msderganc
Active Member
Ok, so this is really early as I'm at least six months out from even getting the tank (I am in the queue!), but I figured I could get some advice at least.
This will be my fourth reef tank, the last one being a 190g SPS tank that crashed a little more than a year ago after a power surge caused one of my dosers to over dose my frag tank. I moved a lot of the SPS to my display to try to save them, but it didn't help. The deaths of the corals spiked the nutrients and I lost all of the colonies in my display as well.
I had moderate success with the SPS up until that point, but I think I was held back by impatience. I changed equipment too much (lighting, flow, filtration, everything), and I chased numbers in the name of stability, even though the corals were doing fine.
I'm learning from that on this build and focusing on simplicity with the best possible equipment from the start. I'm also going smaller so that the tank is easier to manage. I travel a lot (usually gone four or more days per week), so another design tenet is that I can only do maintenance once per week. Lastly, when I am home, I work from home, so I want it to be as close to silent as possible.
Here's the current equipment list:
It will be 100% SPS, and only 4-5 fish. I'm currently looking at a Melanurus wrasse and Tanaka's Pygmy wrasse currently, but I'm not positive. Goal parameters are 8-9 dKh, 400-440 ppm calcium, and 1320 ppm magnesium. I'm not as concerned about nutrients this time around, but I think I want less than .1 phosphates and less than 20 ppm nitrates. I'll be running Purigen passively, and lightly dosing Vodka/Vinegar.
A couple of items I'm on the fence about:
1. LED vs T5+LED - I am thinking about a Giesemann Aurora (I had the ATI PowerModule, but I wasn't impressed with its reliability.) I'm concerned about the noise level of the fans. Any reports? My PowerModule was pretty loud.
2. Return Pump - I've seen some reports of the Vectra being loud. I have been considering a Red Dragon Speedy 80W instead, but the price difference is huge. It's got to be 100% silent for that price.
3. Salt - I always used IO with good results, but I've been considering something like the AquaForest Reef Salt. Opinions?
4. Calcium / Magnesium - any suggestions on a good brand? I used BRS in the past, but I wasn't happy with it. I was hoping for something premixed or in concentrate form.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
This will be my fourth reef tank, the last one being a 190g SPS tank that crashed a little more than a year ago after a power surge caused one of my dosers to over dose my frag tank. I moved a lot of the SPS to my display to try to save them, but it didn't help. The deaths of the corals spiked the nutrients and I lost all of the colonies in my display as well.
I had moderate success with the SPS up until that point, but I think I was held back by impatience. I changed equipment too much (lighting, flow, filtration, everything), and I chased numbers in the name of stability, even though the corals were doing fine.
I'm learning from that on this build and focusing on simplicity with the best possible equipment from the start. I'm also going smaller so that the tank is easier to manage. I travel a lot (usually gone four or more days per week), so another design tenet is that I can only do maintenance once per week. Lastly, when I am home, I work from home, so I want it to be as close to silent as possible.
Here's the current equipment list:
- Reef Savvy Rimless 36x24x20 (LWH) with 18" Ghost Overflow, Armored Seams, blacked out back, and Phantom Bottom
- Synergy CL34 Sump - possibly shortened to fit in the stand
- Custom Mission-style maple stand from Benner's Woodworking - lined with formica, equipment drawer, and fully removable doors on front and sides
- Bubble King Double Cone 150 Skimmer
- 2x Ecotech Radion XR30w Gen4
- 2x Ecotech MP40Wqd
- New Neptune Apex Full
- 3x Neptune DoS (vodka/vinegar, auto water change, ATO, alkalinity, calcium)
- Ecotech Vectra L1 (or possibly the M1)
It will be 100% SPS, and only 4-5 fish. I'm currently looking at a Melanurus wrasse and Tanaka's Pygmy wrasse currently, but I'm not positive. Goal parameters are 8-9 dKh, 400-440 ppm calcium, and 1320 ppm magnesium. I'm not as concerned about nutrients this time around, but I think I want less than .1 phosphates and less than 20 ppm nitrates. I'll be running Purigen passively, and lightly dosing Vodka/Vinegar.
A couple of items I'm on the fence about:
1. LED vs T5+LED - I am thinking about a Giesemann Aurora (I had the ATI PowerModule, but I wasn't impressed with its reliability.) I'm concerned about the noise level of the fans. Any reports? My PowerModule was pretty loud.
2. Return Pump - I've seen some reports of the Vectra being loud. I have been considering a Red Dragon Speedy 80W instead, but the price difference is huge. It's got to be 100% silent for that price.
3. Salt - I always used IO with good results, but I've been considering something like the AquaForest Reef Salt. Opinions?
4. Calcium / Magnesium - any suggestions on a good brand? I used BRS in the past, but I wasn't happy with it. I was hoping for something premixed or in concentrate form.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
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