Help me build my tank, top 2 bottom

[Tundy]

I'm just starting out in the marine side of things. I've had up to 3 fresh water tanks running at one time, so I have the basics down. Been in the fresh water side for about 13 years.

I will be purchasing a 180 gallon tank in the next few weeks. I've done some research but find myself confused with the many different items available on the market. I have nearly 9k set aside for this project. What I'm looking for is anyone and everyone's suggestions on needed items. Help me build a dream tank.

Let me start by saying that I intend on keeping a reef tank in the long run. I first would like to start off with a fish (small, reef safe fish) type tank first in order to mature the tank. Then, after the tank matures, I want to add coral.

I want the best bang for my duckets. Dealer info is appreciated (Marine Depot seems to have a lot of products. Any others out there?)

My first request is for a selection of equipment;

Aquariums (best deal I've seen is 180g glass with stand and hood for $2100. Whats your thought on glass vs. acr? Any better deals out there?)

Chillers (Ive looked at Aqua Logic, Aqua medic, Arctica, USA Prime)
Filters(sump type. Heard good things about Berlin & bio ball.Your thoughts)
Pumps (Iwaki seems to be a good choice. looking for a quiet,powerhouse)
Skimmer (looked at Euro Reef, Aqua C, and some others)
UV filter (Jury is out regarding if they are even needed. Your input?)
Powerheads (I heard RIO has a great product. Just kidding).
Controllers
Lighting
Live rock (Whats the best and where can I order it? Hear alot about Fuji)
Live sand (" ")

Any information is appreciated. I will post pic of this project as it comes together.

[drw94]

To add a little direction. If you have 9 g's then that will be a hell of a tank. I hope you get some good ideas as there are a lot of people here that have had great success with thier tanks. Here is my two cents.
I live in cali as well and earthquakes are always on the back of my mind so I went with acrylic so if a rock fell that glass didn't break
Chillers- I don't have one
Filters- I use berlin sump with heavy skimming, I have heard good things about refugiums.
Pumps- I use blueline-same as iwaki as flow rates are concerned but just a little better in construction, iwaki is still a good pump. You might need 3 to 4 of them.
Skimmer- euro style all the way
UV- don't have one but heard of some that do
Powerhead- go back to pumps, use closed loop systems. I think power heads in the tank don't look good.
Controllers- I have the aquacontroller II by neptune systems and this thing rocks. Controlles everything, and the X-10 can be hard wired in so no wireless interference. they have great customer service and the main office is in San Jose. It also monitor/controlles pH, Temp and ORP. They have the aquacontroller PRoO which also monitors/Controlles disolved 02 and conductivity.
Lighting- metal halide with PC or VHO
Live Rock- all personal preference
Live Sand- I have a Shallow sand bed

I would also recommend a calcium reactor, and possible a kalkwasser reactor.

As far as ordering I like to keep the business local, this help build a good repore with the LFS. Mine has given me great deals on frags. The extra money I spent at the LFS paid off with deals on and some free corals. I also did buy some items online, just because they saved me a large amount of money. Most of my business did go to the LFS.
Planning is the key to any reef!! I always believe to do thing right the first time because it saves in the long run. This is true for anything in life.
Goodluck and Keep us all posted on your progress!!!

[reefworried124]

9 thousand dollars???? OMG!

[btang]

Welcome to TRT, Cant wait until you start the project. I'm at the 3/4 point of my project. Ready to start to add the critters (slowly). You missed a RO unit (very important). Unless you are doing all the electric and plumbing yourself (include the tank plumbing) you will need money to pay folks. You will be surprised how fast the money goes.

I would start by buying some good books and read. You didnt state any books, amazon is a good source. Looking forward to seeing you arounds the forum and good luck with the project.

[btang]

Also, any autofill system for the evaporation is a god send. With float valves. I'll keep posting to you when I think of stuff. (I used Marinedepot pretty good I think, but so are others). Really look up Refugiums. I am using a system from Ecosystem, Check them out. A bit of a different approach then the standard.

[tims]

Welcome to TRT!

you can see alot of the sponsors here on TRT . on the sponsor page is also a book tab so you can see what are some of the better books to get and read and ead andread...

the tank combo does not sound bad but you will want to upgrade the normal lighting....
i do not have such a large tank ( yet) but i will help out were i can...
Yes geoff's skimmer is a nice one.
looks like you have soem really good info to start diegesting!
oh... take pictures along the way.. you will be very surprized on how things look now and in 1 year or 2 or 3 years...

[Tundy]

Thanks for everyone's input. It gave me different things to think about such as a refugiums. From what I have read, one would acutally grow some sort of aquatic plant life that would serve as a form of filtration. Would (could) this be used in conjunction with a sump & skimmer setup? Or, is it a seperate system. (For the last few weeks I've laid in bed dreaming of different types of filtration systems but all I can see is hoses, valves, bio ball all bundled up in a big pile under an aquarium). Im sure it will all come together as I purchase and set things up.

As far as books go. I've bought "Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies", a book that my local fish dealer said I was a dummy for buying. I ask have "The conscientious marine aquarist" and " Maine Fishes". All have there level of information value.

Btang, I've never heard of a auto fill system in a tank. Im curious how it would work. Im guessing one would run a water line from a fresh water (filtered) source into the tank? Maybe even a small tank under the main tank with a small pump?

DRW94, I noticed your reply mentioned that you do not have a chiller. I was told that salt water tanks run very hot and that a chiller is a must. I wouldn't put it past this guy to push such a big purchase but his reasoning sounded legit. Hot bulb, change in seasonal temps (I live near Palm Springs), and heat from equip. What has been your experience

[Tasher80]

Something to think about. I would recommend a reef ready tank. That means there are built in overflows for the tank. Then you can have a sump in another room or under the tank which can house your skimmer, heater, return pump, calcium reactor andthing that is needed. You can also have a seperate compartment within the sump or a totaly seperate refugium all together. This sump keeps all the stuff out of the main display tank. You may want to figure out the price for a 180 G Reef Ready. As far as filtration you mentions bio balls. A very large number of people just use Live Rock as their filtration. I for one have 75 pounds in my 72 gallon. Usually 1-2 pounds per gallon. That will take care of any filtration other than skimming. The auto top off can be very easy. In SW tanks RO/DI water is a must. You should invest in one before even filling your tank. You can then run a line from your RO/DI unit to the tank's sump and use a float valve so that the water is always at a constant level. Depending on your lighting depends if you need a chiller. Some people who have metal halides run fans that blow across their water surface that can keep their tanks cool. I have power compacts on my tank right now and don't even run a fan. The type of lighting depends of what corals you want to go with. Thats all I can think of right now.

[btang]

I have to run a chiller, my tank was running way to hot, so I dont think its bad general advice. Also, you might want to check out the flow valve from OceansMotions for your Closed Loop. I've got one and it works great. You can check out my thread for some shots:

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=33505

[wanareef]

I would reconmend looking at this post. It's really thought out and a great design.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=371622