Need some advice in setting up the new 58g Oceanic

[dsgray16]

So i picked up this great RR 58g from Jim at salwatercritters.

http://www.saltwatercritters.com/58g_oceanic

The dimensions are 36/22/18, I plan to keep a mix of corals, including SPS.

Now begins the process of piecing the tank together and getting all the
necessary hardware. I have a great start going, with a baffled 30g sump and a Ehiem 1262 return. All I need is a filter sock holder and the sump is ready to go. So what i need input on are the following components; Skimmer, lighting, auto top-off, power heads, reactors.

Skimmer: I need a lot of help on the skimmer issue because i have never run one before. I have been researching, and so far i have come up with the Tunze 9005 as a good fit. Any advice on this would be helpful.

Lighting: The all-important lighting decision...

The tank is 22 inched deep, and like i said ill prob have a mix of softies at the bottom, SPS at the top. I want to eather hang a MH fixture or run T5's over the tank. The two options i am considering are as follows:

MH: 36 Current USA 2x150 MH plus LED's 14k bulbs

T5: 36 inch Current USA nova extreme, 6X39W T5's 3 10k/ 3 Actinic

I am open to other options of course. This is just what i have found so far.

Power head: pretty basic here. Ill prob get a Koralia 3 with plans to get a Vortech when i can afford one. Let me know if that size Koralia sounds good though.

Auto top-off: I want an auto top-off setup. Right now i plan to run this open-top. If i have MH lighting, i forsee a lot of evap in my furure. I know very little about setting up an auto top-off system, besides the basic science behind how it works. Any advice on this would be huge!

Reactors: I have room in my cabinate to run 2-3 reacters if nessisary. Again, this is a new area for me. Should I plan from the begining to run a few reactors? Phosban, Carbon, Calcium... which ones??


Heater/Chiller: Ill be running my AC in the summer but i am still concerned about temp. If i do run MH lighting, should I consider a chiller to be a must? For heat, i was thinking a 250w Jager. Should i put it in the sump or in the tank?


That should do it for now.. ill get the harware list set, and ordered, and then ill start worrying about the sandbed and LR.

Also if you guys are selling any of the above equipment, let me know.

Thanks!

 

[autoponicz]

nice setup...looks like you have done some research...
how big is the skimmer compartment?

for lighting there is so many options...if you can build a hood...then you can do pendants and t5 retro's...
the currrent fixtures are pretty good too...they provide almost evrything you need...
but they are about 36"x17" so it will take up the whole top of the tank...but you say you want to hang it...so that might give you better access for maintenence..the 150w fixtures are pretty heavy though...(ballsts are inside the fixture)

 

[Alexxn]

Nice setup

 

[dsgray16]

I have a concrete ceiling, so i would feel confident in anchoring a heavy fixture to it.

I have thought about buiding a canopy of some sort, though this would be a whole project.. open to suggestions on that though!

The Sump is a 30g with a baffle in the middle. I need to measure it to get an exact footprint, but i should have a reasonable amount of space to work with.

keep the advice coming guys! :bablefish

 

[Alexxn]

If you couldn't tell from my subtle comment, this was my old setup.......:biggrin:

 

[dsgray16]

Nice setup

Oh so this was yours... Jim mentioned the original owner had to move to FL...

Well stay tuned, hopefully ill bring it back to its originall glory

 

[dsgray16]

If you couldn't tell from my subtle comment, this was my old setup.......:biggrin:

Well i guess you can prob be a huge help to me then.. your signature alone gives me a great idea of what to run. Thanks

 

[Alexxn]

You have the right idea. Craig is selling his light - I see you posted on his thread. Go for that light. I won't go into details but I basicall bought that light from him at first but due to a mis communication it fell through. You can't beat that light at that price. The quality and workmanship is tops.

 

[Alexxn]

BTW Jim and Russ are a WEALTH of knowledge (not to mention all around great guys)

He helped me from start to finish with this setup.

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/...formation.html

 

[dsgray16]

yeah i am interested in that light, but i was worried the dual 250's would be too much.. If it comes recomended for the setup though, i cant turn it down. Such a great deal!

 

[Alexxn]

Nope they wont be too much. He had it on a 46 Bowfront. Nice thing about them is because they are on cables you can raise / lower as necessary.

 

[dsgray16]

Alright well i think ill take your advice and go for the twin 250's. Seems like a great light.

That Bubble King Mini is a bit out of my price range...

Any suggestion on a skimmer? I have an 11x11 inch space in the sump, and about 30 inches of clearance in the cabinet.

 

[Craig]

Consider the ATI Bubble Master 160. The footprint should be small enough for the sump.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

You can set it up in my house for me, that would be the best thing in the world for me LOL.

As far as tthe skimmer I like the way the tunze skimmers work and I also like the reviews of the bermuda aquatics skimmers and the adm skimmers as well, I have no experience with the latter but the reviews I have read I think are favorable.

The lighting choices you have there are nice but take into consideration that I have a 250w on a 20" deep tank and the lps is loving it. My light is also resting on the top of the tank with it's included legs (I have the sunpod BTW) If you go with T5's the best advice I can give you is to get individual high polished reflectors for it or as Russ says "Individual Parabolic Reflectors" to make sure you get all that light focussed on your tank.

Heater goes in the sump with all the rest of the equipment, but the chiller can be a touchy thing. If you elect to not get the chiller and go with a simple fan blowing across the top of the sump your evaporation is going to be higher than if you had the chiller and your electric bill is going to be higher with the chiller as well, but you are going to be more in need of that ATO if you go with the fan so there are plusses and minuses to each.

Powerheads are your choice. The vortech iis an impressive piece of equipment but the price makes it eh at the first glance but as you research it more you grow to like it more and more.

Hope this helped.

 

[dsgray16]

For the light i think im going to end up with dual 250's and actinics. I can control the height of the fixture so i should be able to dial it in.

Thanks for the help!

 

[autoponicz]

how much you willing to spend on a skimmer...11x11 is a decent size...

 

[kool-cat]

Dual 250watts sounds good for your tank size.

 

[dsgray16]

For the ATO setup, iv been looking at the JBJ unit, and now im looking at Reef Fanatic setups as well. Alex, i see you ran the Reef Fanatic. Were you happy with it?

Any advice on the ATO setup in general would be a huge help. Do i need to rig up a fresh water reservoir in the cabinet? Or can i actually hook it up to a RO/DI unit??

Thanks guys

 

[dsgray16]

I just ordered a Reef Keeper 2 and a Reef Fanatics ATO. Going to try and do this right from the beginning... looks like im copying your setup Alex

I could really use more advice on setting up the ATO, reservoir and RO/DI feed. Id like to have the RO/DI unit setup with a float switch to feed the reservoir and also be able to fill a container for water changes when i want to.

What should i use for a reservoir and should i locate it inside the cabinet?

 

[Craig]

For a filter sock holder try this DIY method
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/320796-post25.html

All you'll need are some pvc parts, eggcrate, and wire ties