Coming Back To This Hobby!

MarbleShark

MarbleShark

Active Member
Greetings everyone!

I used to be on here quite frequently and then I had a meltdown when I moved and then a cracked tank at another location followed by a now ex-wife who was not supportive of my hobby.

My current fiance surprised me with a 90 gallon pre-drilled glass tank with lights and stand this week.

I have a great fish store here in the Orlando area that I have found.

I need some help though as I do not want to start filling it until I have everything set as far as equipment. I would like feedback on a few items if possible. The tank is going to be a saltwater reef tank.

Here is the tank - 90Gallon2.jpg

1) As far as filtration I am not looking to break the bank. trying to decide between cannister and sump. I know the pros and cons for both.. it will also be in the living room and trying to keep the noise level down.. opinions?...

90Sump.jpg

This sump from Pro Clear Aquatic Systems

or these..

CannisterHydra.jpg Hydor.. or CannisterMarine.jpg Marineland..

2) Hydor Koralia Evolution Pumps

Then I will be putting one of these on both ends of the tank to help with circulation.. or at least I was thinking of doing such.. since I am getting 2 do I need to go with the larger one still or would I get 2 of the smaller ones?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...rknFMEzhxYE6F8S_If9wbH7EBwWoBRBwheBoCDl3w_wcB

3) I want to put a background on the back and have seen many paint the back of their tank. I have seen others put a tint on it or some simply tape a background to the back. I like the idea of a background that adheres to the back like a tint or painting it. Thoughts?

4) My fiance wants to get some decorations for it. I wanted a more natural looking tank, but she wants to put some stuff in it and was looking for a good place to get saltwater safe decor for the tank

Thank you all for your help ahead of time. I remember when I had my 55 long ago this was the place to go for help and everyone here was amazingly friendly. I am so excited to get back into this.
 
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Witfull

Witfull

Well-Known Member
this is surreal. next thing you know, Travis, Teri, Craig, Curt, Troy, Roger,Gina etc etc will be reappearing~

Calling Mojo, Boomer~~~~
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
The tank you have looks good. You'll be fine with that.

You don't mention your lighting, so it's not possible to give an opinion on that.

We have talked about canister filter in your other post. As for the sump, it looks very small for a 90 gal tank, but it's hard to tell from the picture. Keep in mind that a sump needs to be able to hold all the live water in the system, in the event of a power failure.

I would highly recommend a skimmer for your system. Once you get into a larger system like this, a skimmer is almost a requirement. It just removed so much waste before the filtration system needs to deal with it.

The Hydor Korilia pumps your looking at are good, and to do a lot better you'd need to spend a bundle on EcoTech or Tunze controllable pumps.

You can put a background on the tank if you want, but in a few months it will get overgrown with coraline algae anyway. If you still want a background, look into those dark automobile window tints.

As for decorations, most of the typical aquarium decorations such as castles, greek temple ruins, ship wrecks, divers, plastic clams, and so on really look out of place in a SW reef. If you need to have them, choose ones that look like they are part of the underwater scene. Also, items such as plastic jelly fish or plastic anemones really look fake in a reef, especially if it's next to the real thing.

On equipment in general, I recommend always getting top quality. This doesn't mean most expensive. There is a lot of reasonably priced quality gear out there. At the same time, there is a lot of junk. Top quality equipment will last, and you also will not end up replacing it.
 
MarbleShark

MarbleShark

Active Member
DaveK said:
The tank you have looks good. You'll be fine with that.

You don't mention your lighting, so it's not possible to give an opinion on that.

We have talked about canister filter in your other post. As for the sump, it looks very small for a 90 gal tank, but it's hard to tell from the picture. Keep in mind that a sump needs to be able to hold all the live water in the system, in the event of a power failure.

I would highly recommend a skimmer for your system. Once you get into a larger system like this, a skimmer is almost a requirement. It just removed so much waste before the filtration system needs to deal with it.

The Hydor Korilia pumps your looking at are good, and to do a lot better you'd need to spend a bundle on EcoTech or Tunze controllable pumps.

You can put a background on the tank if you want, but in a few months it will get overgrown with coraline algae anyway. If you still want a background, look into those dark automobile window tints.

As for decorations, most of the typical aquarium decorations such as castles, greek temple ruins, ship wrecks, divers, plastic clams, and so on really look out of place in a SW reef. If you need to have them, choose ones that look like they are part of the underwater scene. Also, items such as plastic jelly fish or plastic anemones really look fake in a reef, especially if it's next to the real thing.

On equipment in general, I recommend always getting top quality. This doesn't mean most expensive. There is a lot of reasonably priced quality gear out there. At the same time, there is a lot of junk. Top quality equipment will last, and you also will not end up replacing it.
Click to expand...

1) Could you possibly point me to some Skimmers that are decent quality but will not break the bank that I can put in my sump?

2) Based on the Hydor Korilia and my plan to place one either end of the pump do you have a suggestion of the strength of the flow that would be best? The end goal is to have a decent reef tank so I do not want to have too strong of a current.

3) Yeah I am going for the more natural look. She found a diver's helmet decor that actually looks aged and fitting so we are going to compromise on that.
 
Florida Sunshine

Florida Sunshine

Member
One of the most important things to think about when selecting a skimmer is that they are almost always overrated so you want to get one rated for at least double the amount of water you have in your system.
I ran an ASM G-1X on my 90 for years but just replaced it. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the one I got. I'll try to remember to look tonight and post. I loved the ASM and had a G4+ on my 125g tank but I had to replace the pump on the G-1x several times so I decided to try something new,
 
MarbleShark

MarbleShark

Active Member
Florida Sunshine said:
One of the most important things to think about when selecting a skimmer is that they are almost always overrated so you want to get one rated for at least double the amount of water you have in your system.
I ran an ASM G-1X on my 90 for years but just replaced it. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the one I got. I'll try to remember to look tonight and post. I loved the ASM and had a G4+ on my 125g tank but I had to replace the pump on the G-1x several times so I decided to try something new,
Click to expand...

What do you think of this one? https://www.chewy.com/instant-ocean-sea-clone-protein/dp/128915 says it is for 100-150 and I have a 90.
 
SPR

SPR

Well-Known Member
Hi Marbleshark

NYOS Quantum 120 probably for your size tank. I have just installed the 160 version but you don't want one to big or it won't work correctly.

They are a piece of art that's all I can say - if a protein skimmer can be pretty this is it!lol

Watch the video on their web site and it's also on my build thread showing it installed
 
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