New 300 gallon build -- some questions

[reely989]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready to start ordering for my 300g setup. I'm gonna go with a planet mega matrix and stand. Going to be a mixed reef, probably leaning more toward LPS with just a few easy to keep SPS. I have a few questions from people more experienced than I.

In terms of sump, I'm going to go with Bashsea, but I'm not sure if I should go with the 48 or 60. I'd assume bigger is better. I'm also torn between the signature series and the pro. I might be interested in a roller mat down the line, but I'm not 100% on that.

Skimmer is really my only other debate. I'm considering Lifereef and I'm also looking at Tunze's 9430. I have experience with Tunze before is the main reason it's on the list. I'm open to other skimmers as well. I'd like as easy to adjust and as low maintenance as possible but performance is obviously important.

Thanks to everyone here for all the advice. I'm excited to get started with this. I currently have a 75 gallon and am looking forward to the upgrade.

 

[beesnreefs]

Congrats! The big build is going to be so much fun for you. Enjoy it!

I went from a 65 to a 225 that had two sumo size options. I went with the smaller to leave room in the stand for an ATO reservoir. Wish I had gone with the bigger sump.

More sump space = a lot more flexibility down the road. You never know what kind of equipment or features you may want to add to the sump later and having that ability will serve you well. My two cents

 

[Glenner’sreef]

300 gallons! Wow exciting. What lights will you be using?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready to start ordering for my 300g setup. I'm gonna go with a planet mega matrix and stand. Going to be a mixed reef, probably leaning more toward LPS with just a few easy to keep SPS. I have a few questions from people more experienced than I.

In terms of sump, I'm going to go with Bashsea, but I'm not sure if I should go with the 48 or 60. I'd assume bigger is better. I'm also torn between the signature series and the pro. I might be interested in a roller mat down the line, but I'm not 100% on that.

Skimmer is really my only other debate. I'm considering Lifereef and I'm also looking at Tunze's 9430. I have experience with Tunze before is the main reason it's on the list. I'm open to other skimmers as well. I'd like as easy to adjust and as low maintenance as possible but performance is obviously important.

Thanks to everyone here for all the advice. I'm excited to get started with this. I currently have a 75 gallon and am looking forward to the upgrade.

Can't wait to see how the 300g turns out!

 

[Treefer32]

Depends on how much $$ you want to spend. I have a 340 gallon display (in Wall). My sump is in the furnace room about 10 feet from the tank and sits on the floor. Amazing room for all the filtration needed.

As far as sump I get getting something prebuilt. If I were you I would convert the 75 to a sump. It's not that hard. I have a 75 gallon as my sump and it's been in operation for close to 10 years on two different tanks. I went with external return so drilled the side of the glass out and put in a bulkhead for the return plumbing. If you're not going external, you don't even need to do that, just silicone in a few pieces of acrilic to create what ever sized sections in the sump that you want. I have a section large enough for my skimmer, then another section for heaters, some rock, and then my return section is completely open. Depending how many fish you plan on having you'll want all the filtration you can get. I have around 24 fish, 8 of them fairly large. I feed around 12 cubes of frozen food per day, plus 1 full sheet of nori. All food I put in is gone in under 1 minute.

For filtration I have:

* Denitration factory (keeps nitrates at 10-15)
* Large skimmer (helps with oxygenation as well as skimming)
* 1 Reef mat 1200 (I could use 2 of these honestly)
* Algae turf scrubber L4 from Turbo aquatics (I need the bigger one he makes)

I fit all that on and around my 75 gallon sump. I also have around 30-40 lbs of rock on my overflow side of my sump to aid in filtration as well.

With all that, I'm struggling to keep my phosphates below .3. I'm having to dose Phosphate E daily -5-10ml to keep them in the .1 - .2 range.

I have a lot of Hammers, frog Spawn, Duncan corals coming out of my ears, a torch, and a ton of SPS that is growing like weeds. Encrusting montipora trying to take over the world along with branching acros. Things are going well despite higher than I'd like phosphates! This tank has been in operation around 6-7 years.

If I were in your shoes and had the money to spring for it, I would spring for the life reefz skimmer. I almost sprung for one to replace my current skimmer a few years ago. I think they're way more efficient at removing gunk. But, the skimmer I have works, so, it was hard to justify the $1k plus.

 

[reely989]

Congrats! The big build is going to be so much fun for you. Enjoy it!

I went from a 65 to a 225 that had two sumo size options. I went with the smaller to leave room in the stand for an ATO reservoir. Wish I had gone with the bigger sump.

More sump space = a lot more flexibility down the road. You never know what kind of equipment or features you may want to add to the sump later and having that ability will serve you well. My two cents

That's what I'm thinking. More room in the stand sounds nice, but I am sure I would eventually regret not getting the bigger sump.

 

[reely989]

300 gallons! Wow exciting. What lights will you be using?

Thanks! I've been having good luck with the reef breeders photonv2 so I'll probably add another of those to start and then start adding supplemental lighting as I go with some LED bars.

 

[reely989]

Depends on how much $$ you want to spend. I have a 340 gallon display (in Wall). My sump is in the furnace room about 10 feet from the tank and sits on the floor. Amazing room for all the filtration needed.

As far as sump I get getting something prebuilt. If I were you I would convert the 75 to a sump. It's not that hard. I have a 75 gallon as my sump and it's been in operation for close to 10 years on two different tanks. I went with external return so drilled the side of the glass out and put in a bulkhead for the return plumbing. If you're not going external, you don't even need to do that, just silicone in a few pieces of acrilic to create what ever sized sections in the sump that you want. I have a section large enough for my skimmer, then another section for heaters, some rock, and then my return section is completely open. Depending how many fish you plan on having you'll want all the filtration you can get. I have around 24 fish, 8 of them fairly large. I feed around 12 cubes of frozen food per day, plus 1 full sheet of nori. All food I put in is gone in under 1 minute.

For filtration I have:

* Denitration factory (keeps nitrates at 10-15)
* Large skimmer (helps with oxygenation as well as skimming)
* 1 Reef mat 1200 (I could use 2 of these honestly)
* Algae turf scrubber L4 from Turbo aquatics (I need the bigger one he makes)

I fit all that on and around my 75 gallon sump. I also have around 30-40 lbs of rock on my overflow side of my sump to aid in filtration as well.

With all that, I'm struggling to keep my phosphates below .3. I'm having to dose Phosphate E daily -5-10ml to keep them in the .1 - .2 range.

I have a lot of Hammers, frog Spawn, Duncan corals coming out of my ears, a torch, and a ton of SPS that is growing like weeds. Encrusting montipora trying to take over the world along with branching acros. Things are going well despite higher than I'd like phosphates! This tank has been in operation around 6-7 years.

If I were in your shoes and had the money to spring for it, I would spring for the life reefz skimmer. I almost sprung for one to replace my current skimmer a few years ago. I think they're way more efficient at removing gunk. But, the skimmer I have works, so, it was hard to justify the $1k plus.

I appreciate all the advice! I'll look into all of this. How often are you changing rolls on the reef mat? And is it able to handle flow adequately? Do you have everything running through it or do you have a second drain that bypasses it as well?

 

[Serpentman2024]

Having kept large tanks and systems in the past, I personally recommend going with the larger sump. Additional water volume can be helpful in many way. A larger sump will also afford you more room for things like a refugium should you decided to run one. If you even think you might want a roller mat down the road, I would get sump that will accommodate. If you can afford it, it is better to have something and not need it rather than regret it down the road.

 

[thomas_neil]

I have the Bashsea 60 Pro sump and it has a ton of space. Im not using it yet as I'm still setting up the tank, but it fits (barely) the reef roller L in the roller section. Would have no problem fitting the red sea 1200.

Only thing with the bigger sumps is they usually have to ship freight so tack on an extra $300 or so for shipping. I'm lucky enough to live in MI and my old LFS was a bashsea Distibutor.

 

[reely989]

One more question for you guys-- do you think that something like a Fritz turbostart would be needed if I transfer over my live rock? I've got some seachem matrix too I'm gonna transfer over to the new sump. I'm just not sure if with such a big water change if I'd need to help kickstart things along. I imagine the bacteria could multiply fast enough on their own considering I'm not going to change the bioload at the same time.

 

[Serpentman2024]

If you are moving your existing rock and maintaining the same bioload, dosing additional bacteria shouldn't be necessary.

 

[Ironwill723]

Tunze 9430 is an awesome skimmer.

 

[reely989]

Tunze 9430 is an awesome skimmer.

I ended up ordering a life reef but if for whatever reason I'm unhappy I'm gonna go with the 9430

 

[reely989]

Depends on how much $$ you want to spend. I have a 340 gallon display (in Wall). My sump is in the furnace room about 10 feet from the tank and sits on the floor. Amazing room for all the filtration needed.

As far as sump I get getting something prebuilt. If I were you I would convert the 75 to a sump. It's not that hard. I have a 75 gallon as my sump and it's been in operation for close to 10 years on two different tanks. I went with external return so drilled the side of the glass out and put in a bulkhead for the return plumbing. If you're not going external, you don't even need to do that, just silicone in a few pieces of acrilic to create what ever sized sections in the sump that you want. I have a section large enough for my skimmer, then another section for heaters, some rock, and then my return section is completely open. Depending how many fish you plan on having you'll want all the filtration you can get. I have around 24 fish, 8 of them fairly large. I feed around 12 cubes of frozen food per day, plus 1 full sheet of nori. All food I put in is gone in under 1 minute.

For filtration I have:

* Denitration factory (keeps nitrates at 10-15)
* Large skimmer (helps with oxygenation as well as skimming)
* 1 Reef mat 1200 (I could use 2 of these honestly)
* Algae turf scrubber L4 from Turbo aquatics (I need the bigger one he makes)

I fit all that on and around my 75 gallon sump. I also have around 30-40 lbs of rock on my overflow side of my sump to aid in filtration as well.

With all that, I'm struggling to keep my phosphates below .3. I'm having to dose Phosphate E daily -5-10ml to keep them in the .1 - .2 range.

I have a lot of Hammers, frog Spawn, Duncan corals coming out of my ears, a torch, and a ton of SPS that is growing like weeds. Encrusting montipora trying to take over the world along with branching acros. Things are going well despite higher than I'd like phosphates! This tank has been in operation around 6-7 years.

If I were in your shoes and had the money to spring for it, I would spring for the life reefz skimmer. I almost sprung for one to replace my current skimmer a few years ago. I think they're way more efficient at removing gunk. But, the skimmer I have works, so, it was hard to justify the $1k plus.

In reading through your post again, your denitration factory caught my eye. could you explain that to me?

 

[Treefer32]

In reading through your post again, your denitration factory caught my eye. could you explain that to me?

Ha! I spent a few years battling nitrates. I learned a few lessons. If you want more info I can provide my experiences, I tried vodka dosing, water changes, Pellet reactor and many things. But, in the end, my jerry-rigged denitration factory is working wonders and has no cost upkeep and no fear of things breaking down over time. Initially when I was using filter socks, I needed something to polish the water. So I bought a Nu-Clear cannister filter with a 25 micron cartridge from Marine and Reef. (around $200). It's not a typical cannister filter. The top has a stainless steel spring collar to seal the unit so it's easy to open and close and clean.

Well, after a few months of being tired of washing the filter cartridge and nitrates skyrocketing no matter what I did (e.g. peak Nitrates were around 75ppm). I plumbed the cannister off my return manifold with a ball valve so I can control the water flow into it.

That said I removed the cartridge, and filled it with around $20 - $25 of Matrix rock. It's just small pieces of pourous rock that doesn't break down. I filled the cannister filter 3/4 full of rock. Sealed it up and adjusted the water flow to just barely cover all the rock and it drains near my skimmer intake. It took a solid 6 months for it to have an impact. I even dosed Micro bacter 7 and Micro bacter clean to try to seed the rocks with bacteria. I don't know the science, but the matrix rocks said they work better to populate bacteria if nitrates are at 20 or below. So, I did 2 50% water changes in a month got nitrates down between 10 and 20 and as a result, they've never risen above 15 since then Over 2 years ago, with minimal 20% water changes. I've increased the bio load and feeding amount and types of food fed and nitrates never deviate. So, I feel like the "Denitration factory" is working great. (Tested with Hanna High range Nitrate tester).

You could use anything that has a slow flow that runs aquarium water over the matrix rock. I like the set it and forget it piece of this. I haven't touched those rocks in over 2 years. I don't want to disturb or hurt the bacteria at all.

Pellet reactor may work in a similar way, but you need to replace the pellets every 3 -6 months. Too much maintenance for my liking and added maintenance cost. The pellets cost close to $60 and the matrix rock was $25 once and done.

Let me know if you want pictures. My sump build is NOT pretty. I go for function vs. pretty and sustaining nitrates in an acceptable range is tough! I found it hard to get the right bacteria to populate to reduce nitrates. If people could manufacture the specific strains in a bottled dosing method that I could dose to populate the rocks would have sped up the process from 6 months to a few weeks. But, I haven't found anything that shows specific strains of bacteria.

 

[lbacha]

Are you going with a 30” front to back tank if so you may consider looking for or having someone build a wider sump. Many sumps are designed to fit in 24” stands so they are only 18” wide. I’m having mine customer made for my 300g GlassCages build and it will be 24” x 60”

 

[Chris Spaulding]

I am in the proses of setting up a 240 8x2x2 so close to what you are doing. I went with the Bashsea Pro-48 with a Reeffactory Large roller. I wanted the extra room in the stand hence the 48 over the 60. Roller wise I should have gone with the Medium roller as the Large is HUGE.

 

[reely989]

Are you going with a 30” front to back tank if so you may consider looking for or having someone build a wider sump. Many sumps are designed to fit in 24” stands so they are only 18” wide. I’m having mine customer made for my 300g GlassCages build and it will be 24” x 60”

Wish I had the room for a 30" depth. It's gonna be a 96x24x30.

 

[reely989]

I am in the proses of setting up a 240 8x2x2 so close to what you are doing. I went with the Bashsea Pro-48 with a Reeffactory Large roller. I wanted the extra room in the stand hence the 48 over the 60. Roller wise I should have gone with the Medium roller as the Large is HUGE.

Very cool!