# 90G tank set up, equipment list and sumps



## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

I am so sorry for posting about this on here, as I'm sure it must have been posted so many times. I had started to buy some basic equipment to set up my first 75g saltwater tank, but ended up returning after talking to a pro through a different forum. I've decided that I am going to jump into setting up a 90g tank instead. I tried to use the search feature on here to search the answer before posting this thread. Ended up not being able to find the answer I needed but did get some information through google.

From the looks of it, I could set up a 90G tank without a sump, but there are specific skimmers?? (im still learning here, so pardon my confusion), that i need to set up? how much poorer of water quality am I going to work with if I dont set up a sump? 

I have never set up a saltwater tank, let alone a sump and my knowledge on setting all this up is soooo basic. I want to make sure I do this right and not make some compulsive purchases. 

I would also really appreciate some information on what you guys suggest for equipment for a 90G tank. My budget at this point is fairly open right now. I really would like to get the best equipment possible to help prevent having to replace equipment further down the road but also not buying everything at once as I my money tree isn't really....well...fruitful :lol:

Thanks for the help :-D


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Forgot to add that at this point, that as I get the equipment and slowly put all this together, I am in no rush of adding fish. I want to make sure I put this tank together, have it cycle, get all the right gear, lighting etc, grown some coral etc then the adding of fish being the very very last thing to add. I dont want to add them until the tank has been well balanced and functioning well.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

well im really sorry this "pro" convince you into buying a 90 gallon tank over the 75. they are infact the same thing except the 90 is taller then the 75. the taller tank not getting the same light penetration the 75 would.
i dont mean to discourage you about that, as a 90 would work, but the 75 IMO is the better choice of the 2.

for starters, heres a good sump article to get you going
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-articles/understanding-sumps-15930/

a sump is not a very hard thing to construct if you have minimal DIY skills and a spare fish tank to construct it from. to my knowledge there are no skimmers that hang on ( do not require a sump ) for a 90 gallon tank that are actually effective. a skimmer is a very important piece of equipment on a saltwater tank. some tend to be garbage while others worth their weight in gold. reading online reviews about skimmers from multiple sources is a good idea. to read more about saltwater filtration, you can do so here:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...-filtration-101-how-differs-freshwater-31955/
a sump isnt required, but adds to the over all water volume of the tank, so the bigger you can go, the better. sumps also provide a great place to put equipment, such as heaters, skimmers, and carbon/phosban reactors. you can also include a refugium ( which i suggest ) in your sump that has a macro algae ( i suggest chaeto ) and a clip on work light with a 6500K full spectrum bulb. 

and finally heres a very basic general guide
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-articles/introduction-salt-water-19051/
more research and questions should come, and id be happy to help to my best ability. check your messages, at the top of the page. i also suggest searching in your area for a local reefing club.


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

before starting a SW tank with corals try to decide what type of corals/reef you'd like to keep. This will and can determine the equipment you should get. if you are doing soft corals you typically don't need as much light as a lps or sps tank. you also don't need as powerful a skimmer either. That type of tank is alot more forgiving as far as error in keeping up water quality too. The middle of the road is lps type of corals. These corals need a little more intense lighting and a better skimmer The most demanding corals are the sps. IMO, you will need perfect water Q, high intense lighting, and one heck of a skimmer.


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

onefish2fish said:


> well im really sorry this "pro" convince you into buying a 90 gallon tank over the 75. they are infact the same thing except the 90 is taller then the 75. the taller tank not getting the same light penetration the 75 would. I dont mean to discourage you about that, as a 90 would work, but the 75 IMO is the better choice of the 2.


Not discouraging at all. That's exactly why I posted this here to hear what you guys have to say. I wanted some suggestion and advice and that's what you're arming me with. I should have posted about this sooner. I will look back into getting a 75g. Are there specific dimensions that I need to look at? I've just opened up all the links you've posted and going to head out and read them, pen and paper in tow.




reefsahoy said:


> before starting a SW tank with corals try to decide what type of corals/reef you'd like to keep. This will and can determine the equipment you should get.


 I had no idea corals were that specific to the equipment, lighting and water conditions you need to grow them successfully. Thank you for posting this. I will go head back into the coral section to see what I can learn and gather up for information. 

I would absolutely love to get as much color as I can get into my tank with those corals. Not sure what type of corals I would need to look at to achieve this. If you know of some good links I can look at, I would be super thankful for the help. Going to google some information up if I can.


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

IMO the best tank for a reef is a tank that had depth of field look, something 24 inches deep (not high). I've kept many reef tanks and i fiind that 24 to 30 inches works well for a couple of reasons. 1. it gives you options in aquascaping as opposed to a wall of rocks. 2. you get the full benefit of the spread of light in the tank. most refectors are designed for 24 to 30inches of coverage so if your tank is that wide you get the benefit of the light that is hitting everywhere so you can place corals anywhere in the tank and get light. 3. It also gives the corals space to grow so you will eventually get a more natural look to the tank if you aquascape with this in mind. My tank is 48" X 24" X 20" high. this for me is the perfect 48" wide tank because the 30" wide tank would take too much space where i sit my tank.


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

DisneyCoralReef said:


> I had no idea corals were that specific to the equipment, lighting and water conditions you need to grow them successfully. Thank you for posting this. I will go head back into the coral section to see what I can learn and gather up for information.
> 
> I would absolutely love to get as much color as I can get into my tank with those corals. Not sure what type of corals I would need to look at to achieve this. If you know of some good links I can look at, I would be super thankful for the help. Going to google some information up if I can.


when i first started keeping a reef i wasn't aware of colorful soft corals or even lps for that matter. nowadats i see soft and lps with crazy colors! back then you had to keep sps if you wanted colors but nowadays you can keep any type and get great colors assuming your parameters are corret. with this in mind you still need to determine the type of tank you're going to keep cause this can determine your setup. for instance, if you decide you're keeping sps you will need INTENSE lighting. for a 75 gallon tank you will need a minimum of 6 x 54 watt T5 bulbs with all parabolic individual high quality fixture. if you want shimmering effect of the lighting i would recommend 2 X 250 MH + 2T5's for supplemental lighting. If you go with LPS or softies you could probably get away with 4XT5's.


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Waw! talking about a lot of info eh. I guess Im going to have to go and read about corals and their care and maintenance and see what it is I can look into growing. I have zero knowledge about corals and definitely have no idea how to tell the difference between each of them. 

I will admit the long tanks I have seen, seem more attractive to me anyways, mainly because as you posted it's not so much a wall of live rock you're looking at, but a much nicer looking set up. Having said that, what are you thoughts on corner tanks? we just discovered those this week and thought the idea was so neat. Those corner tanks really gave you that feel of actually having a piece of ocean in your home. 

What are your thoughts with growing a reef, fish? Also do you suggestions for good info on corals?

This tank is absolutely stunning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snQMzZLu-ic


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

DisneyCoralReef said:


> Waw! talking about a lot of info eh. I guess Im going to have to go and read about corals and their care and maintenance and see what it is I can look into growing. I have zero knowledge about corals and definitely have no idea how to tell the difference between each of them.
> 
> I will admit the long tanks I have seen, seem more attractive to me anyways, mainly because as you posted it's not so much a wall of live rock you're looking at, but a much nicer looking set up. Having said that, what are you thoughts on corner tanks? we just discovered those this week and thought the idea was so neat. Those corner tanks really gave you that feel of actually having a piece of ocean in your home.
> 
> ...


Corner tanks are nice but have a couple drawback and that is they tend to distort the vision into the tank and can be alittle more problematic to use a magnet on the glass for cleaning and scraping, other than that they can be pretty nice. Personally for me i perfer the rectangular or cube tanks and if you want to try to keep expenses down try to pick a tank that require only one MH bulb ( if that's your lighting selection).

When i first started out keeping aquariums i went to FOWLR and have never kept a FW tank. then i went into soft, lps, then sps corals. I've tried to quit several times but find that something in my life was missing until i started keeping an aquarium again. This hobby is an addiction for me and i do enjoy it much. There are times it can be a pain (like anything else) but overall i can't live without a tank. Now that i've gotten to a point where i can keep just about anything i try, i could never go back to FOWLR. Alot of the fun for me personally is the challenge that comes with keeping a tank. I've built and assembled alot of things to make my tank quite automated. All my supplements are added automatically, water topoff, lights, feeding is done automatically. I've met many freinds around the world using forums just like this one and when i visit their countries i get invited to see their setups and exchange ideas in the hobby. You know is an illness when the first thing you do when on vacation is look up aquarium buddies and find local stores to see ho they keep their tanks!

The tank you posted above is mainly LPS and Softies. Most hobbiest who start a SW tank tend to gravitate towards corals that sway in the current (ie softies and lps) until they get hooked to sps. Here's a few older pic of my tank

left side









right side


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Outstanding! I will definitely be adding you to my private email list. Thanks aain for all the information and your honesty. On my way to work now but will be posting some questions that came up over night.
Thanks again 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

DisneyCoralReef said:


> Outstanding!  I will definitely be adding you to my private email list. Thanks aain for all the information and your honesty. On my way to work now but will be posting some questions that came up over night.
> Thanks again 
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Hey, No Problem. best to drop me pm's if i dont answer. always keep in mind there 's a million ways to skin the same cat so when you get info you will have to evaluate if that's the route you wanna go. Personally for me i try to keep things as simple/inexpensive as possible. if you make the aquarium easy to maintain you will more likely keep up on maintenance. my tank is sooo easy to upkeep it's unreal. After 16 or so years i finally figured out what's easiest for me and what works. I'm now in the process of adding an algae scrubber design that should allow me to do alot less water changes. I'm shooting for 10% change every 6 months or so. right now i'm doing 10%/month. i'll have to keep an eye on my supplements, vitamins, cause the ca, mg, alk is all automated and i check that about once every 2 months or so with test kits.


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Thanks again for all the info. Definitely appreciate your input and again appreciate the honesty. Not having done this before and learning as I go along, it's great to read all your pro inputs on building this tank. A lot of ideas brought and things suggested that I would have not thought about without it being brought up here. 
Please keep the suggestions and advice coming.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

where ru you in the process of setting up a SW tank? what equipment have you gotten so far? what are you thinking of getting?


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Gah it was all typed and I lost it...

I am doing research to buy all my equipment. I currently don't have anything. I just got a quote for a full 120g set up including a sump: http://www.aqueonproducts.com/products/megaflow-sump.htm (model 4). The tank as per your suggestion was a 18.5 wide, 25.25 tall and 55-60 inches in length.

Bigger than what I initially thought of doing. 

I went out there to figure put what tank would be best when you brought up the purpose of the tank.

What did you guys think of this so far? Does the sump look appropriate for this? Is it one you would suggest getting? Yes no? I'm really considering getting this tank.

I've also thought about looking online for a used one but don't know of it's a good idea for first purchase. I might be safer just buying it directly from the store? I'm also worried that the size of the tank might be something bigger than what I cam chew as a first time tank builder.

Thanks for the info everyone, you're all my saviors.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

thats a freshwater sump, and you esp dont want bio-balls. 

is it possible to get a used tank and silicon sheets of plexi as baffles for a DIY sump?


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Hmmm...I must have copied his link wrong. It was a model 4 sump. I'll have to search through the site once home to put the correct link up. Thanks for the correction.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Finally at home and found the correct link on my machine. Model 4 is the sump he suggested to get: http://www.aqueonproducts.com/products/proflex-sump.htm


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

I'll tell you what my requirements are for a perfect tank/stand combo is and let you decide if that tank you chose is a good fit for you.

My first requirement is that the tank be easy to clean and access. If that is easy i'll more than likely keep up with maintennance. With this in mind my tank/stand combo must allow me to put my hand into the tank and the rim height must not be above my armpit. That way i dont have to get up on a ladder to clean or get something i dropped into the tank. You will eventually drop corals into the tank when placing them into the rock work and need to wipe the glass at the very bottom of the tank to keep algae off the glass. Keeping this in mind the total height of the tank/stand combo must not be highter then my armpit when i'm standing. I learned this the hard way with one of the most expensive tanks i had and hated it! I learned bigger is not necessarily better.

second is that because keeping corals require INTENSE lighting, height of the tank is IMPORTANT. The law is called inverse square law which states "if you double the distance light travels you need to square the intensity of the light to have no dropoff of light intensity". This is important for cost, and heat of the tank.

All this being said my tank is 48X24X20H. I can get into the tank because my light hangs above the tank and is an open top for evaporating cooling and ease of accesing the tank. No lids to open, no obstruction when putting my hand in. I can put my hand in and walk around the entire tank withou taking my hand out because something is in the way! It's pulled about 4 inches from the wall so i can clean the back glass with magnets easily. 

My sump is a custom built sump. I will post a pic later when i get a chance. you'll see that a sump is really not high tech at all and laugh me out of the building!


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Thank you so much Reefsahoy. Another reason to go with s more shallow and long vs a taller and not as wide tank. I don't think that even with a ladder, I would have ever made it into the tank.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

here's a pic of my tank with the lights hanging. notice you can clean the tank by just walking up to the tank and simply sticking your arm in. The tank also naturally keeps cool due to evaporation so no chiller needed. this pic is when i frist introduced the corals to the tank so the light had to be up high so i wouldn't burn them to the new light. it's been lowered since








here is the back of the tank to the wall










here is a photo showing that all sides and front of the stand can be open for easy access to anything inside the stand. This is the best stand i've ever owned. it so important to be able to get into the stand from all directions and no obstruction to equipment!










i will get to the sump when i get home and can take some pics. here's one more pic of the stand. i really like this stand. it's clean, easy to see inside, able to open on all sides.


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Oh waw, I see what you mean. Was it a custom stand you ha made? It's a really nice set up. Again appreciate the pics. Makes it a lot easier to understand. All wonderful advice. You've saved me a lot of beginner mistakes already.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

no it was not custom. its called a tech stand made by oceanic


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

heres a link to a store that shows you the look of the aluminum finish. the second to last tank is what i have except mine is black
http://www.orlandotropicalfishstore.com/orlando-oceanic-tanks.html


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Perfect! I just messages them to see of they ship to Canada. Hard to tell from my device here, but did you those cabinets also open on the sides?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

don't laugh but here's my sump. there's nothing in it except live rocks and a skimmer! it's very low tech and cheap. sorry for the bad pic, i took it with my phone.










the hoses are an autotomic top off that i made and the other hose is a ca reactor that constantly add ca, mg, alkanity, and all necessary minor trace elements. I don't like the sump you posted earlier because you won't be able to fit a big skimmer in it which i think is vital to successful reef keeping.


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

DisneyCoralReef said:


> Perfect! I just messages them to see of they ship to Canada. Hard to tell from my device here, but did you those cabinets also open on the sides?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 
where in canada are you? btw there is a custom tank builder in canada. i heard they build awesome tanks! if you'd like i'll look up the co and get back to you.


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

i sent you a pm with the tank builder in canada. i didn't know if it would be a problem posting it here. please check them out before agreeing with them on anything as i've never personally used them but heard good things. do some homework with that info.

thanks


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

reefsahoy said:


> where in canada are you? btw there is a custom tank builder in canada. i heard they build awesome tanks! if you'd like i'll look up the co and get back to you.


I'm in Calgary Alberta. Would it be difficult to find a stand for a custom tank? I think I'm going to stay with a 75-80 gallon tank. Going bigger really intimidates me not to mention the cost to stock it. As for a sump, thanks for letting me know about the one I posted. Did you have some suggestions for a good one?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

what i did to custom build my tank is use the footprint of a 120 gallon tank and then buy a 120gallon stand. the footprint is 48 x 24 on a 120 gallon. my tank is designed to be a 100 gallon tank. if i were to choose a ready made tank i think the best option is a 120 gallon for a few reasons.
1. you can fit all equipment under the stand and not have any ugly stuff outside the stand.
2. it fits the 24 inch wide theory
3. 48 inch long will give you alot of room to aquascape.
4. relative low cost.
5. it's just a tad too high for the arm pit theory (4 inches to be exact, hence mine is 20 inches high) for me personally but if i had to i guess i could live with it! 

my second selection would be the 75 gallon tank. with a 75 gallon you may hvae to cram everything under it but i think it can be done. BTW make sure the tank is reef ready!


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Definitely will, something I did not know to look for in the purchase of my first tank until you actualy brougt it up. 

What size of power head am I going to need for a 75g tank? What brands, or what makes a good powerhead?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

DisneyCoralReef said:


> Definitely will, something I did not know to look for in the purchase of my first tank until you actualy brougt it up.
> 
> What size of power head am I going to need for a 75g tank? What brands, or what makes a good powerhead?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 
what type of corals are you keeping determines water flow. soft and lps require less flow while sps require lots of flow. budget determines what brand to get. if i were to list important items to spend in decending order it would be after aquiring the tank and stand IMO.

1st and 2nd tie at lights and skimmer
everything else after 1 and 2 you can cut cost on.
when buying a power heads/pumps pay special attention to watts required per gallons moved. these items will pull water temp up and can be an issue especially in warm climates. i know you live in ca but don't know where you're putting the tank. but for inexpensive good flow, and low power consumption i'd go with this http://www.marineandreef.com/Hydor_Koralia_Powerheads_Aquarium_Power_Heads_Pumps_s/380.htm

however i consider myself a really serious reef keeper and went another direction and that is dual vortech mp40
http://saltycritter.com/pumps/vortech-mp40w-es-pump.htm it's programmable, clean, quiet, low power consumption, no heat added to the tank because the motor outside the tank and move tons of water!


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Ok will focus on getting a tank and stand first then. I'm still searching for good information on corals. Ultimately havingyour expertise to grow a tank like yours would be heaven, but that level of expertise will take years to acquire.

What corals would you suggest I start with? My main goal is to grown a reef over adding fish livestock(which I would like to add some eventually).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

i just sent you a pm with what i consider minimum configuration for a successful reef. go over it and check with a local fish store until you feel confortable with what i said. check here online too just to verify that i know what i'm suggesting too is correct for you. 

the corals i'd suggest are soft corals and then venture into the world of lps slowly. there are some beautiful soft corals out there nowadays. if you decide to go the reef route i'll send you a link with corals where you can see colorful soft corals and find out the names then go see if you can find it locally. the biggest suggestion is to go SLOW! only bad things happen fast in this hobby!

btw did you see the old video of my tank? http://s892.photobucket.com/albums/...ction=view&current=VID00006-20090819-1142.flv


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

reefsahoy said:


> i just sent you a pm with what i consider minimum configuration for a successful reef. go over it and check with a local fish store until you feel confortable with what i said. check here online too just to verify that i know what i'm suggesting too is correct for you.
> 
> the corals i'd suggest are soft corals and then venture into the world of lps slowly. there are some beautiful soft corals out there nowadays. if you decide to go the reef route i'll send you a link with corals where you can see colorful soft corals and find out the names then go see if you can find it locally. the biggest suggestion is to go SLOW! only bad things happen fast in this hobby!
> 
> btw did you see the old video of my tank? http://s892.photobucket.com/albums/...ction=view&current=VID00006-20090819-1142.flv


I had seen that video. Absolutely incredible. Sure hope to eventually be this successful. You're definitely one to follow as far as building a reed goes. It's outstanding work!


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