Setting up a 220 Gallon - Help with equipment

[richamc01]

After a very long debate, I've decided to purchase a 220 Gallon tank.

It measures in at 84X24X24 and will have two built in overflows. I need to know what equipment I will need to set this up. i am new to the hobby and I'm still researching. I haven't bought the tank yet as i wanted to see exactly what i was going to need. I currently have a 55 gallon set up for freshwater that I plan to use as my sump/refugium.
I know that I want a fairly aggressive reef tank. It may start out as a FOWLR but I do eventually want to be able to add some corals. As for what kinds of corals, I'm not sure. I'm going to look into the different kinds and see which ones I like. I know that the type of lighting depends on what kinds of coral I want.
As far as fish, I would like to have a porcupine puffer but ive been told that they are not reef safe. Has anyone ever put one in a reef tank? Other than that, its still pretty much up in the air. I am a fan of the Tangs but we will have to touch on this later.
As for now I just need to know all of the different equipment I will need. I'm not sure about the calcium reactors or what they do or if they are needed.

So...I need to know what everyone's opinions are on everything. Skimmer, lights, filtration, pumps, etc.
Please help me out. Ask me anything and I will do my best to answer your questions with the best of my knowledge.

 

[richamc01]

the tank is actually 87 wide 20 high 30 deep

 

[saxman]

You'll be needing:
Main return pump
I prefer externals (ReeFlo, Little Giant, Pan World, Iwaki to name a few), but the sump will need to be drilled for that.
If you go with a submersible, I'm REALLY liking the Sicce Syncra Silent Series (a 5.0 would do here)...they're a bit pricy, but are dead silent and are pretty decent in terms of power consumption. Mag drives are good solid pumps, and can be had for good prices. The larger mags will heat your water some tho, and they aren't the quietest in the world.
If you go external, you can get more powerful pumps (higher gph rating).
Supplemental flow...most folks use powerheads, but I prefer Closed Loop (CL) systems since I hate looking at equipment in my DT's. If you go the CL route, the tank needs to be drilled for the number of returns you want (I'd say four) plus one hole for the pump intake line. You'll also need a second pump as a CL pump (you can use any pump you like).
Skimmer
Get a good one...if you go super cheap, it will likely not work as expected. I'm really liking the cone skimmers now (I'm running and Eshopps S-150 on our 100 gal). On our upcoming 210 gal, we'll be running a EuroReef RC-180 (ER is out of bizness, but they have a new name that escapes me ATM).
Lighting really depends on what you'll be keeping, so we'd need to know a bit more. Lots of peeps are using LED's, altho I'm still not super thrilled with them yet, or their initial cost. I do run them on a couple of our systems tho. FOWLR can be lit with shop lights, as the fish don't really care. You could go that route and upgrade once you get your feet wet.
Heater/chiller depends on where you live, what you keep, and whether your house is climate controlled. We run chillers on our DT's or for special needs fish, but on other tanx, we don't. We run most of our setups at 77*F. Be sure to get a large enuff chiller for the tank volume if you go with one. Heater should be about 2-3W per gal.
I've never run a reactor...we do buffer our top-off and make-up water tho. I'd hold off until you decide what you want to do.
LR (live rock) and to less extent, your substrate will be your biological filtration, so you'll want to have plenty (typically a pound per gallon). I prefer #3 or #1 grade aragonite to "sugar-fine" sand...it "lays down" better, but won't trap detritus like crushed coral (CC).
Finally...here's the "guts" of one of our setups...as you can see, I prefer to use threaded connections and black thickwall flex hose. It's easy to work with, and makes changes to the system a lot easier than glued rigid PVC. Also, this tank sports a dual-standpipe, external overflow, which I LOVE.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Lights - fish only systems don't need much, however, if you want to show their true colors, go with some kind of DIY T5 retrofit kit. Something that size you could get away with four bulb 48" 54w system and be fine for fish and MAYBE even a few low light corals.
Powerheads - Closed loops are awesome, as saxman suggested. If you can get a custom tank, go for it. I like Sicce pumps - very quiet - but pricy. But hey - you got a big tank, expect to pay big money. If you don't go with a closed loop, you could invest in some Tunze powerheads or possibly a couple of Vortech MP60s. BUT, if your like me and are on a budget - go for some koralias. You will need a lot of turnover, so look into the bigger powerheads.
Refugium - use some caulerpa algae and chaetomorpha algae to help keep some nitrates down in the system and help keep pH stable through the night.
Skimmer - Do not skimp in this area. Next to a refugium and water changes, your skimmer will make or break your system. Look into top quality skimmers - Octopus, Deltec, Tunze etc. Skimmers remove some organics from the system which causes algae and cyanobacteria. It has to be removed.
Have a water change system in place. Something that is easy for you. The best way to do water changes is to turn a few knobs to drain and fill the tank - and be able to remove detritus from key areas.
Return Pump - I prefer Mag Drives - a Mag 18 to a Mag 24 would be perfect for your size tank. They can add a little heat to the water, but almost any constantly moving part will generate heat. Eheim pumps are really good - and are quieter and use less heat. IF you have the budget, go with what saxman suggested.