equipment q's

hello all, im back from some lurking with some equipment questions for yall.

(what i plan to do is start out fowlr and when i get enough experience then i will start to add corals.)

ok, i bought a 75g aquarium w/ a stand and canopy, and everything else the guy was going to use off of craigslist. so im going to run this equipment by you guys and tell me if what i have is good.

the protein skimmers (he had 2 of them) right off the bat i know are trash, i couldn't find them online(edit: i found a pic just now, heres the link:http://www.pro-clear.com/images/skimmers/mps75.gif) and the best i could describe them as being a plastic tube with a pump on them. it has aqua clear aquatics Jacksonville, FL on the collection cup. it looks like it was used so maybe im just judging this book by its cover. but they are small anyway so i don't know if they'd do a good job if they did work.

the overflow box is a CPR model CS100 rated at 800gph. this looks to be in good shape except... the canopy fell on it when i was adjusting it. so the side is kinda busted up. but im confident my grandpa can fix it. ;D

one of the pumps has lots of piping on it and, on the end, what looks to be some sort of powerheads. the pump is a quietone 4000 rated at 1017gph. im guessing he was going to use this as a return pump.

a koralia4 powerhead rated at 1200gph.

and a coralife uv sterilizer turbo-twist 3x. i looked it up and it says it treats up to 125 gallons

and other odd and ends, but those are the most important ones.
ok so now im goin to tell you what im getting and need for you to check over lol.

for a sump i planned on getting an aqueon proflex model 2. says its for 1100gph. and unless yall can shed some light on these skimmers im going to be getting another one. ill need yalls input for that. also for lighting, i don't really want to limit myself as to what corals i can get so recommend something that will be ok for almost all corals . im thinking something retrofit(t5s or MH im thinking).and ill need heaters too.

im pretty sure thats all i need for equipment. if im forgetting some please let me know.and any recommendations are welcome! ;D

 

Give us pics of the skimmers so we can help you out there.

It is a good idea to get a skimmer that is rated at 2 times your display volume. So you would want one rated for 150 gallons. Most advertised ratings are for light stocked tanks and having a larger one allows for the occasional mishap. Sounds like you are doing research. Keep it up and don't be afrais to ask for our advise and recommendations.

 

edited with pic i found.

 

i would recomend exploring getting the tank drilled or doing it yourself.

the quiet one 4000 is a good pump in my opinion. a little on the high side for a 75, but definiitly not to high. you will have a mismatch with the overflow box. you want your overflow box rated higher then your return pump to keep the tank from flooding

the K4 is a good powerhead

i dont know a lot about uv sterlizers, dont think i need one, but would probably use it if i had it kind of thing

good luck, and ask a lot of questions. easier to get stuff set up right the first time then to try and fix it with 75 gallons of water and live stuff in it

 

thanks for the reply. the return has lots of elbows in it so i think it'll be fine. when i set it up ill monitor it though. the bottom of the tank is tempered and says not to drill... think that might hinder the drilling(though im pretty sure it can be done by the right person...).

 

Ha, yeah tempered definitly means dont drill. glass-holes has some kits that mount to the back of the tank not the bottom.

 

hmm interesting. what are the advantages to drilling? might look into it in the future. but im trying to keep the excess cost down and improve as i go along.
iv had my tank in my room for bout 3 month now, and quite frankly... im tired of looking at an empty tank :-/lol

so i still need some lighting recommendations, so anyone who can shed some "light" on the subject it would really help *rimshot*

 

peace of mind. less chance of a flood. although a lot of ppl have used overflows for long periods of time with no problem.

i would rec a 4 bulb T5 light. no to much for a FOWL and will let you keep most coral in the future depending on bulb selection/placement. if the price doesnt scare you then a 6 bulb would be even better

 

alright man! thanks for all the info. the t5s were kinda the direction i was heading. and hopefully i can get the rest of the stuff i need by the end of february

edit: how would i put the lighting under the canopy? would i just screw in what lighting i get to the underside of the canopy?

 

IMO two powerheads and pointing them at each other is a better option, because it creates random flow throughout the tank. Even if you decrease the flow rate of them. Koralia is a good choice