Hey all,
Welcome to my journey down the deep, dark blue-hole that is reefing. Be forewarned, this is a loooong post. So please take a moment at this time to pray for me and my relationship with my S/O before continuing with this post. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers.
Currently in talks with 2 different manufacturers to spec out my dream system:
Tank: 108x36x30, ~500 Gallons serving as a room-divider.
It will be placed in the living room, parallel to the sectional couch as shown in the absolute perfectionist masterpiece below (the red velvet chair and ottoman on the left will be for sale btw if anyone is interested
):
I have many ideas and sooooooooo many questions ;Happy. I am not *brand-brand* new to saltwater aquariums. My prev tank was a 90G FOWLR that morphed that into a Kenya Tree-Dominant tank in a span of 4 years haha. Managed to keep most of my fish alive, fat and happy and was pretty much engaged to the Kenya before having to sell everything to make the move out West. That was approx 5 years ago, and have decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it by jumping right into the deep end with a dream-size, SPS-dominant showpiece.
That being said, I have absolutely no delusions about my own skill-set, and fully expect to needs lots (and lots and LOTS) of help and advice from fellow junkies.
First, let's talk about the basics:
Okay, I think that's a good starting point. What do y'all think? Am I absolutely bonkers-insane? Does wanting MH in 2019 make me an old out-of-touch fuddy-duddy neanderthal (I'm 37 for the record)? Will the up-front price savings on an MH/T5 combo fixture be completely negated by having to install more solar panels on the roof to compensate for the extra power (the answer at $1,000 per panel, is yes) and on-going bulb replacements? Is it dumb to talk about saving money when it comes to a project of this scope?
~J
PS- Anyone know of an architect/engineer that can brace and reinforce floor beams in the San Diego area please let me know... this beast will be HEAVY and if it falls through the floor in 5 years I will be single and homeless on the street. Or perhaps murdered and buried in cement in the backyard, the likely outcome of that scenario is not clear...
Welcome to my journey down the deep, dark blue-hole that is reefing. Be forewarned, this is a loooong post. So please take a moment at this time to pray for me and my relationship with my S/O before continuing with this post. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers.
Currently in talks with 2 different manufacturers to spec out my dream system:
Tank: 108x36x30, ~500 Gallons serving as a room-divider.
It will be placed in the living room, parallel to the sectional couch as shown in the absolute perfectionist masterpiece below (the red velvet chair and ottoman on the left will be for sale btw if anyone is interested
):I have many ideas and sooooooooo many questions ;Happy. I am not *brand-brand* new to saltwater aquariums. My prev tank was a 90G FOWLR that morphed that into a Kenya Tree-Dominant tank in a span of 4 years haha. Managed to keep most of my fish alive, fat and happy and was pretty much engaged to the Kenya before having to sell everything to make the move out West. That was approx 5 years ago, and have decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it by jumping right into the deep end with a dream-size, SPS-dominant showpiece.
That being said, I have absolutely no delusions about my own skill-set, and fully expect to needs lots (and lots and LOTS) of help and advice from fellow junkies.
First, let's talk about the basics:
- Tank Type: SPS-Dominant. However, I have some concerns about the amount of SPS I will actually be able to grow and keep healthy. More explanation about that below under "Lighting".
- Water Quality Mgmt: After reading everything I could get my eyeballs on on YouTube, this forum, and other online sources, I have decided on using the Triton Method with (GASP) NSW. Now, before the haters burn me at the stake, hear me out. I live in a SoCal bungalow where making space for a dedicated fish room is just not realistic and wasting water through using RO/DI would be severely frowned upon. Also, Scripps NSW is still freely available last time I checked a couple months ago (someone please let me know if this changes because that would throw a serious kink in my plans haha). This would necessitate A Triton-style sump (duh) of at least 72 inches in length with overflow dropping directly into Refugium, flowing to skimmer chamber, then reactor/dosing chamber and back up to the DT.
- Water Circulation: I am currently trying to decide between 2 closed loops with EcoTech DC Pumps w/ a couple MP60W Powerheads and a Gyre or two, or All powerheads/Gyres. This will be a 9ft long tank with a goal max turnover of 80x. If I went all powerheads, I feel like I'd have to plaster every glass surface with powerheads and cords and won't be able to see inside! ;Wideyed I would appreciate any in-sight or experience I can get on this point.
- Lighting: Whatever lighting option I choose, it would hang from the ceiling. So, this is where I'm really struggling. On one hand, I would LOVE to go with LEDs for the power- and heat-saving benefits alone. However, to grow SPS, I feel that the amount of LEDs I would need to purchase would be excessive. Also, my favorite LEDs are the Kessil A360X. That being said, if what I've read is true, I would need at least 10-12+ of these puppies ($$$$$$) to light my tank adequately for SPS and even with that amount, would prolly only be able to place SPS/Clams at the very top of the tank without any additional T5 fixtures to boost the PAR and combat shadowing. Before anyone brings it up as an alternative, I absolutely despise the disco-effect of EcoTech Radions, despite their higher PAR output and light penetration. Also, in order to get rid of the disco effect, it's my understanding you'd have to add T5 (which negates some of the power savings) or purchase a diffuser (which then negates the PAR and light penetration benefit that Radions seem to have over the Kessil A360X). All in all, for the price they charge, no thanks. The alternative that I'm seriously considering, is two old-school 48" Hamilton Cebu Sun T5/400W MH fixtures at half the initial cost. The obv trade-offs are increased power consumption (almost DOUBLE) and would need to mount them high off the water and putting fans in to minimize heating the water too much (the idea of having to install a chiller makes me nauseous ;Yuck). Luckily I live near the coast and on a hill so it remains cool and breezy, only turn the AC on 2-3 weeks/year, and the vent is conveniently located directly across from where the tank will be. T5 only looks a little flat to me, and really like the shimmer with MH and Kessil pendants. Bottom line: I see that corals and clams are grown fine under both, but I feel like tried-and-true, old school might win the day on this one for me. Talk me out of it ;Playful
Okay, I think that's a good starting point. What do y'all think? Am I absolutely bonkers-insane? Does wanting MH in 2019 make me an old out-of-touch fuddy-duddy neanderthal (I'm 37 for the record)? Will the up-front price savings on an MH/T5 combo fixture be completely negated by having to install more solar panels on the roof to compensate for the extra power (the answer at $1,000 per panel, is yes) and on-going bulb replacements? Is it dumb to talk about saving money when it comes to a project of this scope?
~J
PS- Anyone know of an architect/engineer that can brace and reinforce floor beams in the San Diego area please let me know... this beast will be HEAVY and if it falls through the floor in 5 years I will be single and homeless on the street. Or perhaps murdered and buried in cement in the backyard, the likely outcome of that scenario is not clear...
