New all in one tank build

[leedaly52]

Hi all,

 

I've been keeping a 10g nano tank for around 14 months and with a new house on the horizon (mortgage came thru yesterday!) I am planning to upgrade to a much larger tank.

 

I have been speaking with Birmingham aquariums UK to build me a 24"cube with a false wall for the filter, skimmer and return compartments(I can't sump the tank due to space issues.) Display volume will be 170l and filter area 56l.

 

I plan on keeping lps and softies as I currently do, with 4-5 fish,(2 clowns that currently call my 10g home, others not decided on yet.)

 

I have started doing my research on the equipment I need and wanted some input on my current thoughts.

 

Lighting.

ocean revive s026 led - reviewed well and not too costly. How are others experience with this? Will this be ok for 24" cube with just softies and lps?

 

Skimmer.

Tunze Comline DOC 9004. Due to size of compartments I couldn't go much larger than this. It states it's for tanks up to 265l with medium stocking level. Will this be fine for my stocking requirements?

 

Return pump.

not sure on this.based on another post on this forum I was recommended 900-1200 lph to draw water through my filter compartments. Will this be enough? Also do I really need an expensive brand name return? Or would something like the all pond solutions pumps be just fine (trying to keep costs down where possible)

 

Wavemaker/powerhead.

Again same question as above. I've seen all pond solutions 6000lph wavemaker for £34 but an equivalent flow rate from hydor or other brands are in the £70-80 range. Is this really necessary? What advantages would the koralia or similar powerheads have?

 

I don't mind buying the more expensive gear if need be, but I would prefer to keep cost down for initial build and possibly upgrade later on.

 

appreciate any feedback / help guys.

Thanks in advance

[leedaly52]

Anyone?

[GokesReef]

If you're planning to stick to simple corals like softies and LPS, the light should work very well and you won't need to run a skimmer - so you can save some money there.

 

As for the flow, your goal is for the returns and powerheads is in the 20x-30x+ tank volume per hour and you want it to be as indirect as possible - I'm not sure which you were looking at but the benefits of Koralia is that they are able to be pointed in any direction and look nice. Hope that helps!

[CatfishSoupFTW]

jebao wp10 is a wonderful wavemaker/powerhead. Cadlight pls50 nano is a great skimmer as well. and Sicce silent series pumps are great. All are wonderful products, for fair prices..... all are products I have on my 18x18x16 tank. so somewhat similar to your specs. Drilling to a sump can save you in the long run of changing up equipment though.

 

I have heard good things of the tunze 9004 skimmer, and it was one i was looking at for a while. a good contender to the cadlights. but I got mine used for 60 bucks and it was next to new..

 

 

build log

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/356326-catfishs-21g-w-sump-the-coral-survival-group/

[leedaly52]

Thanks catfish.

 

I looked at the wp10's and seem well reviewed and a decent price. From some of the forums on here for my cube ill probably need 2. Do you need to run the control unit with them or is this an upgrade that can be added later?

 

Found a tunze 9004 for £75 on amazon so think that's the one ill go for as ticks all the boxes.

 

I'll most likely go with a 1400-1800lph return pump which should give me approx 7x turnover through the filter chambers.

 

with 2 powerheads at 3000 lph each I should get around 35X turnover

[CatfishSoupFTW]

the wp10 needs the controller. as it doesnt use a regular outlet system.It has a 3 prong system almost like a microphone, with a threaded lock. then you have the little controller, and thats plugged into the wall. the controllers seem to work with other pumps of its kind. I have a wp10 in one tank, and a wp25 in another, and they work regardless of which of the two controllers I use. The controller also comes as a package im pretty sure regardless of which unit you buy. considering its a wave maker, it cant make waves without a controller. lol But there are other modes, like constant speeds, 1,2,3, low, high, random, etc.

 

As for how many you need, its up to you. But imo, the wp10 is quite the work horse. depends how you acquire it, but maybe its worth to just buy one, have a good return flow, and see how it goes for dead spots or flow. I have mine dialled down quite a bit on my 18x18x16 tank, and its hard to find a low flow area for my calmer corals.

[leedaly52]

Thanks for the advice catfish. I'll probably go for one unit for now, see how that runs with the return as well and can always add another if I find there's not enough flow.

 

Thanks for the advice catfish. I'll probably go for one unit for now, see how that runs with the return as well and can always add another if I find there's not enough flow.