advice/opinions wanted 55 gallon setup

00nothing · 12/18/2006, 12:37 PM

setting up a 55 gallon on the cheap and looking for advice and opinions

First the tank will be lit using 1x175w halide and 4x55w pc in order to achieve this my thought is to cut out the center brace of the 55 and make custom acrylic braces spaced 16 inches apart allowing me to place the 175 dead middle of the tank so that the lighting is even and using the pc's to fill in the ends (Does anyone have a link to the brace removal how to)

an hob overflow using j-tubes will feed into a 20 gallon sump (if anyone has any good plans for a standard 20 gallon sump that would be awesome) I am not sure how the exact sump will lay out but i would like to incorporate a refugium there will be a css65 handling the skimming and am thinking of perhaps either a quiet one 6000 ran submerged or a mak-4 externally obviously thsi would then feed into a scwd that would lead to drilled 3/4 inch returns placed at either corner of the tank

so does anyone see any potential issues i may have ?

cristhiam · 12/18/2006, 01:42 PM

I would go with a bigger skimmer if you have space CSS125 or the 220. Also look at the octopus skimmers. I have the 125 and I'm pretty happy with it.

Can you go with 2 MH?

AquaReeferMan · 12/18/2006, 01:49 PM

Yeah I suggest using 2 MH also. The one in the center will limit you with corals and will leave darker spots on the sides. MH only have around a 2 foot span. I have a CSS65 on my 55 right now. It works great. I empty a nice and dark collection cup every 5-7 days. I am upgrading to the CSS125 after Christmas. I needed one for my 20/20 and instead of getting another 65 I opted with the 125 and will put that on my 55g and the old 65 on my 20/20. All and all you plan sounds good I would just go with 2 MH instead of one.

dcombs44 · 12/18/2006, 02:29 PM

Here's my 55. I love the setup so far. I went with dual 250 watt mh.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=912548

00nothing · 12/18/2006, 06:58 PM

my reasoning behind the equipment i have chosen is pretty simple, I already have it all lol

eventually I would like to upgrade to a larger skimmer and maybe even a prebuilt hood with dual halides

teh single halide is really my only concern but my thought is that the PC's will assist in the light fall off at the sides these will mostly be occupied by softies and lps and the middle will be dedicated to sps

I have come up with a possible aquascaping design that seem like it might suit me as well allowing me the most options as I wanted both a rock wall and open sandbed (kinda hard to do in a 55

here is a very crude drawing of what i have in mind the thick lines up top represent the overflow and returns while the thicker lines in the middle of the tank represent a pvc frame that will rest on the piles on either side of the tank I will use t's to create ladder type bars to give it rigidity Was thinking this may also work as in in tank closed loop by hiding a pump behind one of the rock piles

again sorry about the quality it was a 30 second drawing to get my idea down before i forgot it

dcombs have been watching ure thread and gorgeous setup it is very inspiring i cannot wait ti get my tank up and running

Dr.FuManchu · 12/19/2006, 12:21 PM

If I were you I wouldnt remove the center brace, its there for a reason. Some people have replaced it with clear acrylic by drilling holes in the frame and acrylic and using nylon screws and glue to affix it. Your best bet is to leave it be and get a nice 2x MH setup.

00nothing · 12/19/2006, 12:59 PM

If cutting the center brace isnt going to be an option then it looks like i will have to remove the entire framing and jsut eurobrace the tank went thru all my stuff this morning doing a bit of a inventory on parts I own and the single halide pc combo is the only setup i can afford to do in the forseeable future

ratherbediving · 12/19/2006, 02:27 PM

I wouldn't remove the center brace either. I know finances can be tight, but if you make a mistake with this... I can't imagine having a 55 gallon tank burst and dump SW everywhere. I think the potential cleanup cost should deter you from taking any chance with this.

Do you have a fixture or is the 175 watt halide separate? If so, you could possibly sell your 4x55 PC setup, and get another 175 halide for not TOO much more money.

175 watt halides should provide enough light for just about anything you want to keep IMO. You might not get quite the growth others get with a 250 with certain SPS, or have Crocea clams sitting on the sandbed.... but you also won't have quite as high an electrical bill, and heat issues won't be quite as bad in the summer...

00nothing · 12/19/2006, 06:58 PM

I could have sworn i read somewhere that eurobracing is stronger anyways so wouldnt this be an upgrade

even removing the plastic trim and jsut doing glass cross braces should be an upgrade over the thin plastic bracing

ratherbediving · 12/22/2006, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 00nothing
I could have sworn i read somewhere that eurobracing is stronger anyways so wouldnt this be an upgrade

even removing the plastic trim and jsut doing glass cross braces should be an upgrade over the thin plastic bracing

If you are comparing new tanks-- sure, go with the tank that has the eurobracing. I would just be very careful about altering an existing tank. It sounds risky.

Travis L. Stevens · 12/22/2006, 11:09 AM

If you're on a budget, read through these threads. I think you can do more than you realize with just a little bit of money.

Reefing on a Budget: 75g Tank Build
55 Reef on a Budget

00nothing · 12/22/2006, 11:16 AM

thanks travis great threads for a buget minded reefer

I ahve been rethinking the ligting issue and might jsut go with 6 pc's and buy some reflectors from ahsupply until i can afford a set of halides

Travis L. Stevens · 12/22/2006, 11:17 AM

Honestly, for the same price or cheaper, you can get T5s and do just as good as the MH for the same price of the PCs.

00nothing · 12/22/2006, 11:27 AM

the pc's are free

have owned t5's for the past yr catalina ones not all that impressed with them and cant really afford to go out and buy teks' so I am ripping apart my t5' fixtures for the wh5 ballasts to add extra pc's whihc i already ahve all the parts to do

Travis L. Stevens · 12/22/2006, 11:35 AM

I've never heard of Catalina brand T5s. Do they come with individual reflectors?

00nothing · 12/22/2006, 12:50 PM

they are a budget t5 but yes they come with individual reflectors jsut not high grade ones even though they light they put off is very intense I have jsut never seen the coral growth or expansion that I was able to get out of other light setups including my ODNO

12/18/2006, 12:37 PM	#1
00nothing Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: angus, Ontario, Canada Posts: 740	advice/opinions wanted 55 gallon setup setting up a 55 gallon on the cheap and looking for advice and opinions First the tank will be lit using 1x175w halide and 4x55w pc in order to achieve this my thought is to cut out the center brace of the 55 and make custom acrylic braces spaced 16 inches apart allowing me to place the 175 dead middle of the tank so that the lighting is even and using the pc's to fill in the ends (Does anyone have a link to the brace removal how to) an hob overflow using j-tubes will feed into a 20 gallon sump (if anyone has any good plans for a standard 20 gallon sump that would be awesome) I am not sure how the exact sump will lay out but i would like to incorporate a refugium there will be a css65 handling the skimming and am thinking of perhaps either a quiet one 6000 ran submerged or a mak-4 externally obviously thsi would then feed into a scwd that would lead to drilled 3/4 inch returns placed at either corner of the tank so does anyone see any potential issues i may have ?

12/18/2006, 01:42 PM	#2
cristhiam Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Groveland, FL Posts: 3,099	I would go with a bigger skimmer if you have space CSS125 or the 220. Also look at the octopus skimmers. I have the 125 and I'm pretty happy with it. Can you go with 2 MH? __________________ 2 yellows tail damsels, yellow watchman goby, tail spot blennie, purple pseudocromis, starry blennie, 2 clowns, 1 black clown, mandarine & Yellow tang Current Tank Info: 125 AGA, 3 40W 6500K, 3 110W URI Actinics, running on 2 IceCaps 660, CSS125

12/18/2006, 01:49 PM	#3
AquaReeferMan Got Reef? Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Under the Sea, Pa Posts: 4,593	Yeah I suggest using 2 MH also. The one in the center will limit you with corals and will leave darker spots on the sides. MH only have around a 2 foot span. I have a CSS65 on my 55 right now. It works great. I empty a nice and dark collection cup every 5-7 days. I am upgrading to the CSS125 after Christmas. I needed one for my 20/20 and instead of getting another 65 I opted with the 125 and will put that on my 55g and the old 65 on my 20/20. All and all you plan sounds good I would just go with 2 MH instead of one. __________________ Couple SPS/Zoanthid tanks and a couple of FW planted tanks. Current Tank Info: 5 pieces of glass with some silicone and plastic frames holding them together

12/18/2006, 02:29 PM	#4
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Here's my 55. I love the setup so far. I went with dual 250 watt mh. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=912548 __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

12/22/2006, 11:09 AM	#11
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	If you're on a budget, read through these threads. I think you can do more than you realize with just a little bit of money. Reefing on a Budget: 75g Tank Build 55 Reef on a Budget __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

12/18/2006, 06:58 PM	#5
00nothing Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: angus, Ontario, Canada Posts: 740	my reasoning behind the equipment i have chosen is pretty simple, I already have it all lol eventually I would like to upgrade to a larger skimmer and maybe even a prebuilt hood with dual halides teh single halide is really my only concern but my thought is that the PC's will assist in the light fall off at the sides these will mostly be occupied by softies and lps and the middle will be dedicated to sps I have come up with a possible aquascaping design that seem like it might suit me as well allowing me the most options as I wanted both a rock wall and open sandbed (kinda hard to do in a 55 here is a very crude drawing of what i have in mind the thick lines up top represent the overflow and returns while the thicker lines in the middle of the tank represent a pvc frame that will rest on the piles on either side of the tank I will use t's to create ladder type bars to give it rigidity Was thinking this may also work as in in tank closed loop by hiding a pump behind one of the rock piles again sorry about the quality it was a 30 second drawing to get my idea down before i forgot it dcombs have been watching ure thread and gorgeous setup it is very inspiring i cannot wait ti get my tank up and running

12/19/2006, 12:21 PM	#6
Dr.FuManchu Moved On Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 257	If I were you I wouldnt remove the center brace, its there for a reason. Some people have replaced it with clear acrylic by drilling holes in the frame and acrylic and using nylon screws and glue to affix it. Your best bet is to leave it be and get a nice 2x MH setup.

12/19/2006, 12:59 PM	#7
00nothing Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: angus, Ontario, Canada Posts: 740	If cutting the center brace isnt going to be an option then it looks like i will have to remove the entire framing and jsut eurobrace the tank went thru all my stuff this morning doing a bit of a inventory on parts I own and the single halide pc combo is the only setup i can afford to do in the forseeable future

12/19/2006, 02:27 PM	#8
ratherbediving Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: San Diego Posts: 558	I wouldn't remove the center brace either. I know finances can be tight, but if you make a mistake with this... I can't imagine having a 55 gallon tank burst and dump SW everywhere. I think the potential cleanup cost should deter you from taking any chance with this. Do you have a fixture or is the 175 watt halide separate? If so, you could possibly sell your 4x55 PC setup, and get another 175 halide for not TOO much more money. 175 watt halides should provide enough light for just about anything you want to keep IMO. You might not get quite the growth others get with a 250 with certain SPS, or have Crocea clams sitting on the sandbed.... but you also won't have quite as high an electrical bill, and heat issues won't be quite as bad in the summer...

12/19/2006, 06:58 PM	#9
00nothing Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: angus, Ontario, Canada Posts: 740	I could have sworn i read somewhere that eurobracing is stronger anyways so wouldnt this be an upgrade even removing the plastic trim and jsut doing glass cross braces should be an upgrade over the thin plastic bracing

12/22/2006, 11:16 AM	#12
00nothing Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: angus, Ontario, Canada Posts: 740	thanks travis great threads for a buget minded reefer I ahve been rethinking the ligting issue and might jsut go with 6 pc's and buy some reflectors from ahsupply until i can afford a set of halides

12/22/2006, 11:17 AM	#13
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	Honestly, for the same price or cheaper, you can get T5s and do just as good as the MH for the same price of the PCs. __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

12/22/2006, 11:27 AM	#14
00nothing Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: angus, Ontario, Canada Posts: 740	the pc's are free have owned t5's for the past yr catalina ones not all that impressed with them and cant really afford to go out and buy teks' so I am ripping apart my t5' fixtures for the wh5 ballasts to add extra pc's whihc i already ahve all the parts to do

12/22/2006, 11:35 AM	#15
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	I've never heard of Catalina brand T5s. Do they come with individual reflectors? __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

12/22/2006, 12:50 PM	#16
00nothing Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: angus, Ontario, Canada Posts: 740	they are a budget t5 but yes they come with individual reflectors jsut not high grade ones even though they light they put off is very intense I have jsut never seen the coral growth or expansion that I was able to get out of other light setups including my ODNO