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The MUST HAVES for a SPS tank

beaupierce

beaupierce

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Hey all,
wanted your advice for a list of equipment, knowledge, and ideas as to what are the "must have" items in keeping a SPS tank..

Any and all recommendations are welcome..
 
No one has answered you yet?

I'll go out on a limb and say...a tank. ;D

Really, I'm not an SPS expert, I only play at keeping SPSs, so far I'm winning the game...knock on wood. ;D

When I went on the tank tour though, I saw all kinds of lighting, MH, T-5, and combos. Another common thread was calcium and alkalinity supplementation. Everyone had sumps and/or refugiums, good flow too. All but one tank was bare bottom but this is preference, besides trying to decrease organics.

Hmmm....All you SPS junkies out there...help Beau... and me! ;D
 
Light: MH (best) T5 (so so depending on depth)
Flow: high flow (don't count on your return for flow, use powerheads as too much flow through sump/filtration decreases efficiency.)
Filtration: Protein skimmer, sump, refuguim
Supplementation: how much time do you want to put into dosing yourself? How much money are ou willing to toss at the tank?
Auto-top off
rodi or even better a larger DI only system


what size tank we talking about?
Same as earlier, how much money are you willing to spend on this?
 
47 gal cube

Light 175 MH and 96 W PC
Flow rio 2100 return with 2 maxi 1200 on a wavemaker
Filtration: Skimmer in sump, chaeto, and carbon reactor
Supplementation: Not sure yet, and open to advice on dosing

Auto top off: Not yet and yes I have a ro/di unit

advice??
 
Maxijets? Are they maxijet mods or plain 1200s? If they are not mods they probably won't be enough flow. Also I would consider not using the rio pump. Many here have reported bad pumps.
 
2 maxijet 1200 MOD in a 49 gal will give you more than enough flow..I agree with Ian, you might want to rethink your return pump. Rio pumps have a reputation on burning or leaking electricity. I have experienced the Rio 2500 on my ETS skimmer burned on me and it wasnt pretty.
 
2 maxijet mods will give you enough flow, however if they are not mods they won't. I was just asking because the mods don't work as well on wave makers as the regular maxijets.
 
You will need to glue down the frags and no sand with 2 mod MJ1200 in a 47G Cube ;D .. small prop on a mj400 is enough to create sand storm in my 40G breeder tank. If you are looking for one, I have an almost new pump and prop for sale. It was used for like 30 minutes.
 
If it is in the budget, I'd go for an Eheim return pump -I love mine! Low heat, doesn't munch through electricity, and is quiet. And from what I've heard they're very reliable.
 
[quote author=iani link=topic=6856.msg88983#msg88983 date=1237182794]
...the mods don't work as well on wave makers as the regular maxijets.
[/quote]

Why is that?

A little OT Beau, but I was planning on hooking up modded maxijets to a wavemaker.
 
[quote author=drdoolittle link=topic=6856.msg88960#msg88960 date=1237181473]
must have lots of friends with sps. :)
[/quote]

This was going to be my answer, too, Ed! The support from friends goes a long, long way in this hobby. Certainly one of the driving forces for me.
 
So not a lot of sand huh?? I was just debating this in my mind trying to figure out if I wanted to go with a deep sand bed or not... What's you all's opinion??

What is a "electrical leak?". I have had my pumps for about 2 years now with no problems that I know of... Interesting

BTW I haven't yet set up the tank, so I just Want to make sure I have everything set up to right to succeed
 
I would go SSB or BB. A lot of sps reefers prefer and swear by BB but some don't like the look a opt for a SSB instead. DSBs were the fad back in the day but DSBs after 3-5 years tend to crash because of the phosphates released(at least thats what the theory is). Electrical leaks are when a pump goes bad and you will get stray current in your tank. You would feel a slight tingling sensation when you put your hand in the tank water. I had a Korallia4(this pumps are known for this) that did this to me. I suggest adding a ground probe in you setup for this reason. If you have the funds(and in this hobby you will need it), I would look into a Vortec MPW40 it would be great for your 49g tank and you can still use it if you upgrade to a larger tank.
 
So, I think I will go with a 1in sand bed then.

Yes ideally I would like a Vortec, however funds are a bit low, so maybe in the future or when another company offers something similiar and cheaper...

As far as friends with SPS, I'm hoping and praying, that everyone here at BAR would love to contribute a few frags so I can grow them out and DBTC them...

Alright, well it sounds like I have a good handle on it and can't wait to get it started...

Now, just gotta set it up and start doin in it!
 
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