Tank Plans 240g

[Jeremy1973]

One thing you need to take in to consideration Ichthus... how are you gonna get all that stuff up to my place to set it up... you will need a U haul...and...

[ldmk]

Originally posted by Ichthus
It is a Reef Ready 240 gallon. 96x24x24 The tank will be set in front of a wall. All plumbing will be under the stand and NOT into the wall.

1. Do I want to use canisters?
No. Nitrate farms and live rock and protein skimming will do the trick. I was going to add DSB but by the time your tank is up DSBs will be long gone.

2. PH METER: What about a Ph meter? The controller below might take care of that right?
Controller will take care of it, but if you are getting a calcium reactor then you'll want to get a pH controller to cut off the CO2 - flowing through the CA reactor (don't know if the AquaController does that). The pH controller has a built-in pH meter.

4. MOVEMENT: What size Sea swirl would I need for a 240 and how many? Someone said I would want a Wavemaker. I would like to have a "closed loop" type system. I have seen some that have the water flow hidden between the rocks and you can't see anything but rock.
CLS is the way to go. Also if you want a spray bar (low enough in the tank) then you definitely want a CLS - otherwise when the power goes out your living room will be the tank

5. CALCIUM REACTOR: What brand/size.
I've been very happy with stuff from www.myreefcreations.com. Can't comment on any other brands.

7. LIGHTS: The tanks will be 8 foot long so I am guessing 3 Blue and 3 white PC's. But I am unsure of the MH wattage.
Definitely go with four 450W 10,000K MH - from what I've heard each MH will give you coverage over a four square foot area (so you'll need four). Again, there are rumors that MHs will be a thing of the past in the next couple of years and so this too may be anachronistic

8. UV STERILIZER: What brand/size.
You don't want a UV sterilizer. From everything I've read they tend to kill all the happy microscopic creatures that are in the water column and which provide food to the filter feeders.

10. SPRAYBAR: Some have a PVC Spray bar that creates a water flow behind the rocks to push away detritus and gunk. This bar sets on bottom of substrate at back and it has holes drilled in it and is connected to a pump/PH that is hidden.
See answer to 4 above - if you want

11. SUMP: Oceanic Reef Ready Model 3.
Build it yourself - you'll have more control over it and working with acrylic isn't all that hard.

12. REFUGIUM: I have no idea if I want one, or if I can fit it beside my sump. Need help here too.
You do want one. Best to get one built into the sump. If you want ideas on this let me know and I can send you some pictures.

HTH
K.M.

[mojoreef]

Also if you want a spray bar (low enough in the tank) then you definitely want a CLS - otherwise when the power goes out your living room will be the tank

You can do the return from the sump to a low spray bar all you have to do is to attach a small peice of tubing into the elbow coming over the top. It works well as a air break.

You don't want a UV sterilizer. From everything I've read they tend to kill all the happy microscopic creatures that are in the water column and which provide food to the filter feeders.

I know this is an opinion thing but just to give a little more to the other side. In the water column the nasties out populate this are 10 to one, so for me its has alway been a great way to rid yourself of these nasties.


Mike

[Geoff]

i can not divide, mojo is right, 4 mh would be needed on an 8 foot tank.

with point source lights, check your braces before making a final decision on the lighting. i had to go with 2 mh because of a brace in the middle of my 125.

G~

[Ichthus]

Lesson to be learned here: I am guessing that I would not want to put a MH light above the brace? Will it melt the silicone sealing?

People have said that is the reason they wanted to get a "brick-style" tank that has no center support. Oceanic has these, but the largest they show is a 215.

[Geoff]

depending on what the brace is made of there are different problems. with a plastic brace you will get a shadow in the tank. with the glass braces you will fight salt buildup on the bottom of the brace blocking out vital light. generally there is not much risk of the silicone breaking loose do to heat. if the mh are just above an acrylic brace it could soften it, but it has to be almost directly on the brace.

G~

[Ichthus]

So mybest bet is to make sure I get a glass tank with a glass brace and just SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB every week.

This is awesome. I know that the hardest thing for me to do will be the actual design of where to put this and that and where to drill holes etc., but at least I know what I need to buy.

So...as far as the refugium, maybe a 20 gallon glass? No baffles on it right...just a couple of bulkheads right?

[Geoff]

20g is a real small for a refugium on a tank that large. i would say you will need close to a 100g tank. a 20g would not supply much food for anything in a tank that size. are you also going to add a seperate sump. depending on the flow you will also need a large tank to handle the flow and the support equipment on a large tank. on my 125g i have a 45g refugium. i would have made it bigger if i could. i do not have a sump, since i have an external skimmer.

HTH,

G~

[Doug1]

(quote) It is a Reef Ready 240 gallon. 96x24x24 The tank will be set in front of a wall. All plumbing will be under the stand and NOT into the wall.(quote)
I need to ask you if you have seen one, on a stand in the room? Better yet get some appropriate sized cardboard boxes and pile them in the spot you have chosen. You are talking 8 foot by 2 foot by 4-6 high, it takes up a lot of space. I really Really REALLY Recomend you rethink and consider doing it as an In Wall setup, with a dedicated support room behind it.
Reef tanks are typically alot more complicated than the basic hang on filter fish only scenario, Look in the Big tank Archives, at some of the sweet inwall setups and try to imagine them free standing and all that stuff cluttering up. Spouses hate it, will except for Danielle and Nikki and I bet they like it tidy .
Talk to some of the guys with big tanks, it's easier to di=o it right and well the first time

[Ichthus]

I was hoping to have the refugium and sump all under the stand. Assuming I do have the sump, and CO tank for Ph, and worst case scenario a chiller...you think I have room for a 100g? The stand is 40" tall, so I can prob put stuff on shelves I build.

[Ichthus]

Doug...I am lucky the wife is allowing me to get a new one. I have to write in blood that this is the last and biggest tank I will ever need as I said that with the 65g and I am in breach on contract as we speak.

We don't have a room to spare to plumb to. I am stuck. I will look at the big tanks here and see what my options are. I am a neat freak too, but was hoping to find a way to make it fit.

[Doug1]

You prolly can manage but if you get a chance to see some large tanks with all the gadgets, they take up a lot of sppace . The heat, noise, mess, ease of working, all that, is just SO MUCH EASIER

[Geoff]

what kind of floor is this tank going to be put on? this is a lot of weight.

with a 40" stand you will have a decent of doing it, it will be noisy like Doug1 said. the bigger the tank the bigger the equipment.

i have actually drilled holes in the floor for the 125. i have all of my ballasts and the chiller in the crawlspace below the house. chillers are noisy buggers, and the ballasts create a lot of heat.

G~

[Ichthus]

The flooring is concrete in the house we live in now. We wil be moving in about 4 years or so, and we will make sure the foundation is concrete.

Yeah, I am worried about the sound too. I would love to make the stand insulated for sound but I think that is just "Dave's world"

I am so glad I am researching this stuff now. Might save me a lot of headaches in the future.