Hello Everyone!

Hey, I just joined the forum and I would like some
feedback on a reef setup I'm working on. I've had a
little experience with salt water and have been doing
quite a bit of reading lately.

I would like to host both stony and soft corals, and
knowing myself, I'll probably want to overstock it with fish.

I've already bought a 90 gal glass tank predrilled with
an overflow. 48"x18"x24"

I'll be custom building the stand and canopy.

I'll probably cycle with:
90lbs live sand and 90lbs live rock.

Then add:
90 more pounds of premium rock.
Dozens of Hermits and Snails
Serpent stars, Shrimp, Cucumber

Then start adding other stuff as I can afford it.

I'm thinking about a custom light kit with:
2 250w 6.5k MH
2 96w Actinic PC
2 4" fans both blowing in with a vent out the back
All this will be put in the DIY canopy with about 8" of
space above a glass cover. Does this sound ok?
Should I go with a higher color temp on the MH?

The stand will house the sump, heater, a skimmer,
and a DIY topoff system to replace evaporate
with r/o water.
I'm not sure what type of skimmer to go with
so I'd appreciate any recomendations.

Do you think a canister filter is worth the $ and effort?
Or, should I just go with a larger skimmer?

Thanks in advance for your help.
I sit and stare at an empty tank now,
I'll never get anything done when it's full!

 

Welcome.

Everything thing sounds good and congrats on your due diligence and research. I would recommend 10,000k Usios for your MH bulbs and an Aqua Medic Turbofloater 1000 Multi with Ocean Runner 2700 pump or a Euro Reef skimmer depending on your budget.

I'm not a fan of canister filters as they can be real nitrate factories if not properly maintained. I use an Aqua Clear 500 and run carbon 24/7 to reduce chemical warfare from the soft corals.

 

PS,

Keep us updated and post pictures of your progress!

 

I like Craig's recomendations on skimmers. I'd go that route over canisters too.

I prefer 10k over 6.5k, but I don't have any experience with k higher than that. Some like 20ks. BUt 10s are more popular.

Good luck and thanks for joining!

[smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

 

welcome to the board

that sounds like a nice set up and i to hope to see some pics as it progresses

 

Thanks for the info. I'll post some pics as soon as I have something to show.

Here's another Q:
I'm going to go with an in sump refugium. Do you recomend starting it at the same time as the main tank, or waiting until the main tank is running smoothly?

 

That's a good question! [smiley=hammer.gif]

Might be easier to get the refugium going with a mature tank, but I don't see any reason not to start them at the same time. [smiley=thumbs_up1.gif]

 

[quote author=Delmarva_Paintball link=board=Newbie;num=1062553721;start=0#5 date=09/09/03 at 09:48:11]Here's another Q:
I'm going to go with an in sump refugium. Do you recomend starting it at the same time as the main tank, or waiting until the main tank is running smoothly?[/quote]

Shouldn't really matter as they will cycle together if started at the same time. I'm starting a sump/refugium and using live sand and cured live rock to avoid an ammonia spike.

;D 8) :-*

 

Thanks to everyone for their input.
I've changed plans again. The sump/refugium will no longer be inside the stand. I'm putting it in the basement and running everything through a hole in the floor under the stand. I'll use a 55 gallon tank for the sump/refugium. Here's a Q, in general what's better, a hang on or in sump skimmer? I'm looking for simplicity since space will no longer be a problem.

 

If you've got the space, sounds cool, I would use a in-sump skimmer. Just a bit easier to deal with IMO.