I want to turn my 108 gal into a reef tank,,,,,ive been doing loads of research and get mixed opinions,,,,,,,,my tank is not drilled so keep that in mind,,,,,what should i do??,,,,option 1-go with an external overflow kit to a sump/refuguim (ecosystem) setup without a skimmer,,,,,,,,,,,option 2- use my existing hob filters for sponges and carbon and go with a good skimmer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,or is there a better option available,,,,,lighting will be 2x 65 watt and 2x65 watt actinic,,,,will only be keeping low light corals for now,,,and a few fishes or course,,,,,will be using about75 lbs of live rock to start,,,,,ok guys give me yur opinions !!!!
I need some advice !!
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More live rock--at least 1 lb per gallon. There are some that say a refugium is necessary for a reef. It certainly is ideal. Carbon isn't really necessary in a saltwater tank IMO. It can eventually strip your trace elements.
I'd go overflow to refugium and powerheads for water movement..up to 20 times per hour depending on what corals you keep.
I'd go overflow to refugium and powerheads for water movement..up to 20 times per hour depending on what corals you keep.
whats your reasoning for not doing both a skimmer and 'fuge? im assuming its a money thing b/c thats usually the problem, haha. if thats the case i would suggest going w/ a good HOB skimmer (i have the remora pro and its great) and depending on what HOB filter you have it could be turned into a mini 'fuge quite easily.
I'd definitely recommend going with an external overflow / sump / refugium combination (with a skimmer). Choose a reliable external overflow (LifeReef.com is recommended quite often, but the U-tube style is in general considered better) to avoid problems related to flooding, and the fact that your tank is not drilled will not be an issue at all. We have a U-tube overflow on our 90g reef and haven't had any problems. The LFS here has one on a 100+g tank that's been running for 10+ years without a problem. Yes, it does need to be cleaned every so often, but what doesn't.
Have you considered building your own sump / refugium? Even if you're only a tad bit handy, it can be done for much cheaper than any manufactured sump / refugium. I built ours out of 2 old aquariums, using info found on the internet for ideas.
Otherwise, there's many people that have converted HOB filters into HOB refugiums. Searching the internet should provide lots of results with ideas in that regard.
More LR -- shoot for 1 - 1.5 lbs / gallon, or roughly 110+ lbs in your case. That number varies depending on the type of LR you decide to buy, as some varieties are less dense than others. When it's all said and done, you want enough LR so it can function as a major part of your tank's filtration, but you don't want the tank so full of it that there's circulation problems, nowhere for fish to swim, and the only thing you see is rock when you look at the tank.
Have you considered building your own sump / refugium? Even if you're only a tad bit handy, it can be done for much cheaper than any manufactured sump / refugium. I built ours out of 2 old aquariums, using info found on the internet for ideas.
Otherwise, there's many people that have converted HOB filters into HOB refugiums. Searching the internet should provide lots of results with ideas in that regard.
More LR -- shoot for 1 - 1.5 lbs / gallon, or roughly 110+ lbs in your case. That number varies depending on the type of LR you decide to buy, as some varieties are less dense than others. When it's all said and done, you want enough LR so it can function as a major part of your tank's filtration, but you don't want the tank so full of it that there's circulation problems, nowhere for fish to swim, and the only thing you see is rock when you look at the tank.
You also want to make sure that you have a good amout of substrate on the bottom. Not too much though. I have mine at about 2.5" but Ive heard and seen people with it up to about 3" deep. You will aslo want to use about 2lb of live rock per gallon to get a really good biological filteration going with a good clean up crew. Also Id try to stay away from curshed coral as a substrate.