Is this a Deal or What!!!?!

[turbocav250]

I was at my local AGA Authorized Dealer and he offered me a 90 Gallon Reef ready with stand, plumbing, glass hood, and canopy for 589 out the door. He seemed very knowledgable within reefkeeping saying he was doing it for the past 30 years but a few things he said didn't register completely.
me- What size heaters should i use?
answer- You dont need heaters, the tank will run extremely hot, the sump will be very hot also
I dont know about that.......
me- What protein skimmer do you recommend?
answer- Theres no need for a skimmer in a reef tank, it takes away the food from the corals
I dont know about that one either
me- What lighting can i get with the tank and how much?
answer - 2 corallife PC ballasts 260watts a peice 520 watts total $440.
How are these lights for a reef tank?

 

[turbocav250]

me- what sump do you recommend and how much?
answer- americle sump $200
how are these units? Should i just use a regular fish tank for the sump?
me - how am i going to pump the water back into the tank?
answer - hagen powerhead 802(not sure on model?)
is this possible? I thought you needed external pumps to run the sump?
Thank you in advance!!!

 

[nm reef]

Well the sales man may indeed have been in the business for 30 years...but I recently purchased a 100 with stand and canopy for much less than he offered the 90 to you.Mine is reef ready also and included plumbing for the overflows.Personally I'd use a heater...possibly a pair of them. Where I live they seldom come on during the summer but I believe they are vital to insure the system temp stays within acceptable range. I try to maintain 78-80 degrees...much easier to use heaters than it is to maintain room temp in that range.A skimmer is by no means absolutely needed...but they can be a very positive addition to the filtration of a reef...and can actually help maintain a thriving micro infauna population. Lighting is a very flexiable item...his suggestion of PC would be decent...but most experienced reefkeepers would agree that there are numerous other options that can provide greater potentail for coral selection...and much better success rates.I'd be very cautious about using a Hagen Powerhead for a return pump...for one they don't have much of a flow rate...especially with very much head...and even if they could be effective they wouldn't provide much circulation. There are numerous submersiable pumps that can be effective...I currently have two MagDrives( a 1200 & a 1800) that are submersiable and very effective.
Maybe in another 30 years he'll be up to date with current trends in the hobby...but by that time the real hobbyists will have advanced way beyond current levels!:thinking:

 

[turbocav250]

anybody else out there?:notsure:

 

[fishman830]

hehe, i think nm got everything. i agree witht he hagen as a return. then the lighting all depends on what corals you want. and i would definitally have a heater. i use 2x ebo jaeger 200 watt and keep my tank between 80 and 82

 

[gatorcsm]

Tank - I agree with nmreef a little high
Heaters - I agree as well. One or two titanium heaters are nice. They won't break if you drop them, and won't crack under temp fluctuation stress.
Protein Skimmer - Very helpful in maintaining a healthy system. It can be done without one, but even with it, you can maintain a good level of foods for the coral, it will get rid of excess and adds to the stability.
Lighting - It seems that most people end up eventually moving to halides.. It's seems to be a natural progression, and for the price, you could get set-up with some 250watters in a retrofit. This will provide greater flexibility and you can always add some supplemental pc's, t5s, or VHO if you want to play around with color with a little more versatility.
Sump - No bioballs, just a simple sump, preferrably three chambers baffled apart from eachother. First (far right/left) would be the drain from the tank. Middle for equipment (skimmer/heaters/probes/etc); lastly, after enough baffles to keep bubbles to a minimum, the pumps to return to the tank.
Pump(s) - for a 90, a Mag 9.5(950gph) is good, might be able to get away with a mag 12(1200gph), but i've run a Mag 9.5 with no problems on a AGA 90. On a 125, I run dual MAG 1200's
You can use external for sumps to return, but then you have to drill a hole, put in a bulkhead, and plumb more.

 

[turbocav250]

Thanks for the help guys! A few more questions:
Why did you say "no bioballs" when relating to the sump?
The pumps that you mentioned are they insump?
Should I purchase one of those ballasts or should i hold out for a retrofit?
I'm in no hurry to set this up but I think i am going to go with the full AGA setup, Tank, stand, canopy, hood. The tank is going to be a full on reef with a few firefish. Do you have any suggestions for what the next purchases should be aside from the aga setup?
Thanks in advance
Dan Pentka

 

[birdy]

I would like to suggest a refugium instead of a sump with bioballs, I don't think I will ever run a reef without a refugium again.
Most reef keepers do not use bioballs as they do not break down nitrates so they tend to build up in your system. Instead a lot of people put a refugium in the place of bioballs in a sump.
I would also suggest you leave the glass tops and canopy behind, you don't want glass tops on a reef tank, and you will more than likely want to build your own canopy, the ones the manufacterer makes are usually not tall enough.

 

[gatorcsm]

There is no need for the bio-balls in a sump when you have sand and live rock. The amount of comparable surface area for bacteria is neglible on the bio-balls for a reef setup.
With regards to a refugium. This usually isn't a situation where you say, I'd like a refugium instead of a sump. If you choose to have a sump with a refugium built in, or separate, then that will work. Many choose to put the refugium separately and then pump to it, and overflow from the refugium back to the sump, therefore controlling flow to it. An in-sump refugium (typically in-line with all the flow in the sump) will work, however it is desireable to have a lower flow rate in the refugium.
The pumps I mentioned are all in-sump(internal) or can be plumbed external, however I feel the Mag's do better internally. There are external pumps that will do a better job with regard to heat dissipation and be quieter when used externally.
If you don't want to build your own canopy, which is entirely understandable, then look into low-profile reflectors for MH. If you're going to go ahead with VHO, T5 or PC's then the height really won't be a concern.
All-Glass also has a new cabinet and canopy out (I don't know if its being distributed yet (I saw it at a trade show)) that appears to have more room and the matching cabinet is very nice.