Beginner 100g Build

[Mike P]

Hey everyone! Me and the wife have decided to take the plunge and start a new first saltwater aquarium. After months of reading and reading and talking to people, and reading some more, we're ready to start.

We got a great deal on the 100g tank not "marine ready" however I don't mind a few tubes hanging off the side. We want to take everything slow, and make sure everything is right, starting it as a FOWLR at first and getting into reef months down the road. We also want to cure our own live rock first to save a little bit of money. Having it be reef down the road I'd like to keep it reef only fish at first etc.

So far we have this for a fish list:
2 Clown Fish (Percula or Ocellaris)
Pacific Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Green Mandarin Goby
2 Domino Damsels
3-5 Blue Damsels
Yellow Watchman Goby

I know both tangs might be aggressive with each other, however it being a decent size tank I'm willing to go for it if I get them in at the same time while they are young.


Equipment: This is where I'm having trouble right now. However I have this idea in my head that I figure out how big of a sump I can fit into the bottom of the stand and then once I figure out how big I can get the sump, buy the overflow, pump, skimmer, etc.

Sump, Pump, and Overflow (Would rather not build my own)
Skimmer (not sure, suggestions?)
Powerheads (not sure, suggestions?)
Lighting (some kind of T-5 fixture)
Fluval E Series Heater 300W
Still looking for a good RO filter as well


Substrate:
125-150lbs of dry rock (plus 20 lbs or so of live rock to start curing)
Sand (I want to keep it sand on top. Would it be wise or dumb to put a layer of crushed coral underneath the layer of sand. If not, what about a mixture of the two? Or should I just make it all sand?) If I do make it all sand I'm figuring 200ish lbs for a 4"+ deep bottom? I think thats right on a 72" 100g.

This is what I have so far (among other small things). Thanks in advance for any suggestions on anything as we are just beginning.

[muttley000]

Welcome to reef central! Read up on drilling the tank, you won't be sorry! You don't have to have anything special for a sump. It can be a plain tank if you want, it's nothing to silicone baffles if you need to. I personally would avoid the blue tang, in my opinion your system is too small for both tangs, and I would wait a year on the mandarin unless you set up a fuge, and are getting a known (by seeing it repeatedly in person) pellet feeding specimen.

[Mike P]

Thanks for the welcome and the tips Muttley. I really can't drill the aquarium as it's tempered glass.

I REALLY wanted a reef ready aquarium, however I'm saving a ton of money on this one. Does it really make a huge difference if the tank is drilled?

[rolikesfish]

Skimmer, a really good yet affordable one is the Eshopps, http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...3&pcatid=20033
Powerheads, some of the best are the Hydor Koralia, http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...1&pcatid=21971
These are the choices I am going with for my aquarium, and I am just getting the best equipment I could possibly afford.

[rocride]

even the side/back panels are tempered?

+1 for drilling your tank

[crvz]

a drilled tank (or reef ready) is certainly going to make life easier. If you are determined to proceed with this solution, invest in a quality overflow system. Even then they can be prone to error, but don't skimp out on that part. Regarding the sump... hard to avoid building something yourself, but it can be easy. I'd recommend something like a 40 gallon breeder that you add some baffles to (if not a larger tank, say a 55).

I would also agree with the recommendation to avoid the blue tang. I've had them before, and even in my 150 gallon tank it simply grew too quickly and was way to active. While not an aggressive fish, the way it darted around the tank during feeding or maintenance made other fish skittish, and I got rid of the blue tang. You're better off sticking to a tang from the Ctenochaetus genus, such as a Kole.

[03sonicstang]

Double post...

[03sonicstang]

Another Vote for Drilling the tank. I drilled my 180 and it was very easy. Kind of fun as well. Try this site: http://www.glass-holes.com/

I have a 40 Gallon Breeder under my 180 that I purchased glass baffles for. Just silicone them in and called it good. my sure the silicone is aquarium safe. Try this site for building your sump and designs: http://melevsreef.com/

for Powerheads if you afford them, Vortec's I hear are the best. i could not so I used 3 koralia pumps on a red sea wavemaker. If you go the wavemaker route make sure the pumps are suitable to run intermittently.

As for Pumps, I love my Ehiems!

Skimmer, get the largest one you can afford. I use an Aqua C180EV on a mag 9.5. Once i got skimmer dialed in, it performs awesome!

Check out my build I completed about 10 weeks ago; http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1852620

Have fun and welcome to the addiction! remember be patience and ask a lot of questions
Tom

[03sonicstang]

Oh for RO/DI, http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/

Great systems and easy on the wallet!

[chimmike]

frankly, 100g for two tangs isn't much swimming room at all. I'd skip both.

[Mike P]

Thanks for everyones input. We're learning.

Update:
Found a reef ready predrilled 125g aquarium and stand for only a couple hundred more than the really good deal 100g one. I'm just going to go with that instead. Big upgrade, not that much more money = win for me.

Going to attempt to build this sump. I really like that design for a fuge and a big skimmer. I'll save some money there building that myself.

I guess I'll skip out on the tang. What if I upgraded to that 125gal (72x18) and kept the yellow tang out? Would that make a difference at all in keeping the blue or visa versa?

[crvz]

I would elect for the yellow tang over the blue based on my experience with those fish.

[chimmike]

meh, I'm kinda biased towards non-drilled tanks now, so that you can drill your own and run something like the bean animal overflow system (super silent)