Where to duy these:

[Scoobaman17]

I need to find these items for the best prices. They also need to be able to run a 240 gallon reef.

1: Skimmer

2: Live sand

3: Live rock

4: heater


If anyone knows which places for any of the above please let me know.
Thanks!

[Hop]

Well I would not even bother with the live sand. Just get sand and let it seed itself with a scoop from another tank and the live rock.

As far as the skimmer and stuff goes, I have no clue what you want, so I can't point you in any direction:confused:

[Scoobaman17]

Wow, just sand would save a load of money and I do have the time to let it become live.

Also are RO systems worth getting? Especially for this large of tank?

[Hop]

IMO it's a must for a tank that large!

[USC-fan]

how much do you plan to spend for a skimmer? Also how much room do you have for a skimmer?

[Ironsheikh]

I wasnt too impressed w/ my RO ---- I opted to sell it and didnt notice a difference in algae

figure out what name brands you want first

[kodyboy]

skimmer: aquaeuro classic 400
live rock: tampa bay live rock
heater submersible!: a pair of visitherm stealths would work fine or maybe one with a remote probe, probably does not matter, just get two in case a back-up is needed
ro/di unit: thefilterguys.biz
lights: aquactinics T5 unit (diyreef.com, aquariumspecialty.com)

[Scoobaman17]

Thanks! I have not made the sump yet but I have a little under 8X2X2 space for a sump. I have a design that I'm trying to get the acrylic for that would make roughly a 100 gallon sump. Plenty of room for anything.

Thank you so much Kodyboy! on the skimmer, the AE Classic 250 is rated for tanks up to 250 gallons, would that do ok or should I just go with the 400, also do you know the wattage output with these?
Thanks again!

[kodyboy]

each pump is 35-40 watts and pulls 400-450 lph of air, a classic 250 would work, but the 400 is much better and not much more cash. In addition it is always good to go a level or two higher with skimmer size recomendations, they are often very optomistic. I have found that the aquaeuros tend to be pretty pessimistic about their ratings, so a classic 250 would probably work fine, but the 400 is just not that much more expensive!

[GrandeGixxer]

For the rock, since you are going to need so much of it, I would give www.marcorocks.com a look. I got my rocks there and it looks great.

[Scoobaman17]

I wont need too much. I am doing a design I have seen where I would have a hard coral reef about 3 feet big on one side and then a small soft coral island in the center of the opposite side of the tank. The tank is 8'X2'X2' and I have twin mh 250 watt reefstars for the hardcoral part of the tank and a mh 150 watt for the soft coral island and If I need I have a nice pc settup if I chose to have a giant derasa in the center. I want a nice open water look with loads of swimming space. If I can do it then it wil look incredible.

I will check out that site though. Thanks! And I agree, I'm going with the 400, it's all around goodness.

[Scoobaman17]

O also, what size pump would you all use to support the main flow other then interior extra flow? I have two inlets on the tank 7 feet apart.

[kodyboy]

A pair of eheim 1262s if they are sump based, one for each end connected to a wavy sea return with a penductor, or a sequence barracuda running both (external) would work well on your sized system. Remember the flow through your sump does not need to be ridiculous. For more in-tank flow you could get another wavy sea (you might notice that I like these units:)) and attach a tunze 6110 to it providing almost 4000gph on a gentle current all around the tank (not to mention your returns). Just a thought.
If you do not like the wavy seas a pair of ecotech vortex pumps on either end would provide nice flow too.

[klam114]

I believe that Ocean Pro Aquatics is pretty near your area, you can just stopby and pickup your live rocks and save on shipping charges. They are a direct importer for Fiji live rocks.
http://www.oceanproaquatics.com/shop/index.php/cPath/30_88

As for live sand, I agree with the earlier post. Buy mostly dry sand and put some seeded sand on top and let the bacteria multiply. You can always check your local area reef club forum or craigslist for reefers that are willing to let go of a 1/2 bucket of live sand.

As for RO/DI, assume that you just need it for topping off. For water changes, I believe that one of the universities is giving away free filter natural seawater. I've seen several posts on that in the past and wished I lived in the Santa Barbara area.

For skimmer, take a look at the ATi Bubblemaster 250 as the air draw is over 1,800lph from both pumps working together and electricity usage about 57watts. Found a couple of threads that might be good reading on the BM250. The ATi BM250 is rated for up to 400g-500g heavy bioload/feedings or up to 700g normal bioload/feedings.
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1035400
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=985567
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1072121

As for pumps, you want to turnover the sump 3x-5x the display tank through the sump per hour. And to achieve a minimum of 9x more in circulation, you want to use either a close loop system or powerheads within the tank.

[klam114]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9687904#post9687904 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Scoobaman17
Thank you so much Kodyboy! on the skimmer, the AE Classic 250 is rated for tanks up to 250 gallons, would that do ok or should I just go with the 400, also do you know the wattage output with these?
Thanks again! This is a honest review of the AE skimmer. This is the exact reason that one cannot trust manufacturer specs, but need to actually have tested and evaluated a specific skimmer. http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1094284

I was lucky to have my local dealer do a 3 skimmer comparison of the smallest recirculating Octopus, H&S and Deltec skimmers before I purchased my H&S. No matter what everyone had claim, it was reality when I saw all 3 side by side testing at my local dealer's in the same sump on the same tank.

[kodyboy]

The aqueuros that I have seen in operation pull tons of organics out of the water, I am not sure if they equal an HS& or Deltec (they should not for the price difference), but they do work, are built well and will skim a tank effectively. If you want the most from them you may or may not need to get new pumps, but even so they are far cheaper than anything else in their league.

[markandkristen]

for the heaters i would get a ranco controller . i almost cooked a tank because it got stuck in the on position.

[kodyboy]

I meant to say you may need to get new pumps for maximum efficiency, maybe three genx2400s or so.....I think Hahn will be testing that soon.

[Scoobaman17]

Wow thanks everyone! This is being a very big help!

[kodyboy]

no problem, I hope it goes well:)

[Shaun120]

You need to determine what you want to keep in your tank before buying any equipment, kinda work backwards.

I would get your LR from your LFS then you can see what your getting. If your LFS is not very good then go to the internet but search Reef Central for the better suppliers.

I'm with Hop...skip the "live sand" its not really alive compared to substrate in an aquarium that has been set up for awhile.

Don't skimp on equipment...do your research and if it is super cheap but promises big results it’s usually crap (I've yet to experience such a paradox).

System pumps range from cheap to super expensive. You will need to determine what is important to you. The cheaper pumps will use more electricity and make more noise for the same flow as some more expensive ones, again do your research. What may work for some may drive you nuts.

[Scoobaman17]

Thanks!

The tank I plan on making is not going to be a full out reef. The tank is 8 feet long by 2 by 2. The hard coral reef will be around 3 feet wide on the right side with twin 250 watt reefstars over it. some clams, then towards the left side of the tank in the center will be a soft coral island no more then 2 feet in diameter at the base. That will have a 150 W mh over it. The fish will include a school of chromis at about 15-20 strong. a few odd balls here and there lets say clown gobies, firefish, yellow head jawfish, and maybe a yellow tang. Thats all the life I want in the tank. I love the open water and I hope you can see what I'm getting at. What I mean is there will not be a lot of bioload, lots of cleaners, and not too much on coral life. I want simple. At least for now.

What you think?

[klam114]

For skimmer, I would still recommend the ATi Bubblemaster 250 as the best balance in terms of great performance and price.

[Scoobaman17]

Thanks.

[kodyboy]

If you can afford it the ATI 250 is great....but that is $750! In addition it is way overkill on your system, especially considering the light load you are going to have.

[Scoobaman17]

If I was going to do a full out reef, I would, but I am going very simple, I'm talking around 30 green chromis sized fish in this 240 gallon system and very little coral life, mainly open water. I've been looking into the aquaeuro classic 400 which is only around 40 bucks more then the classic 250 and it seems like that would still be very sufficent for this tank.

[dannieboiz]

Why not just use three 250w MH SE with spider reflectors?

3x Icecap 250 ballast = 340-ish
3x Reeflux 10k bulbs = 160-ish
3x reflectors - $100
2x VHO Super actinic = $60
1 IC 660 = $120

You can find the ballasts/reflectors used and save a few dollars.

RODI was well worth it for me, but it also depends on where you live. My TDS was ~ 500, with my RODI unit I brought it down to ~ 2.

That's a nice size tank, and I'm sure you spent a pretty penny on it. Don't go cheap on other components and screw it up later.

Get the AE400 instead of the 250. You can never over skim.

Also look @ your local reef forums I'm sure someone is always unloading some live rocks.

[klam114]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9702291#post9702291 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kodyboy
If you can afford it the ATI 250 is great....but that is $750! In addition it is way overkill on your system, especially considering the light load you are going to have. I have to disagree with this statement, unless you've owned and use the Bubblemaster skimmers, it is not overkill. The BM200 $529 will support up to 200g heavy bioload, for any tank/sump/refugium over 250g, most will recommend the BM250 $749 which will support up to 400g heavy bioload. Scoobaman17 is starting out light, but his total water volume is probably going to be over 300g. He can start with a skimmer like BM200, but can easily outgrow it. I think it's always nice to go up a little bit so you don't box yourself in with an unpowered skimmer. I'm sure that other BM250 owners will recommend that Scoobaman17 go with the BM250 as well. But then, not sure what your budget is. The BM250 does perform as well as other high end needlewheel skimmers that may cost 2x-3x what the BM250 is priced at. Not trying to get into any arguments here about what skimmer is better than what, just clarifying what the Bubblemaster skimmers can and cannot do and the BM250 is an appropriate fit.

[kodyboy]

I think you misunderstood, I meant for what he wanted to keep the 250 was overkill, not that a 250 would not be appropriate for a 240 gallon tank. $750 for a skimmer is a lot of money, especially considering skimmers for a lot less do just as good a jobe as the BM 250, but I guess you could say the same thing about BMs vs. Bubblekings.

[Scoobaman17]

By the time I am ready for the BM250 I'll be able to upgrade the tank. The 240 gallon has two monster overflows, plus the sump won't exceed 80 gallons give or take due to the water level in the sump would be less then the dimensions. "Can't know for sure". Also dannieboiz: I am going to use (2) 250 watt mh reefstars since I already have them. I also already have the 150 watt mh lighting. I just need to get new bulbs for them. The tank was given to me as a family heirloom. It meant more to me then it did my father. So I took it. The bio load in my tank will be no more then a 70 gallons fully stocked more or less. I want simple, big yet simple. I've had this 240 gallon tank for 6 years and have wanted it a reef since. I want to do it right but keep it simple and work on it over time.

[kodyboy]

Sounds like an interesting idea, a large tank and lots of little fish, kind of like this but for saltwater: http://www.ada-eu.com/images/contenuti/Fgrande/foto31_211.jpg
in freshwater they tend to concentrate on one species, but not always.
Another species that might fit your "theme" is a shoal of threafin cardinal, maybe 20 of them. They shoal very tightly and are different. They also tend to swim near the bottom more than the top like the chromis that you mentioned. http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/images/apogon_leptacanthus.jpg

[Scoobaman17]

OOOOO I'm in love!