120 gal reef build thread.

[Baseman422]

Well I have been out of the hobby for a little over a year. And I'm startng the process of setting up a new tank. I plan on taking somewhere around a year for planing and preparing.

The point of this thread is to assist that process. I would like to discuss every topic and get ideas from any member that would like to be apart of this venture, I know there are a lot of people out there with a lot more knowledge up than me.

Let me start with location, the tank will be built into the wall in my living room. I have a space that backs up to a large closet that will allow room for the sump and maintance. The plan is for a 120 gal display tank 48x24x24 and a 40b sump. I would like to use a beananimal drain set up. Not sure yet how I should to the overflow. I'm thinking about a coast to coast overflow box. About a 2" sand bed in dt and prob 120lbs of rock.

I'm thinking of doing three compartments in the sump. First would be the drain section with a filter sock and protien skimmer, second a fuge, and third the return pump.

I'm looking at these skimmers:
Reef octopus nwb200
Bubble Magnus curve7
Tunzie master doc 9410

Return pump: not sure yet, I really like Tunzie but haven't picked one out yet.

Here is a tank list I'm working on.

Soft coral
Toad stool mushroom leather
Thick finger leather
Flower tree coral

Mushrooms
Lavender mushrooms

Lps
Acan brain acanthastria echinata
Candy cane caulastrea furcata
Trumpet caulastrea curvata
Brain lobophyllia hemprichii
Button cynarina lacrymalis
Hammer coral euphyllia ancora
Frog spawn euphyllia divisa
Bubble coral plerogyra sinuosa
Brain trachyphyllia geoffroyi

Polyps

Bubble tip anemone

Maxima clam

Fish
2 Picasso clowns*
Yasha haze goby*
Chalk bass
Royal gramma*
Blue and gold Blenny
3 spotted cardinal*
Yellow tang
Purple tang
Carpenters flasher wrasse
Six line wrasse*
Fox face
Coral beauty angel
Desjardini sailfin tang

The * fish are my fav.

Please post suggestions and comments. There will be pics along the way.

I look forward to some good conversation!!

 

[hart24601]

If you have not bought a skimmer look at bulk reef supply Black Friday vertex sales. I got an omega 180i and it's amazing. Right now it's almost $200 off. The 150 would probably be fine too for a 120, and at that price you won't find a better skimmer during the sale.

I have pics of it on my build thread if your interested.

 

[Baseman422]

Thanks, I will check not out!!

 

[Tuffloud1]

I have a 120 gallon system total (90 gallon DT, 30 gallon sump/refugium) Sps dominate, would the 180i be overkill or should I just go with the 150? The price right now is not much more to just go with the 180i. BRS said I would need a high bio load for the 180i to function properly,

 

[hart24601]

That's a good question. I think either one would do well - I am running the 180i in my 65 right now for fun and it works well, clearly it's too big because it doesn't pull skim all the time, but it works better than I thought. Close to the same price I would do the 180, but the 150 would be perfect. If you don't want the skimmer to ever set idle until there is enough waste then go with the 150.

 

[Tuffloud1]

That's a good question. I think either one would do well - I am running the 180i in my 65 right now for fun and it works well, clearly it's too big because it doesn't pull skim all the time, but it works better than I thought. Close to the same price I would do the 180, but the 150 would be perfect. If you don't want the skimmer to ever set idle until there is enough waste then go with the 150.

Ya, I have heard people say you don't want to "overskim". I just don't see how this would be detrimental in an sps tank. I don't believe it is possible for any skimmer to be so incredibly efficient that it removes 100 percent of the nutrients out of the water. That would be amazing. In my mind, I feed the fish and occasionally directly feed the corals. This is when the corals get what they need. Why have excess nutrients be sitting around between feelings? I'd like to have my skimmer get as much as humanly possible out.

Does my way of thinking seem logical?

 

[Tuffloud1]

That's a good question. I think either one would do well - I am running the 180i in my 65 right now for fun and it works well, clearly it's too big because it doesn't pull skim all the time, but it works better than I thought. Close to the same price I would do the 180, but the 150 would be perfect. If you don't want the skimmer to ever set idle until there is enough waste then go with the 150.

Ya, I have heard people say you don't want to "overskim". I just don't see how this would be detrimental in an sps tank. I don't believe it is possible for any skimmer to be so incredibly efficient that it removes 100 percent of the nutrients out of the water. That would be amazing. In my mind, I feed the fish and occasionally directly feed the corals. This is when the corals get what they need. Why have excess nutrients be sitting around between feedings? I'd like to have my skimmer get as much as humanly possible out.

Does my way of thinking seem logical?

 

[hart24601]

It does, I don't think you can overskim, AA has a good article about what all can be removed with skimming and it's approx 30% if I remember right but I don't have that article right now - I didn't love the report, but it wasn't bad.

The only thing is people think their skimmer is broken if it doesn't pull junk constantly and they fiddle with it too much. If you are ok with it being idle after it removes everything it can and after adjustment wait a few days then you are fine. Folks with oversized skimmers adjust them when they have nothing for it to remove, then when the the organics build up the skimmer overflows.

 

[Tuffloud1]

It does, I don't think you can overskim, AA has a good article about what all can be removed with skimming and it's approx 30% if I remember right but I don't have that article right now - I didn't love the report, but it wasn't bad.

The only thing is people think their skimmer is broken if it doesn't pull junk constantly and they fiddle with it too much. If you are ok with it being idle after it removes everything it can and after adjustment wait a few days then you are fine. Folks with oversized skimmers adjust them when they have nothing for it to remove, then when the the organics build up the skimmer overflows.

So I guess the question is, will the 180i be able to pull more out than 150 in a 120 gallon system. My concern with the 180i sitting at idle is for it to "get going" again once it has the amount of nutrients to be pulled, whereas the 150 might be constantly "going" with the dryer foam.

Trying to determine if there would be any physical benefit to the 180i over the 150.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Love the 120 size!
It's a great tank.
Following!
Too much skimmer is never a bad thing.

 

[hart24601]

So I guess the question is, will the 180i be able to pull more out than 150 in a 120 gallon system. My concern with the 180i sitting at idle is for it to "get going" again once it has the amount of nutrients to be pulled, whereas the 150 might be constantly "going" with the dryer foam.

Trying to determine if there would be any physical benefit to the 180i over the 150.

I have not had any problem with it working great on my 65 if that helps at all. I honestly doubt it really matters all that much between the two, they are both really top notch. I went with the 180 because I feed the coral a lot and carbon dose to keep nutrients lows despite all the feedings.

 

[hart24601]

The pics are sideways... but you can see the 180 going strong on the 65. It is not idle very much at all, but like I said I feed lots. I set it 24hr after break in and have not touched it since.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/178581-harts-120-3-4-starfire-expansion-2.html

 

[Tuffloud1]

I just spoke with BRS. They said that the Omega 150 would be a better choice for a 120 gallon medium to heavy stocked system for these reasons:

The 150 is a more efficient skimmer due to the pump being on the outside of the unit which means more contact time.

The 150 is a lot easier to maintain since the pump is on the outside. No total breakdown just to get to the pump.

They also mentioned that they really consider both units very comparable in terms of capability.

 

[hart24601]

Cool beans. I thought they both were stacked over the pump. I don't have much room so needed the pump under the skimmer. Good info.

 

[Tuffloud1]

Ya, I'm sure you can't go wrong with either.

 

[Baseman422]

I feel like I have read somewhere that skimmers size recommendations are usually very genius. (Ex. Skimmer rated at 200 gal tank is actually good for 100) has anyone else heard that?

 

[Tuffloud1]

I feel like I have read somewhere that skimmers size recommendations are usually very genius. (Ex. Skimmer rated at 200 gal tank is actually good for 100) has anyone else heard that?

Sheer genius. Marketing genius that is. Any skimmer will "work". How well is a different story. Why tell it how it is? 1+1=4

 

[Baseman422]

Sheer genius. Marketing genius that is. Any skimmer will "work". How well is a different story. Why tell it how it is? 1+1=4

Yea, lol, prob should have read that before submitting. That was suppose to say generous.

 

[Tuffloud1]

Yea, lol, prob should have read that before submitting. That was suppose to say generous.

Lol! Same difference I guess.