I've been researching for a while now and I'm in the planning/purchasing stage of putting together at 175 gallon reef tank (60x30x24) with a 75 gallon sump/refugium. I want to sanity check everything that I'm planning so far to make sure I'm not missing something crucial.
My end goal is to have a mixed reef tank in a few years built as function over form - with the exception of some fancy fish, namely a reef safe eel, maybe a lion. I know there are a million opinions out there on everything, so I'm sure I'll get some about not ever having either of those species in a reef tank, and I plan to be careful and only put those "with caution" species in at the right time when the tank can support, no one will be small enough to get eaten, etc. I plan on not going overboard on fish - I want them to have as much room as possible and will be very careful in choosing those that won't outgrow the tank.
Right now I would like feedback on the total setup of the system, if you guys would be so kind.
My plan right now is for the 175 DT with about 1lb/gal of reef saver dry rock stacked to maximize hideaways. I want a shallow sand bed or no sand bed, haven't decided yet. The sump is a 75 gallon aqueon tank, the one for $99 right now at Petco. I'm going to set it up with at least half of it as the refugium, deep fine sand bed with chaeto. Return chamber in the middle, with a skimmer on the other side in its own chamber (I'm aware of the requirements for constant water level and a good area for the return so the water level doesn't constantly change). Building my own overly redundantly safe ATO system, namely because I have an automated home brewery set up already that I'm going to use the existing software to program the ATO. Also incorporating a semi-auto water change system that I can run on command for a particular volume, all controlled through that software.
For the sump, I plan on plumbing the overflow return to run to both sides of the sump, one end to feed the fuge and one to feed the skimmer, and plan on tuning each flow with gates, and the return in the middle. I want to make the fuge chamber wall near the top of the tank, with a rough screen to hold back the macroalgae but let pods through to be sent back to the tank once it's well established.
Display tank will have two xf350 gyres, and the return pump is a sicce syncra sdc 6.0. Skimmer is a skimz sv227. Lighting will be slowly upgraded to three kessil tuna blue's, as the corals demand. Also plan on dosing once that becomes a requirement.
On the sand bed - I am bouncing between bare bottom and shallow in the display tank, and I'm leaning toward having a shallow one to allow for a wrasse and/or goby.
The main thing I want to make sure of is functionality - I want to create as much of an ecosystem as I can, and get to the point of less maintenance/intervention from achieving a symbiotic system. Function-driven clean up crew, fish, etc.
Thoughts?
My end goal is to have a mixed reef tank in a few years built as function over form - with the exception of some fancy fish, namely a reef safe eel, maybe a lion. I know there are a million opinions out there on everything, so I'm sure I'll get some about not ever having either of those species in a reef tank, and I plan to be careful and only put those "with caution" species in at the right time when the tank can support, no one will be small enough to get eaten, etc. I plan on not going overboard on fish - I want them to have as much room as possible and will be very careful in choosing those that won't outgrow the tank.
Right now I would like feedback on the total setup of the system, if you guys would be so kind.
My plan right now is for the 175 DT with about 1lb/gal of reef saver dry rock stacked to maximize hideaways. I want a shallow sand bed or no sand bed, haven't decided yet. The sump is a 75 gallon aqueon tank, the one for $99 right now at Petco. I'm going to set it up with at least half of it as the refugium, deep fine sand bed with chaeto. Return chamber in the middle, with a skimmer on the other side in its own chamber (I'm aware of the requirements for constant water level and a good area for the return so the water level doesn't constantly change). Building my own overly redundantly safe ATO system, namely because I have an automated home brewery set up already that I'm going to use the existing software to program the ATO. Also incorporating a semi-auto water change system that I can run on command for a particular volume, all controlled through that software.
For the sump, I plan on plumbing the overflow return to run to both sides of the sump, one end to feed the fuge and one to feed the skimmer, and plan on tuning each flow with gates, and the return in the middle. I want to make the fuge chamber wall near the top of the tank, with a rough screen to hold back the macroalgae but let pods through to be sent back to the tank once it's well established.
Display tank will have two xf350 gyres, and the return pump is a sicce syncra sdc 6.0. Skimmer is a skimz sv227. Lighting will be slowly upgraded to three kessil tuna blue's, as the corals demand. Also plan on dosing once that becomes a requirement.
On the sand bed - I am bouncing between bare bottom and shallow in the display tank, and I'm leaning toward having a shallow one to allow for a wrasse and/or goby.
The main thing I want to make sure of is functionality - I want to create as much of an ecosystem as I can, and get to the point of less maintenance/intervention from achieving a symbiotic system. Function-driven clean up crew, fish, etc.
Thoughts?
