600 gal Reff tank Build-up

Jose Pablo · Sep 6, 2018

So I am starting a 600gal tank, My plan is to make it a heavy fish stocked and heavy mixed reef tank (mainly sps and lps).

Right now as far as filtration goes I only have rock and sand So I want to get as much advice as I can regarding filtration, so that I get it done at the first shot. (Fingers crossed)

In regards to flow, I have :

2 x Maxpect Gyre 250 at the back of the tank.
2 x Maxpect Gyre 250 at the two back corners mounted Veritcally at the top.
4 x mp 60 at the 2 at each side.
3 x Vectra L1 working as return Pumps

Lighting : I thought about 8 Radion xr30w Pro running at around a 80% with the diffusers. Any other recommendation ??

I plan to keerp an achilles tang, that is why I am trying that "too much flow" approach.

I have around 250 gal of sump placed on the room next to the tank. I also happen to have a lot of space on that room, So you can recommend external stuff as well as in sump.

I would like to get as much recommendations as possible!

The picture attached is of day 1.
Pd: What do yous think about the aquascape, please be as honest as possible. The Idea is to place table acros in the gaps between Rocks.

starypotter · Sep 6, 2018

Wow that's a massive system, what are the dimensions of the display?
It looks like the rock structures are a bit far back in the tank but it's hard to tell from one picture, particularly the structure on the right. You'll want to make sure that you're able to have access back there to be able to reach and pick up any frags or things that will inevitably fall behind your rocks. I might even consider angling the one on the right so it looks more like a corner setup with how far back it seems but again it could just be some funky camera angles at work and just one person's opinion. Can you post others of the scape so we can get a better feel for the depth and whatnot?
I can't really help much in terms of other equipment but the pros will be around shortly!

Simplicity Aquatics · Sep 6, 2018

I like the aquascaping on the left and right, but the center piece looks too man made for my taste. Perhaps you can extend the right one down with a slope towards the left, will leave some asymmetry and give you a nice long slope to stick corals.

IMO you have way more than a slight overkill in flow. You will just end up with more clutter and time fussing with all of that yet run them all at low percentages. You don't stand a chance at keeping the sand on the bottom with that pump lineup. Also 3x L1 returns are excessive too, you'll probably end up with microbubbles with that much flow through the sump. Perhaps you can run 2 and have the 3rd as a spare.

jda · Sep 6, 2018

Your fish will appreciate the 'scape more if you just stack the rocks up. The arches and caves are for the Humans, not the fish.

That is plenty of flow for an Achilles. The rest of your fish might not like it much. I have had a few achilles, and they were fine as long as I kept them well fed.

Edit: large tabling acropora get heavy and can tip over with lots of flow. Make sure that the rocks that you mount them on are large and secure.