I'm planning a 180gal setup and I can really use some advice.
First, let me start off by saying this is not going to be my permanent 180 tank. It is a temporary one until I finish remodeling the room it's going in and can get my custom made tank. My objective is to get a temporary 180 gal system set up and be able to use most, if not all, all the equipment on my permanent setup and I have a budget of $3000 to work with right now.
So, what I am planning for now is a 180 gal AGA tank. I will be building the stand and hopefully the sump. I am thinking somewhere around 48x20x16 for the sump, but I may not be able to go as wide as 20" depending on the stand design. I will be purchasing a Deltec AP851 skimmer. For lighting I plan on using 3 250w Lumenarc 3's driven by Icecap 250w ballasts. This will be supplemented by 2 72" 160w T5 Super Actinic bulbs driven by an Icecap 660 ballest. I plan on building a frame out of aluminum tubing to hang the lighting. I am looking at Hydor Koralia powerheads for water movement, but I'm not sure what size to get. I want a minimum of 4 of them (one in each corner of the tank). Any suggestions? I will also be buying a Phosban reactor to help with phosphate removal but I need a suggestion on what pump to use to feed it. I also need a suggestion for an auto top off unit.(can I dyi one for cheap?) Kalk and calcium will have to be dosed without the use of reactors for now unless I can find them used for a decent price. Oh, almost forgot, I need a recommendation for a return pump.
Other things I need, but may have to wait until later
Kalk reactor
calcium reactor (I may look into DYI'ing this using the plan on Melev's Reef website)
Controller unit
I can use help with plans for making a stand for the tank if someone knows a good place to look.
Humm, I'm sure I forgot things, but it's all I can think of for now. Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Jack
First, let me start off by saying this is not going to be my permanent 180 tank. It is a temporary one until I finish remodeling the room it's going in and can get my custom made tank. My objective is to get a temporary 180 gal system set up and be able to use most, if not all, all the equipment on my permanent setup and I have a budget of $3000 to work with right now.
So, what I am planning for now is a 180 gal AGA tank. I will be building the stand and hopefully the sump. I am thinking somewhere around 48x20x16 for the sump, but I may not be able to go as wide as 20" depending on the stand design. I will be purchasing a Deltec AP851 skimmer. For lighting I plan on using 3 250w Lumenarc 3's driven by Icecap 250w ballasts. This will be supplemented by 2 72" 160w T5 Super Actinic bulbs driven by an Icecap 660 ballest. I plan on building a frame out of aluminum tubing to hang the lighting. I am looking at Hydor Koralia powerheads for water movement, but I'm not sure what size to get. I want a minimum of 4 of them (one in each corner of the tank). Any suggestions? I will also be buying a Phosban reactor to help with phosphate removal but I need a suggestion on what pump to use to feed it. I also need a suggestion for an auto top off unit.(can I dyi one for cheap?) Kalk and calcium will have to be dosed without the use of reactors for now unless I can find them used for a decent price. Oh, almost forgot, I need a recommendation for a return pump.
Other things I need, but may have to wait until later
Kalk reactor
calcium reactor (I may look into DYI'ing this using the plan on Melev's Reef website)
Controller unit
I can use help with plans for making a stand for the tank if someone knows a good place to look.
Humm, I'm sure I forgot things, but it's all I can think of for now. Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Jack