Equipment list-done?

markw

markw

Member
Equipment
Tank+Stand-100gal tank w/stand
Lighting-MH's, not quite sure which brand, or size yet. Suggestions would be great.
Filtering-110+lbs LR
Substrate-3" LS SB
Heating-(2) 200watt Jager TS submersible Heaters
Termometer-Coralife Digital Thermometer
Salt Mix-Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Salt Mix
Reftactometer-Captive Purity Refractometer
Test Kit-Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Liquid Master Test kit
References-TCMA, SWF forum
Protein Skimmer-Current USA Fission Power Skimmer
RO Water-Spectrapure Maxpure 25GPD RO System
Suppliments-Kalkwasser
Powerheads-(3) Koralia 4 1200 GPH powerheads
I think I covered everything. As you can tell, Ill have a sump to put the preotein skimmer in that will also have a refugium in it. Any suggestions to improvements would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Mark
 
bgbdwlf2500

bgbdwlf2500

Member
make sure you have phosphate and calcium tests.
you will probably want 2 150's or 2 250w MH lights depends on what youre keeping of course.
everything else will get you started and you can upgrade from there if you want to. dont skimp on lighting to start with. its pretty much the most costly upgrade unless you end up needing a chiller...
 
markw

markw

Member
After a long and hard sit down, Im thinking that possible clams and certain anemones arent worth the $400 difference between the T5s and MHs. This being as this is my first tank and I dont want to possibly waist the money if it doesnt turn out. Im thinking im going to go with the 48 inch Current USA SunDial T5 HO fixture. This is, of course if it will support everything in my tank. I am planning on keeping a LPS tank with a few soft corals as well. I thought this would be fine, but correct me if i was mistaken. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Mark
 
jints

jints

Member
A few suggestions. I have read many that have switched over from reef crystals to Oceanic salt mix. I never bothered to use reef crystals but I heard it leaves a residue. I just used Oceanic from the start and I have to say it mixes easy and I have had no complaints.
As far as your lighting, just make sure the T-5 HO has the individual reflector for each bulb. I have them myself. I think T-5 HO support anenomes also but then again I wouldnt put them together with ANY corals.
Powerheads : I have 2 Koralia 4's in my 125 opposite ends pointed at each other. I also have 2 additional Koralia 2's on the back side of the glass shooting towards the front of the glass. I dont know how long your tank is but mine measures 48x24x24. If your tank is 48" long I think the 2 Koralia 4's will be plenty. I only use the additional 2 because my tank is wide as well.
I would also see how your corals do before using kalkwasser. Sometimes they do fine with timely water changes and maybe....if any supplements.
I dont know much about that skimmer but make sure its rated for a higher tank than yours. Overkill on the skimmer if you can.
Only thing I can think of is make sure you buy a few 20 G plastic garbage can with wheels for water changes. One for making water and one for the dirty water.
A few timers for your lights and your good to go. For my 3 T-5 sets I bought 3 timers and kinda made them mimic a sunrise. All 3 come on 1 hr after the other and go off 1 after the other to shut off.
 
markw

markw

Member
After looking it up, I heard the same thing about the ref crystals. I will be starting with the oceanic salt mix instead and I plan to keep with that. My tank is 48" long also, so I am thinking that the way you have your powerheads is what im looking forward to most likely. For the lighting I was thinking the 48 inch Current USA SunDial T5 HO fixture. What fixture do you use for your 125? Mine will be 100gal rectangle. Im not planning on using kalkwasser at all times, just want to have it on hand incase anything goes downhill with them. The skimer is rated for tanks up to 250 gallons so Im thinking I am in the clear with that one. Will do with the trash cans. I am planning on doing the same thing with my lights also. Thanks so much and I cant wait to hear more from all of you.
Mark
 
jints

jints

Member
I actually have a 120 not a 125. A 125 is longer than a 120. I think it measures 6 ft while mine measures 4 ft but mine is also 24 inches high and 24 inches wide. I have a T-5 HO retro fit. Basically it comes with all the parts and you custom fit it to your canopy...wiring I had to do also....that was a first.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
i would go with atleast a 6 bulb T-5 fixture if i was setting up this tank. i think you are limiting yourself with the fixture you chose. i would recommend the current nova extreme pro, however, i'd choose halides over the t-5's.
i'd pass on that current protein skimmer and get a better brand. just because they say it's rated for a certain tank volume, doesn't mean it will handle it. they like to exaggerate alot with that. you are right to purchase a skimmer that is rated for alot more than your actual tank volume, but brand is important. i can't seem to find a current skimmer rated for 250 gallons, but the 220 gallon one only utilizes a 296 gph pump.
i wouldn't bother with the kalkwasser. if you are planning to keep softies and lps, you'll never need it.
your substrate is going to be crazy expensive. i would not choose a 3" bed due to the fact that it will most likely not function effectively as a "deep sand bed". i'd go with 4" or more for this, probably closer to 6".
also, purchasing live sand(i assume you mean the live sand they sell in bags at the lfs) is very expensive, and only has some bacteria in it. you are much better off buying dry, bag aragonite based sand(sugar sized). it will become live soon enough.
i would also choose a plain old glass thermometer over a digital one. they are always accurate, and i've had more than a couple digital thermometers that were innacurate.
i agree with "Jints" about the reef crystals. it left a filthy residue on my mixing barrel. the oceanic did not, and the calcium level is much higher with the oceanic salt.
i use an API test kit for some things also, but you may want to purchase a salifert calcium test kit as well. i've found the API kit to be way off on the Ca.
 
aquaguy24

aquaguy24

Active Member
i too use oceanic salt..great stuff...clears up real fast......and has a high calcium level. i have 90lbs of sand in my 90g tank..i did 50lbs dry sand and 40lbs live sand..cost me about $100...
 
markw

markw

Member
Ok, so no Kalkwasser, What ratio Dry Sand->Live Sand would you suggest that I get for the SB? Is there a specific test kit that has all good tests or would it be best to just get the one I was going to get and get the Salifert Ca test ontop of that? And for the thermometer, would the Marina Floating Thermometer be okay?
Mark
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
i would get a glass suction cup type. i wouldn't want to chase my thermometer around the tank to get a reading.
the ratio of dry sand to live sand would be 100% dry sand and 0% live sand. if you want to jump start it, get a cup of live sand from an established tank.
i'd say get the api, and suppliment it with the salifert Ca. test.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
API tests suck imo, too many innacurate results. A DSB is going to fill up a lot of your tank and can crash a tank if not managed properly or overly disturbed. You're better off doing a SSB of 2" or less and if you want Nitrate reduction from sand you can put a Remote DSB next to your sump. Again IMO.
 
markw

markw

Member
MR X: that thermometer comes with a suction cup that attatches it to the glass for easy reading. Im thinking about buying the majority of the SB argonite and maybe a small amount of LS, that sounds much better to me. Maybe 4-4.5", inbetween a RDSB and DSB?
 
bgbdwlf2500

bgbdwlf2500

Member
Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2670587
API tests suck imo, too many innacurate results. A DSB is going to fill up a lot of your tank and can crash a tank if not managed properly or overly disturbed. You're better off doing a SSB of 2" or less and if you want Nitrate reduction from sand you can put a Remote DSB next to your sump. Again IMO.

never had this as an issue...period.....
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
Originally Posted by bgbdwlf2500
http:///forum/post/2670750
never had this as an issue...period.....
what have you checked your api test kit against?
i know for a fact that the Ca test is way off. the others i didn't see an issue with.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Originally Posted by bgbdwlf2500
http:///forum/post/2670750
never had this as an issue...period.....

If 1/10 kits had an issue or if as Mr.X said you have nothing to compare against then you wouldn't know.
Fact: I personally have had issues with API Ammonia and Nitrate kits
Fact: Other people on these and other boards have had issues with these exact same 2 tests
Fact: People(see mr.x for example) have had issues with other API tests.
So spare me the 'Its always worked fine for me' line, just because you don't have an issue(or were not aware of one) doesn't mean its not an issue for others. Its a horrible argument in the first place. I might as well make some idiotic statement like 'I've never had cancer so all those people with cancer are just faking it' because thats your exact point taken to an extreme.
 
jints

jints

Member
My API Nitrate test is always off I have to agree with that. The API always shows I have 20. My seachem shows I always have 5. I tend to believe the 5. The 20 seems to far off. All other tests by both test kits match (not reef test).
 
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