In need of help setting up a 180 gal tank

[yoda4x4]

Hi all,

I'm new to this board and could really use some help in setting up my first reef tank. A friend of mine is getting rid of a 180 gallon tank and giving it to me for free. Even though I know it'll be pretty expensive to set up, I figure I could do it in stages. I'd like to keep the tank as simple as possible, basically using a DSB, live rock, protein skimmer, and possibly regular filter... no sump system. With this is mind, these are my ???s:

1) It was recommended that I could use some PVC piping to put under the live rock so that it makes it looks larger/more than is really there. Do you recommend for/against this?

2) Can I add the live rock in stages? And how much do I initially need to start the cycle for this tank?

3) Since there won't be a sump, what brand/make/model of protein skimmer would you recommend for this system? And should I use multiple ones?

4) Lighting: I know that what I will put in this tank will affect this answer. But assuming I don't put in anything difficult/demanding, what lighting can I put in that'll do?

5) Heating: What amount of wattage will I need to keep this tank in check?

6) RO/DI units: I know this is something that will pay for itself many times over. What unit can you recommend I buy?

Please note that I'd like to do this on as small a budget as possible. Thanks alot for all your help.

David

[hellraisers30]

yoda4x4 you've come to the right place and ill try to help with some things
pvc pipe under your rock to hold the rock off of the sand bed would be as far as i would go, you dont want to see the pvc pipe

adding live rock in stages will make your tank go threw a cycle each time pieces are added, not so much of a major cycle, but there will be some spikes, and as far as how much needed to start the tank. not much is needed the more the better but you don't need 300lbs to cycle

i have a euroreef skimmer and love it!! i would recommend one of those,,,they are a bit pricey but are very user friendly and they make huge ones that could handle that tank without a problem
also when you buy one get one rated larger than what you need it for, the aqua c skimmers are really good also another thing for a skimmer for this size tank, you are going to need a in sump model,, i would rethink the no sump thing, cause sumps are really nice and they allow you to put all your equipment in there and out of site.
also you didnt mention if this tank was drilled or not?

as far as the lighting i wouldn't go cheap here, a 180 is a big tank so your going to need some good light on it, buy as big as you can cause you will be upgrading before you know it

as far as heaters. go with some that matches your tank size closely, you don't need to buy huge watt heaters with a larger tank unlike a smaller tank, it takes along time for a larger tank to drop temp, so i would recommend buying a couple of smaller ones

ebay has some good rodi units for around a $100.00 or air water and ice has some nice ones cheap also

only problem i see with the whole thing is you are looking to get it going on a small budget, and you have a huge tank and with that size tank you are going to need some of the better equipment, check the selling threads you could pick up most of what you need over there for pennies on the dollar

goodluck with the huge tank, try not to build it the cheapest way cause you will only end up spending 3 times more than it would cost to do it the right way the first time

[hellraisers30]

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[flycut]

1) You could use the piping, but I think most people use it for stability.

2)Any LR added after any cycle will start another cycle. You will want to get about 1 to 1.5 lbs of rock per gallon. If you want to keep the cost down you can always put alot of base rock and seed it with a bit of LR. I am curently setting up my 125g (early christmas present) and I put in 60lbs base rock and I am about to add 60lbs LR. You could go as far as 1/4LR and 3/4BR.

3)Can't help you here, don't use any.

4)I got two 4 feet fluorescent fictures and ballasts from HD and bought the bulbs at my LFS. 2x10000k and 2xactinic tubes. So about 80W of lights for under 100$. Of course I will be doing a full reef so this is just a suplement to 2x250w MH.

5)I have about 450w of heaters for about 160g of water. Lets see what others have to say here.

6)Alot of good units are available out there. You should defenetly get one.

I strongly recomend you don't skimp on 2 and 4. LR is VERY important for your tank so get alot. As far as the lights go, if you go cheap, you will want to upgrade. So why not get good stuff off the bat.

[yoda4x4]

Thanks to all those who have responded so far. Please keep the suggestions coming. Also, what size skimmer would be recommended? Some of the web sites have different/misleading information for the same skimmers.

Thanks again,
David

[bertoni]

For Euro-Reef, I'd use the manufacturer's recommendations (www.euro-reef.com).

For heaters, I'd go with two heaters, at least, and have some sort of thermal protection device. seabay.org has DIY plans for a cheap one that I like (the thermal shield). Tronic heaters haven't been all that reliable for me, but at least they fail off, rather than sticking on and boiling the tank.

I have a Kent Maxxima unit and think it's fine. The Spectrapure models seem a little nicer, though. I would want at least a 35 GPD model with that size tank, and even then, it'll take a while to make that much water.

If you don't wan to keep any coral for a bit, any cheap fluorescent light will be okay for fish. Just pick some bulbs that look nice to your eyes.

[rockhoundmaiden]

My Nautilus TE is only a in-sump type, sorry I can't help with the other type. (backpack or others)

I purchased my live rock from a seller trying to get OUT of the hobby.

Try looking in selling forum.

Stay away from some used things and look hard for others.

Did your friend have a saltwater setup or freshwater?

Make sure he never treated with copper in case you plan to ever have corals.

Good luck