Kyle's 48" custom

[SHMStrack]

Alright, here is the low down. My 10 gallon "learning tank" took a turn for the worse. All Glass has let me down twice, because both 10 gallon tanks i bought have blown out bottoms. Therefore GIVING me a good reason to set up my new tank I'm setting up a custom 48" x12"x12" Why the crazy dimensions you ask? Well Ive only got a 55 gallon stand to work with and i don't think that anybody has a tank like this. and its good to be unique

The Glass for this tank is free and its coming in of Friday! how pumped am i? Equipment and stocking goes as followed:

Equipment:
HOB aquafuge
CPR Bak Pac II (if i can get any information, and buy one used)
titanium heater
2 koralia 850's

Lighting:
I think I'm gonna retrofit a 4 bulb t5 together
( two actinics, one fiji purple, and one 10,000k

Fish:
3 tangs, a mantis, a pistol, a tomato clown and a clown pair(all added at different times) and a foxface... 3 anemones (as soon as my tank cycles)and 4 clams.....TOTALLY KIDDING!

Not too worried about fish prolly just a clown pair and maybe a goby of some sort.

Inverts:
EASY corals such as:
a couple shrooms
Zoa's
and any frags i can get my hands on.

I know I'm prolly forgetting something from my Equipment list considering i put it together in my head 5 minutes prior to this! A couple questions though. Will I have enough flow? will my lighting be too much? not enough? Im up for ANY suggestions, this tank is the one i wana do right

[smkndrgn142]

10 gallons is way too small to "learn" on.
Can't wait to see some pics of the new set up! sounds like it'll be pretty sweet!

[SHMStrack]

you are right, 10 gallons is WAY too small to learn on. needless to say ive the only problem i had was keeping my salinity right, fish and frags were ok till the "break"

[smkndrgn142]

that will all be much easier in the new tank! the only thing you'll regret is the depth. I have a 55 and I constantly wish it was 6 inches deeper!

[SHMStrack]

really? i had a 55 and always wished it was shallower. i guess it was my stand being up so high. I guess im just partial to shallow tanks! (20 long, ect.)

[smkndrgn142]

sorry, i didn't mean top to bottom, I meant front to back...I like short tanks too

[SHMStrack]

i know what ya mean, it was setup for African cichlids and i had TONS of trouble getting the rock in there and still having swimming space for them.

[smkndrgn142]

I had a 55 gallon african cichlid tank in college! had 11 in there between 3 and 6 inches, oh it was great...I used different sized clay pots to create caves in the stacked rock. I lived in Montana, so gathering river rock was very easy!

[SHMStrack]

i live in WV so the rocks in our rivers are perfect for cichlids! i could never get mine to stop fighting so thats why i joined the salty side

[smkndrgn142]

I started my first salt at the same time, in a 20 gallon in my bedroom. DEFINITELY a learning experience, but I was hooked. I moved out to LA when I was done and set up a FOWLR and did it right...slowly changing it into a reef tank. Still learning about the corals, but loving every second!

[SHMStrack]

yay my first update. i went to the LFS and with store credit from my broken 10 gallon i was able to pick up two koralia 2's and a titanium 150w heater!

[SHMStrack]

QUESTION for anyone who has ever done rimless.

will i need a brace in the middle of my tank? i was reading around and some say that you need it but the glass is gonna be 1/4 inch think and others say that thinker glass makes the brace superfluous

[michael_cb_125]

Hello Kyle.

It is good to see that the few mishaps with the other tanks have not made you bitter towards the hobby. I know how discouraging it can be sometime.

As for rimless tanks. You do not need a brace, providing the glass is thick enough, and the joints are fused properly.

Looking through the specs of your tank, I noticed a few things that caught my eye.

First off, the skimmer. I have not personally used the BakPak, but I know many people who have used them, only to change to something different in a few months time. The ratings that they give these skimmers are VERY optimistic, so consider about 50% of what they actually say. Plus why only give a 1/2 year warranty. Another thing to consider is that almost all HOB skimmers have the capability of overflowing, and in turn spilling onto the floor.

Personally I would recommend one of the following skimmers. They are more expensive, but in the long run will save you money, as they will not need to be replaced.

Deltec MCE300 a very good skimmer, that is very efficient.
Deltic MCE600 an amazing skimmer that could be carried over to a larger tank, in the chance of an upgrade. Plus this is a HOB skimmer that CANNOT overflow. They collection cup is routed to the reaction chamber, so that if the skimmer cup becomes full, it will spill back into the chamber, not onto the floor.

Tunze DOC 9005. I have personally used this skimmer and other larger DOCs, and can say that they are an amazing skimmer, and produce ALOT of nasty tea colored skimmate. These skimmers sit directly in the tank which prevents the spilling of skimmate onto the floor. Also, these skimmers are very easy to adjust and maintain.

Lighting. Consider a single Actinic. Since true actinic bulbs have very low PAR levels, you will receive little growth from these tubes. They are primarily used for color enhancement.

Sorry for the rant, I just like to share my experience. I have made many costly mistakes, and like to help others prevent themselves from doing the same thing.

~Michael

[SHMStrack]

Thanks Michael! i dont consider it a rant if its gonna help me! I was searching around on craigslist and found a Wet/Dry for 120$ pumps, overflow, tubing, ect. i was thinking about running that and running the heater and one of the skimmers you suggested in it. would that be ok?

and why just one actinic? dont most soft corals require more light than that?

[michael_cb_125]

I was not clear, sorry. I meant in your total of 4 bulbs, only one should be Actinic. A combo that I am a fan of is the following:

ATI True Actinic
ATI Pro Color
ATI Blue Plus
ATI AquaBlue Special

The Pro color is a pink bulb that really brings out the reds, oranges, yellows and purples in corals. Plus is has a good PAR reading.

As for the sump idea. I would steer clear of the wet dry, and just get a "reef" sump. The wet dry filters typically increase your nitrate levels over time. Also, if you are going to use a sump, I would try to get away from the HOB skimmers. Most HOBs are decent, but not nearly as effective as in tank or in sump models. The DOC, can be used in sump with no problem, and comes with the conversion kit for sump use already.
Here are a few in Sump skimmers that I am fond of, I will list them from least expensive to most:

VERTEX IN-100 (this is a new skimmer, that has been getting very good reviews)
ASM G2 (great performance at a great price.
ELOS NS500 (this is an amazing skimmer that is hand made in Italy. It uses a very quiet and powerful eheim pump.)
ATI Bubble Master
ATB
Bubble King

The last three are VERY pricey, but amazing.

Of the skimmers I listed I would either go with the Tunze DOC or the ASM.
For simple skimmers that have good performance at good prices, you just cant beat them.

~Michael