Custom New Aquarium Design ?

[Craig Skinner]

Pat, I'd love to to have a 6 foot tank but space is an issue and at L48" x W 30"X H 24 that's 150 gallons + 30 to 40 gallons for the sump and all the plumbing, an almost 200 gallon system will be enough for a new comer to start with at least for me! Someday I hope to have a 300 to 500 gallon tank but those dimensions are what dreams are made of but dreaming is fun!!

 

[Craig Skinner]

Okay guy's here's a question I have that you might help me out with.

I'm thinking/planning on using a GHL 4 pump dosing pump using the 4 part Triton supplement produce.

If I am going to use a dosing system do I still need a calcium reactor???

I'm confused?

 

[Craig Skinner]

Also is having a Refugium in a sump a good way to go? Is it necessary for increased reef success?

Craig..

 

[GoVols]

Okay guy's here's a question I have that you might help me out with.

I'm thinking/planning on using a GHL 4 pump dosing pump using the 4 part Triton supplement produce.

If I am going to use a dosing system do I still need a calcium reactor???

I'm confused?

Craig,
You will not need a calcium reactor.

 

[GoVols]

Also is having a Refugium in a sump a good way to go? Is it necessary for increased reef success?

Craig..

Craig,
If I had the room I would run a Refugium, to help with phos. and nitrates.
If your going to use the Triton method then a fuge is the way to go but you still need a protein skimmer to do it's job too.

@justingraham @Jason mack
Can you guys help Craig understand what the Triton method is and what it does.

He's been out of the hobby for along time and just coming back into the hobby.
He doing it the right way and doing all the research that the can.

Freddie

 

[justingraham]

Okay guy's here's a question I have that you might help me out with.

I'm thinking/planning on using a GHL 4 pump dosing pump using the 4 part Triton supplement produce.

If I am going to use a dosing system do I still need a calcium reactor???

I'm confused?

I didn't read everything but I scrolled up and saw this and the tank size

Right away no u should be fine but when there comes a point that U are dosing crazy amounts of the core products U might need a calcium reactor. But that's like four years away if ur the best sps grower on the planet

If ur doing the triton method the full triton method u need a refugium and a great skimmer.

Any more questions just ask be glad to help.
If u are starting fresh brand new everything depending on what ur starting out with and how fast u want to stock it with sps also has a factor on what I would do.

I love triton I think it was one of the reasons I was able to go away for two weeks and come back with nothing wrong in my tank besides some cleaning to be done. But don't do it because everyone else is. I spent a lot of time reading and understanding how the system worked not only this system but af and zeovit I read every manual talked to people using it read the good and bad stories about the system(read d2marini new thread he didn't have a good go at triton might even be scary enough to shy some people away from triton I know I was like am I doing the right decision) before I made the decision to go the way I did.

Triton is recomended for mature tanks (mine isn't) but know that as well.

I think u should read read read about triton and any questions u have after I will gladly answer but it shouldn't be something like I saw brs is doing the method or o no water changes so I'm a do this. Because that's not a good reason although I do enjoy that second one. Because just with everything there is a trade off. I test my alk everyday at the same time. So there is that expense now.

Go to the triton members page and everything to read I beleive is either on the first page or stickyed. Better to find out everything now before there is water in the tank.

Justin

 

[GoVols]

Craig,
If your old school and want to run a calcium reactor, then you need to watch and soak up these video's.
Also, Look into the new GEO 2 stage cal reactor.

This is the way that @hybridazn runs his cal reactor, and it's brilliant.

1) No more bubble counting and clogging
2) Less parts that we used to think we needed, that can break.
3) Higher melting point, that should give you a higher ph back to the main display.

The second video shows his flow rate.


Freddie

 

[Jason mack]

I agree totally with Justin .. read read read .. but saying that i chose triton other methods for 2 reasons .. first I don't have a large sump or 10% of total volume for a refugium..and second I was amazed at the results I'd seen in other tanks using triton and their testing facilities and analysis of water and there after advice for correcting it ..it's certainly helped me understand my water and put me on the right path to a healthy reef .. ( I understand obviously that light and flow and placement are also involved) ..I also have mine on a dosing pump currently dosing 1 ml x 8 a day .. and it works great ..I have an oversized skimmer on my tank , my nitrates are 2-2.5 ( trying too raise it a bit ) phos 0.05 ... and I'm struggling too keep the numbers up not down ..

 

[GoVols]

@justingraham @Jason mack

Thank You!!!

 

[justingraham]

I agree totally with Justin .. read read read .. but saying that i chose triton other methods for 2 reasons .. first I don't have a large sump or 10% of total volume for a refugium..and second I was amazed at the results I'd seen in other tanks using triton and their testing facilities and analysis of water and there after advice for correcting it ..it's certainly helped me understand my water and put me on the right path to a healthy reef .. ( I understand obviously that light and flow and placement are also involved) ..I also have mine on a dosing pump currently dosing 1 ml x 8 a day .. and it works great ..

Im using other methods right now as well I didn't have the best macro algea game when I started and the d2marini tank scared me so I am doing two bottles of other methods while my macro game gets going I think I'm good now (I have dragons breath grape caulpra gha red macro mangrove and good old fashioned cheto also have a couple sponges and possibly cyno) I'm glad I started out with the other methods and when this round of bottles is empty I'm on to the full triton method.

I was up to 22 ml a day (I was juicing my ph up in the 8.5-8.6) but I'm back to 16 ml a day and I have had nothing but growth truly lucky.

 

[justingraham]

Tough to get a good photo with a kessil 350w as the light but this is my fuge and I'm happy with it my algea is dense man it weighs so much

 

[GoVols]

Tough to get a good photo with a kessil

 

[justingraham]

The light bounces right back into the camera all u see is a blueish ten inch circle
Prolly my fault for being the only idiot to use a light like that to grow algea I mean before this was a hydra 26 so I guess I just have a big piece of my heart to see algea thrive in my refugium

 

[justingraham]

Hey op quickly read ur thread

Here's my thoughts
Buy my apex so I can get a ghl.
Or u just get a ghl I prefer the first but whatever

Get two overflows drilled unless u want to run something like I do with sea swirls. Take a look at my thread it's somewhere on this website or the video in my signature.

We would basically have the same dimensions that matter so I would be a good person to copy if you like what I have done

 

[justingraham]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-90-gallon-tank-journey.292123/page-8#post-3933140
My thread I recomend getting popcorn and ur favorite beverage because well it's a good read ain't it @GoVols and u will laugh and cry and possibly pee urself depends how bad u have to go to the bathroom.

I would not do anything different on my tank except maby use a diffent material for my canopy but other then that nothing so read thru it and take notes if you like it

 

[GoVols]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-90-gallon-tank-journey.292123/page-8#post-3933140
My thread I recomend getting popcorn and ur favorite beverage because well it's a good read ain't it @GoVols and u will laugh and cry and possibly pee urself depends how bad u have to go to the bathroom.

I would not do anything different on my tank except maby use a diffent material for my canopy but other then that nothing so read thru it and take notes if you like it

Go to post #30

"Nailed It" (Picture)

 

[Craig Skinner]

Thanks everyone! Read all your posts,just got off work and my brain is to tired to respond back right away "sucks getting old! Lol/not!

Will return when I feel human again!

Craig...

 

[Craig Skinner]

Hi guy's!
Haven't had a lot of time on my hands because of my work but I have been able to read a few of the Triton threads and found them very interesting and informative for sure!

There's a ton to learn about this method and it seems that it is geared more towards a reefer with a mature reef tank as mentioned above by Justin.

I was able to go to the library and take out the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Renner and a few others and will begin reading them today, they look like a good source of learning for me, some basic and some advanced techniques that I sure do need to learn to be more informed and to be able to ask you members more informed questions!

I do have a wish list of equipment I have tentatively chosen for my future build and would like your opinions on them for sure!

Oh and by the way Justin I just can't buy your Apex, sorry this new reefer is going GHL!! Lol!

Well thanks again for all your responses and GoVol I will get to those Ca Reactor video's todat and get back to you.

Craig...

 

[Craig Skinner]

Well watched those video's GoVol, read Fenners book for 4 hrs today, watched some brs calc & alk and reactor video's, brs dosing video's + read a lot of Justin's 90 gallon build thread. My brain hurts, lol!

A 2 stage calcium reactor is one sweet looking piece of equipment, I'd love to own one and implement it in my reef system in the future!

I don't believe I will need one for quite some time though, maybe 2 to 4 years out when my tank starts to really mature.

There are so many ways to go, not to mention the vast equipment choices available out there, WOW!

I like the idea of having a refugium also + a really good protein skimmer is a absolute must for Me! I was reading Fenners book today and he suggest that ozone coupled with the skimmer is in his opinion a must have. Have to read more about ozone and redox to figure that out.

I'm still going to get the GHL dosing pump system and needed reservoirs to go along with my P4 but I think I will start out manual hand dosing and maybe kalkwasser dosing to until I learn more about my water chemistry and the needs of my tank.

I saw another cool piece of equipment I want to ask you guy's about that I saw on a BRS video today but I have to go look at it again and get it's name, I'll get back to you on that shortly.

Thoughts on the above guy's?

Thanks!
Craig...

 

[justingraham]

Whatever u do make it so u enjoy doing it. I enjoy everything I put on my tank yesterday I looked at my fuge for an hour at all the weirdness in there. If u enjoy it it will be easy to keep clean and succeed in the hobby.

Calcium reacators are great but if ur not using up 1 dkh a day they aren't worth the cost. In my opinion of course.

Have fun it is a hobby