Let's have some fun, help getting me back in the hobby in the right direction!!

[Bfofre]

Well, first off, if you didn't catch my introduction....Pleased to make your acquaintance! 
I'm from Lasalle, Ont (Windsor) and getting back into the hobby i left many years ago...

So where do I start....
My previous tanks, 75Gal mixed reef, 180 gal mixed reef etc etc...  LOL
I've seen it all, done it all and spent it all!!  However, that was over 6yrs ago and from my brief reading things have changed in this hobby!
I am looking for advice, details, ideas, proper equipment, help, freebies whatever...but most important good advice!!

Here is what is...
I purchased a 90 Gal RR from a board member, just last night, however had another 90 Gal setup (non-drilled) that i purchased on an impulse.  The more i thought about it, the more i figured I'd just find another tank reef ready so i didn't have to go thru the risk of drilling (and the expense)

So in my possession I have
90 gal RR Tank, stand and canopy
40gal sump (all the plumbing)
Mag 7 pump, various other return pumps.
Euroreef CS 5-2 skimmer (pretty much brand new, been in storage for years!!)
175w x 2 MH 14K system with 2 T5 supplement bulbs
Several bags and pails of Oceanic Salt.
40lb bag of fine white sand
2 x 300Watt heaters
5 stage Ro/Di

I'm sure I'm missing stuff....But close enough.

So now the fun part...
If you were me, and just getting started...  What would you buy??  What do i "HAVE" to have??  Should i switch to T5 lighting?  LED??  SSB, DSB, BB??  Marco Rock w/ Live?  All Live Rock??  What test kits?  Reactors?  Filtration?  Dosing?  Auto top off?

I am interested to hear from each of you....  I want to set this up properly right out of the gate!!  I can't even begin to tell you how much $$ I've spent in my lifetime buying stuff twice for this hobby cause i did it wrong the first time!!

I guess i should include my intentions... I'm older now, father of 3 boys, we want this for our living room (show tank for sure)  Plus I want them to learn a little about the hobby.  I think we would be most happy with a softies dominated mixed reef, but I can't guarantee we won't sneak over the fence to SPS later on....
The kids have told me Clown pair and anemone are a must have. 

Let the games begin!!

;D

 

[davesolo29]

Welcome back to the hobby.  I'm an expert on buying things more than once.  I think we are all guilty of that.  Sounds like your equipment list is pretty decent.  Not many guys on here run my lights anymore.  Both for heat issues and hydro cost.  T5 is the way to go in my opinion.  But many will tell you led is. 


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[Poseidon]

well i can answer a few qu for you, you have alot

your lighting will be fine for growing softies, lps and sps, mh are a bit power hungry but im sure your aware of that, just make sure bulbs are newer

I would do a shallow sandbed, ive heard to many horror stories of dsb becoming timebombs over the course of a year or two

Rock- other will chime in, when i start my new tank i will use dry marco, but ive used 'used' rock before as have many on here with little to no side effect, just make sure you know where the rock came from and are aware of the large variety of pests that should be avoided.

For test kits, most of us have a mix of either salifert, red sea and hanna checkers, these seem to be the top ones IMO

reactors, - you'll want to run gfo, carbon and possibly bio pellets, it really depends on where you want to go with the tank.

filtration- getting a large enough amount of rock will look after your filtration as the bacteria colonies in the rock are what makes the world go round in a reef tank.

if your going to be doing a softie /lps tank, dont worry about dosing, just keep a good water change schedule and that will keep your levels up to par.

Auto top off isnt a must but i would definitly recommend just because of the added stability to the salinity of the tank, something cheaper like JBJ ato will work just fine, and it is what i am using in fact.

definitly hold off on the nem til later down the road, at LEAST 6 months + of being a healthy tank, they dont like change and are better of in an established, stable system, clowns on the other hand you can get as soon as your cycle is over

Also do some research on the nitrogen cycle, how long it should take, what you should expect etc etc,

Other than that i think you are on the right track with the drilled tank and the sump, skimmer lighting etc etc.
Just be PATIENT (this is the key right here, i just gave away the hobby secret), and ask lots of questions/do research.

best of luck!

 

[spyd]

I would change out the lighting. 175w are not very ideal and will consume a lot of power. If you are thinking mainly softies with some SPS then LED is ideal. If you think you may end up going SPS dominated then I would say go T5. A 6 lamp T5 would be enough for your 90G tank to grow anything. For LED, I don't know which units are best. I am a T5 man myself. I hear GHL Mitras have the best spectrums but they will run you $1,000 a pop and you will need 2 for your tank.

I highly suggest switching out your main pump for something much quieter. I am a big fan of the Water Blaster pumps. Dead silent and low wattage consumption. Plus, 3 year warranty. A lot of people like the Jabao DC pumps as well. They are silent and you can control the speed. They are also quite inexpensive. Check out fishstreet.com for them. I would suggest getting an oversized pump. This way you can plumb off your reactors and run them all off the same pump. This reduces heat, power consumption and gives you more room in your sump. I run my GFO/Carbon dual reactor and bio-pellet reactor off my main pump.

You will also need some powerheads obviously. A lot of people are using the Jabao ones now as well. They are fully controllable and relatively inexpensive compared to your Vortech and Tunze powerheads. You can order them on fishstreet.com as well. I would suggest maybe 2 WP40's or 1 WP40 and 1 WP25. I would grab these over Koralias any day. You can dial them down as well to 1/2 speed and 1/4 speed if you find there is too much flow on them as well.

For reactors, unless you are going full in to SPS, I wouldn't bother with bio-pellets. LPS and softies don't like an ULNS (Ultra Low Nutrient System). They prefer a bit of nitrates. I do highly suggest running a dual reactor or 2 separate reactors for carbon and GFO though. Carbon will keep your water looking pristine and GFO will keep any unwanted PO4 down.

For sandbed, I highly suggest SSB. DSB can be a real pain. You have to use fine sand for a DSB and it blows around a lot. Plus, you have to go at least 4" deep which takes a lot of space out of your tank. For a SSB, I would get rid of the sand you have now and purchase some Seaflor Special Grade sand. It is the right size for a SSB. Be sure to rinse it before it goes in your tank with RO/DI water. Only go 1 to 2" tops with sand.

As Brandon said, a good ATO is ideal as well to keep the water level constant. The Tunze Osmolator or Elos Osmocontroller are the best units out there. They will keep the water level in your sump the same at all times which is ideal for having your skimmer function properly and prevent the need to manually top off evaporated water. You will need a resevoir to hold the RO/DI water for the ATO though. Something small like a 5G or 10G tank is perfect.

As for rock, it is all preference. If you run bio-pellets, then you can skimp out on the amount of rock you put in your system. If you don't run pellets then you will want more rock. It doesn't mean you have to put it all in your display though. You can put some of it in your sump as well just run a small powerhead with it to prevent dietritus build up. I suggest usring dry rock for the display. You can get Marco Rock at Sealife in London or you can go with something even fancier with fijireefrock.com. I have dealt with Eli many times and he has some really nice pieces. The Tonga shelf rock with the bases attached are awesome as a main display piece and shipping is very cheap. Just message him directly. Tell him what size pieces you are looking for and he will post pics for you to check them out.

I think your skimmer should work just fine. I don't know much about them but they were the go-to skimmers for a lot of years so go with it.

Any questions just ask. Enjoy!

 

[spyd]

Also, I suggest running a Herbie overflow with a reef ready tank. Basically, you use the 2 holes all ready drilled for drain lines and you come over the top at the back with your return line. Or, you drill one hole and use a bulkhead for your return line to make it even cleaner looking.

Just reasearch Herbie method. You will need a PVC gate valve which are pricey ($40 - $50). It attaches to the lower drain line to make it a full siphon line. The other would be your high water drain that would just have a slow trickle of water draining into it. This method makes your system run dead silent. By doing this method and adding a silent return pump, you can make your system super quiet and keep your wife happy. 

 

[curiousphil]

Everything spyd said right there is gold

 

[Jewel]

I think Derek and Brandon has everything covered, I also would get rid of the MH and go with T-5, 6 bulbs would be ideal. ATO is a must, Good water change schedule. I'd go LPS dominated for sure. Make sure your R)/DI unit is producing 0TDS and enjoy. A clean up crew is a must as well, Turbos, Nirite,Nassarious snails, no Hermits and participate in the discussion forums. You can learn a lot. Oh ya Carbon and GFO is a must.

 

[Bfofre]

Thanks guys....Loving all the advice.
Just so you know...I've had many previous years of saltwater experience...    (not a complete newb, more like a born again)
I'm just getting a refresher here, as most of the equipment, additives etc has seemed to change!!!

So now my newest questions, and thoughts.

I'm on board with SSB (as that is what I ran previously, years ago)  However sounds as if there is a new product Seafloor that i need to investigate!!
I'm all for getting rid of my big money wasting MH, however, i've been toying around with the thought of LED cause i here so many complain about the ongoing costs associated with T5.

What kind of controls do you get with T-5??  Dimming?? Night light??  How often do you have to change bulbs?
I've heard LED all but eliminates concerns with HA?? True??

If i did go LED...anyone ever look at the  DsunY   
http://www.dsuny.com.cn/En/Product_Detail.aspx?UserInfo_ID=727023&CorpProductClass1_ID=46914&id=922309


What the heck is GFO??? Never heard of that before??

Who has reactors for cheap??

The new pumps seem to draw a lot less power these days....This peaks my interest.  I am look at the Jebao pumps, but have yet to find 1 in stock!! LOL

Obviously I intend for some power heads for water movement....Again, looks like Jebao may be the way to go!!

I will look further at the Herbie method, but can't say for sure I want any external pipes...
Am really going for a good clean look so the tank can be tight to the wall in my family room!

Thanks for the suggestions on ATO, I will look into these asap.  This isn't something i had last go around and always wish i would've!!

Finally, my RO/DI is producing 0ppm TDS, as verified by my TDS meter!!!  (and i have second Ro/Di unit as a backup    )

Again, thanks for the help...I will have many questions no doubt as i move forward.  For now, i want to continue to gather all the pieces of the puzzle, and do this right the first time!!

Once i get started....drool....  I will get another thread going to document the progress... 
But until then...  Please feel free to keep the advice coming!!!

 

[KBennett]

Buy your jebao stuff from fishstreet.com. they should have them in stock and I have never heard any complaints.
GFO is granularized ferroc oxide.  It lowers phosphorus and I believe it helps with silicates as well.
LEDs will grow hair algae.  GFO is what we use to stop it.

 

[Poseidon]

just a side note: we should prob use our usernames as opposed to our real names, newcommers wont know whose who and can get confused

But it looks like you are on the right track Bfofre, dont be afraid to spend some money to get it done right the first time.

 

[curiousphil]

Herbie wouldn't require any external pipes, it will work with internal overflows that have at least 2 drilled holes.  You said you have a 90g RR?  Assuming it has dual corner overflows with 2 holes in each box, you could use two holes on one side for the herbie, one of the holes on the other side for an emergency drain (pipe entry higher than the others), and the final hole for your return.

 

[Bfofre]

Well I only have 1 overflow....  it is AGA 90 gal, however 2 holes, but in the same overflow box!

 

[curiousphil]

2 holes would work fine for the herbie... just gotta figure out how to do your return line .

I took a look at that light you mentioned, I find it kinda meh.  1:1 white and blue LED is what they were pumping out a couple years ago, and it's adequate enough I suppose, but not ideal.  Without knowing your budget, I would recommend AI Hydras or Ecotech radions (gen2 pro or better).  Getting cheaper, I've heard decent things about the reefbreeder LED units.  All these recommendations are based on the assumption that you want to grow SPS, FYI .

 

[vdubz]

Since I'm following along...what makes gfo and carbon "a must"? I have had my tank over a year without either, to no ill effects...everything is happy healthy and growing...what would it improve?

 

[curiousphil]

They will help you to keep a low nutrient environment.  GFO will lower your phosphates, carbon removes dissolved organic compounds (DOC) that can't be removed via skimming.  Keeping a low nutrient environment should help with both colour and growth.

 

[KBennett]

I don't think gfo is a must if you can control your phosphates.

Carbon has its uses to rid the tank from chemicals that some invertebrates may secrete.  It also takes the yellow tint out of the water that some may get. 

 

[Jewel]

I'm old school too, I go back awhile, when a good skimmer, great water quality and good lights were all you needed, but then just like over night my Corals would not produce good colour or growth, And It was High Phosphate, I got really discouraged for awhile and threw in the towel and about 20 grand out the window. I never tested for Phosphate, But things have changed so I run Carbon and HC-GFO 24/7, I have a good skimmer and great lights and am much more prepared than I ever was. I tried LED but just didn't like the Disco colours so i'm back to T-5s and lovin it.

 

[Bfofre]

Well I believe I have a good skimmer...
i'm also trying to reach someone on this boards classified with 6 bulb t5 for sale... 
can you point me to a link for gfo? And a device to administer it?



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[Bfofre]

Also what are the right t5 bulbs to use?  Brand? Color/temp?

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[KBennett]

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/1788/
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/1657/

They have great videos to explain all their products as well.  Definitely worth the time to view them all.