new shallow reef tank

wallie03

wallie03

Member
Hi all,
I am having a custom frag/ shallow reef tank built. The specks are going to be 24x36x12 so it will be right around 44g if my calculation is correct its going to be similar to the picture below... I want it to be an SPS dominate tank ,my questions are...
I have a 250w ReefBright halide hybrid that I'm going to be running on this system ( once I figure out how to mount it or where I can find a mounting kit for it I would like to hang it from the ceiling).. Not sure how far off the tank it should be ?
what skimmer to buy? I'm thinking Reef Octopus BH-100T HOB w/Auto Top Off. Does any one have experience with this specific skimmer.. I had one of the OG ones on a 55g and loved it. just not sure about the A.T.O portion of it.
I'm also confused on what size return pump to run and what fitting i need for the return( I have an extra oceanic pump that came with my BioCube 29 would this be sufficient?) open to suggestions
as far as flow goes I'm planing on buying a Ecotech mp10 will this be enough flow for this tank ?
Any and all advice is welcome
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Any Octopus skimmer is a good choice. I support it. The auto top off is a good idea if you don't have a sump you can do that in. So, I say go for it.
You will find that one metal halide will not cover 36". One halide usually does a max of 24". With this being a a 3ft long shallow reef tank, you might want to consider a 2x150w metal halide fixture. If you get a bulb that is too high of wattage you might risk sunburning your corals or heating the tanks water up too hot.
A mag 3 or MAYBE a mag 5 would be just big enough for that size tank if your sump will be on the back of the tank like in the picture. The "fitting" is for whatever size hole you ordered. mag 3's have 1/2" fittings. I think mag 5's have 3/4" fittings. I'm not entirely sure.
As far as flow goes, one MP10 on a 44g SPS dominate tank might not be enough. I have been told that an MP10 on my 20g sps reef was going to be a major disappointment. So, you may want to go for an MP40.
You could easily hide the MP40 on the back of the tank if you build an acrylic box for the dry mount to sit in the sump. Leak test the hell out of it before you test it out on your actual powerhead. There is a build of it over on another forum, but I can't remember the guys name that did it. Sorry.
 
wallie03

wallie03

Member
Thanks for the reply... i was worried about this light maybe being a bit much it is 250W I one it at a frag show... it does have really good spread and i defiantly feel like it will cover the 36 inch spread and if not i would not mind having a darker part of the tank.cost is a factor and i don't really want to buy a new light fixture.. This light also has two led strips that hang from it. so if i had it 18-30 inches of the top of the water i think i would be ok?
i was planning on buying one mp10 now and another one down the road.. I was going to use a few koralias i have around the house until i could afford a 2nd one.. but i guess i could get one mp40 hmmm you got me thinking
it is going to have a 1/2 return so a mag 3 will work?
I have a few more weeks to save up and see what i can come up with..
Thanks again
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Beautiful tank......Seriously though.....with a rimless tank ditch the filtration system in the back and run a sump...I say this for a couple reasons......Your spending good money on a custom built tank and rimless and why clutter the tank with HOB skimmer......The other thing is your filtration area is small and limiting to a degree and as things change and progress you possibly can run out of space IMHO with equipment.....I know it might seem convenient to have everything self contained in the tank, but I see that "limiting". Say at some point you want to run a reactor or something similar......It goes back to my point in regards to the tank design......It's a rimless and you'd be taking away from the beauty of the tank.....It doesn't and shouldn't be cluttered with equipment. I also think your wasting valuable space running the filtration inside the tank....You'll see that the tank will fill rather quickly, and although it might not be a major gain in space, but your giving away precious space IMHO.
As far as lighting your reflector should give you decent coverage on the tank.....Depending how high you mount the reflector over the tank, it should be good.....I would build a nice enclosure around the reflector and hang it from the ceiling.....Something in the range of 17"-20" above the tank......They are somewhat similar to the Lumenarc and LumenBright reflectors, but not sure they offer quite the same coverage as the 2 I mentioned, but again should be close with playing with the height mounted above the tank.
As far as flow......I'd not do the (1) MP40. You have to remember these PH's aren't something that can be aimed......So getting and directing flow where you want might be a problem. I'd suggest (2) MP 10's mounted possibly on the back of the tank. I don't see any need or reason to build a dry box for the Vortechs.....Again wasted space. With the back wall of the tank being black and the MP 10's black they wouldn't be an eye sore IMHO........
As far as return pump......Again I go back to ditch the in tank filtration and go a sump and I'd opt a bigger return pump as Seth mentioned, and ditch the 1/2" return plumbing.....Minimum 3/4"
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/391625/new-shallow-reef-tank#post_3474312
Any Octopus skimmer is a good choice. I support it. The auto top off is a good idea if you don't have a sump you can do that in. So, I say go for it.
You will find that one metal halide will not cover 36". One halide usually does a max of 24". With this being a a 3ft long shallow reef tank, you might want to consider a 2x150w metal halide fixture. If you get a bulb that is too high of wattage you might risk sunburning your corals or heating the tanks water up too hot.
A mag 3 or MAYBE a mag 5 would be just big enough for that size tank if your sump will be on the back of the tank like in the picture. The "fitting" is for whatever size hole you ordered. mag 3's have 1/2" fittings. I think mag 5's have 3/4" fittings. I'm not entirely sure.
As far as flow goes, one MP10 on a 44g SPS dominate tank might not be enough. I have been told that an MP10 on my 20g sps reef was going to be a major disappointment. So, you may want to go for an MP40.
You could easily hide the MP40 on the back of the tank if you build an acrylic box for the dry mount to sit in the sump. Leak test the hell out of it before you test it out on your actual powerhead. There is a build of it over on another forum, but I can't remember the guys name that did it. Sorry.
LumenBright or Lumenarc III reflector has coverage of more than 24"......It's not the light itself, but the quality of the reflector......150 bulbs are limiting for many reasons IMHO.....and with suspending the fixture the height the OP suggest 150's won't cut the mustard.......
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Eh. To each his own. If you mount the 250w high enough, it will cover enough space. You could do either one mp40 or two mp10s. My reason for the one larger powerhead is that you have the potential to use it on a larger tank later. No need to reinvest.
I also recommend a sump. Having the sump on the back of the tank really limits your space and equipment. An under tank sump would also add more water volume.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
I follow you on the MP40, but as with any equipment they each have their pros and cons......With Vortech you buy 1 big PH and what.....Still lacking possible flow or over powering possibly......No the suggestion with dry boxes would be nifty if the were angled and glued into place to allow you to somewhat "aim" the vortech instead of bouncing it straight off the front glass or more than likely off the back of the rock work......
 
wallie03

wallie03

Member
yea i have bean debating scrapping the AIO and replacing it with a center overflow ... I've never plumbed a sump and I'm just worried about it, Its really where i want to go with this tank a place to grow out frags/trade sell. I'm trying to figure out a budget for this tank.... what size should the hole be for the drain?is the rear center a good place to put the over flow? what size for the return? where do i put the return or do i have two returns? All I have ever owned are AIO or HOB filtration units.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Wouldn't even bother with center overflow.....I'd go external....There's good threads on here about plumbing a tank and sump setups if you search.....Honestly nothing to be worried about......Personally I'd opt for 2 returns, and 1/2 returns seem so limiting.....Even though the Mag3 might be 1/2" off the pump if you use 3/4" plumbing off the pump it'll pump a bit better.......
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Following this build.
I like the looks of the tank and agree with Acrylic and Snake. A sump would look better then an AIO set up. Why spend the money to have it all junked up with HOB equipment. And then you get all the benefits of having the sump.
If you are having it custom built, could you put a small closed loop system in?? If they are drilling holes anyways... That way you could save $$ on not buying 2 MP10's or one MP40. And you have a bit of control to aim the outputs of the CL. Just a thought. I am sure Shawn would be able to speak to that better.
 
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