Opinions needed for 58 gallon reef ready setup

[SharkLover]

I'm a new hobbyist and i'm extremely in need of some serious assistance lol.
god did i just sound completely hopeless, well i hope not

For the record, I recently paid for a family membership to brs. My gf and I are new hobbyist looking to start a FOWLR and move to Reef when we're comfortable.


So that brings us the the reason for this thread. Well, I recently bought a 58 gallon reef ready but i'm missing 3 critical components, lights, skimmer, and pumps.

As far as coral, I Must Have pulsing xenia. May the entire tank revolve around my xenia so consider this when recommending lighting. I definitely want T5's but i'm seriously clueless to the different types of T5 which is why I figured i'd just post the coral I wanted to survive the most and build around that.

As far as the Skimmer, I will have a sump/fuge so it will need to be adaquate for a 20g fuge/sump. I'm looking for brand name and cost efficiency. What only produces a 10% increase in quality may not be worth the 150% increase in price.

And finally Pumps, I've got a close loop and a overflow in the reef ready tank. I'll need 2 pumps i'm assuming. The previous owner had originally had a mag 7 and a mag 5. Again, Brand name vs quality cost.


Lets start with those, because I definitely have more questions.. But I wont over do the thread.

Thanks in advance,

-Anthony

 

[Behrmon]

As for the corals, what other types do you plan to/hope to keep?

 

[alpha0r]

I'm a new hobbyist and i'm extremely in need of some serious assistance lol.
god did i just sound completely hopeless, well i hope not

For the record, I recently paid for a family membership to brs. My gf and I are new hobbyist looking to start a FOWLR and move to Reef when we're comfortable.


So that brings us the the reason for this thread. Well, I recently bought a 58 gallon reef ready but i'm missing 3 critical components, lights, skimmer, and pumps.

As far as coral, I Must Have pulsing xenia. May the entire tank revolve around my xenia so consider this when recommending lighting. I definitely want T5's but i'm seriously clueless to the different types of T5 which is why I figured i'd just post the coral I wanted to survive the most and build around that.

I'm not sure about the dimensions of a 58 gallon system. Dimensions would help with lighting suggestions. Also do you plan on having a canopy or do you want an all-in-one fixture?

As far as the Skimmer, I will have a sump/fuge so it will need to be adaquate for a 20g fuge/sump. I'm looking for brand name and cost efficiency. What only produces a 10% increase in quality may not be worth the 150% increase in price.

I would keep an eye on the for sale boards you can normally get a good deal on a used skimmer. Something like a Euroreef 5-3 would be nice. The octopus nw-150 has a good reputation as well.

And finally Pumps, I've got a close loop and a overflow in the reef ready tank. I'll need 2 pumps i'm assuming. The previous owner had originally had a mag 7 and a mag 5. Again, Brand name vs quality cost.

As for the sump, lets talk about flow rate. You want your skimmer section to turn over 3-5X total system volume per hour. And you want your fuge to turn over 10-20X fuge volume per hour depending on what you want to keep in it. You can have a read over this thread and do look at the links given in it.

http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=66928

Discussion of micro-bubbles which can help when designing your sump.
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=66392

FWIW, I would go with something bigger than a 20g for a 58g display. I would also go with an external pump but if you want internal the Mag drives are OK but not great.

As for the closed loop, I would look at a reeflo pump. They are very energy efficient, nearly silent, and quite reliable. The Iwakis are known to be very good pumps but they seriously hog electricity. I would think 20X turnover would be good enough for Xenia although you could go for more and find a low flow spot for the Xenia.

Lets start with those, because I definitely have more questions.. But I wont over do the thread.

Thanks in advance,

-Anthony

No problem. HTH.

 

[Leroy]

Welcome as a paying BRS member on a family plan.
Enjoy the beginning of what will be a rewarding experience and the other experiences to follow. Xenia will be your first choice but as you progress you'll want to test yourself and add some soft coral and you will see many other easy to care for corals that will do well with T5 lighting. Don't skimp on a skimmer. Many here are using what they favor, I myself am using a Euroreef skimmer which I found on BRS that a member was selling, yet used it's performing good and maintained. The previous owners pumps were adequate and the Mag pumps have worked well. I have a Mag pump or 2 withing my systems. Keep an eye out for many sales here and you can Zenia for free from many members, in fact I for one have some free if you ever feel like traveling to Lowell or other members closer to you for a freebie Xenias.
Patience, patience, patience.....nothing happens fast when you'll want to get your tank up and running. Research and read here while your tank is on its cycle and getting established. Ask here cause we were all new to this at one time.

 

[reefsmurf]

Did you buy Mark's setup?

1) Xenia: this stuff CAN be like weed in some tanks. Make sure you have a way to isolate and prune if it takes off.
2) Skimmer: I hate Coralife but they make some cheap ones that seem to work. Octopus are cheap knock offs that can be quite efficient esp when modded. I like the AquaC injection based models if you can afford them due to low level of adjustment required.
3) Eheim is the way to go for pumps. If you can't afford those Aqua Medic Oceanrunners are decent pumps.
4) I'd try to get away with a single pendant/light since the 58" is 36" wide, to save on electricity.

So that brings us the the reason for this thread. Well, I recently bought a 58 gallon reef ready but i'm missing 3 critical components, lights, skimmer, and pumps.

As far as coral, I Must Have pulsing xenia. May the entire tank revolve around my xenia so consider this when recommending lighting. I definitely want T5's but i'm seriously clueless to the different types of T5 which is why I figured i'd just post the coral I wanted to survive the most and build around that.

As far as the Skimmer, I will have a sump/fuge so it will need to be adaquate for a 20g fuge/sump. I'm looking for brand name and cost efficiency. What only produces a 10% increase in quality may not be worth the 150% increase in price.

And finally Pumps, I've got a close loop and a overflow in the reef ready tank. I'll need 2 pumps i'm assuming. The previous owner had originally had a mag 7 and a mag 5. Again, Brand name vs quality cost.


Lets start with those, because I definitely have more questions.. But I wont over do the thread.

Thanks in advance,

-Anthony

 

[SharkLover]

Did you buy Mark's setup?]

hehe Yes.

I'm not sure about the dimensions of a 58 gallon system. Dimensions would help with lighting suggestions. Also do you plan on having a canopy or do you want an all-in-one fixture?

36/18/20 or 36/18/21 hard to tell. Mark probably knows better.
The tank does have a Canopy.

in fact I for one have some free if you ever feel like traveling to Lowell or other members closer to you for a freebie Xenias.
Patience, patience, patience.....nothing h

It'll be awhile maybe 3 weeks ish before the tank is event filled with anything, mark is still helping me with the plumbing portion. But, once its all said and done i'll come a knocking

 

[SharkLover]

As for the corals, what other types do you plan to/hope to keep?

I think my GF wants some Sea lettuce, and red sea fans. I want pulsing xenia.
As for inverts, some wierd blue hermit crab, i forget the name. and I wanted a blood shrimp

I think thats the start of the tank, eventually moving to get a Yellow or blue tang and various fishies.

 

[SharkLover]

FWIW, I would go with something bigger than a 20g for a 58g display.

What would you recommend for a sump size? and why?

I would also go with an external pump but if you want internal the Mag drives are OK but not great.

Can you throw a couple good pump links? and at least 1 bad so i can see for myself why it sux in comparison. ie.. when i'm shopping i can look for the goods

 

[alpha0r]

I would look at using a 30 long. You could also use a 29g if your stand is tall enough to make getting equipment in and out easy. Depending on how your stand is made you could fit upto a 40 breeder but that would leave you no room for other equipment.

I recommend you up the size because a fuge should be at least 20% of the display volume so you need at least 12 gallons of fuge space. You won't be able to fit a 12g fuge, skimmer, return pump, and enough space for overflow in a 20g tank. A bigger sump will also extend the distance between the pump and skimmer/drain pipe which should help with micro-bubbles.

I think most of us look at few things in a pump like price, energy efficiency, noise, durability, and heat. You can easily find the price and energy efficiency (total gph/maximum wattage) online but there are no standards for the other qualifications. You must ask around and of course there will be trade offs. For example, Mag pumps are inexpensive, moderately quite, and dependable (IMHO) but they burn lots of juice and add a ton of heat. Reeflo and Ehnim pumps excel at every category but they cost more. Japanese made Iwakis are quite and super reliable but burn lots of juice and cost a lot. Panworld pumps cost less but can be loud.

 

[snick1734]

We used to have a 58 gal tank. Look at our previous threads and you will see pictures of our setup and threads on the equipment we used.
We built our own stand and had a floating canopy. We planed on keeping softies, LPS and SPS so we had VHO lighting and 1 MH light. For our Sump we bought a 20 long and had glass cut for the baffles. We used a Mag 5 for return. We did not have a closed loop. We started with an aqua C urchin skimmer that worked well until we started to stock the tank. If we did not start putting SPS in the tank, which require cleaner water thank softies, we would have stuck with it. We eventually bought a ASM G1X and we are now using that on our 180 gal system. Best of luck with the 58 gal it was a nice tank but we outgrew it fast. Does your tank have a center overflow or side overflow?

Nicole

 

[APISTOBORELLI]

With the stand, a 20H was all I could reasonably fit. A custom sump/fuge would work but, at what cost?

 

[SharkLover]

With the stand, a 20H was all I could reasonably fit. A custom sump/fuge would work but, at what cost?

20H huh? Speak english. and answer your emails LOL

 

[JayM]

20H = 20 Gallon High. Welcome to an acronym-rich environment.

 

[SharkLover]

Does your tank have a center overflow or side overflow?

Nicole

Side overflow

so you bought 2 24" vho actinicts on an Ice cao 660. And a 250 w XM10K MH we wanted a 15K but the 10K will do for now!

All that sounds ub4h complicated. can i have some T5's and be a happy camper?

Also, anyone comment on the asm g1x skimmer please. its pretty cheap
whats the cons

 

[SharkLover]

OK So i've done a crap ton of reading and i've decided on Maximum values for the following.

58gallon rr tank
20g H sump/fuge

Skimmer 390gph MAX

Filter Fuge turns 400GPH MAX

Closed Tank turns 1160 MAX

I followed the links and did the math and thats what i'm left with.