Ive been lurking on the "large tank" section for probably 15 years and im finally able to take the plunge. Im pretty freakin excite and slightly nervous. Ive been in the reef game for years so the aspect isnt new to me. The largest tank ive ever had until now is a 150. I currently have a 75 that will get taken down and eventually transferred into the new 360.
The tank will be SPS dominated with a few zoas, ricordia, acans ect spread out. I plan on doing minimum rock with plenty of room for tons of fish to roam. The idea as of now is to do 3 islands but that can change.
The new tank is roughly 10x2x2 from what I can remember. Unfortunately where it has to go it wont be able to go in wall like originally planned but im sorta ok with it as it will have 2 view-able sides instead of 1. I am however building a 8x10 "sump room" so I will have access to about 6 ft of the back side of the tank and of course access to the full front via doors in the large canopy. I will also have full access to the pluming under the tank as the stand is pretty open.
The sump for now is a about 50 gallons and is custom built with a bulkhead on one end for the external pump with a bubble trap before as well as a open area for the skimmer and calcium reactor.
Im not sure of the skimmer brand yet as I havnt gotten it from him but it was on the reef previously and seemed to work well. Its a decent size. The return pump is a Blueline 70. I plan on doing a perimeter return setup with Loc Line returns. Maybe have 3 along the back, 1 on each end and 2 on the front possibly. Still undecided. Im also going to have a good size refugium plumbed in above the sump. Ive always had refugiums on my systems and always will.
As far as lights I plan on going with the SB "ebay type" 165 watt LED timer lights. I have had 2 over my 75 for about 3 months now and so far I LOVE them. I know there is some hate over them but everything Ive seen from them so far is awesome. Im going to need 6 of them.
Im not sure which route to go with powerheads yet. Im going to see how much flow the perimeter return setup gives me a go from there. I atleast plan on having two larger ones on each end and maybe 2-3 smaller ones behind the rock formations to keep detritus from building up. Flow is certainly a concern with how long the tank is and making sure the acros will be healthy once they get much larger.
The room is being started on this weekend and should be completed the first weekend on the year. At that time im going to move my 75 into the sump room to the back wall so I can keep it running for 2-3 months while the new tank cycles and gets good and settled before I put my corals in it. We plan on moving the new tank to the house the second weekend of the year. I will keep you all posted on the move and build. Here is a pic of the tank in its old home.
Any advice is always welcomed!
Heres a crappy pic of the current 75
Heres the pic that gave me the idea for the perimeter return
The tank will be SPS dominated with a few zoas, ricordia, acans ect spread out. I plan on doing minimum rock with plenty of room for tons of fish to roam. The idea as of now is to do 3 islands but that can change.
The new tank is roughly 10x2x2 from what I can remember. Unfortunately where it has to go it wont be able to go in wall like originally planned but im sorta ok with it as it will have 2 view-able sides instead of 1. I am however building a 8x10 "sump room" so I will have access to about 6 ft of the back side of the tank and of course access to the full front via doors in the large canopy. I will also have full access to the pluming under the tank as the stand is pretty open.
The sump for now is a about 50 gallons and is custom built with a bulkhead on one end for the external pump with a bubble trap before as well as a open area for the skimmer and calcium reactor.
Im not sure of the skimmer brand yet as I havnt gotten it from him but it was on the reef previously and seemed to work well. Its a decent size. The return pump is a Blueline 70. I plan on doing a perimeter return setup with Loc Line returns. Maybe have 3 along the back, 1 on each end and 2 on the front possibly. Still undecided. Im also going to have a good size refugium plumbed in above the sump. Ive always had refugiums on my systems and always will.
As far as lights I plan on going with the SB "ebay type" 165 watt LED timer lights. I have had 2 over my 75 for about 3 months now and so far I LOVE them. I know there is some hate over them but everything Ive seen from them so far is awesome. Im going to need 6 of them.
Im not sure which route to go with powerheads yet. Im going to see how much flow the perimeter return setup gives me a go from there. I atleast plan on having two larger ones on each end and maybe 2-3 smaller ones behind the rock formations to keep detritus from building up. Flow is certainly a concern with how long the tank is and making sure the acros will be healthy once they get much larger.
The room is being started on this weekend and should be completed the first weekend on the year. At that time im going to move my 75 into the sump room to the back wall so I can keep it running for 2-3 months while the new tank cycles and gets good and settled before I put my corals in it. We plan on moving the new tank to the house the second weekend of the year. I will keep you all posted on the move and build. Here is a pic of the tank in its old home.
Any advice is always welcomed!
Heres a crappy pic of the current 75
Heres the pic that gave me the idea for the perimeter return
