500 gallon tank set up

[OrlandoAIOReef]

It will be hard to recommend a proper return pump without knowing the intended drain size + return size + overflow size although for my similarly sized system I went with 2 red dragon 230w flow models.
Frankly jebaos are likely fine if you want an inexpensive dc option or fluval sp for internal ac option

I've seen a large number of big tanks with tiny overflows and 3/4-1" bulkhead holes before which imo is far from ideal for any marine/reef setting. If this tank is being designed new at the very least I would suggest taking the time to plan out 2 return holes for the easier option of running 2 pumps (for redundancy) + utilizing 3 drain holes for at least 1.5" bulkheads (depending on intended return gph and overflow capacity)

For heating I would recommend multiple eheim jagers controlled by a ranco or aqualogic controller. It's a bullet proof combo bar the size of eheims heaters (a potential issue with your 48x20 sump foot print)

Skimmer wise I would simply recommend any that utilize a dc feed pump since you may change your filtration methods over time (socks to floss/roller fleece etc) which makes for a more consistently performing skimmer ime.

Lastly if your tank is going to be built entirely new I would also very strongly reccomend going with thicker acrylic to reduce any bowing (especially at 36" of height). The more the tank bows the easier it will be to scratch and a significant bow is very noticable and unsightly. The last thing I would want for you is to regret your purchase of a large tank.

So taller tanks are more likely to bow than shorter ones? Was looking at 8ftx3ft deep and maybe 2-2&/12 ft tall (don’t like square look)

 

[OrlandoAIOReef]

advantage

I had this 72x24x14 sump built by Tsunami which also built my 360 gallon tank for 1500. May be worth checking out. Whatever you do I agree with others definitely go bigger than the 48x20 you were thinking about for a 500 gallon tank.

 

[OrlandoAIOReef]

I have 0 knowledge nor experience utilizing ai blades so I can't really comment on what might be the best way to run them as far as mixing and matching along with potential light spill. Since the light is technically longer than the tank is wide, it's safe to assume that there will be some spill regardless of how close/far its mounted (?) or hung from the tank that way unless you angle them slightly assuming that's worth doing.

If I had to make an edjamacated (intentional spelling) guess based on reefbrite bars which seem similar(?) I would opt to personally skip them since they seem to be more of an expensive supplementary light (in my uneducated opinion) rather than a primary light and just go for something like noopsyches if youre on a budget (they are cheaper than the ai blades youre picking) or see if a local shop is willing to work out some deal for however many xr15/30/360x/ap9x you might plan on buying. They are typically map pricing but I've had stores cut me a bit of a deal due to the sheer amount I was buying. Of course there are definitely other lights besides the kessils and radions that work really well but those are just the two led lights I used the most (only utilize noops on one of my tanks just to try it out but others have shown great success with them as far as budget lights are concerned)

One ultra important thing to consider (I may have simply glanced over this if it was mentioned) is what type of coral you plan on keeping to begin with. If it isn't really going to be sps or the random gigantea/haddoni/mag then you can generally add on more lights fairly easily (most of the time) at a later date as it becomes necessary/funds allow.

I went and tried the noopsyc on one of my tanks because I seen someone on YouTube show they changed their whole store to those lights & I was sold cos of that lol hopefully it’s not cos he couldn’t afford the proper lights

 

[C_AWOL]

It’ll be mostly if not strictly an lps tank

Frankly if it's going to mostly be an lps tank then you should be fine with 5-6 of them. 5 if you dont mind the edges being less lit (less algae on the side panels ). Would be easier to get a deal for 6 from an lfs most likely since they might get a lot price deal for that number

 

[Troylee]

So taller tanks are more likely to bow than shorter ones? Was looking at 8ftx3ft deep and maybe 2-2&/12 ft tall (don’t like square look)

Correct.. height determines wall thickness etc.

 

[C_AWOL]

I went and tried the noopsyc on one of my tanks because I seen someone on YouTube show they changed their whole store to those lights & I was sold cos of that lol hopefully it’s not cos he couldn’t afford the proper lights

I posted this in another thread for someone who was asking for a more affordable nem tank light or something to that effect iirc. This tank uses a single v3 (non wifi) with all the channels varying between 5-30% or so.

From trying a lot of different lights, I can confidently say that many of them fortunately work just you might need to play with the quantity to get the results you need. Main downside to that is the millions of transformers you will have to deal with and potentially less than desirable color blends in some lightings case (my gen 4 radions, noop, and reef breeders have an extremely noticeable disco effect for example)

 

[C_AWOL]

So taller tanks are more likely to bow than shorter ones? Was looking at 8ftx3ft deep and maybe 2-2&/12 ft tall (don’t like square look)

Primarily the height will affect bowing but width can to a lesser degree as well.

I personally went with 1" material on my 96x36x30 because I wanted 0 bowing. 3/4" for that height should be fine realistically though based on professional input from https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/crystal-clear-what-is-your-opinion-of-acrylic-reef-tanks.969783/

Edit: I would recommend visiting some stores/other peoples tanks that are of 30"+ height if able and play with their tanks first though. My arms are long fortunately so it's not as bad but my armpits still always get wet if I ever have to reach in towards the bottom . Something to definitely consider if you have no experience with a taller tank.

 

[TTTony]

Any updates with your tank?

I don’t know if you were asking about my 540 gallon tank or the person who started the thread on the same page?

 

[TTTony]

Just an update on my 540 gallon tank everything is doing well! I’m not sure everyone is posting pictures of Sumps talking about tank thickness on other tanks here

 

[TTTony]

Almost full