Introduction and Question...

[witzbold]

Hello!

I came across this forum about four hours ago and have been reading through it ever since. My experience is three years with a freshwater tank that I had when stationed in Germany. When in Germany I bought a Juwel Trigon 190 w/ stand (50 US Gal) corner bowfront, Measurements: 99 x 70 x 60 cm... brand new from a local fish store with it's matching stand for only 200 euro.

Here is a full picture of the tank and stand setup I plan on using....


My time in the military is now officially over and I have just bought my first home and can finally say I am now established. I have been to a few stores here in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area but wouldn't mind checking out a few more if someone has some places to recommend. Now for my question....

How do I adequately light the tank and meet my obsessive need to have things uniform with a tight clean appearance? I've looked for a Juwel light ballast like I had with my fresh tank, and just buy the new bulbs but I don't think they make it to run off a US 110v system.

Open top without the dividers...


Top with the bow and corner dividers in place the middle section is where the old light system fit flush with the top.. Middle section is 3 inches wide x 27 inches long...


Any ideas on how I can light the tank and keep a neat uniform appearance?

Here is a picture of inside the stand and I question if I have enough room inside the stand to house what I'll need for most of the "would like" but don't necessarily have to have items.. skimmer and such..



Thank you!

-J

[PRDubois]

Welcome!
You can find some answers here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...t=corner+tanks

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ht=corner+club

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...6#post15623656

[Sisterlimonpot]

Well first off...
To Reef Central

Are you retired AF? I was stationed in GE for 6 years. Loved it!!

Seems like you are ready to tackle this hobby head on, a few questions pop up before we can answer yours.

What are your intentions for the tank? Are you wanting to have a reef tank or a fish only tank? are you planning on plumbing the tank to have a sump/refugium underneath the tank?

There are so many possibilities and you have lots of reading to do. the good news is that there are some fine hobbyist in your area, DFW has a few greats there, so all you have to do is get in with the local club and you'll be set.

[witzbold]

Not retired, but I feel like it when I wake up some days haha. I did six years active. Stationed at Barksdale for three years and then working for NATO the last three years in Germany.

My overall idea for the tank is mostly a reef setup with no more than four fish. I am more fascinated by the living reef than anything else. One thing I am getting caught up on besides the lighting issue is plumbing. I keep reading that some tanks are drilling with holes in the glass or acrylic and some are not. Can't seem to find an answer that makes me go "OHHHHHHHH" when everything makes sense.

-J

[Sisterlimonpot]

ahh you were at ramstein, I wouldn't call that Germany, It's more like little america.

not too familiar with that ballast, and if it was for fresh water, I would look into starting off right with MH or a good T5HO set up.

What are you concerned with in particular? here's a site that explains the whole sump process. The diagram has an hang on back overflow, but by drilling holes (many different ways of placement) you can make things more reliable. read up and that and if you still have questions don't hesitate to ask.

[joeychitwood]

I have a 54 gallon corner tank and chose to light it with a Giesemann pendant with a 250 watt Phoenix 14K bulb. I does a nice job of illumination, but you'll find that lighting for a corner tank can be difficult.


To Reef Central

[witzbold]

No Ramstein AB for me, I was at NATO AB Geilenkirchen, about 45min west of Koln in that little nub of Germany that pokes over into Netherlands. Haha I avoided Ramstein like the black plague, I wanted no part of being in the K-Town area

Ya I have been playing around with different ideas of how to light this tank and want to avoid hanging anything from the ceiling... Think I'll just end up making a top for the tank to hold everything to get the clean lines that I want.

OHHHHHHH... that little diagram is all I needed to get things to click haha. I have an idea now how I want to run the plumbing...

[Sisterlimonpot]

Ah Gk, I know that place, I was at Spangdahlem, I've been to koln twice, only to the walkplatz and the cathedral though.

the owner of that website I posted about the sumps lives in the DFW area. He's a reefing legend.

That corner tank thread is full of great examples for lighting. Read through that, and it should inspire you.

[witzbold]

Not to many people know about GK. I had never heard of it until I got orders. Koln and I are old friends, ohhh the nights I don't remember down in the AltStadt .

Yes that website got me thinking about how I'd like to fit everything together. If possible going to drill out the bottom of my tank and top of the stand to go that route instead of having pvc coming up and over the tank itself. More than likely going to have to build my own sump setup to maximize the space inside the stand. With a little more reading today and looking at a few videos the whole process of setting everything up isn't as chaotic as I first thought haha.

-J

[Sisterlimonpot]

where did they have the AltStadt fest? I remember going to that the first year I was there, But I think it was in Trier.

Be careful drilling the bottom of the tank..... Most tank manufacturers use tempered glass for the bottom for added strength. Out of all the tanks I've made "reef ready" (drilling holes to add a sump/refugium) I drilled the back glass and incorporated a cost to coast (C2C) type overflow.