new large tank setup suggestions
 

i'm very new. we've had freshwater going for a couple years, and a 55g FOWLR tank going for about 3 months, but i've been bitten by the reef-bug. i've been doing some reading, but have a long way to go.

we're looking at buying a 130x24x25 (340g from glasscages), building a cabinet for it, and putting it on a 136" wall. there is a workshop below, and there we will set up the all the equipment. we live in TN, so the workshop never gets very cold.

my first, of probably many, questions, is...what are the basics we need to set up a new tank of this size. i'm figuring that we'll just start with the necessities to keep the fish and rock alive, then add to it as we need to. that way we won't have to sell a kid to keep the hobby happy. we plan on keeping the kids, because they've gotten really good at tank cleaning. :0)

the hubby is very handy and is more than willing to play the part of plumber and electrician.

we currently have a small protein skimmer, uv steralizer, and a 4x96w 48" PC light (white/blue/moon). we'd like to reuse them if at all possible.

thanks!

If you want to keep just fish and rock alive. You will need a large pump for circulation, and a large protein skimmer. As for lights a few T5's is all you need for veiwing.

I would strongly recommend you plan out what your end goal is and plan your equipment accordingly. With large tanks comes a larger forkout of cash, and you don't want to make mistakes

Im currently have a 300g sitting in my basement driving me crazy, but I won't rush it and have made a million drawings and notes from reading so I do it right.

All the best

thanks for responding! my plan is to be able to keep anything and everything, eventually...for the time being its just a few fish and rock...until i know what i'm doing.

that's what i'm trying to do is plan my equipment...i don't want to start out with cheap lighting, if i won't be able to use it later, etc. i guess what i'm looking for is a christmas list of stuff to ask santa to prepare for the large tank.

thanks!

the thing is plan ahead for future growth of the tank what might seem to big now could be just what you need in the future. Also always leave room for the expansion of new items. Like say kalk reactor, phosban reactor and so on. So be sure to make it so you dont have to completely redo all your plumbing due to an expansion. As far as the lighting goes you could probably use what you have now for your sump/refugium

What does the floor bracing look like underneath where you're planning on putting the aquarium? If it's just standard joists then you may have to reinforce them. That's going to be a heavy tank.

what part of tenn do you live in? there is some reef clubs in tenn that might be able to help you.

you might want to research glass cages a little more before your purchase. there has been some reports of tanks letting go in the past. ask them what there warrantee is and what they will do for you if the tank shows up damaged.
if you do buy a tank from some and it has to be shipped to you make sure to open the shipping crate first and inspect the tank before you sign for it. if you sigh for it and then it shows up damaged you own a broken tank. nobody can do anything for you at that point. it happens alot with shipping companies.