NooB -> with some questions....

[_Adrian_]

Hi Everybody...
im new on this site and pretty new in this hobby...
SO ..
heres some of my background...

had a 35Gal Reef tank for a couple of months and decided to step up to a real tank so i ordered a 75 Galon with an integral overflow.
well i almost ended up with that, but there was a lil bit of an error at the wharehouse and they shipped me a 90Gal drilled in the bottom with the integral overflow ( made by perfecto ).... yay .. but now im screwed for lighting since i already have bought a fixture that now is useless since i bought in in mind with a 75Gal tank.
Luckily the local guy is exceptional and sent it back and actually had something on the cheaper side for me ... yeah i know for this one im gonna get a lashing since i read a couple of horror stories... so i ended up with a slighly used Odysea fixture with dual 150W HQI, 2 96W CF Atinics and 4 1W moonlights... the ballast is external and the switches are on the balast.

Filtration wise running a 15Gal wet/dry, in tank theres a mix of 40Lbs of crushed coral and 55 Lbs of caribsea live sand and aproximately 55Lbs of live rock (will add about 40-60Lbs more) along with a canister (280GPH) for mechanical and chemical filtration ( 4 stage - stg1-corse sponge,stg2- med/fne sponge, stg3-denitrate rock, stg4- activated carbon (rowa) ) thats running my spray bar

also have a lead on a bigger wet dry (cheap) but will have to make or buy myself a skimmer and a UV light is on the list...

Now for the Questions...
1. what would be a good amount of flow for the tank keeping it reef friendly without any dead spots?
( right now 700GPH , but have a second 700GPH pump thats not hooked up and then there's a 350GHP skimmer )
2. how much light is too much light ???

 

[trido]

Now for the Questions...
1. what would be a good amount of flow for the tank keeping it reef friendly without any dead spots?
( right now 700GPH , but have a second 700GPH pump thats not hooked up and then there's a 350GHP skimmer )
2. how much light is too much light ???

For a reef the rule of thumb now days is a minimum of 30X turnover. Some shoot for closer to 50X. So for a 90G tank you will want from approx. 2700-4500GPH of flow. Volume is more important than velocity as the latter will irritate corals and cause them to potentialy die if they are getting blasted by a powerhead. Softies generally prefer less flow than SPS.

Two 1000W MH would probably be too much light for your 90G. :lol: You asked

With your double 150s. If you get 10k bulbs you should be able to keep SPS in the upper portions of your tank and softies in the lower giving you a good mix. Remember, leathers and SPS generally dont mix too well.

 

[_Adrian_]

Thanks for the quick reply

hard corals arent my cup of tea anyway...
looking at LPS, soft, polyps and some shrooms.

right now in the tank i have 2 true percs, coral beauty, green mandarin, blue hippo, lawnmower blenny, dragon goby, sailfin, about 15 snails (mixed), 10 crabs (mixed)
some botton polyps, green starburst polyps, 2 green/yellow ricordea's, some brown/green/red//blue shroms, pulsing xenia's, 2 larger kenya tree's (not doing so great)..
will post pics latter on (pic too large-10mp) once i shrink them

 

[Len]

Too much light depends on what corals you want to keep Your lighting is very nice for most any corals IME.

As for flow, you've got enough, but adding the second 750gph pump will improve things. The key is to have lots of movement, but have the movement be slow and gentle. That's why propeller-type circ pumps are excellent choices.

 

[_Adrian_]

Thank you all... for the advice and input on this.

i have posted pics of my tank and setup in the members tank section.

again .. ty

 

[mr_X]

you might need to purchase some pods to put in the tank for that mandarin. i don't think the 2 month cured live rock is going to sustain him...or her(mandy). :wink:

 

[shavo]

Why don't you change your old tank into a fuge instead of the mechanical filtration?
mY FRIEND HAS A 95 GALLON WAVE TANK WITH A MAG 7 return pump AND 3 POWERHEADS two maxi 900 and 1 maxi 1200
maybe i missed it but are there any powerheads in the tank now?

the 700 gph pump is the return pump right? it looses the rating after a few feet of hose back to the tank.

350 gph skimmer? this is not producing flow right?

 

[_Adrian_]

i have the 2 pumps side by side, but can only use 1 since i made a bobo when i did some of the plumbing on the return and choked the return line to 1" for about 3 or so inches and when i kick on the second pump my wetdry pretty much goes dry ... LOL
so ...
Also i forgot to mention that i have a smal wavemaker in the back of the tank (zoomed 214) but that about it.

as far as the skimer ....
i just read the rating of the pump... so im not 100% sure on its performance (air is introduced via venturi)

 

[shavo]

just a thought i just saw your set up, check out orca's tank build in members tanks specs he has the same exact wet/dry and transformed it into a working fuge check it out , you need lights!!!

 

[shavo]

ok just want to make sure your not including the skimmer as flow for the tank, also do you have any powerheads in the tank for flow?

 

[_Adrian_]

actually ...
today someone brught in a 35Gal wetdry with a fuge for $50
so guess who has a new wet/dry???

the only thig is that it doesnt have a skimer...
so either i have to pony up and buy one or just make one myself.

 

[shavo]

take out the bio balls! IMO/IME

 

[shavo]

BTW did you see my ode to george post?

 

[mr_X]

Why don't you change your old tank into a fuge instead of the mechanical filtration?
mY FRIEND HAS A 95 GALLON WAVE TANK WITH A MAG 7 return pump AND 3 POWERHEADS two maxi 900 and 1 maxi 1200
the 700 gph pump is the return pump right? it looses the rating after a few feet of hose back to the tank.

350 gph skimmer? this is not producing flow right?

what shavo meant is, you can use the old 35 gallon tank as a sump. glue in some baffles, and there's your refugium as well. yes, you'll have to get another skimmer, but those built-in-the-wet/dry skimmers aren't the best bang for your buck anyway, so i think it would be a step in the right direction, purchasing a better one.
and he's right about the return pumps too..every foot of hose back towards the display, and every bend in the hose before it hits the water, takes from the GPH.
check out this graph to give you an idea:
http://www.petsolutions.com/Mag-Drive-W ... 02515.aspx

so..you may or may not need some other source of flow in the display.

 

[_Adrian_]

BTW did you see my ode to george post?

i seen it .. but havent poked my nose in it yet ... but now you sparked my interest about it .. so off i am

heheheh ... george.. LOL
wife finds it a bit disturbing about keeping it in tha basement...