110 Gallon 31" tall Reef Tank

trishy711 · 07-14-2008, 03:34 AM

Hi, I have a saltwater tank that is a 110 gallons and it is 48" long 18" wide 31" tall. Right now i have about 8 fish in it and some live rock. I want to make it a reef tank and i need to know how strong of a Metal Halide light i need. My local fish store says a 48" 2 x 250 MH HQI fixture will do it, but i spoke to a few people that have reef experience and they are saying i may need more light than that. I also am filtering my tank with 2 eheim 2217 canister filters and a Prizm deluxe pro protein skimmer. My local fish store said that i should use a refugium or a wet/dry filter when switching to reef and i am not familiar with these kinds of filters please tell me which i am supposed to use? I see that most of you have a lot of experience with reef tanks and know alot about them so any information anyone could give me will help. Thank You

Loverotties · 07-14-2008, 07:14 AM

Depends on what type of coral you want to keep about the lights.Sell the canisters and skimmer and buy a good skimmer.And you can use a sump but not need to start ,but it would be better with one.

Loverotties · 07-14-2008, 07:15 AM

Welcome to TRT!

I answered your other thread.

crvz · 07-14-2008, 07:21 AM

The reason people are telling you that you need more light is because the tank is so deep. 2x250W would be plenty to keep anything, you'll just be won't be able to put the most light demanding species down at the bottom of the tank. To me, not that big of a deal, most everything could be put anywhere in the tank, and I don't like using 400W setups due to the heat and energy use. Personally, I think the 250W setup would be fine.

The canister filter is not really a great filter for a reef tank, and that skimmer is a bit under powered (well, maybe a lot). I'd recommend ditching both of them and finding a good sized skimmer. Something like the Octopus 200NW or similar would be a good starting point. I'd also not bother with a wet/dry or refugium. A strong skimmer with a good flow setup would be all that's needed for proper filtration (along with water changes, of course).

ckusnierek · 07-14-2008, 07:26 AM

1st of all Welcome to TRT

2nd the question need to be posted in the general forum. This section is for issues with the website

Soon a MOD will wander by and I'm sure he/she will move it for you.

And as far as your questions....
There are some concerns about switching from FOWLR to Reef. My biggest concern would be if you have even treated the tank with andy copper based medications...

As far as lighting, it all really depends on ehat you want to keep in the tank.
If you want SPS 2 or 3 250 halides, but you may need to keep some of the SPS in the upper 1/2 of the tank. Idealy in a 31" daap tank you would want 400watt. You may also consider T5's but you will also have to keep the SPS high. under either you cold keep LPS and softies with no problem...

As far as filtration. I would go with just a sumple sump under the tank. Nothing fancy.

YLChik · 07-14-2008, 09:38 AM

Welcome to TRT!!!!!!

depitch · 07-14-2008, 11:25 PM

Welcome to TRT.

So far you got good advice on the lights and filtration.

A sump with skimmer rated for at least 200 gallon tank will be a good start.

Does the tank have a built-in overflow(reef-ready)??
If not you can purchase a hang-on-back(HOB) overflow box.

Also what type of fish do you have??

Many species are not reef compatible.

Good Luck

Doug

dobejazz · 07-14-2008, 11:49 PM

Welcome to TRT

what kind of fish do you currently have?

david426 · 07-14-2008, 11:51 PM

I'll let the light experts answer your light question. As for a refugium, it's a sump with a light over it that allows you to grow macroalgae. As it grows it binds nitrates and phosphate (bad for reef) that are removed as you harvest it. It will also help prevent over predation of the plankton type things that say a mandarin would eat. Some say it ends up polluting as much as it removes; it depends on how you keep it. A wet/dry type filter with bio balls? Old tech. No bio balls. Does not allow for nitrate reduction. Do however use mechanical filtration; filter sock or floss, just keep it clean.

Hop · 07-14-2008, 11:56 PM

It also depends on the ballast/bulb combination. A good combination 250 watt will out perform a poor combination 400 watt bulb. There is a lot more to throwing lights on it to make it work

You need to figure out the color temp you like, then go from there. You may be just fine with ballast A and bulb B, or you may need to do some research

dobejazz · 07-14-2008, 11:58 PM

I merged both your threads together to keep all the info in one place

trishy711 · 07-15-2008, 06:17 AM

I have 2 perculas, Hippo Tang, Yellow Tang, 3 Damsels and Tomato Clown. I also have 8 Snails, 1 crab and 3 scarlett Hermit Crabs. My Local fish store said i should use a tank that is drilled. Does it matter? What type of filtration do you suggest i use. I want to have a really nice reef tank that is successful and healthy. I am trying attach pictures of my tank but it isn't working right now but i will post them soon. Thanks for all your help

ckusnierek · 07-15-2008, 07:06 AM

A drilled tank makes things a little more trouble free. Many here are not using drilled tanks (I have both drilled and not drilled) The main issue with a non-drilled tank is that you have to use a HOB (hang on back) overflow. Since it's exposed to light it needs to be cleabed regulary (monthly at least) and there is a chance of loss of siphion and that will cause a flood basically the water in the tank stops draining and the water in the sump is still being pumped into the tank and what ever does not fit will end up on the floor

But a watchfull eye and some cleaning diligance can keep this from happening.

I would suggest you consider al your option before buying any new equipment. Consider what you want to keep and the requirements of each type of coral. The only equipment that will vary depending on what you keep is lighting and flow. The things you will need no mater that you chose are a quality skimmer, more live rock (probally 100# total min). The LR and skimmer are all the filtration you need. If you want to keep a mixed reef you could take out the media from your canister filters and run carbon in them.

Overflow and sump. In a 110 you will probally want a overflow that will handle up to 1000gph. I think CPR makes a good one but you can find cheaper ones. For a sump put the largest rubbermaid that you can fit under the tank. Or find a good size old tank. I use a old 35g under my 75. The get yourself a reliable return pump. Make sure if you get a insump skimmer it will fit in the sump and under the tank. I messed up and got a skimmer 1" taller the underneath my stand and now it sits next to the tank

as for skimmers I like getting one reated for atleast 1-1/2 times you volume. there are too many makes models and styles to get into that now.

Be wary of LFS advide. He/she is already trying to get you to buy a new Reef ready tank that you really do not need. most are out ot make a buck. Some are great and helpfull. but never take there word for it unless you really trust them..

Oh and you should probally beef up our clean up crew a bit.
I suggest around 30 snails and 50+ hermits I also like to keep a emerald green crab or two to keep bubble algea at bay

(everyone has a different take on cleaner crews)

Before you make any changes carefully consider all your options. make a plan and follow it the best you can. Ask lots of questions here and take all the advice and do what works best for you. you may get som conflicting advice hree as there are thousands of members and all their tank are different. take all the advice and use what you think will work for you. Or at lease the most common suggestions. Do it slowly there can be a huge learning curve in reefkeeping and it's usually costly and can hurt. Buy in the end after a little time it will be very rewarding!

Good luck and keep us posted and keep thise questions comming...

trishy711 · 07-15-2008, 11:58 PM

Hey chris, I went to my local fish store today and he said i should just use a 20 gallon sump with an overflow and good protein skimmer for filtration. I bought 10 more snails and 5 more scarlet hermit crabs for clean up crew. He said i will need an overflow box because my tank is not drilled. I just want to make sure he's telling me good information. I see that you use an Octopus NW-200 skimmer do you suggest i get that one for my tank? He has many other skimmers in stock but he said if i want the Octopus NW-200 he will order it for me. What did you pay for yours? What size sump and Pumps do you suggest i use for my 110 Gallon Tank? He also has a 90 Gallon tank is his store that is driiled for $280.00, the dimensions are 48" long 18" wide 24" tall, it is the same as my tank but 7" shorter from top to botom. Would that make everything easier? What do you think? Also in your reef tank do you use all R/O water? By the way your tank is so nice! Is is hard to keep up with? You say you're obsessed with Fuzzy Sticks, what are they? Thanks for all your help

ckusnierek · 07-16-2008, 04:40 PM