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im in the design phase of my 6 * 2 * 2 " 180 g." im planning it to largly be an lps tank utilizing the following components-
2/3 * mh 12,000 k 175w
berlin style sump
3* sun sun 1000L powerheads
2* 300w heaters
1 * hyper flow return pump.

would 2 mh's be sufficent?

the main question is...... as this is an lps dominated tank will i need to dose calicum or will regular 20L " 1 every 2 days" natural sea water changes be sufficient too maintain ph and calicum levels?

my current 48 * 18 * 18 has utilized this method with out any proplems for over 10 months.

also how much LR would you recommend?

I think the amount of LR you put in will depend on what kind you use, basically, how porous is it? The more porous rocks provide better filtration, therefore you don't need as much of it. Figi and tonga rock usually only require a pound per gallon for effective filtration, but you may want more b/c the tank could still "look" pretty empty. I know Nate has over 400lbs of LR in his 180, when you could easily get away with half of that. I'd go with at least 1lb/gallon, prolly closer to 1.5lbs/gallon though. Good Luck


[hr width='40%'][font color="#000080"]"I know that you are something special, To you I'd be always faithful
I want to be what you always needed, Then I hope you'll see the heart in me"[/font]

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

1 pound per gal is a good place to start. But as stated, if the tank looks empty, then add more. My 125gal reef has 125 pounds or LR, and looks rather bare. I plan to add another 50 to 75 pounds to maek a nice reef. If you want a FOWLR, then less rock will be OK. This will also depend on the kind of fish you want to keep. Some want more hiding places, other want open swimming areas.

Dan


Dan

thanks!, what are your thoughts as to calicum/ kalkwasser dosing? will natural sea water changes be enough to maintain ph and other associataed variables?

Thats a lot of LR. I would suggest at least 300 pounds of good LR. I have LPS corals in my tank,(frogspawn,hammers) and I dose B-Ionic 3 times a week and again with a weekly water change. LPS from my experience don't require that much calcium. But if you want them to grow a lot you will need to keep it at least 480ppm.
Any metal halides are great, doesn't matter how much or what spectrum. If I were to give you guidance, I would tell you to have 2 250watt 10k metal halides. I've heard those are the best for bigger systems.

250w's would be better but ive allready got 2 175w from an old system that im gonna transfer across. do you know anything bout dosing kalkwasser? or where i can find a good article on how to make it?

Not really, Kwasser is still effective but a lot of people say that its old. Heres what I do know. You have to mix RO water with the dosage of Kwasser and the excess sediment settles at the bottom. At night you drip the Kwasser into your system without getting the excess in your system. One thing I've heard is that its very high in P.H. (like 13 or so). So pouring it into your system would be deadly.
I use the same process but with newer technology. Its called B-Ionic. It comes with 1 bottle of alkalinity and 1 bottle of calcium. Every 2 nights I use the recommended dosage for the AK, then the next night I use the Calcium. It works well and is very easy.

With LPS, you will have to dose calcium in some way or another. After all, they are stony corals. Large Polyp Stonys. As for how you want to do it, that will be entirely up to you. There are over a dozen different ways, and oppinions vary on which are better, easier, faster, ect.

As for kalk, again, it is a preference thing as to how to add it, and yes, you will need to add it to your tank as well.

There are several factors that will determine how much or what you will need to add to your water; The type of salt you use to mix the water. RO, RO/DI, or tap water. The size, types, and growth speed of the corals you keep. Different types of filters, as well as different types of filter systems or setups, as well as the different types of coral life and their filtering capicity/mechanisms. Light source and amount. Amount of current, and its placement. As well as many other things.

The best thing to do, is research, and test your water. I have had my reefs running for 1-4 years (different tanks). And I still test weekly, or at the least every other week. Main tests needed for large reefs, are calcium, phosphate, alkalinity (not ph alkaline), ph (for SW, not for FW), total hardness, nitrate, and have available ammonia test kits to watch ammonia if you have a large coral or other critter die.

B-Ionic is a good source to add many of the things your tank needs, but there are other things that may need to be added, depending on your setup and water sources. And, B-Ionic may be more than what you need as well. I have used it in the past, but prefer different methods for my personal tanks now. It will all come down to what you can/want to afford, and what works best for you.

HTH.....

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There is always a bigger fish...

Well put, I hate writing large replies cause I hardly get any responses from them.
Question for you ACIDRAIN; you never said what you use now. Is there a specific product you buy now? Reason I ask is cause I've spent a lot of money on trace elements that I never really use. This would probably be a good poll question but heres what I use:

Oceanic Salt
B-ionic AK/CAL
Reef Solutions reef supplement
Kent Marine Iodine
Coral Vital

Personally, I am still old school, with the use of tap water. I use a phosphate remover/scrubber, and I dose with kalk, calcium, iodine, and superbuffer dkh. I find the use of tap water, cuts down on all the trace elements needed. I also do water changes of about 15-20% every other week, or as regulated by my nitrates. I prefer my nitrates below 10. My corals grow well, and all appear to be healthy. I used to do the RO/DI thing, but with my last set up, I wanted to try the old tap water thing and see if I liked it better. At this time, I prefer it, as it makes like easier for me, as for care of the tank. My 120 that will be set up over the course of the next few months, will be done with RO/DI again. It will be an SPS tank mostly. It will house my 6 lionfish, as well as only poisonous other fish, fox faces etc. At that time, I will also be having to dose more, but I plan to have auto dosing systems in place, as I plan to have all my SW tanks on one system. It will also have a continous dosing phyto as well. Plans are for the entire system to be done by the end of the year.


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There is always a bigger fish...

Very interesting, I started my system 6 months ago with tap water and I'm still pulling out phosphates. I've heard of people using tap water but they keep it aerated for about a week before mixing salt in it. I guess it all depends on your water supply as well. The water here in San Diego is bad stuff. We just had a sulfur contamination about a month ago and I'd hate to put that stuff in my tank for my fish to breath. Its a lot safer using DI around here.

I agree, it very much has to do with your water supply. Luckily, mine comes from the aquafor, and is perfect.

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There is always a bigger fish...