General feedback on 90-gallon setup

[Rob1208]

Hello, fellow reefers!

This is my first reef tank and my first tank in general in about 20 years. I picked this 90-gallon set-up used. The guy I bought it from purchased it from a Hydor rep about 2 years ago. So we're working with a lot of Hydor products. I have 4 older Hydor powerheads running. 1 1150, 2 850's, and 1 600. I have the 2 850's on the left and the others on the right. I have the left and right alternating every three hours (all 4 are on now since I just did a water change). I haven't turned the lights on yet, but I have 2 LED fixtures ready to go. Running a Hydor sump and skimmer.

So, I'm just looking for some feedback. Am I on the right track? Everything seems to be good on the water side of things, after some early ammonia issues.

- Does that seem like enough flow to be alternating?
- How does the aquascape look? Too much? not enough?

I've attached a video for reference. Thanks for taking the time to put my mind at ease and/or point out things I can change.

Cheers!

 

[pshootr]

It sounds to me like you are good to go, unfortunately I was unable to watch the video I'm not sure why probably on my end. It's great that you're getting back into the hobby. As far as the rock work, it's really up to what you are happy with. If you are considering a minimal aquascape, and are concerned about bio, you can use bio balls in your sump or biobricks. I have seen plenty of really nice tanks that have minimal aquascape.

 

[blaxsun]

Unable to watch the video, either (sorry).

 

[Rob1208]

It sounds to me like you are good to go, unfortunately I was unable to watch the video I'm not sure why probably on my end. It's great that you're getting back into the hobby. As far as the rock work, it's really up to what you are happy with. If you are considering a minimal aquascape, and are concerned about bio, you can use bio balls in your sump or biobricks. I have seen plenty of really nice tanks that have minimal aquascape.

Thanks for the feedback. I went back and added the vid as an attachment as well. Hopefully you can see it now.

 

[Rob1208]

Unable to watch the video, either (sorry).

weird. I went back and added it as an attachment... Hit refresh and see if the attachment works

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks for the feedback. I went back and added the vid as an attachment as well. Hopefully you can see it now.

I can now, thanks! (it's a browser/Mac thing) I love peninsula tanks. I like the mix of live and dry rock - even though in six months time you probably won't be able to tell the difference. Rockscaping looks good - lots of caves, tunnels, ledges and crevices for fish to explore, hide, sleep, etc.

It's hard to tell with the flow, but it looks like you have enough powerheads and your return flow is split (always a good idea). Once you get some corals in there it will be a bit easier to tell - or will this be fish-only?

 

[Rob1208]

I can now, thanks! (it's a browser/Mac thing) I love peninsula tanks. I like the mix of live and dry rock - even though in six months time you probably won't be able to tell the difference. Rockscaping looks good - lots of caves, tunnels, ledges and crevices for fish to explore, hide, sleep, etc.

It's hard to tell with the flow, but it looks like you have enough powerheads and your return flow is split (always a good idea). Once you get some corals in there it will be a bit easier to tell - or will this be fish-only?

Thanks! I was going for a good mix of hiding places and surface areas for corals. Yes, this will be a reef. We're a few months away from the first corals though. I'm following the BRS 5-Minute guide and I'm pretty sure that I am through the nitrogen cycle and headed into the second phase. Do you think it's enough flow and aeration if I alternate the powerheads every 3 hours or should I keep all 4 on? All 4 seems like too much current for the Clowns.

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks! I was going for a good mix of hiding places and surface areas for corals. Yes, this will be a reef. We're a few months away from the first corals though. I'm following the BRS 5-Minute guide and I'm pretty sure that I am through the nitrogen cycle and headed into the second phase. Do you think it's enough flow and aeration if I alternate the powerheads every 3 hours or should I keep all 4 on? All 4 seems like too much current for the Clowns.

Are the powerheads programmable? I tend to have my powerheads provide a slow 10% flow at night, 20-30% at sunrise, ramp up about 60% midday then ramp down to 20% at sunset.

 

[Rob1208]

Are the powerheads programmable? I tend to have my powerheads provide a slow 10% flow at night, 20-30% at sunrise, ramp up about 60% midday then ramp down to 20% at sunset.

These are not. They are several generations behind on the tech. They are plug-and-play. Over time I'd like to upgrade them to something like you're talking about. I haven't done much research on it yet. The setup cost has been pretty steep so that upgrade is down the road a bit. Any recommendations while I plan for that upgrade?

 

[blaxsun]

These are not. They are several generations behind on the tech. They are plug-and-play. Over time I'd like to upgrade them to something like you're talking about. I haven't done much research on it yet. The setup cost has been pretty steep so that upgrade is down the road a bit. Any recommendations while I plan for that upgrade?

Gotcha. When I upgraded to my Red Sea tank I wanted to stick with gyres so I opted for the ReefWave45. I run some other Red Sea gear so it made sense because they use the same app (I'm always trying to consolidate the number of apps I have to run).

I also have a pair of older Maxspect XF330 that run on battery backup but I don't recommend them for a variety of reasons (the magnets aren't really powerful enough for the 3/4" glass, they're not easy to maintain and the design is outdated; I had them and wanted a pair of gyres on battery for power outages hence why they got used).

The EcoTech Vortech pumps (MP40/MP60) are very popular with the wet/dry side, although more expensive. AI makes a Nero 5 that's a bit more reasonably in pricing although it doesn't have quite the same flexibility with maintenance. Beyond that, Sicce and Tunze are solid brands that offer programmable DC pumps. Tunze has a good reputation for quality and most Sicce products come with a 5-year warranty (I use Sicce SDC pumps for my main return, UV sterilizer and a small Sicce Voyager Nano powerhead to augment flow in my sump).