Hey guys, I have a 75 gallon reef ready tank that I'm thinking about using only SPS. I have a wet/dry sump that I'm not sure what to put in the sump. I'm going bare bottom tank also. I know for sure to get a protein skimmer ( ASM or maybe a Reef Octopus), a Red Sea Wavemaker, 200w heater & I was thinking about a Kalk Reactor but wanted to get a little bit of everyone's thought. I can't really find a lot of info about this topic, it seems like everyone has their own special way. I know they need high levels of Alkalinity, Magnesium & Calcium, i read that the trick is to stabilize all of these at high levels. Also I need some Biological Filter Media, I don't want to use Bio-balls because of the nitrate problem they cause. And I also would be using AI Sol lights, Vegas or maybe some other ideas. Just post in here of some ideas that you have for me or tell me about your SPS tank set up thanks!
SPS Tank - Sump Ideas
- Thread starter harbar2
- Start date
DAS212
Member
http://www.chicagoreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?14992-Dave-s-57g-SPS-Build-(Pic-Heavy)
I have two Vegas over my tank, love the color.
I have two Vegas over my tank, love the color.
fwadiver
New member
your bio filter is your live rock, dont put anything in the sump in that regards it will be a detrius trap. In the sump you stash your heater, filters(carbon,gfo,biopellets whatever), dosing equipment and skimmer to keep it out of the DT and keep the DT uncluttered. Based on the questions you are asking get used to the tanks you have before trying to setup a dedicated sps tank, its going to be expensive and if you dont know about kalk, dosing etc, get some test kits, watch the brs TV videos on 2 part, kalk etc they area a couple dozen of them and all have good info, and get params leveled out right on the tanks you have. A RS wave pro is going to burn out whatever pumps you have hooked up to it, DC controllable is the way to go if you can afford it, if not stick with cheap powerheads. you are going to need roughly 7000gph of flow or more depending on scape. If you are going LED on the lights make sure you know what you are doing in that regards since light acclimation is extra important because leds will smoke corals if turned up high enough.
I'll repeat advice that is often the mantra over on nano-reefs but is good : spend a couple months reading up, reasearching and learning before trying to undertake a project like this. Its much cheaper to buy the right equipment the first time, than try and scrap buy and buy it 3x over until you get what you want, the used gear resale market is 50% or less MSRP because reefers are cheapskates.
I'll repeat advice that is often the mantra over on nano-reefs but is good : spend a couple months reading up, reasearching and learning before trying to undertake a project like this. Its much cheaper to buy the right equipment the first time, than try and scrap buy and buy it 3x over until you get what you want, the used gear resale market is 50% or less MSRP because reefers are cheapskates.
EricTheRed
No, I'm not a communist..
Since you're going to use a wet-dry sump, you might find that your space is limited. Make sure you measure the chambers so that you can get an appropriate skimmer in there. A converted wet/dry won't likely allow you to have any macro algae so you'll likely have to rely on your live rock for bio filtration unless you go with something like biopellets or K1. However, I'd recommend NOT adding any additional media filtration until you know if you're going to need it. Your sps will need some nutrients and using media can strip the tank of nutrients to the point that the sps will die. I ran biopellets for years and decided to take them offline and upgrade my skimmer. My nitrates used to be ultra-low. Now they float from 5-10ppm and my sticks have never been happier. Some people believe that nutrients must be extremely low but that is somewhat of an old reefer's wive's-tale, IMO. As far as GFO, I recommend it as most do because even modestly high phosphates will kill/stunt sps. GAC goes both ways, some use it and some don't. I use it very sparingly now after learning the hardway that too much carbon can also be bad for sps. However, a fully stocked sps tank will eventually need it to absorb organics from chemical warfare between corals.
What you want to do if you are going to do an sps tank is to wait for the tank to find it's balance. Don't go adding sps right after your cycle. Wait a while for the tank to really settle down and find its balance. You haven't mentioned it, but I assume you'll have an ato to keep your sg stable...
As far as Ca, Alk & Mg go, you'll need to monitor them regularly in the beginning and still occasionally once your sps start growing. If you're going to start with frags then weekly wc's should suffice. If you decide to buy colonies or when the frags have grown, you'll need to dose Ca, Alk daily. (Mg can be dosed weekly or daily). You can dose a 2-part liquid solution or go with Kalk. Both of these methods have their fans and it really boils down to a matter of personal choice. Personally, I added kalk to my ato resevior so it was slowly dosed as the water evaporated. If you go this route, you really should have an ato because dosing large quantities of limewater 1X a day will cause Alk & pH swings, neither of which make sps happy. Some use kalk reactors. Once again, this needs to be a matter of research so you can decide what you prefer. I now run 2-part and Mg on a dosing pump becasue my tank's demand outgrew the ability to saturate Kalk in my ato. Dosing kalk in the ato was simple and cheap. I would highly recommend it to anyone starting an sps tank. In the future I will likely progress to a calcium reactor.
What you want to do if you are going to do an sps tank is to wait for the tank to find it's balance. Don't go adding sps right after your cycle. Wait a while for the tank to really settle down and find its balance. You haven't mentioned it, but I assume you'll have an ato to keep your sg stable...
As far as Ca, Alk & Mg go, you'll need to monitor them regularly in the beginning and still occasionally once your sps start growing. If you're going to start with frags then weekly wc's should suffice. If you decide to buy colonies or when the frags have grown, you'll need to dose Ca, Alk daily. (Mg can be dosed weekly or daily). You can dose a 2-part liquid solution or go with Kalk. Both of these methods have their fans and it really boils down to a matter of personal choice. Personally, I added kalk to my ato resevior so it was slowly dosed as the water evaporated. If you go this route, you really should have an ato because dosing large quantities of limewater 1X a day will cause Alk & pH swings, neither of which make sps happy. Some use kalk reactors. Once again, this needs to be a matter of research so you can decide what you prefer. I now run 2-part and Mg on a dosing pump becasue my tank's demand outgrew the ability to saturate Kalk in my ato. Dosing kalk in the ato was simple and cheap. I would highly recommend it to anyone starting an sps tank. In the future I will likely progress to a calcium reactor.