The 125 is cycling. Some questions/opinions.

rumrunner

rumrunner

Member
I finally have my 125 RR tank cycling and wanted some feedback/opinions on a couple of topics.
Flow: I currently have a Mag 9 as my return giving me about 600-700 gph flow to the tank after head loss. I have 2 Maxijet 1200 powerheads at 295 gph in the tank, and I have a Magnum HOT for carbon running at 250 gph. This gives me about 12X hour tank turn over. Sound good? or should I add another power head?
Stock List: I am trying to put together a nice aggressive/semi-aggressive stock list that will be good for long-term but the number of possibilities is driving me crazy. Here is what I have so far:
Tank A: Small School of Chromis, Blue Dot Toby Puffer, Flame Hawk, Flame Angel, Kole Tang, Tomato Clown, Bluejaw Trigger
Tank B: Huma Trigger, Yellow Tang, Larger Wrasse (Tusk or Bannana), Maroon Clown, maybe a Toby puffer (would he be able to hang with these guy?)
I never had aggressive fish before so I am curious and tempted to try tank B. I have only had small reef fish before so I think having larger fish would be exciting. Any feedback appreciated.
 
dme

dme

Member
Hi there, how are things up north? If your info is correct, your turnover rate is about 5x and you want at least 7-8 times turnover for this can just the same work well for you, but also you wouldn't ever want to over stock your bio load.
And I see your this H.O.T. Magnum 250 and with a turnover of 7x and im sorry to say, do not count your water currents as part of the tanks turnover for I know many others do count it and its not truly part of the tanks turnover.
For what of LR? How much do you have? And what of a skimmer? You will surely have need of a good one. you have a sump right? And for as your tank to pick, I would have to say Tank A:
So you not mention any skimmer as well of how much LR have you? And do you have a sump for I think you do with a mag?
And also depending on your tanks measurements and amount of LR you have, you will be needing at least two more power heads, but not the 1200 maxi but rather another two of the maxi pumps, 900`s
Dragon Moray eels
 
rumrunner

rumrunner

Member
Thanks DME,
I guess I should have given more tank info. I have a 125g AGA Reef Ready 72"x18"x22" with a 30 gallon sump. I have a compartment in the sump where I will eventually grow Chaeto macro algae. I am using a wet/dry filter and have about 90 lbs. of base rock in the tank with an 1 inch of aragonite sand. I have seeded the sand with live sand from my reef tank and am using a cocktail shrimp to start the cycle. My protein skimmer is an ASM G3 which should be good for this size tank.
Okay, so I need more flow. I can add more powerheads.
One question though...why did you say tank A? Just want to hear your thoughts as to why that one over the other tank.
Thanks for the help!
 
dme

dme

Member
I might have went with a bit larger sump for water volume is always a huge plus and your skimmer is quite similar to the euroreef which is the only skimmer I use these days but for my 40 gal temporary QT/Hospital tank, I not like the smaller ER skimmers for the sedra pumps on those are not reliable and might just for that tank get something differ from the ER.
If it be no problem for you, and I know bit be more money, could you manage to attach the mag pump that is at least another 400 gph? Also, depending on your piping that this pump has to push the water through that before it reaches and enters the tank, it looses some strength in its gph.
As I had mentioned, water currents really has nothing to do with your tanks turnover rate and that there be many people here or other forums that think this do. As for more power heads, will come as you move a long for you have to be the judge on the type of corals you have and how strong a current your corals require for not every coral can stand up under the same conditions.
The HOB filter, I not know about and I would suggest to you that it really will not add much for the better of your tank, for you get the upgrade on your mag pump and instead of the carbon that HOB item holds, you can better off buy for your sump the Chemi-pure (full unit) and being that your doing a reef tank, not to run carbon 24/7 for like I run it on my reef tank every other month. OOPS! Your not doing a reef tank :hilarious so run it 24/7 in that case

One question though...why did you say tank A?
That be rather simple really for your "A" list seems a bit more community species and not grow to large for your tank.
Dragon Moray Eels
 
dme

dme

Member
Please do note that if you not readied it so clear, I suggested that you upgrade your mag pump to a 400 gph stronger one and to remove that HOB that you running carbon and too add Chemi-pure (full unit) to your sump and when you open the Chemi-pure do not rinse it under running water and as I said you can add as you see it more power heads for your water currents but I do suggest on that that you get the Maxi jets 900`s.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Alright, first off, I don't see any problem in using the hang-on filter to run carbon. I don't think ChemiPure is all that great, regular carbon will do the same thing. And yes, that does count in tank turnover, so right now, you are standing at about 12X like you said. I would probably add one more powerhead if I were you.
I don't see any problem with using the 30 gallon for a sump either. That is why I have on my 210 and it works great.
I like the skimmer you have.
I would reocmmend getting more live rock though. You want to go with around 130 lbs.
And as far as your fish list, I do not see a problem in doing list B if you wanted to try a semi-aggressive community.
 
dme

dme

Member
Like I said Lion, a good many people count water currents in their turnover Also, his is a nice size tank and some small HOB not really will benifit it much and as for the carbon, he can even get black diamond and bag it and place it in his sump for I do believe that there be quite more a difference in his tanks water quaity. But just the same, this is my thoughts and opinons in this and as if we had a pizza, one us might not like its taste for it all comes down to what people know and how well off they themselves do in the hobby.
For as well, out of all the people/members here, how many here have anywhere near the same tank? And as well, we all have as well a difference in opinion on water changes stock/bio load etc, for the ideas can go on down a list for yes, he could as well do selection "B" for I am a little concern in just which large wrasse he might pick for a good many will outgrow a 125.
For the Bluejaw Trigger not grows as large and the humu trigger grows quite larger and as well can be a pain if and when it wants to and that wason I pick "A" for him for if his tank was somewhat larger I could see this with a better chance in working.
So lion, it all boils down to a difference in opinions, don`t it? I am sure that we both want RumRunner to do very well with the minimum of any possible problems.
A Happy Presidents Day People

Dragon Moray Eels ><{{{{">
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Yes, that was why I gave my opinion. There was no reason you had to refute mine. You gave yours, and I followed up by giving mine. If he really wanted to run the HOB filter, there is no reason why he cannot. It is just extra movement and extra filtration. Carbon is carbon if you ask me. I have used Black Diamond, Kent Reef Carbon, Sera Carbon and ChemiPure and I got the same results with each. That was why I gave my opinion saying it does not really matter (to me).
There are also some wrasses that will outgrow a 125, but that he can ask opinions about later. The fact is that he can do a wrasse in a 125, and when that time comes, we will tell him which will get too big and which are acceptable.
And as for the triggers, a blue jaw gets 9" while a humu humu gets 12". I don't really see a big difference there either.
 
rumrunner

rumrunner

Member
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I definitely am taking all this feedback into consideration. I will definitely add more flow to the tank, probably with another powerhead and eventually upgrade the pump when funds permit. The more I think about it though, I am leaning towards the more aggressive tank only because I have a reef already and I would like fish that I couldn't put in my reef. More specifically, I think I really want a trigger (ideally the Huma) since I have read alot about how interesting and entertaining they are.
So, maybe lets approach this a different way. How about I build my stock list with the idea that I am going to get a Huma Trigger.
How does this sound:
Huma
Tomato or Maroon Clown
Toby puffer
Kole or Yellow Tang
Flame Angel
Flame Hawk
So I have eliminated the larger wrasse with the Huma being the largest fish. I THINK the rest of the tank inhabitants would be large enough not to snack size for a grown trigger but I could be wrong. Are they aggressive enough to be in with the Huma? Thanks again!
Do you have 2 overflow boxes, one in each corner?
Yes, it is a Megaflow tank with two overflows.
 
adamc1303

adamc1303

Active Member
You will have the mag 9 pump the water back into both overflows? That will not be enough! For the same amount of money you will be spending on all those powerheads you can buy a mag 24 use 3/4 felixible tubing add a "T" connector then have each end plumbed into an over flow box. You can also have one of the ends run through a U.V. sterlizer. It will cost the same because you will not be buying the power heads not to mention they are UGLY hanging in the tank this will eliminate them and will do the job way better. Just my oppinion "Don't want to start anything"
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Yeah, I also fully agree that you need a bigger pump if you are distrubuting that flow to 2 overflows.
Your stock list sounds fine now. Like I said, there reason was not a big difference between the two triggers.
 
rumrunner

rumrunner

Member
Update,
Well I added another powerhead I had lying around temporarily.
But, my good news is that I purchased a nice looking 4 inch Dogface puffer yesterday. He is in a quarantine now. So, I decided to work around the Dogface as being the star of the tank. I going to forget about a trigger for the tank now, but keep to the rest of my stock list.
 
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