Lighting & Water Flow for 180 Gal

[Johnathan]

Hello all,

I am setting up an 180 and planning to have a reef someday, but taking my time. First I'm going to have LR and Fish and buy coral over time. My question:

Is it ok to start w/ 4 36" VHO's and over time add 2 250 watt MH's? I know on MH's they say to space them every two feet, but I cant do that due to my middle brace on my aquarium. It is about a foot wide and 1/2 inch thick. I don't think would be a good idea to have a MH over that brace.

The tank is not drilled, so I thought about do a closed loop for current. Do you think 1 closed loop w/ a 1400 gph pump using a SCWD be enough or would I need two?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Johnathan

[bertoni]

[welcome]

You can start with any lighting you want if you limit the animals you keep. The VHO should work for some soft corals quite nicely. As far as the closed loop, I would guess that you'll want more outputs in order to prevent dead spots, but a lot would depend on how you place your live rock.

[ledford1]

The VHOs are a good way to start. You would probably continue to use them when you added MH anyway.

A CL can help rid your tank of dead spots. But you could do the same thing with Tunze Streams. In the long run, you would save on electricity compared to a large pump running a CL. There are lots of ideas out there, and no one way is correct of course.

Do you have plans for a skimmer? I would say that's one of the most important items for a tank.

Have you joined the saltwater group in Tulsa? OMAS, I believe. They have a forum here on RC as well. It would be good to get connected with them.

Good luck.

[Johnathan]

Thank you.... I will look into the Tunze Streams, it sounds like those may more effiecent, sometimes I don't like the look of having a powerheads in the tank.

I'm in the process of getting a 55 Gal for the sump and I'm going to use a ASM G3 for the skimmer. What size of overflow box should I use w/ what size of return pump?

No, I have not heard of a saltwater group in Tulsa. I will have to look them up.

Another question: Is there any reason I can't go to a lighting supply store and buy ballast for a MH & VHO? I called a store and they had those types of ballast for $20 to $80, but I dont' know if there is a difference or marine suppliers are jacking up the prices? Is Ice Cap 660 just a brand, because the supply store haven't heard of that before? Thanks, Johnathan

[adickerson0]

Many people get lights from http://www.hellolights.com/

There are two types of ballasts: electronic and magnetic. Electronic are a lot cheeper to operate. If you can get ballasts of good quality cheeper then be shure to let us know. It may be good to get a used MH bulb that someone is going to trash. That way you can test thing with that bulb and not a nice new one.

[ledford1]

Ice Cap is a well known brand. Like adickerson0 said, it would be great if you could get some old, used MH bulbs to test the different wavelengths and choose the look that you like.

As far as buying equipment, it's usually cheaper to buy online than someplace local. Marinedepot.com is one of the most popular.

The ASM G3 would be a good skimmer on that tank.

You want your overflow to coordinate with your return pump. You'll want the overflow to have a greater gph than the return pump, so that you don't run the risk of running your sump/pump dry. On my 180, for example, I have a Mag 18 as my return, and once you calcuate the 6' of head, it is doing about 1250 gph.

Personally, I'm not a fan of closed loops (just so you know my bias), but there are many who are. I think that when you compare the cost of the plumbing, the pump, and the electrcity that pump will require, it's better to go with a great set of powerheads (like the SEIOs or Streams). The SEIOs are cheaper, but the models aren't as powerful as the Streams. The Streams are a bit expensive, but they use very little power, give you great flow, and plus they have one of the most credible names in the hobby. I would say do a couple of searches for closed loops and see what your best bet is for flow. The local reef club could also give you some ideas.

Definitely check out the OMAS. Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society, I believe is the name, and they are based around Tulsa). Their thread is in the Reef Club forum here on RC... http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=315. There is another Oklahoma group in OKC. I belong to SEAS in Springfield, MO. When you join, you'll get to see the tanks of other hobbyists and share experiences. Great help.

If you get the chance, there is a great lfs in Rogers, Arkansas called Exotic Tropicals. The owner is James, and he runs a great place.