Tank and stand suggestion for Triton method

[aaron186]

I have been out of the hobby for about 8 months due to moving. I want to get back into it. I just moved into a pretty modern condo and I need something to match the aesthetic of the living room. The Red Sea Reefer 350 or 450 in piano white would be perfect but I think there are some big limitations to it for my needs.

My biggest issue is that while I have room for a decently sized tank in my condo, I do not have space for water changes short of a 5 gallon bucket. Previously this would limit me a 40 breeder style tank doing a 5 gal water change each week, which is what I ran in my old apartment. I just did a bunch of reading about the triton method and I am really intrigued. I think the lack of required frequent water changes would allow me to have a much larger tank.

I was hoping someone could give me some tank/stand suggestions that would fit my needs. I think the Red Sea Reefers, while visually perfect have some major limitations in the sump design for running triton. Ideally I want something that I can use one of the new trigger triton sumps in. I also want a tank that is rimless with the crystal clear glass like Red Sea offers. Lastly the stand needs to be high and in a modern design with the piano white finish to match the rest of my house. Is there a way to fit a trigger sump in the Red Sea? I also would like something that will allow me to hide a fairly large top off tank inside the stand if possible - I think the Red Sea ones are way too small. My budget is fairly large but I don't want to spend more than I have to.

 

[hijinks7]

The tank size doesn't matter at all. The Triton method is really all in the sump. It basically comes down to you need 10-20% of your water volume dedicated to a refugium that has like cheato in it. The next compartment can be your skimmer and the 3rd is your return. The larger the % for your refugium the better.

I run a 75gal sump for a 120g tank and around 40g of that is for the refugium.

When I did the math, the larger the tank the better the economics works out in your favor for the Triton method. I only send maybe 3 tests back a year since my stock doesn't change that much now and its pretty much running on its own and I know what to dose and when to do it.

What I found helped a lot was spend money on your refugium light. I now run the kessil 380 there and my water is so much better and almost no algae in the DT anymore since switching to it.

 

[aaron186]

Yes I realize the sump is the main part of the triton. My question was basically asking how to get a Red Sea appearing tank that I can run a triton style sump inside. The sump that comes with the Red Sea reefer wont work. So I need a suggestion for a different tank that looks like the Red Sea that I can put my own sump into, or a way to modify the Red Sea to use the sump I want

 

[hijinks7]

Sounds like you like the rimless look then.. Take a look at http://www.glasscages.com

They have some good prices for rimless aquariums.

 

[KJoFan]

Maybe take a look at SC Aquariums. A lot of size and rimless options there for decent prices. I just purchased my second SCA tank, a 150g eurobraced and will run a Trigger Triton44 under it.

 

[aaron186]

Thanks sca tanks look good. I’m not seeing any of the modern style white stands though from them. Unfortunately I don’t have the space to paint or stain an oak stand living in an apt

 

[eenoo]

Id recommend looking into custom work if you can afford it. At least for the stand. Purchase a nice filled a starfire tank with an overflow and higher a cabinet maker to build the stand. Anu decent furniture builder should be able to build a furniture grade stand however you'd like

 

[KJoFan]

Thanks sca tanks look good. I’m not seeing any of the modern style white stands though from them. Unfortunately I don’t have the space to paint or stain an oak stand living in an apt

Steve Chow is basically their customer service, if you reach out to him (via their contact info on the website) you can basically get anything you want made. You can get the tank custom sized and drilled, and inquire about custom cabinets as well. I should have added that to my original post but failed to do so. It might be worth contacting him just to see what your options are, he's real easy to work with and tries to accommodate your requests.

 

[Smprc]

Hello, just thought I would throw in my 2 cents. I recently received my tank and stand from Crystal Dynamics. They should be able to do what you need. These are custom tanks so expect the price point to be adjusted accordingly. Contact them speak to Zoya. Here is my tank and stand. One great thing...stainless steal stand. The picture on their website is actually my stand. Let me know if you consider them...I'll share with you some caveats.