Getting back into the hobby

Shlomie · 05/04/2014, 03:43 AM

I used to have a 110 tall (48x18x30) fish/coral tank until about 7 years ago. Since I learned how to maintain it at the school of hard knocks, I have lots of "stuffs" laying around. I don't have the tank, stand, and live goods any more, but I still have most/all of the other stuff.

I got a brand spanking new 150 tall (48x24x30) tank. I'm going to build a DIY stand for it. While I'm building that, I'm trying to see what I can reuse, what I should change, and most important, what I shouldn't reuse. I'm planning on setting up another fish/coral tank, about 2" deep sand bed, and Lots of LR. I plan on using 2 12x26x16H sumps that I already have. 1 for faster moving water, that will also host the heater (don't really need it), skimmer, and calcium reactor, and the 2nd one for a slower moving refugium.

My questions so far:
RODI, (never had 1) I'm looking at Typhoon III Extreme type. I don't need it for drinking water, the pros I know, is there any cons to it? is there any others I should consider?
Tank is drilled, use 1 for drain, and 1 for return, as is default? Use both as draines, and come from outside with the returns?
Sump 1: (used mag pump) what would be a good media to put in there? What is my target GPH? I have MH lights, and needed a chiller (too much $$$), is an external pump really cooler?
Sump 2: (never had a refugium) Besides LS/LR, what else goes in there? Mud? Plants? What would be my target GPH?
Supplies: Salt, any brand better then another? Test kits: What is they're shelf life, can they still be used? Test kits VS meters?
Anything else I need to consider at this stage?

Sorry for the long post, I'm trying to keep my cost down, so I'll try to reuse as much as I can, as long as I don't compromise the system as a whole.

Tia, Shlomie

Shlomie · 05/05/2014, 10:02 PM

Nothing? Should I break this up in multiple posts?

whosurcaddie · 05/06/2014, 12:04 AM

Congrats on getting back into the hobby!

For RO/DI I highly recommend to anyone that asks to atleast look at the BRS value plus unit. The features it comes standard with other company's charge well over 250$ for. It has everything you need and it makes life so much easier.

I would use 1 as drain and 1 for return. I would look into LED's they draw much less energy and put out a miniscule amount of heat compared to Halides. That reduction in heat means less top off water less filter changes in your RO and best of all no expensive chiller is needed.

External pump is cooler but takes more space to fit as well. You want about 5x turnover of total system water per hour. I'm sure you know about calculating head loss.

Don't use sand in your fuge it will just accumulate more crap you have to clean Live rock rubble will be fine. As far as plants cheato is the most popular followed by calupera and red gracillara. You need lighting for your fuge as well. You can use a clip on light from a hardware store or if you want something a little better get one of the LED flood lights in the 6500k range 20 watts.

There are so many differing opinions on salt some spend the extra money on premium salt. Me, well instant ocean has never failed me. As for test kits the consensus is Salifert is the best but they are pricey.

If you haven't gotten your rock yet I would look at some of the vendors that sell dry rock. You can get really beautiful rock at a fraction of the price and seed it with a few pieces from your local fish store.

05/04/2014, 03:43 AM	#1
Shlomie Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Rockland County, NY Posts: 3	Getting back into the hobby I used to have a 110 tall (48x18x30) fish/coral tank until about 7 years ago. Since I learned how to maintain it at the school of hard knocks, I have lots of "stuffs" laying around. I don't have the tank, stand, and live goods any more, but I still have most/all of the other stuff. I got a brand spanking new 150 tall (48x24x30) tank. I'm going to build a DIY stand for it. While I'm building that, I'm trying to see what I can reuse, what I should change, and most important, what I shouldn't reuse. I'm planning on setting up another fish/coral tank, about 2" deep sand bed, and Lots of LR. I plan on using 2 12x26x16H sumps that I already have. 1 for faster moving water, that will also host the heater (don't really need it), skimmer, and calcium reactor, and the 2nd one for a slower moving refugium. My questions so far: RODI, (never had 1) I'm looking at Typhoon III Extreme type. I don't need it for drinking water, the pros I know, is there any cons to it? is there any others I should consider? Tank is drilled, use 1 for drain, and 1 for return, as is default? Use both as draines, and come from outside with the returns? Sump 1: (used mag pump) what would be a good media to put in there? What is my target GPH? I have MH lights, and needed a chiller (too much $$$), is an external pump really cooler? Sump 2: (never had a refugium) Besides LS/LR, what else goes in there? Mud? Plants? What would be my target GPH? Supplies: Salt, any brand better then another? Test kits: What is they're shelf life, can they still be used? Test kits VS meters? Anything else I need to consider at this stage? Sorry for the long post, I'm trying to keep my cost down, so I'll try to reuse as much as I can, as long as I don't compromise the system as a whole. Tia, Shlomie

05/05/2014, 10:02 PM	#2
Shlomie Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Rockland County, NY Posts: 3	Nothing? Should I break this up in multiple posts?

05/06/2014, 12:04 AM	#3
whosurcaddie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,354	Congrats on getting back into the hobby! For RO/DI I highly recommend to anyone that asks to atleast look at the BRS value plus unit. The features it comes standard with other company's charge well over 250$ for. It has everything you need and it makes life so much easier. I would use 1 as drain and 1 for return. I would look into LED's they draw much less energy and put out a miniscule amount of heat compared to Halides. That reduction in heat means less top off water less filter changes in your RO and best of all no expensive chiller is needed. External pump is cooler but takes more space to fit as well. You want about 5x turnover of total system water per hour. I'm sure you know about calculating head loss. Don't use sand in your fuge it will just accumulate more crap you have to clean Live rock rubble will be fine. As far as plants cheato is the most popular followed by calupera and red gracillara. You need lighting for your fuge as well. You can use a clip on light from a hardware store or if you want something a little better get one of the LED flood lights in the 6500k range 20 watts. There are so many differing opinions on salt some spend the extra money on premium salt. Me, well instant ocean has never failed me. As for test kits the consensus is Salifert is the best but they are pricey. If you haven't gotten your rock yet I would look at some of the vendors that sell dry rock. You can get really beautiful rock at a fraction of the price and seed it with a few pieces from your local fish store.