From breeding discus to saltwater

[maukings]

Hi guys,
I moved to a new place and i decided i wanted to get into saltwater fish. I purchased an AGA 90 gal with the pre drilled 1 inch megaflow overflow.

They guy i bought it from gave a sump which measures 35x 11.5 x 11.75.

I purchased the megaflow kit and assembled it. The instructions didn't call for a any pvc cement or tape so I put screwed in and pressed in the parts. I haven't messed with the bulkheads yet.

I purchased a mighty might RO rated for 54 gallons which I might set up in the garage with some large trash cans as containers.

I haven't purchased the protein skimmer or pumps because I don't want to buy the wrong ones. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction. I found a used ASM G3 skimmer and a red sea coralife 125, i read the coralife is junk and the ASM might be too much for a 90 gal but i'm not sure about that.

For lights I was thinking going with an 8 bulb t5 tek someone please tell me if 8 light bulbs is overkill for a 90 gallon. I want to grow all kinds of corals.

I hadn't realized how expensive all these parts are. I'm excited about this and hope to get it going soon.

My three main questions are:
Can you please suggest a protein skimmer if the ones I mentioned are not good?
Can you suggest which return pump to use?
Can you suggest a t5 light fixture, should it be an 8 or 6 bulber?

I'll post some pictures as I update this thread.

Thanks!
Mo

[maukings]

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The sump. Long but seem a bit short. Im planning on putting a sock on the right and just live rock

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The tank, planning on painting the back matte black

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The RO no DI

[sedor]

The Tek light fixture would be an excellent choice! As far as skimmers go, stay away from both the ones you mentioned. A decent starter skimmer could be a Vertex or a Reef Dynamics (previously Euro-Reef), but of course there are plenty of choices and you can really spend as much as you'd like on a skimmer. If your going brand new I would expect to spend somewhere around $400 on your skimmer. Of course you can get away with considerably less if you find a used one...RC is a great place to find used equipment! For powerheads you might want to start with something cheap like Koralias...they are ok, but in the end your going to want something higher end like Tunze or Vortechs. Random flow is key with most coral...

Otherwise it looks like your off to a great start. A 90 is a great size to get into the hobby with. Getting these first pieces of equipment is just the first step, pretty soon you'll be worrying about your parameters and nutrient levels

[maukings]

Thanks for the info Ryan! I found an 8 bulb Nova Extreme for 320 with 7 mo old bulbs. Would you guys recommend this product?

[sedor]

Nova Extreme is another quality light system IMO, as long as its the pro version that has individual rounded reflectors for each bulb. Reflectors are very important in order to utilize all the power those T5 bulbs can give off. Its the biggest difference between lower end and higher end T5 fixtures. Keep in mind your going to want to change those bulbs out pretty soon.

[maukings]

I've done some research and called vivid aquarium in LA and they recommended the following skimmer, pump and lighting:

Can you guys please give me your opinion before I start spending money on these big ticket items?

For skimmer:
Reef Dynamics
Model INS135 $300 I believe it includes the pump
http://www.reefdynamics.com/INS135-P...r-p/ins135.htm

ASM
Model ASM G-1X w/ Sedra 3500 $286

For return pump. I have a 3/4 inch return bulk head and I'm not sure if I want internal or external pump

A couple of suggestions were Iwaki md55 and the Reeflow Snapper both are external. I don't know what to do about the threaded larger outlet.

For lighting I was thinking nova extreme pro, it only comes in 6 bulbs so i'm not sure about it. The other one is the Sunlight Supply Tek Light with 8 bulbs.
Big question, do I really need 8 bulbs? Can you suggest a better light that doesn't use a single bent sheet to create the reflectors?

That's all I have for now. Thanks!

[Palting]

Welcome!!

I have the 110 version of the same tank. Simillar dimensions, just taller. I have the same stand and canopy, too. Using it as a treatment tank right now as I move to a 150. Can't help you with the equipment you are asking aboout since I don't know them, but I can answer questions about the tank and stand if you have any.

Here's a pic of what it looks as a treatment tank. Pretty stark.

[maukings]

thanks! could anyone else help me out?

[Palting]

Before I decided on upgrading the tank, I was looking for better lights for the 110. Here is a good link to light choices for your 90 gal: http://www.marineandreef.com/Articles.asp?ID=121

Here's what I went with for the 150, and I really like it, as do my livestock. They do have one for a 48" tank: http://www.marineandreef.com/Marinel...p/rml32984.htm

[maukings]

that looks like an awesome setup. I'm trying to stay away from halides though. I think i will get the 8 bulb tek light. Need help choosing the pump!

[maukings]

Some updates. I have the asm g2 coming in this week along with a mag 12 which i decided to return. I will use a mag 9.5 instead. I also set up the RO in the garage and put 60 pounds of sand. I rinsed it a bunch of times and it still got cloudy. I ran out of RO so I should have some more ready by tomorrow morning. Purchased a refractometer and red sea salt mix.

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE PURPLE PVC PRIMER IS AQUARIUM SAFE?

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[Bosco83]

Looks like a nice setup you are starting and if you were breeding Discus before I'm sure you won't have any problems reefing.

Brian

[streak]

Wow I im in famialiar situation lol.... Welcome... Gotta Love Jack Wattly Glad i got to meet him on a trip to florida... Im still waiting on parts to come in and i will start rebuilding my tank stand tommoro.. for my tiny 70.. I just orderd my ro/di unit today i had to get me a custom typhoon III becuse my water pressure was too low.. had to pay for a booster pump.. almost coulda bought a second typhoon III for the pump alone haha...

[streak]

haha since the petco sale i do have a 55 gallon tank spare... humm Discus Hifin Blue Diamnds.. mmmmm....

[maukings]

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[Lynnmw1208]

what light is that? looks good!

[maukings]

Sunpod 48inch 14k 250w hqi bulbs got it for 240 shipped brand new

[Sharpie_]

please share I want to replace the single 400 i have on my 120.

[frozenreefer]

have you thought about more flow in the tank? it looks like you might have some really low flow areas. some tunze will help out alot or korillas or vortech pumps are all good...but can be spendy. just wanted to point that out, also the light is awesome and will be a good light for the tank imo.

[byrdman81]

Looking good! But please tell me how and where you got that fixturefor 240 new?

[maukings]

frozen, i'm planning on buying 2 koralia 4s. I think that should be good, what do you think?

Since Sunpods are discontinued, Current is selling the remaining stock directly on ebay. They auction 2 fixtures at a time so look em up.

[Palting]

A few suggestions.

2 koralia 4's sounds good. That makes for a subtotal of 2400 gph, plus your return. One area I found that's hard to get flow to is the lower left back corner on my 110 with dimensions simillar to yours. Just make sure one o your return nozzles points to the left front and down to get rebound flow to that corner to avoid cyano.

I am not fond of those metal clamps. The clamp is stainless, but the screws are not and will rust. Either get plastic clamps, or do what I did. I used plastic lock ties, the one usually used to tie cables together. You can get them in varying grades and length, and you can also get the tool that really locks it tight.

[frozenreefer]

palting is right you should be good with 2 4's and again you just dont want dead spots in the water so you might have to fiddle around with the return and the pumps to get it just right...and as you progress more in the salty side of things you might pick up another pump or two...also you will want to monitor tank temp with the halides. if it is a little to hot a fan blowing over the tank will lower it down a little

[frozenreefer]

also...just wanted to see a sump picture...just wanted to see how it is setup thanks

[maukings]

Here is the sump setup. I changed the drain bulkhead since the hose kept leaking. This worked out much better.

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