really quickly and so reduces performance due to cutting down airflow.

Perhaps it's destined for ebay

 

[leonarsi]

ok so the tank is up without the sump, very exciting

hung the MH 250w lights along with vho's. Amazing how green my zoo's are!

Fish are happy and corals are getting there. Will post more pics as sump arrives and i can re-arrnange rock