First reef tank

[luzblue]

I've been planning out my first reef tank for a couple of months now. I've read through too many forums to count and also read some good books, including "the new marine aquarium." I keep jumping back and forth between a couple of options when it comes to the tank. It will be mostly sps & some of the things I know I want to have (eventually, not necessarily right away): mandarin (so I need a sump/fuge), clown, BTA. I'm basically between three tanks: ELOS 70, ELOS 120 & the upcoming RSM 450 (S-Series). I have an alcove in the living room where the 70 would fit into perfectly, but am concerned it might be a tad too small & I'll outgrow it too quickly. Ideally I'd love to have 1-2 tangs and I know it'd be cramped in 55 gallons. Also concerned I might outgrow it quickly and want to upgrade. I could splurge on the 120 but it's about another grand more, plus I'd need more expensive lights. I don't also have a great spot for it, but I could make it work. In either case, I'd go for the complete setup with the stand, sump & skimmer. For lights I'd be between the ELOS halides or perhaps LED with a vertex illumina. The last option would be to wait for the RSM 450 to come out. I know the quality of RSM doesn't normally compare to ELOS, but I'm attracted to the idea it's all integrated together and I must admit the white look is pretty sexy. The new line is low iron glass, lots of T5/actinic lighting plus LED's. It will be the first RSM with a sump, so that's a plus too. Any advise or suggestions on options I haven't considered would be much appreciated!

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF!!! :welcome: Options, options, options.... Planning a tank can drive you nuts!! Best piece of advice would be to wait it out and get what you really want because you will regret it later and wish you had got something else. In all cases do what suits you best and not what someone tells you to do. You have to be happy.

Good luck!!!

 

[Peppie]

If it were me I would spend a little more and get what I want. This is a major investment. Dont settle for something now, and end up spending more later to get what you wanted innitally. Take your time, plan it out, Be sure to know what equipment does and dont do.
Are you handy with tools? If so you can save money on some DIY and take that money saved and upgrade important equipment.
It is best to know how you want your system to run before you can decide on what you need to buy.
We need more info on how you want it to run.
There is a local tank builder that could build your tank to fit your space. The name of the company alludes me. (anybody)? Jasons does the work.

 

[luzblue]

Thanks for the comments - much appreciated! I'm pretty sure I'll be in this for the long-haul and know once I get going I'll probably outgrown a small tank pretty fast. I'm now considering one of the Marineland deep dimension tanks (200 or 250 gallons). It's a bit of a tight squeeze for my place but I can make it work I live in an apartment, so don't really have space to DIY... so i'll probably go with their monterey stand & canopy too. Not sure about their sump though... I know I'll want a fuge, skimmer, carbon, GFO, probably a calc reactor, heaters etc in there. Also, do you think the marineland 24 hour lighting systems are any good? I'm concerned it only has 2 x 150W MH and 4 x 54 HO T5 actinics. Seems kinda weak to me... especially for sps. Thoughts? Thanks again!

 

[Peppie]

If it were me, I would go with the 200 or the 250. As for the sump I would buy a glass tank as large as the stand will hold and section off the tank into the compartments that fit your equipment. Also consider room under there for a freshwater tank to hold your ATO water.

As for your lighting. Research the Led units available, In the long run they are much cheaper. Just think, No heat problems, No replacing bulbs every 8 mo or so. And you are already going to increase your power bill with all the other equipment it takes to run your tank.
You can do things with Leds that you can not with other fixtures. As I already stated to some more research on the leds they are the way of the future IMO

 

[Chichas01]

If you are not dead set on glass, you could call Jason at Clear Fabrications Inc, local sponsor here on RF, and see what he would quote you for a custom tank built to your specs. His work is top notch and you are close enough to make a trip down here to Seattle to pick it up and avoid the shipping charges.

 

[akunochi]

I like the marineland tanks. Too bad you don't have room to build your own tank it is sooo much easier than I expected. For the sump you can use a glass tank and baffle it or buy acrylic and build a sump. It takes almost no time and can be done on a kitchen table before the wife even realizes what is happening LOL.

 

[luzblue]

Thanks for the suggestion on Clear Fabrications. I actually drove down to Barrier Reef in Renton last weekend to have a peak at their stuff. What are your thoughts on acrylic - is the scratching really that big of an issue?

 

[akunochi]

Yes it is a big issue, but can be buffed out so it is a give and take. I personally have owned 1 acrylic tank and will never own another one, but that is just personal preference.

You know some of those tanks you are talking about are big money. Why not look at a custom tank for your space. You could pick where the overflow and return/closed loop holes are etc. A couple I'm sure Barrier Reef can get for you are

AGE (Awesome glass tanks with a PVC bottom so you can drill if you need to in the future.)

Reef Savvy....Elos who?....for real that nice.

 

[luzblue]

Yeah, I think I'm going to go with the Elos 70 (or something similar in size). It's perhaps not as big as I would like, but I think it will be more manageable for the size of my place (e.g. water changes, amount of rock/sand etc I'll have to transport). I also have to get the tank into the elevator and down the hall, so that might be tricky considering how much they weigh even when empty. Also, I don't want to blow my whole budget on the tank, lighting etc, as I do want to be able to stock it

Thanks for the suggestion on Reef Savvy... they're tanks look really nice! Any idea how they compare in price to Elos?

 

[akunochi]

Nothing is as expensive to Elos....Like everything else Italian it is flashy, expensive and overrated....while still being nice.

 

[luzblue]

Yeah, I like the whole clean ELOS look, but a custom set-up would give me the sump flexibility/size I'm looking for. ELOS 70 is the biggest that would fit, which is only 55 gallons. If I go custom, it's closer to 130 gallons

Now I'm thinking of a cusom 34Wx30Dx30H rimless starphire tank

I'll probably go 32" high for the stand. It will be mainly sps dominated, so I'm planning to go with 24" vertex illumina lighting which I've heard great things about. As it has Cree XPG 139lm/W LEDs I'm hoping it should be good down to 30" for sps? I'm going to run a skimmer (any suggestions?), GFO and carbon, refugium, ATO & possibly a calcium reactor (thoughts vs dosing?). I'm thinking of vortechs for flow. Would 1 MP40 be enough? Any help/suggestions much appreciated

 

[akunochi]

SWC skimmer.

I run the AI Sol which is the illumina's biggest competitor. You will probably need more than 1 24" module to punch down 30"

I would say 2 MP 40w ES would be optimal for a 130 gallon tank.

 

[Peppie]

I HAVE TO ASK. WHY ARE YOU ADVERTISING RC on your posts?

 

[luzblue]

Funny you mention that... don't know what happened really... a couple times I've logged back in here to check for replies I've seen that too! Right now all my posts look normal though...bizarre. I copied and pasted my post from RC, so I'm guessing that's what happened

 

[akunochi]

I never noticed any of that...

 

[luzblue]

Yeah, I think it depends on where you view the forum from. When I checked from my iphone I noticed it, but on my laptop it looks normal.

 

[Peppie]

I just went back to the op last post to see if they were still there. Now they have been replaced with little smiley face figures. What is up with that?

 

[luzblue]

Yeah, something to do with copy/paste. I think the codes are different on RC, so that's what's screwed it up. Sometimes it looks normal and other times it gives that weird RC image/link message.

 

[Peppie]

I thought I was losing it when Seth said he didnt see it. Then I went back to check. OMG I'M LOSING IT It wasnt there!!!
It all makes sense now. I thought I was going to have a drink!!!!! lol ( I dont drink)