Tips for keeping a HUGE reef tank...

[Coralsdaily]

My tank glass is 90 cm high... I use long Tunze tongs with the grip at the end (get two in case you drop one!). A dive mask helps you see into the water from above better.

And something high to stand on so you lean over the tank.

It does make things more complicated. But for me it's worth it: I love the extra dimension you get with the top to bottom depth.

I am fully prepared to put on my snorkel gear whenever I need to do maintenance. Cant agree more with having the extra dimensions worth the pain in maintenance.

 

[Gundy]

After years of being out of the hobby, I have now retired and am in the process of setting up a reef tank. At first I thought about building a 100 gallon system and had a budget of about 10K. I am now building a 350 gallon system and between the tank, stand and sump, I have spent about 8K. With the equipment I have planned, I’m sure it will be another 10-15K.

Through my research, I have learned from others that spending a lot money on setting up a reef is not a must for success. However, purchasing various types of equipment can make it easier to maintain a large tank and avoid a lot of situations such as algae blooms, fish disease and nutrient imbalance. That why I am employing equipment that is automated like the Apex and quality products like a UV sterilizer, calcium reactor, clarisea filters and automatic water changes, etc . Yes, it will cost a lot of money but I want to spend more time enjoying my reef than fixing problems. Many have said it takes a lot of money to do it right and I agree.

 

[flashsmith]

Yes it does take alot of money to do it right but... I personally feel like going fully automated takes away from the actual hobby part. I enjoy dosing and doing water changes on my 3 systems. I enjoy doing the dirty work. If I wanted to just look at fish I could just go to a public aquarium. Doing the work is part of enjoying the success. It takes me away from the stress of running a small business in uncertain times. I can lose myself for hours doing mundane tasks like mixing salt and cleaning sumps.

 

[Gundy]

I totally agree, I love tinkering, cleaning and the maintenance part of the hobby. I just want to avoid the problems that cause devastating consequences like constant coral and fish loss. With the help of advanced equipment, maintaining a large reef tank will be considerably easier and the automation from the Apex system will be really fun to set up and monitor.

 

[Emma_fish]

Buy the best equipment you cannot afford. This is an investment , so Invest in it !!
Due to volume, a doser is a must
Have Brute cans- youre going to need it.
Stock up on salt- Again, you will need it.
Plan lighting well as you will need effective coverage from lights.
Utilize ball valve. . . they are much needed
Assure tank is Level. Impossible to move once filled.
Have aquarium tongs !! Youre going to need them !

Tongs

Where can I buy tongs like those ?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Where can I buy tongs like those ?

Aqua Cave
Amazon
Ebay

 

[Emma_fish]

Aqua Cave
Amazon
Ebay

Thanks !

 

[Rogueaquariums]

Make a budget, and then double or triple it...

Isn’t that the truth. Lol

 

[1ocean]

we started a 300 build in Dec 2021, as of today 25k in...glad I got my 4 radion Gen 5 xr30 blues before the price increase...along with most of everything...and we do not believe in the credit card evil bank stuff....credit cards are bad...

 

[natew]

Electrical:

better to have dedicated circuits just for the aquarium and its equipment.

if I go 400 on the next build, or even 300, I’ll Be pulling 2-4 20 amp service just for the tank. Even with my 200 now, it should have been done It’s nice not to have to worry about plugging in a high amp device (vacuum or electric pressure washer for example) on the same circuit as your tank.

I ran circuits for my 300 so i wouldnt have to worry 1 return pump and heater each of the 2 circuits that way if one blows still have heat and circulation. Total ran 6 dedicated lines

 

[1ocean]

yes, we also ran two seperate 20 amp lines for the 300.

 

[Rogueaquariums]

Make a budget, and then double or triple it...

Amen to that. It’s not the box you’re paying for, it’s what you’re putting in it and around it.

 

[CoralB]

Season tickets to sea world would be a lot cheaper . That and or a night job to support the new build . My fear would always be a burst seam and the cost to keep it

 

[sam150720]

My build has been a work in progress. The system is 2 DT'S side by side. The biggest being 375 gallons and the other 150 gallons. The sump is 150 gallons. Started with 2 refugiums but I'm thinking about turning one into a frag tank. That's one is 120 gallons and the refugium is 90 gallons. Everything plumbed together.
I'm a union plumber. I wanted to install drains in the floor but we couldn't do that. So I built a platform with drains underneath the tank. For the EMERGENCY no of us want to mention our think about. That's plumbed to a sump a sump pit that can handle 3000 gallons per hour flow rate. The system isn't quit 1000 gallons. So 1. Drains under the tank. 2nd. PROTECTION OF THE WALLS from moisture and mold. I built my fishroom during COVAID and the material shortage. So I found clear plastic sheets. Covered my walls and over lapped the sheets from top to bottom. I use a water hose to hose down things and all water goes straight to the sump pit. 3rd. I've got 4 dedicated 20 amp circuits installed for the tank. Along with the 2 circuits that already controlled that part of the basement, I wish I had added 2 more 20 amp circuits. 4th. Humidity my AC unit controls it during the summer but 2 industrial strength dehumidifiers had to be purchased for the winter time. 5th. Hot and Cold water with a sink to clean equipment. 6th RODI being able to make enough water is always big. My RODI makes 1000gpd. I have 2-225 gallon tanks for storage of water. Getting to the point were I don't have to do wc is great but in the event of a emergency? I can do 100%WC in 24 hours. 7th. I made a mistake. I know, I know, I'm a plumber. (Insert your joke here)! I originally plumbed my tank in schdule 40 pvc. I want patient enough. Reason why I say that. During COVAID schdule 80pvc wasn't in production. I should've waited. I'm changing it now. It took me a year to get all the schdule 80 pvc I needed. It's not for the pressure. That's not the issue. It's because of how acoustic sea water is. Schdule 40pvc in less than 10 years starts to get brittle. It's much more fragile than schdule 80 pvc. Since I'm the one working around the system, being 6 foot tall and a cookie lighter than 260lbs. Schdule 80 is preferred. If I bump into something, trip and fall, in not a worried. Plus I'll be using Ozone, UV, CR, Kalkwasser, and possibly some dosing of other. I need to be sure of my piping. 8th. Finally EQUIPMENT, I've already had to upgrade my skimmer. From REEF OCTOPUS SRO 6000EXT to the Reef Octopus sro 8000 ext. I'll be adding 2- panta rhei hydro wizards 63's and 2-42's. I will also be adding to exhaust fans to the hood and 2 air intakes to the hood. I'm almost done with plumbing again. LOL! FISH are great and hopefully by the new year corals can be moved from the fresh tank to the system. Hope I help in the discussion. Any questions please feel free to message me.

 

[brayden2980]

Ok. What have you guys found to be really important advice for those planning to keep a reef that's 400+ gallons? Share you tips!

Water changes aren’t your friend removing nitrates or phosphates is really hard to do in a big tank through water changes. I struggled with it in my system until I nailed down a carbon dosing schedule and made a refugium in my tank.
Buying frags and growing them out is also still better than just buying large and will allow you to get better coral instead of worse cheaper big ones.

 

[Borat]

My build has been a work in progress. The system is 2 DT'S side by side. The biggest being 375 gallons and the other 150 gallons. The sump is 150 gallons. Started with 2 refugiums but I'm thinking about turning one into a frag tank. That's one is 120 gallons and the refugium is 90 gallons. Everything plumbed together.
I'm a union plumber. I wanted to install drains in the floor but we couldn't do that. So I built a platform with drains underneath the tank. For the EMERGENCY no of us want to mention our think about. That's plumbed to a sump a sump pit that can handle 3000 gallons per hour flow rate. The system isn't quit 1000 gallons. So 1. Drains under the tank. 2nd. PROTECTION OF THE WALLS from moisture and mold. I built my fishroom during COVAID and the material shortage. So I found clear plastic sheets. Covered my walls and over lapped the sheets from top to bottom. I use a water hose to hose down things and all water goes straight to the sump pit. 3rd. I've got 4 dedicated 20 amp circuits installed for the tank. Along with the 2 circuits that already controlled that part of the basement, I wish I had added 2 more 20 amp circuits. 4th. Humidity my AC unit controls it during the summer but 2 industrial strength dehumidifiers had to be purchased for the winter time. 5th. Hot and Cold water with a sink to clean equipment. 6th RODI being able to make enough water is always big. My RODI makes 1000gpd. I have 2-225 gallon tanks for storage of water. Getting to the point were I don't have to do wc is great but in the event of a emergency? I can do 100%WC in 24 hours. 7th. I made a mistake. I know, I know, I'm a plumber. (Insert your joke here)! I originally plumbed my tank in schdule 40 pvc. I want patient enough. Reason why I say that. During COVAID schdule 80pvc wasn't in production. I should've waited. I'm changing it now. It took me a year to get all the schdule 80 pvc I needed. It's not for the pressure. That's not the issue. It's because of how acoustic sea water is. Schdule 40pvc in less than 10 years starts to get brittle. It's much more fragile than schdule 80 pvc. Since I'm the one working around the system, being 6 foot tall and a cookie lighter than 260lbs. Schdule 80 is preferred. If I bump into something, trip and fall, in not a worried. Plus I'll be using Ozone, UV, CR, Kalkwasser, and possibly some dosing of other. I need to be sure of my piping. 8th. Finally EQUIPMENT, I've already had to upgrade my skimmer. From REEF OCTOPUS SRO 6000EXT to the Reef Octopus sro 8000 ext. I'll be adding 2- panta rhei hydro wizards 63's and 2-42's. I will also be adding to exhaust fans to the hood and 2 air intakes to the hood. I'm almost done with plumbing again. LOL! FISH are great and hopefully by the new year corals can be moved from the fresh tank to the system. Hope I help in the discussion. Any questions please feel free to message me.

Who is this third guy COVAID? Is he your neighbour?