New 75g tank, looking for equipment suggestions

[nunofs]

Hi,

I just picked up my new tank today, a AGA 75g with a megaflow overflow (1" drain, 3/4" return) and drilled back to accomodate a closed-loop (1 drain and 4 returns, 1" bulkheads)... I know just a few weeks ago I was thinking of a 40g breeder, let's just say that a little "household negotiation" went a long way

Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions for most of the equipment for the tank. In the long run I plan on keeping softies, LPS and the less-demanding kinds of SPS. Basically, I don't want to do anything now that will limit my future choices of corals too much. I'm thinking of having a DSB, around 4" of Southdown.

For lights, I don't really want to go with MH because of the heat issues and the fact that I probably won't have a canopy and don't really like the thought of having my kid looking up into a MH lamp... anyway, I'm thinking of going with the Tek T5 HO fixture, 6x54W... running cooler than MH, it should be able to sit much closer to the tank (can be hang like a pendant or stand on short legs)... opinions?

I'm kind of lost regarding pumps (both for sump return and for the closed-loop)... have been reading a bit but it's difficult to filter out the relevant information regarding noise levels, etc... what would you guys consider good pumps (btw, "good" to me in this context means very little noise and low power consumption; $$ is an issue too, of course) for those applications? The sump will sit under the tank, in the stand, so I'm looking at around 3 feet of head. The closed-loop will be done with a OceanMotions 4-way diverter (not sure what model yet, waiting to see final specs for the new one).

For the skimmer, I'm considering getting the EuroReef ES5-3 or the AquaC EV120, but it's not set in stone, also looking for recommendations here.

If you have suggestions for other pieces of equipment, please share them as well.

Thanks,
Nuno

 

[Daragon]

I have a T5 (6x54) set up and I'm very happy with it. Everything is growing like crazy, zoanthids, mushrooms, softies, LPS, including some SPS's. I'm also getting some great colors. You won't be dissapointed. All this with very little heat.

You can't go wrong with a Euro-Reef. When I upgraded to the Euro-Reef, I couldn't believe the difference in all the crap it was pulling out of the water.

 

[Clam Man]

t5 run cooler than mh not from what i have seen you will still have to run fans
you can keep anything under mh if you are planing for the future go with mh not a light that has limits

 

[dedfish]

Nice! Congrats on the tank upgrade!

 

[Tstone]

T5 would do well for what you describe as your choice in livestock. However you may still be limited but I think you can make it work.

Euro reef or ASM for a skimmer.

Hard to beat Mag pumps. With the Ocean Motion I would go with a Mag 12 if your putting under the stand.
For the return pump you could do a Mag 5 or Mag 7.

Just thought of another route. Go with a Mag 24 and plumb both the return and closed loop off that pump. Put ball valves to adjust flow rate to each line.

 

[Groove]

Good to see more people local to me. Sounds like you got hooked. I have a EuroReef and like it. I saved money by buying a "blem" unit from them directly. I couldn't find a scratch on it anywhere when it arrived. I'm on the Billerica line in Tewksbury. I don't have much time for the boards right now as I have a 3 1/2 month old son. The tank and boards are taking a sideline for the moment. I have to say though that my son loves the tank!

 

[wrassefan]

If you ever looked up into a T5 fixture, your are just as blinded by the light as with a MH. T5s run hot also but if you are hanging the fixture like a pendent, then you might not need a fan. Bulbs should last longer than MH. The only issue might be if you want to keep light demanding corals or clams on the sand bottom. T5s won't penetrate as low...MH will.

 

[littlep93056]

The light i'm selling is 440 vho & 3-175 MH I'm thinking of removing the 175's to sell seperate 440 on a 75 gal gives you 5.86 watts per gallon my 75 did well with it.

 

[nunofs]

Thanks for all the info so far, please keep it coming! I'll try to address the issues that were brought up in the meanwhile:

It seems there is a pretty good consensus regarding the Euro-Reef skimmer, so that helps me narrow down my choices in that area.

I knew the choice of lights would be more controversial (it's controversial even for myself, as I still get the feeling that I'm compromising or losing something by going with T5s)... my reasoning is that the tank is relatively shallow (20"), and having a DSB will make the bottom a little closer to the lights (by making the effective depth around 16")... that coupled with the hope that I'll be able to have the T5s closer to the tank than MHs, it might work out ok... at least that's what I keep telling myself

Btw, when I said that "I don't really like the thought of having my kid looking up into a MH lamp", I was referring not only to the brightness but also to the UV issues, which I don't think are a problem with T5s -- but correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, regarding the heat issue, I plan on running fans (I believe the fixture I have in mind has built in fans)... actually, I'm already running fans on my smaller setup which uses 130W of CF, so that's not a problem... what I want to avoid is having MH raise the temperature so much that I'd be forced into getting a chiller. That's the line for me.

Regarding the pumps... Tstone, I read somewhere that the Mags don't last very long because they run very hot... have you had any bad experiences with them?

Groove, I have a 2 year old myself, with a little brother/sister on the way My son also loves to watch the tanks... he actually pulls up his little chair and sits in front of the tanks for a while (ok, only a couple of minutes at a time, which is not too bad given their short attention span)... that's what brought my comment of not having him staring into the lights, since he looks up from a lower height.

Thanks,
Nuno

 

[NateHanson]

Regarding the blinding lights, UV isn't a problem with MH. The glass shroud that surrounds all SE bulbs absorbs UV rays. With DE bulbs, a tempered glass plate is used to block UV rays. I don't know whether t5s emit UV.

I think the issue is more one of comfort. UV or no UV, it's no fun to stare into 400 watts of retina scalding brilliance. If the lights are suspended, you can put a "skirt" around the top edge of the tank, extending up a few inches to block the glare from viewers' eyes, or you could just put your lights in a canopy.

Nate

 

[Groove]

With DE bulbs, a tempered glass plate is used to block UV rays.

I'm not sure about this. I have a Giesemenn light that busted its shield and it broke into long shards of glass instead of a million pieces. I can tell you that the day it broke, my corals under that light got fried! It's been over a month and a few are clinging to life and others no rubble in my refugium.

 

[nunofs]

Any other suggestions for the pumps (sump return and closed-loop)? That is what's giving me more trouble right now... the idea is to go with something that's quiet and efficient but I'm having a hard time deciding on specific brands/models. Care to share what you guys are using and your experiences with them?

Thanks,
Nuno

 

[Scuba_Dave]

For a skimmer, bigger is better. Get one capable of handling the 180g you WILL eventually upgrade to

 

[Tstone]

Nunofs
I have used a lot of theMag pumps and have sold a bunch over the last few years. Great pump. I used a mag 5 for a 13 g nano that had a 250 watt MH with out any heat issues.
Pump is still going strong

 

[PenMan]

We have a 72 bow set up as softie tank. You are welcome to come over after Macna to check it out. We are running VHO on the tank Euro-reef 6-2+ and Mag 7 along with a RIO high flow unit.

 

[PenMan]

We have a 72 bow set up as softie tank. You are welcome to come over after Macna to check it out. We are running VHO on the tank Euro-reef 6-2+ and Mag 7 along with a RIO high flow unit.

 

[nunofs]

We have a 72 bow set up as softie tank. You are welcome to come over after Macna to check it out. We are running VHO on the tank Euro-reef 6-2+ and Mag 7 along with a RIO high flow unit.

Thank you, I think I'll take you up on the offer... I'll PM you after the weekend.

Nuno

 

[Alex]

Get a Tunze Osmulator. It may be the best thing I bought for my 75. I currently have 4x110W VHO's on my tank and the softys and montipora's that I had grew like weeds. Of course I'm going to upgrade it to include Halides but that is because I want to start to keep some of the light craving acros.

 

[Groove]

Nunofs
I have used a lot of the Mag pumps and have sold a bunch over the last few years. Great pump.

I have several Mag pumps, one of which I bought from Tstone, and have to say that they are a pretty good pump for the money. I've have one that's been running for 5 years without any problems in fact. I have noticed they seem to drop in performance slightly after the first week in use, but I like them.

From my research, I've been wanting to try a Gorman Rupp (GRI) pump and haven't done it yet. They are pricey and you mentioned money is an issue. They seem to be efficient and quiet and can run dry for a while without dammage.

 

[nunofs]

Adw, if I understand it correctly, the Osmolator is a device to keep the water level stable (controlling/automating top-offs), right? How do you hook it up, to a storage container, or to a RO/DI unit?

Groove and TStone, thanks for the pump recommendations, I'm going to put the Mags back on my list again... I had read some bad things about them (heat, not suitable for use as external, etc), but I guess one mostly comes across the negative reports, there's probably a lot of people out there who, like you guys, are happy with them.

Thanks,
Nuno