what sized tank to get

well i still got time so maybe i will get a 40. but the only prob is i live in canada so it is almost impossible to get my hands on a 40 breeder. but my lfs sells a 40 with the exact same dimensions as a 40 breeder

 

Salt water Aquarium

 

I.m.o if your gonna go big...I'd look into a drilled tank...with a sump..preferably drilled at the bottom..you'll have gravity working with you to circulate water.Picture a cup with a hole in the side...the water will only flow out when the water exceeds the hole level...leaving some water in the cup.Now picture a cup with a hole in the bottom....all the water will be drained...gravity will make sure of this.....GOOD LUCK!!

90 GALLON (BOTTOM DRILLED)DISPLAY
IN DISPLAY TANK;

180 LBS FIJI PREMIUM LIVE ROCK
90 LBS LIVE SAND
(3) 50 GPH POWERHEADS
(2) 1300 GPH POWER HEADS

30 GALLON SUMP
IN SUMP;
40 LBS LIVE SAND
55 LBS FIJI PREMIUM LIVE ROCK.
PHOSBAN REACTOR(150)
10 WATT U.V STEROLIZER (DONT HAVE AN ICK PROB)BUT JUST IN CASE
CORALIFE SUPER SKIMMER(150)
CORALIFE SUPER SKIMMER(65)
THEY WORK GREAT FOR ME!
(ELITE) 200 WATT HEATER
LIGHTING IN DISPLAY;
T5 NOVAS 48 INCH(6 BULB FIXTURES)
48 INCH MARINLAND L.E.D REEF LIGHTING(18K)
48 INCH (24) BLUE LED MOONLIGHT

LIGHTING ;
IN SUMP
30-90 WATT FLOOD LAMP

(MY UNDERWATER KIDS)...SAILFIN TANG,YELLOW TANG,YELLOW HEAD ANGELFISH,DIAMOND WATCHMAN GOBY,(2) BLUE GREEN CHROMIS
(4) ATLANTIC SEA ANENOMES,(20) MEXICAN TURBO SNAILS,(6)CERITH SNAILS,(10)RED LEGGED HERMIT CRABS,(10) BLUE LEGGED HERMIT CRABS,

IN SUMP;
(2)GREEN EMERALD CRABS
(5) BLUE LEGGED HERMIT CRABS
(5) RED LEGGED HEMIT CRABS

GOOD WATER QUALITY AND GOOD WATER MOVEMENT IS THE KEY!!!

TO tHoSe WhO rOcK...WiTh A fiLTeR sOcK.....
>>>>>>> I SOLUTE YOU <<<<<<<<

iMa bE 90 YEaRs OLd DoIn a 30% wAtEr ChAnGe...jUsT HaNd ME My CaNe aNd My SYPhON HoSe....IMa bE rOcKiN TilL I dIe...

 

thanks for the advice. i have been considering a reef ready aquarium but i want to eventually have a mandarin so i think it will be cheaper and better to do a hob refugium

 

IMO the extra money for a reef ready tank is well worth it. I had a 90gal. which wasn't reef ready and I spent a lot of time messing around with the skimmers and other HOB equipment. Now that I have the reef ready tank all the equipment can be in the sump and it is much easier to maintain. It is also nice to have the options down the road vs. having to buy a reef ready tank and transfer everything over... that's how I did it and I ended up losing most of my livestock in the transfer... go with reef ready tank from the start, I think you'll be happier you did in the long run!

 

so now i am going over the equipment i will use for my tank:

-40 gallon top fin glass aquarium 36''L x 18''W x 16''H
- Reef Octopus BH 2000 Hang on back protein skimmer
- sunlight supply 36'' tek light 6x39 watt t5 lighting system. bulb configuration:2x ati aquablue special 12,000k t5 bulb ,2x ati true actinic 03 t5 ho bulb ,1x ati purple plus t5 ho bulb ,1x ati blue plus t5 ho bulb.
- cpr aquafuge 2 large hob refugium.
- 2x hydor koralia 3's or 2's.

so what do you think?

 

sounds good;D

 

That setup is really close to what I have, but with 2 more bulbs and a bigger skimmer. I'm running the BH-1000, IMO it's plenty of skimmer for a 40.

Reef Octopus BH1000 HOF skimmer thread

 

sorry about that. pressed 2 instead of 1 so its the bh 1000 not 2000

 

With that skimmer the set up you have listed looks good .