Im new... looking for feedback

So after having FW my whole life, i switched over to SW a year ago thanks to the encouragement from my 10 yr old son. I stayed with a 40gal, then upgraded to my 75 gal. Now...i am a proud owner of a 180 gal long! Go big, or go home right?! I know i have ALLOT to learn yet, so here are a few questions to start.

Question #1- i have allot of live rock, and a pretty good sand base along with a cleanup crew, some fish, and some corals. The only filter i have in use is a Marineland HOB for a 75 gal. Im currently making an in-tank protien skimmer as well, and i have a couple power heads running. I think i already know the answer, but doesn't hurt to ask some pros. .. will the combination of the skimmer and HOB filter be enough to do the job on my 180 gal? I do have a wet/dry sump with an over flow box i can add, also i still have my 75gal, 40 gal and a 20 gal that i could use as a refugium/sump. .

#2- lighting? As i mentioned, i have some corals and plan on expanding my collection. I currently have a 48" Ecoexotic led with the ramp timer pro. I also have a 48" T8 with actinics in it. What are some recommendations for lighting this tank? Metal halide?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

I'm not sure if the hob will be enough for 180gallons, the hob you have is deigned for a smaller tank. Most with tanks of that size run it with a sump and you wouldn't need the hob if you run it with a sump. The sump will make your maintenance a lot easier.

I have run a reef with an hob but the largest tank I've had was 55g and I ran it with a hob skimmer and the filter was for a 75g.

I couldn't find the specs on the light you mentioned. Is it designed for corals?
Depending on the Leds in the fixture, the length of the fixture to the 180g will also effet the lighting needs.

If the light is shorter than your current tank, you will have areas that get little to no light.

You don't need metal halides, t5ho's and leds are great depending on the fixture.

 

A 75 gallon filter will NOT be sufficient. The the ratings on filters are for MAXIMUM size of tank...in retrospect, I use a fluval 75 on my 55...I have 2 penguins 55s on my 75...I just came across a lighting "rule of thumb" in an article. It states that u want 3-5 Watts for every 5 gallons. And standard kelvins for a 100 gal+ is 55,000 a balist of 6 T8-T5 should rock. Ucan play with the color spectrum a lot more as well.

 

How do you post pics and questions on the main page? My first day here

 

I'd ditch the hob and run a sump for sure. I'd also buy a quality skimmer with a tank that size. T5 HO lights work fine but with a large tank it can get costly. Don't bother with T8. I run halides on my 75 but if I had a 180 I'd run 3 led fixtures for sure. Make sure you have plenty of flow and get a sump hooked up. Once nutrients build up it will be very difficult to get rid of them in a large set up. Nutrient export by biological and mechanical filter is a must so a sump and good skimmer should be on the top of your list. Post some pics too, we love pics.

 

From the forum page scroll down and select a category that best fits your post. once you've gone into that category, towards the upper right side you'll see a button to start a new post or start a new thread (something along that line). Click on that and viola. Welcome aboard, to both of you.