[Coach]

I have been reading many of your posts, but rarely post anything myself. I have been encouraged to do more than just spectate, so here it goes.

I am getting rid of my 90 gallon set-up and will be going with a 70 gallon so that the lighting will reach to the bottom without being reduced too much. I would like to focus on the soft corals. Do you all have any suggestions for anything to do with the tank set-up? Nothing has been done yet, so I am open to here your advice. What kind of lighting, skimmers, refugium?, water flow, etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jimbob]

Although I will probably be publicly flogged for this and dragged through town after having been tarred and feathered, here goes:

1) Lighting: If you truly only want to go softies (and perhaps add a few LPS or very hardy other things down the road) my reccomendation would be VHO lighting (or perhaps T-5 if that's your preference). I keep all sorts of softies, plus LPS and a few SPS VERY successfuly with VHO lighting myself and have for years.

2) Skimmers: Do not feel as though you need to have the Binsford 2000 model of skimmer eaither. It does NOT need to be diesel powered or anything like that. Simply stick to a well-known, recommended name-brand such as Aqua-C, Euro-Reef, My Reef Creations, etc. What you do NOT want to do here is buy yourself a poorly recommended name brand skimmer (Sea Clone comes to mind) thinking you will save a few bucks... it will suck and you will wind up goping out and spending a little more to buy a decent one in the first place. I personally run a H.O.T. Aqua-C Remora on my 85G reef and I LOVE it... I don't believe in the need to skim the life out of things.

3) Refugium: Although I do not have one right now, I desperately wish I did... they are one of th4e best possible investments a person can make on their reef... do it right from the start and set it up when you set your tasnk up.

4) Water Flow: Even with a softie tank, I would turn the water column over a minimum of 15 times per hour (all forms of circulation combined except the skimmer). Make sure it is as chaotic and nonpredictible as possible: laminar water flow is horrible for corals.

Hope all of this helps... more importantly, go slow, take your time, do lots of research and HAVE FUN!!!

 

[sean]

I plan to setup a softie/lps tank if i can get my hands on one, because my lps cant stand the flow in my 75, and i will have even more in my 120, and i have too many toxic softies mixed with my sps right now.


Here was my plans for now, i wanted to keep it as simple at possible.

Hoping to get a 50 breeder or a cube somewhere along the lines of possibly 24x24x18h.

I was going to try and not run a sump, so i could save on power.

skimmer:aqua c remora or remora pro

lighting: either vho, pc, or t-5 probably about 100-200 watts

other filtration: Im either going to use a cheap hang on filter just so i can run carbon and a poly filter. Or turn a aquaclear 500 into a hang on refugium.

Flow: If i dont use my wavemaster pro, on my sps tank. I will probably hook up 3 or 4 smaller maxi jets to it.

 

[canisson]

I agree completely with Jimbob, he will be dragged thru town after tar and feathering for sure!!

Just kidding, I kept softies and a pocilopora (SPS easy and hardy) for almost one year under PC lighting, and I think for what you are wanting, VHO would be the way to go. For that size tank, an Icecap 660 running 4 bulbs would give you more than enough light, IMO.

To fuge or not to fuge? YES! i am running a 55g w/20g fuge, and I have no mechanical filtration at all. No skimmer, filter, nothing. Everything is happy and healthy, I let natures own bio-filters do their thing in the fuge....again, just my opinion.

As for flow, as random as possible with as little powerheads is what I prefer. I have a SCWD with 1 maxi-1200 in my tank, and I have some serious movement.

Good luck, hope this helps a little.

 

[Specialk]

As a softy keeper myself I do have a fuge but no skimmer and no other filtration on the tank, BB with lots of flow. But I do agree with the lights.

Kaye

 

[pjr]

...and i have too many toxic softies mixed with my sps right now....

Hey Sean! Hope all is well in the South...

Just want to ask a question about your post. Which softies do you consider to be more "toxic" to your SPS? And what do you do to help remove the toxic affects?

 

[Coach]

Thank you for your responses. What about the light duration? Should they all come on at the same time and for the same duration? What about a moon light?

 

[sean]

Hey pat,

The most toxic i consider are my singularias, and my toadstools which i have a lot of. I also have other various leathers which are probably doing a lot of harm to my sps also. Most of my other stuff like xenia, shrooms, zoo's, gsp.... All that kind of stuff probably isnt too bad. But it would be nice to separate. A lot of it is located in my fuge behind my tank but they all are run through the same system.

I run carbon, and i change it out weekly. I have a huge oversized skimmer. I have a enormous amount of water flow, so the toxins dont just sit there when let out. Those are the only things i know definitly help. Im not to sure if having a huge fuge really helps or not. Or if a poly filters help catch anything either. But i also have both of those too.

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If you have your bulbs on separate ballasts, i would definitly turn the bulbs on at different times. Moonlighting would be nice to if your willing to install it.

 

[MCsaxmaster]

What could any of us add to Jimbob's excellent post? Absolutely outstanding! I wholeheatedly agree

Cheers,

-Chris