Upgrading to 125 long reef tank - trying to head off any problems

[matt dean]

Sooo, I have a beautiful 46 gallon bow front reef tank, however, I set it up without a sump or refugium and the glass is a bit scratched from my cichlid days. So, I was going to switch out the tank and have it drilled and a sump, yadda yadda yadda. Now, I have decided to move my recording studio/office down to my lower level TV room (which will require tearing down walls of my storage room and redoing most of the level) and do a peninsula 125 gallon long tank. I don't want to have any surprises (I know, I'm dreaming) so I want to make sure all my basis are covered. I hope to get a tank that is 6 long X 2 wide X 1.5 high. (I know it's more than 125, but I may down size it to 125, so for the sake of discussion I'll use that volume.

My questions are :

Will this size be more work or less work over time? Less frequent water changes? More stable? I know everything size has it's own challenges. I want to know what those challenges may be for a 125 gal.

I will have at least 130 pounds of live rock in it. I want to do 3 islands with canals between them. Lots of caves and holes. Should be nice. It is going to be a mixed reef with mostly softies, LPS.

Is moisture from the tank going to be an issue in my lower level TV Room. (Lowest floor of a 4 level back-slit house. So essentially, it's like a basement. Do I need to vent the heat and moisture outside? this would be a challenge as the outside walls near the tank go under a porch.

I have an Aqua Medic Turboflotor Multi SL Skimmer. Should be good enough - it's rated for up to 200 gallons. I plan on a 55 gal sump w/refugium. I can do a 75 gal sump but don't know if that is either necessary or wise. Suggestions? I also have an Ehiem Professional II canister filter. Can I easily make this a reactor of some sort without have to hook it on the side of the tank> I was told i couldn't just put it on the sump because it needed to be BELOW the tank it is filtering. Is this accurate?

I think I will need to build a canopy - not my idea of fun, but. I don't like the idea of a light on a stand. It will ruin the look. The stand will match the walls in the room so I will match the plaster of the walls to the canopy. It will have 6 5 foot T5's. 2 Blue 22K, 2 Fiji Purple, 2 17K Duo whites. My biggest concern is accessibility to the tank for maintenance and cleaning, etc.

I plan on have 2 corner overflows and 3 drilled holes in the bottom for water flow. One in the middle high up with two spouts facing opposite each other and 2 same way only lower and more near the corners.
Is this ideal?

Obviously I will do the build and plumbing, etc. Since this is on the bottom floor I need to keep everything contained underneath the tank. Anything I should be wary of? Things to watch for, shy away from?

I also want to keep this as quiet as possible, since it is essentially in my recording studio. I will have heavy drapes that I will pull across when recording vocals, but it is also my TV room and hate anything messing up my theatre sound :) So, any tricks? tips? I will probably have to pony up for a more expensive pump to keep it quiet, but anything that helps os good to know.

Any other tips are welcome and appreciated. I will start a build thread once i get going. May be a few months before I get the room ready for it/

Obviously, everything from my current setup will go in the new tank. Here's a shot of my current tank.

[Amphiprion]

Very nice. Is that the same bulb combo you have on your current tank?

As for your questions, the answers are, unfortunately, not so simple.

The 125 should be more stable, but whether or not it will require more frequent water changes will be decided in time. To be sure, you will be dealing with higher volume water changes and top-off to be sure (granted, that is the obvious part). As for moisture, how does your central air conditioning handle moisture (if you have central AC). Mine is able to keep moisture down substantially in a family room with a home theater in relatively close proximity. A hygrometer might be your friend in this case to see how high it gets. Bigger sumps, fwiw, usually allow for greater error in terms of flooding, if not just for extra water volume in the system. The canister will also need to be beneath the tank. The skimmer, on the other hand, will be borderline, if not insufficient. Manufacturer ratings are usually worthless and for most skimmers you can count on it being able to realistically handle 1/4-1/2 the rated capacity. For some skimmers, this is even less. For water motion, you are going to need more. Unless you plan on having a very large return pump, which causes its own complications, I suggest you either look into some of the newer, smaller, very high volume power heads or a closed loop system. In any case, you'll be able to move more water more efficiently with powerheads. If you still want holes in the bottom, be sure to buy good plastic flap check valves. Do not buy the metal spring kind. Even then, you potentially risk draining the tank if one decides to fail with your proposed configuration.

[stratusfearrr]

cant help you, but i must say that is a beautiful tank

[matt dean]

Thanks Stratusfear :)

Amphiprion, yes, that is the combo I use now, but I only have 4 bulbs, so 2 blue, i purple and i duo white. It really is nice.

OK, so I have no cold air return in the lowest level, so the moisture has nowhere to go. This is my dilemma. The basement is on the moist side as it is in the summer. I run a DEhumidifier most of the time.

I'm surprised - and disappointed - that the skimmer would be not enough. It was almost $400 CAD. Hard to justify getting another one only 4 months later :yuck:

I will stay with the 55 gal sump, but what if I use a 75 and fill it less? Or is that just asking for trouble?

I was looking at a closed loop system, but I'm not sure why you think my plan is lacking? The reef store owner suggested it and he has a similar setup for his 365 gal setup - albeit a few more. Here's a drawing of what i mean. I would have a pump for the main overflows and a pump for the other heads.

The reason I don't want to use powerheads or fans is because this tank will be sitting in the middle of the room. I don't want wires or tubes hanging off the sides since you will see it from all sides.

Thanks for the tip on the check valves.

Cheers.

[Conski]

man i love your current tank! keep it :)

[matt dean]

yeah, I know. Thanks. I love it too, but not having any kind of refugium or sump and having a fair bit of scratches on the glass makes me want to change. I would have just done an 80 gal euro bow front (my girlfriend likes the bow front) but it is almost as much money as going to the 125, so why not take the plunge?

It is going to be hard to break this tank down, though. I really love it and it's going to cost a fortune to stock the other tank with corals the same way:duh:

[Amphiprion]

If you use a closed loop, then it isn't an issue. But if you use this for returns, you are asking for a potential problem. The check valves work and work well, but there's always the potential that they won't that one time when you aren't around. I've had it happen on store systems before and with the flap-style valves, too.

[matt dean]

OK, I think I understand. I believe I was talking about a closed loop system for the extra flow jets. I will make sure that is how it will be, then. The first step is determining where the holes will be drilled, have the tank made, then plumb it how I want. So, thanks for that