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setting up a new tank...considering new ideas...need opinions...


Guest Mbeef61

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Guest Mbeef61

i recently moved and i tore down my 135 gallon and bought a new 100 gallon acrylic....the dimensions are 60x18x20 i think....its drilled with one over flow and a closed loop. as of now everythings i have is crammed in a 80 gallon.

 

the tank is a heavily stocked mainly sps with a few others like fungia and moon corals and zoos. 33 gallon sump with big skimmer and fuge for chaeto.

 

my questions are as follows;

1- what should i do with the sand issue/ right now i have approx 150 lbs of some good live sand from my 135...however, being so heavily stocked i want alot of aquascaping space because there is a ton of rock too so i dont want sand too high. i do prefer the loook of sand so BB is out. then i hear its better to do 1/2 inch or 4 or more... is that true/ whats youre opinion for sps tank/

 

2- lighting - i have 3x250 with 15k from the 135...im going to use 2 on the new tank and then im adding 2 vho actinics at 110 watt each. should be a nice spectrum...then the plan is when its cooler to replace 250s with 400s. already have one its just too dang hot.

my question is how high to mount these lights above the tank/ im not familiar with what can burn acrylic.

 

3- closed loop...i have a sequence dart...what are the rules to mounting these things/ do they prefer you mount it how it sits in the box with the mounting plate down/ i want to mount it sideways so that the outlet that usually point up actually points parallel to the ground for like 12 inches and then goes up...is that ok/ also im planning on having about 4 outlets from the dart...will those crank too much/ should i do more/ if you have one how do you have it setup

 

 

any opinions on my new setup would be appreciated...its to hard to do it alone...im ready to make some changes but want to do it safely and educated lol. thanks for the help

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1. BB is the only way to go...IMO:D

 

2.does your tank have a center brace? i have a tank with the same dimensions with center brace... i have 2 400watters and 2 110 watt vho up above ...there are spots in the middle and on the ends of the tank wear the light is not as brite. the bottom of the 400 watt bulbs are about 8"inch above the water..some people go about 10 inches.. i wish i could run three MH but cant because of the center brace..IMO two MH are great above a four foot tank...but on five or more feet, you need three MH...

 

3. it shouldnt matter mounting the pump like u want to . the motor shaft is already parallel to the ground. the motor shaft with the output parallel to the ground is still gonna also be parallel to the ground ...no difference... the only thing is that u will have is one more elbow to slow the flow a little....youll have plenty of extra ump left...

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Guest Mbeef61

what are the biggest risks of BB/ and if i did it i would have to go with the sand on top of starboard...where do you get that stuff by the way/

 

the tank does have a center brace....whats the problem with going with 3x400/ will it really melt it/ what about going with 2x400 and a 250 in the middle above the centerbrace and 2x110vho/ i will have 2 fans in it but i wonder what the rish is of melting it...i remember my old tank had a glass center brace and with 250s it would get kinda toasty if the fans werent on...but i dont know if it was hot enough to melt acrylic...i have no knowledge of that.

 

reefin....do you have any pics of you 100...im looking for visual ideas...thanks

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1 - I would put in all new sand and use a little of the sand from the old tank to use to seed the new sand. I would hate to turn up an old sandbed........gross. Not good for anything anyways.

 

2 - I have 2 400waters over the same size of tank. Yes it does have a small area on each end and under the brace that is lower light. use this area to your advantage, place lower light loving corals here. Or lps, softies, or zoas. 400's will put out the heat so be ware. i have mine about 10" above the water line, centered right over the openings in the tanks top.

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1 - I would put in all new sand and use a little of the sand from the old tank to use to seed the new sand. I would hate to turn up an old sandbed........gross. Not good for anything anyways.

 

2 - I have 2 400waters over the same size of tank. Yes it does have a small area on each end and under the brace that is lower light. use this area to your advantage, place lower light loving corals here. Or lps, softies, or zoas. 400's will put out the heat so be ware. i have mine about 10" above the water line, centered right over the openings in the tanks top.

 

I completely agree with everything. I think BB is over rated and looks really ugly!!!!! But this debate will go on for the ages...

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Guest Ahbrit

BB is too hard for most of us to succeed.

i tried it with 12,000gph of flow. i still couldnt keep the waste in suspension long enough to get skimmed. You think you just have it right then you go and buy a piece of rock or coral that throws off the flow patterns again and creates deadspots.

Also looks like crap

Sand will better reflect your light off the bottom of the tank for the corals and aesthetic apeal

Sand is almost a sponge. it will suck in the nutrients. make sure you syphon off a thin layer of sand each week to maintain a healthy tank.

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I like the look of sand but I hate the maintance that goes along with it; in order to keep it looking nice you have to keep it moving, so you have to get a fish that will sift the sand. So, now you have a fish that is always sifting the sand and what does it do, drops it on the corals and clam. Either that or you replace the sand bed often enough to keep it nice.

 

I also don't like the look of bare bottom. So for my new 130G tank I decided to have to best of both worlds. I'm making a faux sand bed. If you look on my tank build thread you will see what I'm doing. My tank is a SPS primarly and some LPS.

 

As for lighting; have you thought about T5 lighting? People are getting really good results from them with SPS and other corals and they are a lot cooler to run.

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I like the look of sand but I hate the maintance that goes along with it; in order to keep it looking nice you have to keep it moving, so you have to get a fish that will sift the sand. So, now you have a fish that is always sifting the sand and what does it do, drops it on the corals and clam. Either that or you replace the sand bed often enough to keep it nice.

 

I also don't like the look of bare bottom. So for my new 130G tank I decided to have to best of both worlds. I'm making a faux sand bed. If you look on my tank build thread you will see what I'm doing. My tank is a SPS primarly and some LPS.

 

As for lighting; have you thought about T5 lighting? People are getting really good results from them with SPS and other corals and they are a lot cooler to run.

I think the goby that you have is one that likes to spread sand all over everything... My diamond does a really good job shifting the sand and keeps it low and does not spread it over everything...I love your faux sand idea, however when it gets covered with coraline it will remind me of a BB...but to each his own...Plus a few of the fish I have and I want need a sand bed to really enjoy life...My goby, jawfish and eventually a leopard wrasse.

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Guest Mbeef61

what is it that goes bad in a sand bed/ i have had them go great...and ive even moved it like from tank to tank like 3 times...there is a little dieoff but you let it cycle and like a day later its great again...my sand sifters and current have done a pretty good job...i just dont really know what im looking out for/ nutrient spikes/....

 

also need input on closed loop....how many outlets make the dart efficient but not blasting overpowered.

 

im going to stick with halides...i am a sucker for the shimmering effects alone...the next change i make is when those trick LED setups come out....shimmering...cloud effects...thats so cool.

 

also has anyone with 400s tried to mounting a 250 in the middle and not have melting/

 

thanks for the help so far guys

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what is it that goes bad in a sand bed/ i have had them go great...and ive even moved it like from tank to tank like 3 times...there is a little dieoff but you let it cycle and like a day later its great again...my sand sifters and current have done a pretty good job...i just dont really know what im looking out for/ nutrient spikes/....

 

also need input on closed loop....how many outlets make the dart efficient but not blasting overpowered.

 

im going to stick with halides...i am a sucker for the shimmering effects alone...the next change i make is when those trick LED setups come out....shimmering...cloud effects...thats so cool.

 

also has anyone with 400s tried to mounting a 250 in the middle and not have melting/

 

thanks for the help so far guys

Some people say the sand bed "crashes" due to the good bacteria finally dieing off... I think if you have a shallow sand bed, I would not worry about it to much...You do not need to worry about anything with a sand bed.

 

As for a closed loop...I would get an Oceans motions four way, the one that can handle up to 2500gph, that should be enough for te dart and should be good for flow...I also I would ger loc-line so you can direct the flow to where you want and you spread the flow out, so it is not just a stream.

 

What do you mean mounting a 250 in the middle...Really there is no need for 400's if you go with a 250 HQi, plus heat is less and electricity is used less with them.

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Guest Mbeef61

right now i have 3x250....i also have a really nice 400 laying around...my buddy wants 2 of my 250s...i said if he buys me a matching new sunlight system 400 and 2 bulbs that he can have those 2 250s....that leave me with 2x400 and a 250....i have heard of problems melting acrylic with 400s so i thought since i will have it laying around...would it be ok to put inbetween the 400s....to take away any shadows....keep in mind i also have 2x110 4 foot actinics too....would that be too much like with 2x400,1x250, 2x110vho/ i really like the growth and brightness of 400s but i dont want to melt anything so i thought instead of getting 3 i can put taht extra 250 i have which would probably be cooler on the cross brace....what do you think

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Guest Mbeef61

yeah im kinda axious to hear....i could put an extra fan on of course but theres always that fear of it not turning on or something and having a tank meltdown

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