need guidence

[babyb]

in the next month or so im upgrading tank i sold the 125 and have everything in my 90 and am going to use it as a sump or something
but i am starting to piece everything together, i have been talking with my fish guy about all of this and he said it would be cheaper to biuld a filter myself, or get one from a wharehouse that they have used( he said he will look for one)
have any of you built your own filter
i have also been looking at skimmers and have found a few but want some feed back on what you all use on your big tanks the pond is either going to be 625 gallons or 389 gallons, i am leaning toward the 389because of room and and its cheaper and will do the job well
what size skimmer would i need
what im thinking of keeping is a marble cat shark, 2 naso tanks and one scopus tank, could i keep anything else if so what
anyfeed back would be awsome and pics of your filtration would be much apreceated(sp)
thanks babyb

 

[psusocr1]

for 400 gallon pond youll need at least a 150-200+ gallon size sump/fuge with a skimmer rated for 700+ gallons
on my 300 i have a 100 gallon sump/fuge with a skimmer rated for 600 gallons

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by psusocr1
for 400 gallon pond youll need at least a 150-200+ gallon size sump/fuge with a skimmer rated for 700+ gallons
on my 300 i have a 100 gallon sump/fuge with a skimmer rated for 600 gallons
I agree, always go way over if you can afford it.

 

[babyb]

i have a pond filter from lows and is rated for a 500 gallon tank can i use it
and i knew i was gona need over rated stuff what would you sugest be filter besides what is mentioned, i dont want to skimp or things but i dont want alot of extra things that i really dont need
thanks hot and psusocer

 

[babyb]

ok i have a 90 and as well as 55 that has been empty for about 3 months, could i use rubbermade tubs instead of the tanks or would you stick with the tank

 

[psusocr1]

it all dpeneds on how you weant to filtrate you rpond and how well.. someone correct me if im wrong but arent pond filters junk for saltwaterfish?? i maybe totally wrong ??
also i would DEF have a stock pond FILLED with live rock for filtration

 

[babyb]

well i plan on haveing a marbled cat shark, he has been at the fish store for a year and i have personaly fed him, he is really awsome i want to filter really well, can you guys throw some names out of great filters and skimmers, i have got a few names and websites but i dont have my notes with me at the moment

 

[psusocr1]

i beleive iots not necesarily the name but the performance and how you actually set it up..theres a couple of guys on here with some really nice ponds that im sure can give you some filtration help

 

[babyb]

i am going to have my fish guy come out and set everything up, i have never used a skimmer or sump or anything and dont trust myself
but cant to point what would be componants for a homemade filter, i have been thinking of makeing it out of a rubbermade tub, so what would i need to ut in like carbon and stuff like that

 

[babyb]

i have been trying and trying to figure out how to get water from one place to the other (sump to pond) and it came to me in a dream, if i put like a power head on the end of a pvc pipe to pull water out and then another to put back, so to tell you how great god is, i have been thinking about what i could use that i already had, so i went outside and started diging with in some stuff with my cusin and we found 2 pumps for ponds that move 4000 gph will that be enough also i have a maxi jet 1200 and a powerhead that is 1200
and i also found an underwater light, can i use those in saltwater or will it currode things
for a 400 gallon tank what size skimmer would i need

 

[psusocr1]

ill answer your other questions when i get a chance cause its alot of typing but the skimmer youll want a 800 GPH skimmer if your keeping sharks and ryas

 

[babyb]

alright thank you for your help i really appreciate everything

 

[babyb]

ok i just looked on -- and found a skimmer ratted for a 300 and one for 200 that would be 500 gallon skimmer
the one for 300 is $195 shiped
and the 200 is $95 shipped
1. is this a good deal
2. would it be ok for a 325g(i think)

 

[krj-1168]

just a quick question - what is --?

 

[babyb]

reef central its another site like this

 

[babyb]

hey psu do you know how many amps is being pulled from your tank

 

[psusocr1]

not off hand but i would say quit a bit..i have ALOT of equiiptment runnign at once thats for sure...also i wouldnt want to run two skimmers because of the room it would take up and also efecincy,, evan at 325 gallons iw ould run a 700 gph skimmer
the equiptmet for large tanks is COSTLY to start up.. when is tarted i justs tarted buying things little by little since everythign is soo expensive which gave me alot of time to research more and more and more before jumping in
hey you also have to think about water changes.. thats an easy $100 bucks+ every month

 

[babyb]

ya i got the waterchanges covered, ok ill keep looking for a skimmer

 

[babyb]

my father said i cant do anything till i figure out how many amps are used, is there anyway i can find out

 

[psusocr1]

thers a formula and an amp calculator online somewhere i rmemeber using it that totals it down to the amount of money you spend a month on water, electricity, amps etc. etc.. with the kind of equiptment you r looking at it will be runing a decent amnt. or amps but i dont know if there will be enough to break the bank...but maybe?? it is alot of pumps youll be using,, for the skimmer alone, plus retun pump, plus your water circulation etc. etc.
it also asks how much money your pay for a kilowatt etc. etc since all areas depend