Wes

Alright, to give you a better idea of where this is going, lets get a quick equipment run down out of the way. I knew going into this that I wanted a stacked tank system so that it would not take up much space. I also wanted to make the build easy and have collected most of your normal reef tank operating goods. This entry turned out to probably be too long, but I hope it helps and more importantly, I hope I have accounted for everything (who ever really does though, right?). If you missed Part 1 click here.

Tanks - Glass Cages out of Nashville Tennessee has supplied many a member of our club with their most prized possession and while they may not be the prettiest of tanks they hold up just as well and are the most competitively priced by far. Since its a frag system who really cares what it looks like! (well, maybe Maria but I'll deal with her, hopefully, lol). I was looking at two 50 gallon tanks for the corals (48l x 18w x 13h) with a 75 gallon (48l x 18w x 21h) for the sump and before I could make up my mind a friend came over to help with some plumbing and made up my mind by offering to build me a stand so it was a no brainer. (here is a pic of them on the stand)



Lighting - The last item I actually decided on was the LED lights and I did not actually get excited to start all of this until I found these (I will get more into these in a later entry). I also decided to get a 4 bulb Icecap T5 retro kit from Reef Geek so I could truly see if LED’s will hold up. While LED lighting systems seem to be the wave of the future I am just too skeptical so it is nice to have the T5 system running with it. Both light systems will have a full spectrum lighting of about 10,000k, but the nice thing about both systems is you have high and low spectrum bulbs mixed in so you get good growth and color.

Skimmer/Pumps - Probably the biggest item for me to simply get out of the way was my skimmer and I went WAY overboard so I could feed a little heavier (who doesnt want it bigger, huh...HUH?!). Anyways, I bought a MSX 200 mostly because I know several people who have it and love it. If I could recommend one thing for choosing a skimmer, it is not to fall in love with one just because it is the 'in' thing. Sitting in my garage was a Quiet One 4000 and a 6000, I am still debating about which one I want but I have used a QO3000 for 5+ years with no issues so one of those will go on it for sure. The most likely in tank flow pumps will be a couple Koralia 3's per tank as they are just too economical not to, I have some extra Tunze 6055's laying around but not worth putting on this tank IMO plus, well...I just don’t like them.

Miscellaneous - Ok, I know everyone likes to debate the little things to death but for me a controller is one of those things you must get and I picked up an AquaControler Junior from Neptune Systems with a DC8. Bottom line is that they are economical and reliable so why mess with anything different? Now, it might not be the most economical route, but IMO two part dosing via a medical pump is quite reliable and super easy. I also bought some mag floats already, black eggcrate for making frag racks, just a regular glass heater, and a phosban reactor with carbon running 24/7. To help with our hot Texas heat i will rely on evaporative cooling via fans with a JBJ ATO to account for the loss. The last item of any significance is my LG 45 pint dehumidifier since it is a relatively small room. (here is the big equipment round up shot)



Thanks for your time! Coming up next, Part 3 - Sump Build.

Wes