I have completely lost my mind!!

avbryce1

avbryce1

Member
....Well I bought a 55 gal hex last week and set it up on wednesday, saw a ad in the paper about a yard sale w/ a 100 gal aquarium for sale so of course I just had to check it out. I get there and the guy tells me 25 bucks !!! :eek: ...so of course I bought it :rolleyes: .....so i get home ,call my dad (who allready wanted the 55) and sold it to him. So in the past week I've gone from a 10 gal, to a 10 and a 55 , to a 100 gal w/ nothing no lights no stand so filters NOTHING! My wife is about to KILL me!!!
so needless to say I need help !!!
My plans for the tank;
I want to make it into a 100 gal reef. The dementions are 72"L x 18" H x 18" D the tank is not drilled and I dont want to try
I would greatly appreciate any and all suggestions on
lights
filters
skimmers
sump/fuge
and so on.......
any help with this addiction will be appreciated
Thank You
 
robchuck

robchuck

Active Member
What sort of corals do you want to keep in this reef? The answer to this question will go a long way in determining what lighting and how much circulation to use.
Regardless of what type(s) of corals you will keep, I would advise to purchase the biggest and most powerful skimmer you can afford; a needle-wheel (Euro Reef, ASM, Geo's Reef; though a Beckett injected skimmer would be fun too!) would work well on a 100g, and also the biggest sump and/or refugium that you can accomodate (both in terms of space and finances).
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
What kind of corasl do u want? IMO i would DIY teh EAP euro-reef skimmer, almost as good as the euro-reef and much much less money. If it were my tank this is what i would get:
2-250w mogul MH
biggest sump u can fit under the tank and split it up to make a big fuge and a small sump. Use an external return pump (iwaki). No matter how much it cost (unless like $100) get the tank drill with an overflow box if the bottom is not tempered, it will save u so much trouble. If u HAVE to get an overflow box get a CPR with the pump. If u haev alot of money just buy a euro-reef if not maker ur own (or 2).
 
avbryce1

avbryce1

Member
corals I want are
zoos
frogspawn
xena
star polyps
yellow polyps
hammer
shrooms
plates
leathers
brain
etc...
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
it should have a sticker on the bottom that says " Do not drill, this glass is tempered" something like that.
 
msd2

msd2

Active Member

Originally posted by sandman12
What kind of corasl do u want? IMO i would DIY teh EAP euro-reef skimmer, almost as good as the euro-reef and much much less money. If it were my tank this is what i would get:
2-250w mogul MH
biggest sump u can fit under the tank and split it up to make a big fuge and a small sump. Use an external return pump (iwaki). No matter how much it cost (unless like $100) get the tank drill with an overflow box if the bottom is not tempered, it will save u so much trouble. If u HAVE to get an overflow box get a CPR with the pump. If u haev alot of money just buy a euro-reef if not maker ur own (or 2).
some good advice, I might do things slightly different. FYI you can find blemished euroreef's at a considerable discount, so look around.
Personally for a 100 gal tank I would do more lighting esp since the tank is 6 feet long. I read 1mh per 2 feet give or take, so 3 mh would be a good choice. I also would use some actinic supplimentation, also to give it a nice color :)
If you cant get the tank drilled, then I highly highly suggest the lifereef overflow box instead of the cpr, no pumps needed and it cant break siphon. Much more reliable and well worth the extra money.
I can appreciate the desire to do things frugally, but really you dont want to play it cheap on the lights or the skimmer and especially the overflow. Several times I have bought things to save some money but ended up buying the better gear in the end. Done right done once really applies to the gear you get with fish stuff.
 
dburr

dburr

Active Member
72" tank will need 3 MH lights. 1 light gives you a 24" spread. DIY all the way if you can work with wood. 175 watt is all you'll need for 18" deep. You may want to go PC or VHO even. I don't see SPS or clams on your list.
For a sump you will need a overflow. I don't know any good brands, I made one for my 100 gal. Worked so-so.
Filters; Live rock and a skimmer.
HTH
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Americal overflows will also work gook for a HOB unit. If you are going to build a canopy leave enough height for halides. You could do 3 150 DE's or 175 SE's. If you need to use fluorescent lighting look at T5, they're great.
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
On my 135 (6' long) i have 2-400 w MH with reflectors the full lenght. It works very well. No need for 3 MH IMO. If u have a center brace then i definatly wouldnt get 3 MH, it will probably melt the pastic. Actinic is nice. Before u do anything make sure u have 2 seperate breakers for this tank, u will probably need them.
for the sump/fuge get the biggest tank u can fit under the display. U will have to build/buy a stand to figure that out. I would build ur own so u have more space for ur tank that u use for the fuge/sump. once u get the tank for the sump/fuge baffles out of either glass or plexi glaas/acryilic. Use silicone to glue. HD sells and cuts plexi.
U may have to get a chiller.
Never used the reef life overflow or w/e its called but i h aev heard they r better, make it a last resort though. Much easier to get the tank drilled.
 
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