UPgrading

[sman]

I was informed by the parental figures that the tank needs to be moved, my way to get back at them(and cause I want a bigger one) was to get a bigger tank. I have someone who will sell me their 75 or 90 they have laying around for CHEAP, including the stand.
The question is, what am I looking at cost of equipment wise?
Going from a 50B
2 koriala 1's
powerhead 201
aqua c remora (not pro) skimmer
36in t-5s
close to 45 - 50 lbs of LR
a few small corals
Going to a 90
What else do I need to get, how would I switch everything over? Does the tank have to recycle, how long would it take.
Any info is appreciated!

 

[mr_x]

the remora will have to be replaced.
the lighting will also have to be replaced.
the powerheads will have to be replaced.
i'd add 30 to 50 pounds of live rock.
the prices of these things all vary greatly. i'd say anywhere from 500 dollars, to 2000 dollars, depending on new or used, and the quality of the components you choose.
if you try to move your substrate, you might have a spike, and possibly some algae blooms.
if it's just the rock and water, i doubt you'll see anything register on your test kits.

 

[sman]

The tank does not have overflows, so I would do a hang on style with the U/J tubes down to a 10gal sump. What do the overflows cost? Can anyone link to a good one?
What skimmer would you recomend?
What would I do about substrate? Id prolly leave what I have in the 50 and sell the tank, stand, sand, lights, and skimmer to a friend.
I would obviously buy new sand, but would the tank cycle if I took my rock to the new tank? With the new sand?
How would I go about the move, like setup the new one, wait till all params are good, move stock and breakdown the 50?

 

[gatorwpb]

Originally Posted by sman
http:///forum/post/2650198
The tank does not have overflows, so I would do a hang on style with the U/J tubes down to a 10gal sump. What do the overflows cost? Can anyone link to a good one?
What skimmer would you recomend?
What would I do about substrate? Id prolly leave what I have in the 50 and sell the tank, stand, sand, lights, and skimmer to a friend.
I would obviously buy new sand, but would the tank cycle if I took my rock to the new tank? With the new sand?
How would I go about the move, like setup the new one, wait till all params are good, move stock and breakdown the 50?
I agree with everything Mr X said.
Cant help you on the overflow, but theres many out there so it shouldnt cost too much. The octpus skimmers are the best bang for the buck right now if youre looking to not spend too much. The next step up would be the Xtreme skimmers.
I would also look into something larger for the sump than a 10g to fit what you want in it. I have a 20g under my 65 and space is tight. You could probably fit a 30g under the 90 and have plenty of room for skimmer a fuge and the return pump.
But the best reommendation would be to get the 90 all setup and cycled and then move over you inhabitants. Having the already cured live rock from the 50 will help greatly, but youll need more so that will start a small cycle. Getting new sand wont really cause a cycle. You can even buy the stuff from home depot (cant remember the name sorry) and then use enough sand from the 50 to coat it about 0.5" which will activate all of the dead sand.

 

[sman]

Ok, I can go buy a 29gal cheap, I just had the 10 laying around.
Is there a specific octopus skimmer you could recomend?
What about a return pump, any recomendations?
How many PH's should I have in a tank like this?

 

[gatorwpb]

well it all depends on your budget.
The recirculating octopus skimmers are the betters ones of course. The xtreme skimmers are all $300+ but worth it. the NW-150 would be the minimum octpus I would think if you want the best skimming for your tank.
For powerheads, tunze is the best, but then budget matters here a lot too and what type of corals you plan to have. You could get a vortex if you got the cash lying around.
But look into the Sure Flow 1600 kits which modify MaxiJet 1200s. But you may not need that kind of flow if you are only keeping softies or LPS. An economical choice for PHs without having too much flow would be 2 Koralia #2s.
For return pump, look for something with around 700 gph (before headloss), as that will be fine with the overflow from the tank which is rated at 600 gph. I use a Mag 7 on mine.

 

[sman]

What overflow are you looking at?
Also, I see the octopus skimmers have regular model and a recirculating one, whats the difference? Im only used to the HOB skimmers.
For powerheads, Ill be reusing what I have, which was the 2 koriala 1's and a powerhead 201.
Just found out I think someone has bought the 90, so I would be buying all this for the 75 gallon tank not the 90.

 

[sman]

Turns out he didnt sell the 90, and im probably going to pick it up this weekend! YAY!
Will someone tell me the difference between a regualr and recirculating skimmer?
To Buy list:
Tank for sump (probably 20 or 29 thoughts?)
Octopus 150 recirc
Return pump (Help, I have no idea here)
I will probably be making my own overflow box
48in t5's (recomendataion?)
Some kind of lid/canopy, I currently use a glass top, but what should I do for the new tank?
And Sand, What kind of play sand can I buy thats safe for the tank, I will be seeding it with some of my current sand (aragonite)

 

[sman]

bump for the night crew....

 

[gatorwpb]

A recirulating skimmer is more efficient, but it needs to have a feed pump or have the drain line designed in such a way that a small amount of flow (not sure but 200 gph might be good) is sent to the skimmer.
Recirculating skimmers usually have the option of being outside the sump too.
Return pump depends on what your overflow is rated. Most overflows for a 90 are 600 gph so you can use a return pump up to approx 700 gph because of headloss it works. But if you are DIY for overflow, the return pump might need to be less or could be more than 700 gph. I know nothing about DIY overflows.
For t-5s people prefer the Teks or Aquactinics because they have individual reflectors. Thats the way to get the most out of t-5s, otherwise light is lost that is directed up away from the tank.

 

[sman]

So how would I use a recirc skimmer with my setup, would I just be better with a regular one?
I dont really WANT to do a DIY overflow, just no one will recomend a good overflow box...... So if you know of a good one, please SPEAK UP!
Where is a good place to buy the mag drive pumps, since I dont belive there sold here I think you can post a link...
Ill look into lighting here in a minute, thanks for your reply!

 

[gatorwpb]

there are a couple of large online retailers that i use for all my dry goods purchases. use google to search for varioues items and they are bound to come up. they would have overflows and mag drives as well. unfortunately i cant post the links here

 

[sman]

Ill just start a new thread for the overflow box.
So a mag drive 7 should be fine? Its 500gph @ 3ft and 480 @ 4ft, if thats the case, is 70 a good price for one?

 

[sman]

Well I made some awesome, imo, progress yesterday! Went to my not so local fish store to check out there used equipment. I ended up getting a prebuilt sump! Its an acrilic consepts one, measures 32 long 12 wide and about 15.5 tall, Ill get pictures up and add them in a moment.
I also ended up getting a skimmer from them too! I love my aqua c remora I have now, and wanted to get something simmilar, just my luck, they had something! They had a brand new looking (it seriously doesnt look like it was ever used) Aqua C Urchin Pro with a mag 3, the pump also looked brand new, all for only 75 bucks! I put it in a tub of water I took out of the tank today durring a change and this thing is a skimming beast! It appears to have the same awesome qualites of the remora, set it, and forget it!
I was also talking to the guy there about overflows and he said why not just have us drill it? I said wow, didnt know you guys drilled tanks. I made an appointment for next saturday to have it drilled and have an overflow installed. Where should I have them drill it, my options are either corner, ofset from the center on the back or right in the middle on the back, what would you guys recomend? Im pumped! They garentee all there work and will replace the tank if they break it drilling it.
Id say im really getting somewhere!
Pictures to come in 10mintues!

 

[spiderwoman]

Originally Posted by sman
http:///forum/post/2655155
I dont really WANT to do a DIY overflow, just no one will recomend a good overflow box...... So if you know of a good one, please SPEAK UP!
Probably the best in the market is overflow box built by LifeReef.

 

[gatorwpb]

Way to go! Its always great to get equipment used. And sweet deal on the LFS drilling the tank, and warranting the work against cracks. On my 65 its an offset in the middle. I would have rather had it in the middle or both corners. You need something symetrical which makes it easier to aquascape. But its all about taste for you.
if you did both corners, you could get an even higher rated return pump. talk to the LFS and he could tell you what return rate the overflows they install can handle.
70 seems to be a good price for the Mag7

 

[mr_x]

i like cpr overflows myself.

 

[sman]

Ill see about getting both corners, but im betting that will be double the cost. If not id probably put it in the middle.
I should be picking up the tank and the nova extreme t5's Wednesday night!

 

[gatorwpb]

Originally Posted by sman
http:///forum/post/2658347
Ill see about getting both corners, but im betting that will be double the cost. If not id probably put it in the middle.
I should be picking up the tank and the nova extreme t5's Wednesday night!
middle will work fine and look good too. post pics once you do

 

[sman]

I thought about putting it in the middle, but being a 90 gallon, it has a center brace, will that make anything (maintenance, etc) on the overflow more difficult?