Setting up a 65 gal reef ready sw tank

[mariog]

Hello all, after much time and research I have decided to start setting up a 65 gallon tank. I have several things already and had some questions for anyone that is willing to help.

So far I have the following:
65 gal AGA reef ready aquarium
20 L AGA for sump
36" 192 w pc current lighting
rio 2500+
several pieces of acrylic ready to be glued for sump

I am looking to keep some of the corals I can with the light I currently have. The names I don't know yet, still looking.

Several fish, but mainly want to keep it a reef tank.

When I set it up I will be buying:
around 60 - 70 lbs of live rock
enough for 2" of sand throughout the aquarium and questioning how much to put in the sump..
enough snails and crabs to provide cleaning and stirring of sand

Here are the questions I had.....

First of all, I am curious about the pump. Do the pumps run 24/7? or are there times that it should be shut off?

I have the acrylic pieces cut for my sump and need to add something for the teeth. Would gluing acrylic with aquarium safe silicon pose an issue?

I am looking into the koralia powerheads and was wondering if 2, (Koralia 2 powerheads) would be overkill? if not should I spend a few more dollars and go up to the 3?

If I have two of these powerheads, should they be running 24/7 as well with the pump?

I will post pics of my progress and start a thread for my tank as I still have to set up my sump and stain the stand we have purchased. I'm just a little tied down with the end of the semester and all.

I appreciate anyone's suggestions and look forward to setting this up.....

Thanks for your time

[lReef lKeeper]

sounds like a good starting point.

with you current lighting system you will be able to keep soft corals and some less light dependant LPS (large polyp stony) corals. no SPS or clams though,IMO.
as for fish, stay away from any large fish ... tangs, angels, etc.

for a sandbed, i would suggest between 4 and 5 inches in the display. this will greatly help reduce nitrates in the system. and as deep as you can go in the sump/fuge for the same reason.

most sumps do not use teeth, all of them that i have seen just overflow a piece of acrylic or glass, but i dont see an issue with using teeth on the baffles.

i absolutely LOVE my hydors, i would suggest at the very LEAST the #3 models, if not the #4s. they are very easy to tweak and get the flow that you want were you want it.

i run ALL of my pumps 24/7 even during feeding because my fish do not let any food get away. how you decide to feed will depend on what you keep.

[xdfireguy]

I'm going to tag along on this thread, as I am in almost the exact same situation.

I haven't decided whether to go with two of the HK3's or a couple modded MaxiJets.

A reccomendation to you - if you are looking to eventually add a single MH lamp, do what I am going to do and that is replace the center brace with a piece of clear acrylic. Otherwise, it will leave an unsightly shadow. And it is easier to do when empty as opposed to fully stocked.

FWIW I have planned for a 4" sand bed.

[mariog]

Thanks to both of you for the help

is there a specific purpose for that brace? That is a good idea because I was planning on adding a light to it later on as well. I hadn't thought of that. How wide did you make the piece of acrylic?

What wattage of light are you planning on adding?

[xdfireguy]

I haven't completed it yet, but the reccomendation that I found (and plan on using) is a 2" wide piece of 1/4" acrylic. I plan to leave the first couple inches of the existing brace to fasten the new one to with nylon bolts (found in the specialty hardware drawers at HD, Lowes, etc). If I can find some pictures, I will post them here. Otherwise, search for "remove center brace" on some of the other forums too.

I haven't entirely planned out future lighting yet, but I want the flexibility now. At some point I the max additional lighting I would add is a 150/175. I am new to the hobby, so I have no intentions of jumping into the more demanding corals right away.

Currently, I have (2) 96w PC bulbs(10k & actinic), and may be retrofitting another one or two - depending on how it looks. I have the parts, but haven't made the commitment yet. I have to get the fuge/sump up and running and do my stand modifications first - fans and a Reefkeeper 2 unit. I am also coating the inside of the stand and canopy with several coats of primer (Kilz) to try and seal the wood a little better. Oh yeah, and put a lock on the doors to the stand in an attempt to keep my little one from playing in the fuge

[xdfireguy]

Can't find it on this site, and I'm not sure if I can post links to other sites here or not (better to be safe than sorry) But feel free to PM me for more details on the brace modification.

[CarmieJo]

Hello mariog and xdfireguy. to TR!

xd here at TR we are all about learning and as long as the links you post are appropriate the the post go ahead.

As far as the MJ mods vs Koralias I think the mods are the way to go if you already have the maxijets. But if you have to buy the pumps and the mod kits it is probably more economical the buy the Koralias.

[xdfireguy]

This is what I was talking about:
Reef Central Online Community - Center Brace and Single 150w MH

A photo of another setup:


I am not planning on glueing or using silicone, but rather count on the bolts themselves. That way if I have to replace it, or temporarily remove it, I will have the flexibility to do so.

[lReef lKeeper]

Originally Posted by mariog

is there a specific purpose for that brace? That is a good idea because I was planning on adding a light to it later on as well. I hadn't thought of that. How wide did you make the piece of acrylic?

that piece is to keep the weight of the water from busting the glass. i had one break once, and when i noticed it ... the front of a 55g tank was bowed out by about 4" !! that brace is a safety feature for the tank. without it the tank could not hold the water.

the minimum that i would go, if you decide to do this project, would be 1/4" thick acrylic. the heavier the better though. be sure to make sure that the nylon bolts you pick up are long enough to go through the acrylic AND the remaining brace section too.

HTH

[mariog]

Finally this semester is coming to an end and I will finally get some time for my tank. I picked up the stand 2 weeks ago but need to paint it. I plan on doing that this coming weekend.

I'm looking into purchasing 2 koralia #3's ... Would this be enough for my 65 gallon, and if so how many hours should I run them. Or how should I run them. I hear that they can not be placed on a wavemaker or anything similar because the way they function.

Thanks

[CarmieJo]

I have 2 - K2's in my 54 corner and they seem to work well. However the widest point is 29" so you might want to consider K4's for the little difference in price. You can buy the new Koralia DC pumps that only work with their wavemaker but it is pricey!

Check out The Cultured Reef - Index for great prices on the Koralia pumps. Dick is a TR sponsor and all around nice guy.

[mariog]

how many hours a day do you run your K2's?

[lReef lKeeper]

i run my K4s 24/7 along with my return pump and skimmer.

[Shananagans]

I don't know if it is to late and you bought the fans already, but I had a 65g reef tank and for water flow i had a spliter on my return and I ran 2 level 1 korilla fans, and it was the perfect water movement.

[CarmieJo]