New Tank Idea. Need Suggestions/Opinions

[Kevin34]

Well I have a 125g reef right now but I am not around much to keep things in tip top shape and doing these huge water changes on a tank of its size are really starting to get annoying and salt prices keep getting higher. I am very busy this summer but finally have some free time in about 3 weeks before school starts back up and I really want to downsize from the 125 reef to just a 55g aquaculture/frag tank. I already have the 55 and realized I am much more interested in just growing and collecting corals than running a whole reef. one thing that I am having trouble planning out is the actual break down of the 125. I want to use all the equipment from the 125 on the 55 so the fish will have to go first. I only have 2 true percs, sixline, and a tiger jawfish. any ideas on how to catch them? I plan on donating them to the new england aquarium to assure a good home. I will use the same sump for the 55 g (MegaFlow model 4) and use it mainly as a fuge. Will I need a skimmer for a frag tank? I will be adding an HOB overflow box and using my mag18 return pump. koralia powerheads and stealth heaters. lights are 2 250w 15K halides. and I was also thinking about getting a calcium reactor for the frag tank to keep CA levels up because I wanna keep a lot of acans and acros. would this be a good idea? So any suggestions on any of this are greatly appreciated. especially tips on breaking down the 125. I was thinking about using 30g of the 125 water and about 20g of new water to fill the 55. plan on selling most of the LR and sand.

 

[UncleJT]

Where are you located? If you are thinking of donating stuff to the New England Aquarium you must be in the Boston area I would guess. Come check out our forums over at the Boston Reefer Society - we are a very large and active club and I'm sure a good home could be found for your fish. I'm in Manchester, NH myself.

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[Kevin34]

ya I am in western mass near springfield. I have looked into boston reefers and have browsed the forums a few times. Do you need to be a member in order to post in the forums?

 

[UncleJT]

Do you need to be a member in order to post in the forums?

Nope, not at all. Just register on the forums like you do here.

 

[Kevin34]

just joined :bigsmile:so do you have any thoughts on this project I have planned?

 

[UncleJT]

Some initial thoughts:

Mag18 will be way too big for a 55G tank.

Yes, you will need a skimmer for a frag tank.

Make sure whichever HOB overflow box you go with, you have an aqua lifter pump on it to maintain siphon and help restart siphon in the event the power goes out.

 

[Kevin34]

ya I have had some mixed reactions about the mag18. I am looking at a 1600gph overflow and will use 2 return lines and have a ball valve on the mag18 incase I need to lower the power. No ones ever told me what will happen if the mag18 is too strong. im guessing the tank will overflow? and what are your thoughts on the calcium reactor?

 

[Kevin34]

bump. any thoughts?

 

[UncleJT]

If the overflow is large enough the mag18 will not overflow the tank. However, dude, that is serious turnover in such a small tank. You don't need that much turn over in your sump. You could put a valve on the pump to throttle it back but that would be a lot of back pressure to put on a cheaply made pump like that. It'll wear out impellers much faster. Around 500GPH is a sweet spot for a return pump on a 55G and border line too much. I am running 500 GPH now on my 40 Breeder and may turn it down a bit to slow down the turn over rate in my sump for better skimmer contact time.

 

[Stray32]

You will be a bit restricted with what you can do with a 55 gal tank, assuming it's the 48 long version. One of the keys to an aquaculture/frag tank is making sure all of your frags get plenty of light and flow, that's why a wider, more shallow tank is ideal for this. The 55 is only 12 inches wide.

 

[Kevin34]

maybe i will look into a smaller return pump then. and the only reason I am using the 55 is because i already have it, its brand new, and i got it for about $20. it is very narrow but on the other hand its pretty long. I will have 2 250w MH over it with 3 tiers. top level for acros, middle and bottom levels for mostly zoas, acans, and rics. for flow I will have 2 return lines from the sump and I have 2 koralia 3 powerheads along with a koralia 2. heres just a basic sketch of the setup i am thinking about.

 

[Stray32]

I like that design, that will maximize the room you have.

 

[Kevin34]

thanks. also I had the idea of making each shelf (high to low) slightly narrower than the one above it. that way the middle shelf can slide over the lowest one and the highest can go over both of the other two. this way I can get all the shelves on to one side of the tank for easy cleaning.

Anyone have any input about filling this tank? I was planning on using about 35-40 gallons from the 125 and the rest will be new saltwater. since I will just be keeping corals and some snails will the tank go through a cycle? or will this basically be like a huge water change? anyone have any experience filling a new tank this way? I will be moving some live rock into the 55 and will also have some in the sump too.

 

[Kevin34]

bump bump

 

[AlexStinson]

The mag 18 would be a very large heat factor. 250 watt halides are also a heat factor. Look into a chiller, or at least a good controller with a whole bank of fans ready to run. I run about 500 watts over my 40 gallon, and heat is a major issue, I only run the halide 6 hrs a day and the t5's 3 hrs a day to minimize the amount of heat.

I feel your pain as I recently took down my 185 for about the same reason, and compiled everything into a 40b, going to a smaller tank a reefkeeper and calcium reactor became a must to keep everything stable for acros.

 

[Kevin34]

i have a temp controller on the 125 now and it works great. set it at 80 and the tank rarely gets over 81. this is with the halides on 10 hours a day and a closed canopy over the tank with just 2 small fans for cross ventillation. the 55 will have an open top.

 

[Kevin34]

Anyone have any input about filling this tank? I was planning on using mostly water from the 125 and the rest will be new saltwater. I will have a 55g fuge so about 100 gallons total in this system so maybe 60-70 gallons from the 125 and the rest new. since I will just be keeping corals and some snails will the tank go through a cycle? or will this basically be like a huge water change? anyone have any experience filling a new tank this way? I will be moving some live rock into the 55 and will also have some in the fuge too.

 

[Kevin34]

bump.