Setting up my first reef tank with my dad's old tank - equipment suggestions?

[fuxxy]

Hello everyone! First of all, this may not be the correct location, so please feel free to move my post
Short Story: I'm looking for advice/guidance on setting up a 90Gal reef tank, with a 30 gallon sump/refuge
Long Story:
I've recently aquired my dad's 90Gal salt water tank after his house fire. The tank was on the complete opposite side of the house from the fire, however there was a LOT of fire smell in the wood, and some soot floating on the top of the water. I skimmed the soot off the water, removed the LiveRock (the only thing still left in the tank - the fish were given away), took the tank home and gave it a pretty severe vinegar scrubbing.
Dad has always had lots of problems with his tank, which attribute to mostly his 'from-the-hip' additions and chemical usage, in addition to overfeeding.
His setup was:
90 Gal glass tank
2-bulb T5HO with one 10000K, and 1 actinic
Magnum 350 canister filter (activated carbon and blue sock)
Eco-aqualizer (no idea what this does, but I've read it's crap)
50 lbs Live Rock
I took everyting he had, and currently the tank is half full of new salt water, with no filtration, only a 950GPH powerhead for circulation. The only inhabitant is about 50 lbs of liverock, and broken coral substrate. No critters.
Now on to the juicy stuff -
I'm pretty much starting from scratch, I intend to use a spare 30Gal as a sump/fuge, but I have *nothing*!
0.5. I'm almost certain I need more liverock - I'm told 1 pound for every gallon of display.
1. Purchase a 1500GPH overflow, and drill the side of the 90 Gal. 1500GPH too big, or just right?
2. Purchase a Skimmer. I've got in mind the Euro reef rs135 - friend has used for $75 - I assume it will sit inside the sump - not sure.
3. Purchase a return pump. No idea what flow/brand - is the Eheim 1262 a good fit?
4. have baffles cut and build the sump. LOTS of info on this!
5. This is where I"m becoming confused - purchase a clownfish first and then add cleanup crew? or the other way around?

[BAGGERZ13]

Your going to have to cycle the tank all over again I wouldn't worry about your livestock or CUC just yet. Your going to want at least 40 more pounds of LR. I'm not sure about your other equiptment but you will want at least two or maybe 4 powerheads to get some good flow in the tank. Especially if you plan on doing SPS corals

[fuxxy]

I agree with you - I'm in no hurry to buy any livestock. I'm mainly interested in getting all the proper hardware first, and to make sure it's all matched correctly.

My dad did have a 950GPH powerhead, I'm reading that it may be better to retire that to the salt mixer of my RO/DI and buy 3 or more smaller powerheads?

[FlyFishGuy]

Well fuxxy, you have lots of options. I too run a 90 gallon w/ 30 gallon sump/fuge and currently have dozens of SPS, LPS and softies in the tank (plus clam and numerous other motile invertebrates) - oh yeah...and 10 fish.

Live Rock: Weight is less important than 'coverage' and density in my opinion. In other words depending on the type of rock you use, you may get ample, porous coverage with 60 lbs., particularly if you start with dry/dead rock (which weighs substantially less than wet live rock). Get the look you want and have at least .5 lbs per gallon. You can always add more later - tough to take away if you feel you've got too much 'bulk'.

Return: the 1262 is a solid pump, albeit a bit pricey. At 900 gph its sufficient to provide flow to your DT and runs quiet according to reviews. I use the Danner mag-drive 9.5 and find it quiet and reliable (and about $80 less expensive). Use flexi-hose to connect to your return plumbing to aid in vibration resistance and a silicone 'foot' to the pump. Pretty silent with any return. Not an endorsement, I just use the danner and it works fine.

Skimmer: A one-year old Euro-reef rs135 for $75 is a steal, assuming it's in good working order. It will be fine and snatch that baby before it goes. It will take over a third of your sump footprint - but it's space well used.

Lighting: Depending on what you want to keep in the tank, two T-5's probably won't cut it in term of intensity. You'll need to add at least two more, with 4 more being preferable.

Overflow: a single 1" drain should serve you fine with your return pump capacity. You can put two in, but you may experience 'slurp' as your return cannot supply enough volume to create a siphon with that much return capacity. You can always dial back the return pump, but I don't recommend dialing back the overflow. There are many drain options available and their design can be found here on RC)

Sump design: The possibilities are endless. Google "reef sump" and look at lots of designs and plumbing options. It's easy to make a mistake here that will leave you with wet floors or under-capacity. The key, in my mind, is excess capacity in the event of a power outage or system malfunction. A bit of trial and error, along with a steam cleaning or two will set you on the right path! :-)

Livestock: Either way with the clownfish/CUC chronology. One clownfish in a 110G total water volume system will not cause any problems. This portion of the setup is the least of your challenges IMO.

Set the system up right from the start and you'll have years of enjoyment. Set it up poorly and you'll have years of frustration.

Have fun with it!

[FlyFishGuy]

double post

[FlyFishGuy]

PS - Powerheads: I run two 1450gph powerheads on a wave maker now (along with the 950 gph return and a 500 gph skimmer) and they're fine. In fact, I'll add more flow as the coral continue to grow. The wavemaker does limit the total flow at any one time to probably about 2000gph (roughly 20x tank volume). Depending on the types of coral you wish to keep and their placement, I wouldn't recommend much less. Keep the 950 in action...and add another!

[ebacon]

Is the main concern here your budget? Or just not wanting to repeat effort and do things over? In either case fly fish guy gave you some good advice.

A couple thoughts, why is your buddy selling the euro reef so cheap? Is he dissatisfied with performance? I had an original euro reef when they were the end all be all in skimmers about 10 years ago. I liked it, but as my system grew I decided it was underpowered so I found a good deal on a super reef octo... All I can say is wow, what a difference.

Which leads me to my next point, plan for expansion. The great thing about this hobby is that it's not just fish, it's biology, chemistry, physics, architecture, electricity, plumbing, interior design and decorating, lighting, the end roads go on and on, you should never get board, assuming your budget holds out...

Lastly, is equip, there are lots of cool tech advances now, 2 of my fav's are the ecotech wireless power heads only the impeller is in the tank and the magnet and motor are on the outside, leaving the heat outside as well as any unsightly wires, another is led lighting. I am a fan of AI sols or even the new module ey have wich is also wireless but a bit more pricey. Both these items can then be controled bu a Neptune systems apex which is pretty darn cool and convienent for not only setting lit and pump timers, but providing an early warni system in the case of flood, temperature, ph, or some other tank disaster.

One thing I learned in this hobby is if you try and shoot from the hip and cut corners eventually you will wind up doing things right with the money and time wasted the first time. Those that don't are doomed to failure. ( I'm not suggesting you need to spend boatloads of money to have a successful reef) but as you put it proper research and planning can save you lots of headaches. So plan to put your reef in a place that allows for expansion of both tank size and electrical and plumbing requirements.
I started out with my display in the den and my sump in the basement offering an uncluttered view with unlimited expansion. The bigger your sump size the better as the solution to pollution is dilution . In other words, the more water you have the harder it is to crash the system. I still have a 150 gallon display but the total capacity of the system now exceeds 600 gallons for breeding areas, coral propagation, isolation systems(not to be confused with the qt) and a few other areas including a couple 55gallon plastic barrels for added water capacity. Is this excessive? Sure, but it's my hobby and as I tell the wife, Reefin' ain't cheatin'

[ebacon]

Dbl post

[ebacon]

I almost forgot, your first purchase out of the gate needs to be a ro/di unit. Some are more pricey than others, but be sure you have(some include) a tds meter that reads 000 output when your making water. I've heard a ton of excuses as to why you don't need one. i 100% disagree. This is a MUST HAVE PIECE OF EQUIP. TAP WATER WON'T WORK!! but its a relatively inexpensive investment and the most important one IMO.