Tank Upgrade Shopping List and Questions

ecooper

ecooper

Member
Hi, all. I’m getting ready to upgrade my 75g to a 125g and have a shopping list (after I’ve done all my research).

I currently have a maroon clown, scopas tang, scarlett hawk, coral beauty and one green chromis. All of them are 5-7 years old. I have a leather, zoos and various mushrooms.

Here’s what I’m planning to get: 125g tank (predrilled with the returns inside the tank), stand and canopy Eshopps R-300 Refugium and plumbing essentials, but I have a light. New heater and return pump. I already have a skimmer for the refugium and I have a Fluval FX5 that I really like I will run on the new tank as well. I also have a lighting system I like very much, Coralife Aqualight Pro w/ halids to move to the new tank, and various compacts to use in the meantime while I’m running two tanks. The lighting system is only 48” so I’ll have 12” on either side of it on the 125, but that’s fine as I’ll leave free-swimming room on the sides.

And then, here are my questions:

1. Anyone see any issues?
2. I’m unsure what return pump to get. How about a Mag12? Is that too much?
3. The macroalgae I wanted to use is halimeda. I have a clump of it in my main tank (hitchhiker) that I really like. I prune it as necessary but it doesn’t seem to spread like other algaes. Anyone use it other than the most common chaeto or caulerp?

Any other thoughts, anyone? I’ll certainly entertain any suggestions! Eric
 
edat

edat

Member
I ran a mag 12 on my 125 with 40 long sump/fuge for many years. I don't think it would be too much.
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
My guess is that the 1200 gph should be fine, but just to be safe you should put a gate or ball valve on the return side of the pump. I have the Eschopps 300, and have previously posted on this site that it didn't have much room for equipment in it. Measure the footprint of your skimmer, and your pumps (assuming they will be submerged) and heaters, and be sure they will fit.
 
ecooper

ecooper

Member
Thanks, GeriDoc. I just got everything, including the ball valve. Unfortunately, I went with a more expensive stand with better hardware and materials and didn't have room for the Eshopps 300. I had to get the 200. I may have to go with two smaller heaters instead of one larger one to make it all fit.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
I run a mag 12 on my 125 and it's fine. I use a SCWD that adds a good bit of head loss though.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
ecooper

ecooper

Member
I got a 12 (well, equivalent to a 12 - it's rated at 1200gph) so hope that's enough. And, I see you're from Pittsburgh, Eric B. My wife and I moved to San Antonio from Pittsburgh in 2005. It's so much warmer here.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
I'm sure it's a whole lot warmer! Only problem is: now you're a Texan, hahaha.

I'm sure your return will be fine. The point of the return pump is just that: to return water from the sump to the DT. I have two MP40's and an MP10 that I use for circulation.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
If you plan to use your refugium for nutrient export, you'll want to slow the flow down to around 5X the water volume of the system. Including the fuge, this should be around 700GPH. Halimeda is a slow growing algae, so it will not remove Nitrates adequately. They do, however, make good ornamental plants for the display since nothing eats it. Since you had to downsize your refugium, you'll need macros that will yield the fastest results. Chaeto and Fern Caulerpa are fast growers that will remove Nitrates at a super-fast rate. Those are the macros I use in my Eshopps 300, and Nitrates are no longer an issue for me. I change 25% of my water once a month only to replenish trace minerals. Don't bother with expensive LED light for your fuge, either. Macros grow much better under CFL. I bought a cheap reflector lamp and a 23W bulb, and I have to harvest Chaeto every couple of weeks. I almost lost all my Chaeto when I was using a 6500K LED fuge lamp. Now that I'm putting the excess Chaeto in my QT, the LED (Marineland 30" Reef Capable w/timer) is bleaching it out. That lamp will soon be replaced by T5's...

What skimmer do you have?
 
ecooper

ecooper

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegasus http:///t/396989/tank-upgrade-shopping-list-and-questions#post_3537893
If you plan to use your refugium for nutrient export, you'll want to slow the flow down to around 5X the water volume of the system. Including the fuge, this should be around 700GPH. Halimeda is a slow growing algae, so it will not remove Nitrates adequately. They do, however, make good ornamental plants for the display since nothing eats it. Since you had to downsize your refugium, you'll need macros that will yield the fastest results. Chaeto and Fern Caulerpa are fast growers that will remove Nitrates at a super-fast rate. Those are the macros I use in my Eshopps 300, and Nitrates are no longer an issue for me. I change 25% of my water once a month only to replenish trace minerals. Don't bother with expensive LED light for your fuge, either. Macros grow much better under CFL. I bought a cheap reflector lamp and a 23W bulb, and I have to harvest Chaeto every couple of weeks. I almost lost all my Chaeto when I was using a 6500K LED fuge lamp. Now that I'm putting the excess Chaeto in my QT, the LED (Marineland 30" Reef Capable w/timer) is bleaching it out. That lamp will soon be replaced by T5's...

What skimmer do you have?
I did get the ball valve and can tone down the 12 if it's too fast. I may add some other algae to the halimeda, but the rock I have, with some sand, will take up much of the refugium area. Thanks! I have a BakPak skimmer. I thought I would add it to the sump area, but I may get a better in-sump skimmer instead.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
I bought rock rubble to make small piles in my refugium. I also placed some larger pieces in the skimmer chamber under the inlet pipes. Remember, the bacteria in rocks and sand convert ammonia into nitrites, and nitrites into nitrates. They do nothing for nitrates. Only a "deep" sand bed and macro algae will have any effect on nitrates. I have a remote deep sand bed (RDSB), and I have noticed a big reduction of nitrates. It's simply a 27 gallon tub with lid and 12" of play sand from Lowe's. A Mag-Drive 1.9 sitting in the return chamber of my refugium pumps water into the tub, and it exits on the opposite end to drain back into the return section. A RDSB takes awhile to colonize enough bacteria to consume nitrates, but to me, it was well worth the wait. The sand, tubing, bulkheads, and tub are fairly cheap. The biggest expense was the pump. Of course, if you don't have plenty of space, this isn't an option. The best option for limited space is to create a DSB in the tank and refugium, coupled with fast growing macro algae. Otherwise nitrates will skyrocket, and you'll be doing water changes every time you turn around. This adds up to lots of money spent on salt, and salt isn't getting any cheaper. Since I only change water once a month now, I'm using half as much salt as before. I can use the savings to start dosing supplements in my tank. As long as my parameters are within specs, I may be able to go two or three months between changes. Time will tell...

All skimmers are not created equally, so you should get the best skimmer you can afford. This piece of equipment isn't something you want to skimp on. I (now) have a Reef Octopus XP2000i skimming my 125, and it does a fabulous job. The Vertex 150 looks like a good skimmer too, and it's a little over $100 cheaper than the 2000.

Tip of the day: Always wait until your water level has stabilized in the sump/refugium after water changes or power outages BEFORE turning on your skimmer. The higher water level will cause most skimmers to overflow until the water reaches the correct level. I have a five minute delay timer from Reef Octopus which takes care of that for me.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Getting too large of a skimmer will result in poor performance. I've heard it suggested that you get a skimmer rated for twice the system volume. In my opinion, that's too much.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric B 125 http:///t/396989/tank-upgrade-shopping-list-and-questions#post_3537951
Getting too large of a skimmer will result in poor performance. I've heard it suggested that you get a skimmer rated for twice the system volume. In my opinion, that's too much.
Most skimmers are rated for lightly stocked systems, thus the recommendation to double. This allows the skimmer to function properly in a heavily stocked system. Manufacturers use the larger numbers to make their products look better. Many are now posting specs for different bioloads, which helps take some out some of the guesswork. You can go too big... this is true. Too much skimmer will result in poor performance as there won't be enough DOC's to create a stable foam head. If there is not enough foammate to push it into the collection cup (create skimmate), it will result in goop caking up in the neck. Once there is enough buildup in the neck, chunks will break loose and fall to the bottom of the skimmer. My tank is 125 gallons, and the skimmer is rated for a 200 gallon lightly stocked system, or a 140 gallon heavy stocked system. Since I have 140 gallons total volume, I have the ideal size for my system. It's not "heavily" stocked yet, but I'm slowly working on that. You should always go larger than your system, but I also feel doubling it is overkill. I'd say up to 50% over would be a good choice. Then again, the new Vertex skimmers have adjustable venturis that allow you to adjust the air intake in case you want to use the 150 on a 40 gallon tank. Not all skimmers have this feature, so we have to do a little math with the others to choose the correct size. One thing is for sure... you do not want your skimmer to be undersized. Inadequate skimming will result in a nutrient rich water column, and this will lead to algae blooms. In this case, it's better to have too much than not enough...
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
In this case, it's better to have too much than not enough...
Agree, I'd rather have something capable of stripping my tank of proteins within 24-48 hours vs a skimmer that never stops producing skimmate. A skimmer that never stops producing is a skimmer that can't keep up with the load.
 
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