55g upgrade to a 90g

[greg_mills]

Hey guys,

I currently have a 55g reef tank but am upgrading to a 90 after christmas. I'm getting a AGA 90g tank, not drilled (as i don't have a sump). I'm currently using the following equipment and will be switching it over to the new tank, 48" TEK 6-bulb fixture, Tunze nano wavebox, Deltec MCE 300 skimmer and i'm going to purchase 2 Koralia 4's and maybe 2 additional Koralia 2's for added flow. i'm planning on buying new live rock and sand. Are there any tips i should know about before i do this transfer? Being only 2 years into the saltwater scene i still consider myself new so anything can would be useful. Thanks for your time and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Greg

P.s. i'm looking to join the club at the January meeting as i have found in this Hobby/Addiction, you can never know enough. Looking forward to meeting everyone!

[chudly]

Since you are upgrading you should seriously consider utilizing a sump. It is the number 1 complaint among reefers who wish they had done things different.

You will also probably need a larger skimmer. If you don't decide to use a sump i would try and grab the MCE 600.

LOL and congrats on the upgrade.:thumbsup:

[Timbor]

I'm not sure if it would suit your purposes, but you could also look into getting a vortech instead of a wavebox - if you are looking for more flow, I think they can provide more flow and take up less real estate in your tank, while still being able to provide alternate flow.

Otherwise, I would second the sump option. It makes like easier, as your display will always have the same water level, and you have a place to hide equipment as well as have a fuge.

If you are patient, you could probably find some good deals on used equipment in the classifieds here.

Tim

[Dr. Zoos]

+1 on the sump, dont do anything else until you get the tank drilled, it will for sure be your biggest "wish i hadda" within a few months if you dont( i know that they is atleast one macl member with a few diff size glass hole saws;))


+1 on watching the classifieds here for used stuff if you want to save a few bucks, it took me a few months but i was able to save alot of money by buying most of my stuff used on here kijiji and rc.

see you at the meeting
Shane
:cheers:

[thecoralreef]

I will also agree and say that a sump should be a huge consideration. If you haven't already gotten the tank yet you could buy it already drilled and then not have to worry about drilling it. When you actually get to switching over systems your tank will likely go through a cycle again so be prepared for that. If your adding new rock and sand I would be careful how much you add a once if doing a switch. Adding all new rock or lots of rock will probably send your tank into a cycle as well. Maybe you could let us know how you are planning on changing tanks over......all at once or having both setup running to cycle through ect......

Mike

[greg_mills]

So i went out this week and after all you reccomendations, got a 90g tank drilled with a Megaflow kit. i'm in the market for a sump now and i'm wondering what a good size sump would be for my 90? also since i have a HOB skimmer (Deltec MCE 300) would that still work in the sump. From existing sumps i have seen online, i don't think the water would get high enough for the intake.

I'm also buying 100 lbs of Fiji live rock from an established tank so i don't believe i will have to cycle it (or will I?). I have ordered three 40 lb bags of sand for my DSB and other then that, just waiting on a few other things and i'll get this puppy up and running!

Anymore tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Greg

[ajx22]

So i went out this week and after all you reccomendations, got a 90g tank drilled with a Megaflow kit. i'm in the market for a sump now and i'm wondering what a good size sump would be for my 90? also since i have a HOB skimmer (Deltec MCE 300) would that still work in the sump. From existing sumps i have seen online, i don't think the water would get high enough for the intake.

I'm also buying 100 lbs of Fiji live rock from an established tank so i don't believe i will have to cycle it (or will I?). I have ordered three 40 lb bags of sand for my DSB and other then that, just waiting on a few other things and i'll get this puppy up and running!

Anymore tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Greg

Sump = as large as you can fit. Also factor in a properly designed refugium too.

You'll want to upgrade the skimmer. It's rated to a MAX of 90G - and you'll have more then 90G just factoring in your sump. You want the skimmer to be realistically rated for at least 25% more total water volume then you will have (ie. display + sump + refugium = ??? + 25% = realistic skimmer minimum rating).

Fiji rock is quite dense. Strongly consider Indo rock; as it's better at filtration. Additionally - buying used rock can be a problem, as you're adding in everything that the previous owner added to their tank for ?? years too. Please read > cycle < ... your tank will still need to completely cycle / stabilize. You want to target 1.5 -2 lbs/gallon of quality porous live rock - so you'll want to target for at least 135lbs; to 180lbs.

Use the AP Calculators (http://www.aquariumpros.ca/modules.php?name=Sandbed_Calc) to determine the required volume of substrate for your sandbed. Be sure to research DSB vs. SSB and set it up accordingly. For a standard 90G - dim's are 48" x 18" - and to obtain a 4" DSB that would take 165lbs of Oolitic sugar sand / 246lbs to set-up a 6" bed.

HTH ,