Preparing to setup my first Reef tank in 2-3 weeks. Please look at what I have so far and tell me what I am missing or did wrong

[cryptics]

Thank you everyone for looking and helping out. I promise to pay it forward to others once I get out of newbie land.
I have had salt water fish only tanks for awhile now but realize now how much I don't know (bad advice from a LFS). I plan on taking this build slow and careful. Right now I do not have any stock in mind except I would like to put in a pair of clowns and maybe an anemone in the future. Besides that I am open and will basically stock acording to what my setup allows.
Here is what I have so far:
Tank:
90 G Drilled
Sump:
DIY 30g. 3 Chambers. Was going to do wet/dry but have been reading a fuge would be much better for me. Thoughts?
Aqua C 180 Protein Skimmer
2 x Two Little Fishes 150 Reactor (1 with Phosban 1 with Carbon)
Heater
Return pump. Leaning towards the mag 9.5
Lighting:
Combo light with 2x 150w 10,000 k Metal Halides, 2 sets of 10,000k 55w CF, 2 sets of 36w Antic CF. The light has no moonlights. Is that needed? I bought this light used and replaced the bulbs but the light has no glass shield covering the fixtures. I thought i read Dual ended Metal Halides could damage corals without a shield. Would the glass tops on the tank take care of this or should I have glass made?
Water:
Right now I do not have a RO/DI. I know this is going to become necessary and is probably going to be my next purchase
Rock:
I plan on using live sand. Best I could gather is about 100 lbs. I have 50 lbs of base rockon it's way and was planning to add 40-50 lbs of live rock. I have two pieces of rock from the fish only tank I have now that I am breaking down. This rock does not have coraline on it but does have a coating of brown algea. I figured adding this would help the cycle but will it introduce anything I don't want.
Flow:
Right now the only flow is from the return from the sump. How many powerheads should I add? brands? Does it need to be added to a wavemaker? I was planning on picking up the ReefMaster Elite at some point which I know can act as a mavemaker but that is going to have to wait for a month or so (trying to spread out the expenses)
That is what I have for now. Any comments would be great on anything I did wrong or I am missing. If I am missing something is it needed day one, by the end or cycle or before stock is added.
Thank you!

 

[nikesb]

light:
you are correct about DE bulbs needing a glass for uv protection.i would rather have a glass made than putting a glass top over the tank which will cause heat to rise and have less oxygen exchange. also, 10000k is a very yellow bulb. id switch it out with something else or just do all actinics on your compact flourescents. even with all actinics on the cf, its still gonna be yellow.
rocks:
i cycled my tank with nothing but dry rock, old dry rock like marco rocks have trapped nutrients already and is enough to start a cycle. even then, you are using live sand which would help kick start the cycle too. to this day, i have no aiptasia, majano, or unwanted crap like crabs.
flow:
wavemakers arent needed. you could get by with maybe 2-3 koralia 3's but then at that point id rather go for vortech mp40's. 1 should be good for now and you can add another one later on. its honestly one of the absolute best in the market. pricey but worth it. if not, look into tunze powerheads, theyre better quality than koralias. with the vortechs, there is no need for a wavemaker

 

[btldreef]

Looks like you're off to a good start and have been doing your research
As for the sand, you can save some money by purchasing dry sand and seeding it with a few cups (or pounds, it's your decision) of live sand from an established system or even from the live sand that SWF sells. Their live sand is harvested from Florida and people who have used it highly recommend it (I believe Flower recently purchased some).
You're smart to purchase some dry rock and some live. Since you'll be cycling this tank, the live rock does not necessarily have to be cured.
The rock from your fish only tank can't hurt unless you've ever treated that tank with copper or any medications. I'm not sure what type of algae you're referring to, but brown algae is usually not a good thing. You might want to post a picture and have it identified.
Yes, double ended halide bulbs should have a glass cover. The glass needs to have a UV protectant in it (this might not be completely true, but is my understanding). At the very least, the bulb can't be exposed to water or it will burst. I would contact the manufacturer and see if you can get replacement parts. What type of fixture is it?
The lunar lights are not 100% necessary, but they are nice. My fish seem calmer in tanks that have lunars. Many companies sell lunar LED strips that can be added onto fixtures that don't have them or you can DIY, they're not that difficult or expensive. IMO, the lunar lights are nice to have. Being able to observe the tank at night is a plus. I am not a fan of glass tops on tanks, especially reefs with halides over them, they tend to get too hot and do not allow enough gas exchange.
I agree, a refugium is a good idea. I also like the idea of the two reactors, I do the same thing on my 155.
Yes, you'll need powerheads. A wavemaker is a nice option, but definitely not necessary. I own the ReefKeeper and it is a GREAT unit. Tunze and Koralia are two of the most common and trusted brands when it comes to powerheads. I think Tunzes are a little better if you plan to use a wavemaker. The magnet on the propeller of the Koralias seem to wear quickly when used with a wavemaker. Another option, which more and more hobbyists are beginning to go with is the EcoTech Vortech MP 10, 40 and 60 models. Personally, I think these things are a great investment. I started with Koralias and still use them in other tanks, but my main show reef has MP 40s.
As for the RODI unit, definitely purchase one. I have a Coralife, it is decent, but not the best. Water General and AirWaterIce are better and sometimes cheaper units.

 

[cryptics]

Thanks for the reply
Is the glass i need for the light just glass or some uv special glass? I was going to keep the glass on the tank because I have 9 cats I know start the crazy cat guy comments now but they are all strays that we adopted. I would need to either keep the glass or add a canopy. Would a canopy be a better option? Just trying to make sure one of the cats don't go swimming or sit on top of the light fishing for a snack.
I would love to get the mp40's but they are a little out of my price range at the moment. Would 3 koralia 3's be a good stop gap for a few months until I get around to the mp40's?

 

[btldreef]

I believe it is a special UV glass that needs to cover double ended halides. It is my understanding that it is harmful to humans as well, so the bulbs themselves need to be covered, which is why I recommend contacting the manufacturer.
As for your cats and the glass top issue, consider egg crate on top of your tank instead. No fish can get out, no cats can get in, and you'll get the oxygen and cooling you'll need.
Koralias are fine to start, I just don't recommend them for use with a wave maker. The Vortechs are not cheap, if you don't see yourself purchasing them, go with Tunze powerheads since they'll work better with a wavemaker. Just a thought: Meowzer just upgraded to the MP 40, she might have some used Koralias to sell so you could save some $. She might not be, but just a thought.

 

[cryptics]

The algae on the rock from my fish only is just the basic brown. I used to have hair algae but got rid of that. I hate to say it but basically just listened to my local fish store for all my advice up until January when they were closed and sold at auction. Turns out that you can control brown algae by testing and controling water quality and it is not just how long I leave the light on for They kept testing and telling me my water was fine and had me only have the lights on 2-3 hours a day if that. They said it was nothing to worry about and just throw in some snails and crabs that my Tesselatta eel thought was a great snack. After doing research on my own (mad at myself for not doing that in the first place) I set up a reactor with Phosban. That has help a great deal. I have never dosed the tank with any type of medication.
Thank you for the idea with the sand I will definitely do that.

 

[cryptics]

Great idea with the egg crates!
Question about the refugium. I know it is suppose to be low flow but if I put it in the sump I don't see how I can control that without seperating it in the 3rd compartment and controlling flow in and out with 2 maxi-jet 400's. I had an idea to get the Large CPR hang on the back refugium and hang it on the sump to control the flow. Does this sound like it would work?

 

[btldreef]

Sounds like diatoms, but honestly, if you can post a picture and get a positive identification, I would, just to be safe. Some people confuse diatoms with worse things like dinoflaggelates, and I don't want to see you throw them into a new reef tank.
Sounds like you need to invest in some test kits! Sucks that your LFS just used you for money, more and more of them are becoming that way just to stay in business in this economy.
The refugium paired with the reactor will help phosphate control, but ultimately, you'll have to practice good habits. I think part of your phosphate issue may be due to you not having a RODI. Phosphates won't really hurt fish, but corals are not their biggest fan.

 

[btldreef]

You can add egg crate to the sump to control flow in the refugium as well. Other people might have some other ideas.
Another use for egg crate while I'm thinking of it:
Place egg crate on the bottom of you tank, then add your rock work, then sand. This will give your rock work a much sturdier base and helps to more evely distribute the weight of the rocks.

 

[cryptics]

I will post a picture tonight after I get home from work (working hard today!) I ordered a bunch of kits. I won't make the mistake of trusting anyone else with my tests again. I bet it is from the tap water and overfeeding. I was led to believe adding Prime to the tap water would make it ok. My Phosphates were higher than the kit would test for when I first tested. They are at or near 0 now.
The lighting is a knockoff I believe from a company called Ultralight. Seeing if I can contact them about the glass now. The Halides are the only bulb I didn't change. They are USHIO 10,000k which he said have 6 months on them. I figured I would leave them in through the cycle then grab 14,000k's when i start adding stock.

 

[cryptics]

Found out the light is made by Catalina Aquarium

 

[cryptics]

Here are the two rocks I was going to bring from the tank I was breaking down.

 

[btldreef]

Ushio makes good bulbs, but 10k is usually yellow. No reason to change right away.
The brown looks like diatoms.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cryptics http:///forum/thread/384668/preparing-to-setup-my-first-reef-tank-in-2-3-weeks-please-look-at-what-i-have-so-far-and-tell-me-what-i-am-missing-or-did-wrong#post_3370650
Great idea with the egg crates!
Question about the refugium. I know it is suppose to be low flow but if I put it in the sump I don't see how I can control that without seperating it in the 3rd compartment and controlling flow in and out with 2 maxi-jet 400's. I had an idea to get the Large CPR hang on the back refugium and hang it on the sump to control the flow. Does this sound like it would work?

Cut off valves on the overflow hose/PVC leading to the refugium will allow you control of flow. I have a (Y connecter inverted) one hose leads to my refugium and the other leads to the skimmer section...my return is the middle chamber. I have cut off valves on both hoses and it gives me full control of the water flow.

 

[cryptics]

BTLDreef,
I just noticed we are neighbors (well relatively close) I am in Westbury. Two questions
1. Is the rock ok to use in the new tank? Will diatoms hurt it or introduce something that will be problematic to get rid of?
2. I am breaking down my fish only tank and was looking for someone to adopt my 2' Tesselatta eel and 5'' Stars and Stripes puffer. None of my friends can take it so considering bringing them to a LFS. I have one near me that seems good and will take them but do you know of a good store that would treat them right?
Flower,
That is what I am considering doing now but was going to split off the return not the overflow. Is the overflow better or is it personal preference? Also what do you use to return the water? I haven't had the glass cut yet for the sump so I was considering having them cut a hole for a 1/2'' bulkhead like 2'' from the top and let it drain that way. Does this sound do able?

 

[cryptics]

Ok I found the manufacturer of the Light system. It is a shop in CA called Catalina Aquarium. It is an older model. I actually found very good reviews of the lights online excited to see them up and running. They are sending me the glass and the legs. The legs they have are 6'' which I thought was too high for me because I want to create something over them to keep the cats off and I am already pushing it with 150w metal halides on a 90g from what I read. He is customing me 4'' legs.
Ohh I was also wrong the Metal Halides are 14,000k not 10,000k. I hadn't hooked them up yet and misread what he had told me.

 

[btldreef]

Are you a member of ManhattanReefs.com or LIRA? Those are the two larger reef clubs in the area, join them! You could definitely sell you fish to a good home on either site.
AquaHut in Coram will sometimes take fish, but a lot depends on their live stock at the moment and how well they know you.
What store were you dealing with?
That Catalina light isn't bad, and as you already know, they have great customer service.

 

[btldreef]

Are you a member of ManhattanReefs.com or LIRA? Those are the two larger reef clubs in the area, join them! You could definitely sell you fish to a good home on either site.
AquaHut in Coram will sometimes take fish, but a lot depends on their live stock at the moment and how well they know you.
What store were you dealing with?
That Catalina light isn't bad, and as you already know, they have great customer service.
The diatoms won't harm anything. You're going to get them in your new tank regardless, it's part of the whole starting a new tank process.

 

[cryptics]

I haven't joined either yet but plan too. I saw LIRA and actually was one of the things that made me want to go reef. Get to geek out with others My wife is happy so I can "bother someone else with your obsession "
To tell you the truth if I would give them to someone who is willing to give them a good home.
If I break down the tank in the next few days but not going to set up the other tank for 2 weeks is it ok to keep the rocks in water in a bucket? Do they need light or an airstone or something? Toss in a silverside or two to keep the bacteria eating?

 

[btldreef]

I prefer LIRA, but ManhattanReefs has a lot more members so there is more action, especially in for sale threads. There are a few on MR that really are on their high horse, but they're easy enough to avoid. I really only go on MR when I want to buy/sell stuff.
LIRA is a great group, really helpful, friendly people.
The rock can go in a bucket with water, just put a powerhead in with them, nothing else needed.