Starting the process, looking for advice

[Spartyon]

Hello everyone, I am in the process of researching a reef tank and trying to come up with why this is a good idea for my wife to buy in to. As winter has taken hold of the great state of Michigan, the itch for a reef tank is very strong again. I will be going by Spartyon. I gave it a try in the 80's but a winter power outage lasting days did me in. I'm probably too old to start this hobby being 65 but I'm very fortunate to have been able to retire early. Everything I read, going down many rabbit holes, has lead me to believe size matters. I am looking at a 200 gallon reef tank from Innovative Marine with all the goodies. Orphek lighting, classic Octopus protein skimmer a couple of Helio 700 heaters, a ChaetoMax refugium light, a couple of wave powerheads to be decided on and a auto top-off reservoir. I'm confused on whether I need a UV sterilizer, calcium reactor, ozone generator and algae reactor. I understand I need a dosing pump but I don't read much positive about a controller and reliability. Oh yea, I also need a RO/DI system and a quarantine tank. As much as these fish and coral are, I want absolutely no reason for failure. I need to find if my main floor will support this beast. Sounds like cutting the carpet and putting a 3/4" sheet of plywood down to spread the weight is the way to go. I need the RO/DI system to be in the basement and a person I was talking to says he has the same situation and ran PVC tubing through the HVAC ducting up to his tank.
Please weigh in, I want to make the learning curve as smooth as possible
Spartyon

 

[cdemoss01]

You do not need an ozone generator, UV sterilizer or algea reactor. These are small additions to control certain things in the tank. The equipment all sounds good. I will tag some experts to help you further.
#reefsquad

 

[tbrown]

UV isn't bad. It can be helpful for some things.

Algae reactor - your refugium will act as an algae reactor so having a second one will just be for additional nutrient export as needed.

Ozone generator can help if your water is tinted.

Calcium reactor is a different style of calcium dosing (better according to most) so no dosing pump required for that

Kalk reactor - same thing for better control and stability for alkalinity.

Some of the things you're listing won't be completely necessary until you have decent coral growth, and, if you're planning on frequent water changes, it will replenish a majority of the things you'll be dosing - at least until you have significant growth from corals and get a drain on those minerals etc.

 

[BoaConservationist]

someone smart once said all the equipment in the hobby is just band aids for proper chemistry work.

while you technically don't need all the gear you listed, will it make your life easier? answer is likely yes,

I like IM tanks, any time you are buying a bundle you are likely paying more as each product usually can be sourced cheaper, aquarium stores have sales seemingly every week, and places like BRS can sometimes have these products at astounding like 80% off.


also, plywood and 200g tank are not it / bad idea, there 100% will be issues if you are putting down this tank in your home on anything but a slab/built foundation, you will quite literally sag the house around it, even tanks as small as like 80g can have a big impact on the wood in the home, and a single leak is definitely a nightmare. youre talking the size of a small honda civic basically, 2500+ lbs.. Just my 2 cents , hope you find what you need, better to research the animals you want and build a system around it :)

 

[Spartyon]

Hello Boa, best information I have received. I was trying to blindly convince myself that my floor would ever be able to hold it. There was just enough information out there saying it was possible but.... I was trying to put it somewhere I could see it the most. I understand the bundle pricing but I'm afraid I would get frustrated and not be able to move forward to do it all myself. As far as size, I would like to keep a couple tangs and what I read it takes 72" of swimming space to get them to grow to their full 9" size. Thanks again for honest input

 

[Fish Fan]

A few thoughts that I hope will help

First, I'd like to think that most here on R2R know that I'm a pretty positive poster, but I'm reading what you want to do, and I'm afraid you're getting in a bit over your head with your first (or first in many years) tank

I want absolutely no reason for failure.

^I want this too, we all do. But just throwing a lot of money and gear at a tank isn't going to help you be successful, and may in fact lead to a greater disaster. It's important to understand the chemical and biological processes going on in the tank, and then you may need various pieces of gear to help you maintain the water quality, and potentially automate certain tasks for convenience. Size can matter, but many make far too much of the idea that larger is easier. It's can arguably be more stable, but not necessarily easier. A 200 gallon system is quite large and, from what you're considering, a very complex project, that can take a lot of time, effort and money to maintain.

Please consider starting out with a much smaller system, and then using that smaller system as your future QT tank if/when you decide to go with the full 200 gallon

I'm not an engineer, though I've had a 125 gallon on a second floor without problems in the past, but you might want to ask an engineer or architect to verify that your floor will support such a large tank (as well as the rock and sump). Beyond spreading the weight, you'd likely want to make sure that your tank will be up against an exterior or load bearing wall, and that the tank runs perpendicular to floor joists under the tank.

The only piece of gear (other than the tank, etc. ) that I agree that you need is a solid RODI system. Bulk Reef Supply and SpectraPure are popular options. I'd reach out to @Buckeye Hydro who's a Reef2Reef sponsor, and who will get you setup right, and help you afterwards when you need it.

Residential and Commercial Water Filtration Systems | RODI Systems | Reverse Osmosis Filtration System - Buckeye Hydro

At Buckeye Hydro we specialize in providing the highest quality water filtration systems and accessories for every potential need.

www.buckeyehydro.com

Here's some good places to start for more information if you're just getting back into reefing:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

I hope that helps, please post back with further questions! Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Spartyon]

Thanks for your comments. My motto has always been go big or go home and dang the consequences. I actually was wondering about starting out a 40gal long "quarantine" tank as my reef tank to see if I could manage it and go from there. Going with the smaller system also can be done with less money so hopefully I can get started in the hobby faster. Basement it is, that is where my RO/DI system will be and be a lot easier for moving water around. I was just hoping to get it to a place where I could see it more, if that big tank had an issue on our main floor I would never hear the end of it. Thanks for your honest comments

 

[Fish Fan]

Thanks for your comments. My motto has always been go big or go home and dang the consequences. I actually was wondering about starting out a 40gal long "quarantine" tank as my reef tank to see if I could manage it and go from there. Going with the smaller system also can be done with less money so hopefully I can get started in the hobby faster. Basement it is, that is where my RO/DI system will be and be a lot easier for moving water around. I was just hoping to get it to a place where I could see it more, if that big tank had an issue on our main floor I would never hear the end of it. Thanks for your honest comments

You can have your RODI in the basement, and it will easily pump water up to the second floor, as long as you have space for a water change station or something similar to store the water for use in the tank. You can also have your water station and/or your filter sump in the basement, and pump water up to the tank on the second floor. But check with someone more knowledgable about having the 200 gallon on the second floor, as far as the weight and where you hope to have it.

"Go big or go home" is great, but in this hobby that can be thousands and thousands of dollars, and A LOT of heartbreak

Everyone's budget and level of risk is different, so if you're set on the 200 gallon, go for it, but I still think a nice 40 gallon would be a great intro tank

 

[BoaConservationist]

Thanks for your comments. My motto has always been go big or go home and dang the consequences. I actually was wondering about starting out a 40gal long "quarantine" tank as my reef tank to see if I could manage it and go from there. Going with the smaller system also can be done with less money so hopefully I can get started in the hobby faster. Basement it is, that is where my RO/DI system will be and be a lot easier for moving water around. I was just hoping to get it to a place where I could see it more, if that big tank had an issue on our main floor I would never hear the end of it. Thanks for your honest comments

40 gallons for me are my go to builds, while I dont keep tangs , theres alot you can do with 40 gallons :) its a great starting point also and would serve apt for a 200g quarantine (probably too big you usually want small quarantine tanks to contain consistency

 

[Spartyon]

40 gallons for me are my go to builds, while I dont keep tangs , theres alot you can do with 40 gallons :) its a great starting point also and would serve apt for a 200g quarantine (probably too big you usually want small quarantine tanks to contain consistency

Thanks again Boa, I am now thinking a smaller tank in my office on the main floor and a quarantine tank in the basement. I might still consider a giant one but I think these will get me in the game. I really want the reef corals anyway.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Are you starting with well water or "city water?"

 

[Spartyon]

Well water

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Well water

Have you tested the well water? I'm asking as much for drinking water purposes as feeding your RODI for the reef.

 

[X-37B]

200g IM sounds great. I have an ext 170. They are nice systems for the money.
I am retired, 68, and keep it simple.
I run a carx and kalk.

Oversize skimmer, 400 micron mesh socks, carbon and gfo when needed.
For fIow I run 2 sea sweeps with Tunze 6255 powerheads.
Tunzes make an ORCA now.

Lights, much to chose from.
I run ReefBreeer photon 50's with Orphek OR4 uv/v bars.

100% live rock start and you can have coral in your system in a few weeks.

Tank and sump for reference. Tanks 1.5 years.