I really could advise

[Romeo Kilo]

Just before the governor declared a state of no shenanigans, my local pet supply has loaded my ProStar 230 onto the delivery truck (where it remains). I have never had a saltwater tank before and I wanted a reef with corals to replace the television I don't ever watch. I do not have any specifics on the tank I bought, the Fish manager, Steve was supposed to e-mail me a PDF from the Mfgr, I expect this is delayed as well. I do not have the experience to know the inches, gph's and watts i should be looking for, other than ballparks. What equipment would you all recommend I look at and what would y'all say I should run from? What order should I buy in as I will be piecing this together over time as I blew the entire budget on the tank and stand, It was amazing. Thanks in advance.

 

[Water Dog]

Without knowing the general size of your tank, as in how many gallons and well as an estimation on its dimensions, it’ll be next to impossible to give you any meaningful advice specific to the tank.

*Edit - Don’t know how I missed it but just saw the Prostar 230 in the begging of your post and looked up the stats... nice first tank!

Tank stats...

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/7083/?pcatid=7083

 

[Romeo Kilo]

Without knowing the general size of your tank, as in how many gallons and well as an estimation on its dimensions, it’ll be next to impossible to give you any meaningful advice specific to the tank.

*Edit - Don’t know how I missed it but just saw the Prostar 230 in the begging of your post and looked up the stats... nice first tank!

Tank stats...

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/7083/?pcatid=7083

Thanks, it's a very good looking tank. Does a 725 gallon per hour return pump sound right? I feel like people seem to be above that in general from what I have read.

 

[Water Dog]

725 gph would give you about 3X turnover for your 230 gallon tank. I try to aim for around 3 to 5X turnover, so you’d be at the lower end of that. Remember though, the 725 gph is what you want from the sump up to the tank, so you need to factor in head loss, thus the pump needs to be rated for much more than 725 gph.

When considering return pumps, are you looking for a fixed speed AC pump that you can reduce the flow through the use of a valve or are you looking a DC pump, where the pump speed can be adjusted via a controller? Do you know how much you’d like to spend for a return pump?

 

[Florida Sunshine]

•Recommended Return Pump Flow Rate: Up to 725gph.

Since they recommend that as the max I wouldn't go higher unless you are pushing the water from a different room or downstairs or something like that. Or you could possibly change the plumbing and add additional returns or something and that might work. I would wait for the plumbing gurus to speak up about doing that.
We generally want more flow than that in the tank, but not necessarily from the return pump. You can add lots and lots of extra flow by adding power heads or a separate pump running a manifold.

 

[Water Dog]

Just to drive home the point of the importance of calculating for head loss and the need to oversize your return pump appropriately if you want to actually get 725 gph up to your tank, here’s a thread discussing how an Ecotech Vectra S1, rated at 1400 gph is only pushing 250 gph at 100% up a 160 gallon Reefer 525.

Apex reporting return flow at 250gph with a Vectra S1 return pump

So are these Vecta pumps extremely over rated or do the flow meters restrict flow by a fair amount? I just setup my new Vectra S1 with a 1in flow meter on a reefer525 and apex is reporting a max GPH of 252... This flow report on a 140gal tank is causing me concern. I've adjusted the FMM to...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Romeo Kilo]

I was definitely not looking at the Abyzz pumps to start. As for how much I'd like to spend, i suppose it really doesn't matter, if I have to pick up extra at work I will. I really didn't do myself any favors by spend my whole budget or most of it. I think I'm leaning toward an AC pump for now to keep it simple, the cost looks comparable. Do you think I should double the 725 estimate, triple it?

 

[Water Dog]

For an AC pump, I’d look at something like a Fluval SP4 or a Sicce ADV 7.0. Howeber, I like to oversize things to be safe, so if it were me, I’d go with a Sicce ADV 9.0 and use a valve should I need to dial it down a bit.

I will note however, that the Sicce ADV pumps use these annoying pointy silicone bumpers for feet. Unsupported, it makes the pump top heavy with a tendency to tip over towards the pump’s input. This problem is solved by ordering suction cup feet from Tunze as I did for my ADV 5.5.

4 suction cups + 2 hose supports - Tunze

Hi-Tech für Aquaristik

www.tunze.com

 

[Pickwun]

I'm spreading my build over several months at a rate of $100-200 per month. Here's my schedule:
1) I've already got the tank, sump, and plumbing which is coincidentally right where you are.
2) This payday- 40lbs dry rock and a tub of eMarco cement
3) April - new RO/DI unit
4) May - ATO
5) June - Return pump and heater
6) July - IceCap gyre pump
My logic: get the tank set up and aquascaped first; in early May I'll add water and get it cycling with a MaxiJet pump I already have; get the ATO in to control evaporation; upgrade the pump and heater to get ready; work out the flow with the IceCap. By that time the chemistry should be pretty stable so in August I can add a couple of animals.

 

[Romeo Kilo]

Ive already ordered a 5 stage RO/DI due in on Friday. The tank comes with a sump and ATO, but I can find next to no info on either of these. The Manufacturer has changed many things from Version 1 to Version 2 at a $700 price increase. So I don't know what to expect, it may come with plumbing supplies or it may not. Could be metric or Imperial. I await a PDF to the system specifics from the store.

 

[Romeo Kilo]

For an AC pump, I’d look at something like a Fluval SP4 or a Sicce ADV 7.0. Howeber, I like to oversize things to be safe, so if it were me, I’d go with a Sicce ADV 9.0 and use a valve should I need to dial it down a bit.

I will note however, that the Sicce ADV pumps use these annoying pointy silicone bumpers for feet. Unsupported, it makes the pump top heavy with a tendency to tip over towards the pump’s input. This problem is solved by ordering suction cup feet from Tunze as I did for my ADV 5.5.

4 suction cups + 2 hose supports - Tunze

Hi-Tech für Aquaristik

www.tunze.com

Thanks for the tip on the suction cups. Is there a down side to the 7.0 instead of the 9.0, it uses almost half the electricity and if I have to block the surplus flow of the 9.0 with a $30 ball valve, does that shorten the life of the pump?

 

[Crustaceon]

If you’re only doing 40lbs of dry rock, you might as well design and assemble the aquascape outside of the tank right now. I would get a large rubbermaid container, fill it with water, do your cycle in there and soak your completed rock sculpture for the next few months. By the time you’re ready to fill your tank, you’ll have decently cured rock ready to go into it which will save you months on establishing stability in your system. I’d focus on getting some scripps water, borrowing a heater and getting that rock done and soaking in bacteria soup asap.

 

[Water Dog]

Thanks for the tip on the suction cups. Is there a down side to the 7.0 instead of the 9.0, it uses almost half the electricity and if I have to block the surplus flow of the 9.0 with a $30 ball valve, does that shorten the life of the pump?

No, just make sure you valve back the output, do not restrict the input. Also, the nice thing about AC pumps is that if you valve it back, it will draw less wattage for a savings in electricity.