450 gallon setup. HELP NEEDED!!

[coolname1]

Sorry but u need to turn the stand up side down as suggested. That stand is not leveled at the moment and not putting plywood with foam on top is just stupid.
There's no way I'd take shortcuts on that big of a tank.
If you are not ready, do not set it up.

[jhenry]

Sorry but u need to turn the stand up side down as suggested. That stand is not leveled at the moment and not putting plywood with foam on top is just stupid.
There's no way I'd take shortcuts on that big of a tank.
If you are not ready, do not set it up.

Why should he turn the stand over? That is a glass tank. With what looks like a laminated glass and PVC bottom.

[rage]

As for water changes and storage, I would change more like 50-60 gallons every 2-3 weeks or so, maybe even less often until you get corals. You can get a couple of the gray 32 gal Brute garbage cans with wheels on them and use them for your RO/DI water and salt mixing.

All of your advices are sound.
The only thing I would argue is whether you want to make small water change 5-10% many times or fewer 20-25% change.
My contention is small water change does little to change the condition of your tank, whatever it is you want to take out or add in, 5-10% of it at a time is just too little. Another thing, Two 10% water changes does not equal 1 water change of 20%.

You just don't want to make huge water change for a reef tank though. In fresh tank, I often do 50-70% water change but not in salt. You don't want the condition to change too much either.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php#4

[trbkrb]

I hear you, I'm guilty of changing about 25-30 gal every water change in my reef tank that's about 100 gallons total, but that is just because I do it every month or so and I have two 15 gal water containers to mix it in. I was just thinking about the convenience of doing it in smaller batches. Much easier to use 2 Brute cans than 4 at a time. But ultimately it might be easier to do a larger change once. It all boils down to how much work the OP wants to do and how often.

[myjohnson]

Talk talk talk....let see some damn pictures!

[jhenry]

Talk talk talk....let see some damn pictures!

Thai your 100% correct

[vinc]

It does cost a lot, does that cost include the labor? How often do you plan on changing water?
Do people really truck around 100g for water change? Moving 800 lbs of water is a lot of trouble.

My Water General RO/ DI system costs ~$150 new. Some other brand costs ~$200. Individuals rarely resell them but sometimes they do for less.
I have a 125G tank and I didn't change out filters until after 1 1/2 year for ~$100. For your tank, probably 6 months.

If that is what you are talking about, $1.50 a gallon is expensive for mixed salt water, so I hope that does include labor to change it and some tank maintenance.

Say your salt is $50 for a 200 gal bucket. That is about $.25 a gallon for salt. Say your RO/DI filter system is $200. If you get 1,000 gallons from it, that is $.20 a gallon. But you may get more before the filters need to be changed, depending on your water condition. So the total cost per gallon if you mix it yourself is about $.45 plus whatever the water company charges which is probably less than $.04 or so per gallon, accounting for the waste water too. So that is about $.50 cost for each gallon of mixed salt water.

There are several sponsors on www.MARSHreef.com that sell the RO/DI systems; Air, Water & Ice, Buckeye Field Supply, and Purely H2O. Russ at BFS is VERY helpful in getting you what you need and also with getting things set up after the sale.

As for water changes and storage, I would change more like 50-60 gallons every 2-3 weeks or so, maybe even less often until you get corals. You can get a couple of the gray 32 gal Brute garbage cans with wheels on them and use them for your RO/DI water and salt mixing.

And also, the LFS will not be able to test much about your base water unless they have a TDS meter. And even then, it will just give you a number reading, it does not tell you WHAT is in the water. Hate to sound like a broken record (or a stuck CD or whatever for you kids!) but getting the RO/DI filter will give you one less problem to worry about. And even if you have the water changed by someone else, I would still test it. A handheld TDS meter is about $25 and gives you that extra measure of safety.

yea, i think i'm going to just go with the RO/DI since it'll save us money in the long-run. talked to dad about it and he agreed. i just saw one posted up online here so hopefully i'll pick it up soon. just pm'd the seller. also seems like we'll definitely need it since we're considering doing some coral sometime in the future.

Sorry but u need to turn the stand up side down as suggested. That stand is not leveled at the moment and not putting plywood with foam on top is just stupid.
There's no way I'd take shortcuts on that big of a tank.
If you are not ready, do not set it up.

Why should he turn the stand over? That is a glass tank. With what looks like a laminated glass and PVC bottom.

+1. the tank is pretty thick glass and the bottom actually has two layers. the person i bought it from said previous owner decided to do a second layer of glass on the bottom to reinforce and seal up the two holes which would have been used for a closed loop system. also, i still don't see why plywood or foam would make much of a difference since the tank is so heavy. wouldn't it just flatten out the foam?

All of your advices are sound.
The only thing I would argue is whether you want to make small water change 5-10% many times or fewer 20-25% change.
My contention is small water change does little to change the condition of your tank, whatever it is you want to take out or add in, 5-10% of it at a time is just too little. Another thing, Two 10% water changes does not equal 1 water change of 20%.

You just don't want to make huge water change for a reef tank though. In fresh tank, I often do 50-70% water change but not in salt. You don't want the condition to change too much either.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php#4

for my freshwater tanks, i usually do 25-50% changes, if not more. for the saltwater tank, i'll probably go with changing around 25% once a month or so on the saltwater tank. going to have to do some reading about it to decide for sure

Talk talk talk....let see some damn pictures!

Thai your 100% correct

lol. sorry guys. been busy lately and haven't really gotten much done. still looking for a place to get my baffles cut out so i can put the sump together. is there a specific thickness they need to be or can i just use thin pieces of either glass or acrylic?

[vinc]

if i can find a place today, i'll try to set up the sump and put up pictures tonight

[vinc]

bought a RO/DI unit today. Kent marine hi-s maxxima (60 gpd) which i haven't set up yet. also bought a koralia 4 but probably won't use it for this tank since the magnets won't really hold because the glass is too thick. lol. still need bigger powerheads for current and glass/acrylic for the sump! i took some pictures of my fluval edge since i haven't done much with this tank and was planning to post but can't email them to myself for some reason =\

[trbkrb]

+1. the tank is pretty thick glass and the bottom actually has two layers. the person i bought it from said previous owner decided to do a second layer of glass on the bottom to reinforce and seal up the two holes which would have been used for a closed loop system. also, i still don't see why plywood or foam would make much of a difference since the tank is so heavy. wouldn't it just flatten out the foam?

The thought is on rimless tanks, all of the pressure is spread out across the glass bottom. If the support stand is not flush with the glass across the whole tank, then there is a potential for the glass to crack due to the uneven pressure, especialy from a high spot. That is where the foam comes in to cushion and fill in the slight imperfections. of course the foam would need a plywood base to support it on top of the framing. If the tank had a plastic rim on the bottom, then you only need to have the rim sitting flush with the stand all the way around the edge since it will be supporting all the weight.

lol. sorry guys. been busy lately and haven't really gotten much done. still looking for a place to get my baffles cut out so i can put the sump together. is there a specific thickness they need to be or can i just use thin pieces of either glass or acrylic?

I'm assuming the sump is glass? I would go with the same material. Any glass shop can cut you some glass panels the right size, and I would go about 1/4-3/8" thickness, with polished edges. Make the panels about 1/8"- 3/16" less in width than the interior dimensions so you can silicone them place. Use masking tape to get a clean silicone line. You can use acrylic, but it is a bit harder to get it to stick to silicone and thus the glass. I ended up pulling mine apart and using glass the second time I did it.

Good luck!

[luxtralarge]

Me and coolname made that stand and it was made so the 2x8 on the top can support that heavy tank. And for any rimless tank with flat bottom should have foam down at the bottom so the weight can be even out. Its your tank now and it's up to you how to set it.

[vinc]

The thought is on rimless tanks, all of the pressure is spread out across the glass bottom. If the support stand is not flush with the glass across the whole tank, then there is a potential for the glass to crack due to the uneven pressure, especialy from a high spot. That is where the foam comes in to cushion and fill in the slight imperfections. of course the foam would need a plywood base to support it on top of the framing. If the tank had a plastic rim on the bottom, then you only need to have the rim sitting flush with the stand all the way around the edge since it will be supporting all the weight.



I'm assuming the sump is glass? I would go with the same material. Any glass shop can cut you some glass panels the right size, and I would go about 1/4-3/8" thickness, with polished edges. Make the panels about 1/8"- 3/16" less in width than the interior dimensions so you can silicone them place. Use masking tape to get a clean silicone line. You can use acrylic, but it is a bit harder to get it to stick to silicone and thus the glass. I ended up pulling mine apart and using glass the second time I did it.

Good luck!

ok, so i just looked at the tank again and it has a black plastic layer on the bottom. the bottom of the tank also consists of two very thick pieces of glass (1 inch each). from what i can see, the tank looks like it's sitting pretty
flush all the way around. i might try to put in plywood and foam but i'm really unsure how to do this without actually removing the tank from the stand. it was way
too much of a hassle to take it off and put it back on.

about the sump, it's glass. i also have glass cut and just put in two pieces. gunna wait until it dries tomorrow to test it and see if i sealed it correctly

Me and coolname made that stand and it was made so the 2x8 on the top can support that heavy tank. And for any rimless tank with flat bottom should have foam down at the bottom so the weight can be even out. Its your tank now and it's up to you how to set it.

can't i just add more wood underneath the top pieces to make them "thicker" to support the tank?

[vinc]

i'm using GE silicone 1 clear from lowe's to put the baffles in. is this brand/type ok? it says 100% silicone on there and i remember someone telling me it was ok once but not sure. going to do some research on it but any thoughts are appreciated

[trbkrb]

i'm using GE silicone 1 clear from lowe's to put the baffles in. is this brand/type ok? it says 100% silicone on there and i remember someone telling me it was ok once but not sure. going to do some research on it but any thoughts are appreciated

As long as it does not say anything about mold inhibitors or mildew, it should be fine for baffles.

[nightster]

One is blue one is red. I believe the red is window and door, the blue is kitchen and bath. You want the red, its window and door. If I'm not mistaken...