# 50G Setup



## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

Last Friday i purchased a 50G, breeder i think, it's 36x18x18. I got it froma guy locally who just upgraded to a 90G. I plan on slowly getting it up and running over the next couple months. I had a crazy weekend so i didnt post any pics but i will monday.

Specs:

50G AGA drilled on side
20G Sump
4x39 watt t-5 ho fixture
AGA standard black stand
Custom black hood
Coralife super skimmer 65
Quiet one 4000 return pump

All for $300 not bad eh?

I also have an ATO that i'm installing tomorrow

I figure im gonna need about $300 more for LR, sand, salt, and CUC

stockings i donno yet but probably like a pair of O. Clowns and a skunk cleaner shrimp, i want to keep it pretty lightly stocked

So far sound good fellow reefers?


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

Set it up running tap water, still messing with the durso its still making a lot of gurgling noises so i think im gonna buy a needle valve for the air intake, got salt today, sometime this weekend im gonna get an RO/DI unit, (yes I'm too tired to type in complete sentences),flow seems real good so far, the quiet one 4000 puts out about 800gph with 3.5 feet of head, im still probly gonna buy a powerhead for some extra flow, anyone have any experience with hydor koralia's or durso overflow's?
Here it is so far:
50G 36"x18"x18"








20G Long Sump


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

very nice!


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

Today i picked up 60lbs of aragonite, gave it about a 2" layer all around. Tank is a little cloudy so i threw a power filter on. Once the RO/DI unit comes i'll drain it then fill it with water and salt, right now its running tap water.








medium grain aragonite sand








4x39 watt T5HO


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

just a suggestion, im not telling you how to do anything, but since you have most of the stuff there, if you want to, you could cut apart that 4x39 setup, get a better ballast (one that over drives the bulbs), individual reflectors, and you would be able to keep WHAT EVER you could imagine as far as light goes. sps, anenomes, clams... all that junk!


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## Bear (Jun 8, 2006)

I would go with a 6 bulb set up before overdriving, but seeing as you only have a 4 bulb set up with leveldrummer on this one. The biggest problem with overdriving T5 HO bulbs, I have found through all of my research, is one of the problems with T5 HO bulbs to begin with. You have to make sure and keep the heat down. I think that I read the bulbs light best at 95 deg. To keep mine from burning out I run fans in the canopy, so all I would do when overdriving is add more fans 

oh and ya really do need the individual reflectors, try ta get the Ice cap SLR reflectors.


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

ya it's a possibility in the future, right now im not too worried tho. I only can really afford LR and softies. Sps, anemones, and clams are a little out of my league, this is my first saltwater tank.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Yesterday my RO/DI came so i left it running during the night and finally salted my tank today, so far everything is running good. The tank looks like a champagne glass from all the micro bubbles but they should clear.
temp: 79F
pH: 8.2
Sg: 1.025








FTS















Surface agitation / i turned the skimmer up high to pull the last bit of silt out of the tank


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

posted on my bro's account woops


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

ok i need some advice i'm not sure what to do. I know i need to increase the flow inside my tank but i'm not sure how to do it. I could either mod the MJ1200 inside the tank, get a koralia 3 or 4, or buy a seio superflow, all are about the same price except the MJ mod being slightly cheaper. However would 1500GPH coming out of the modded MJ be too much? Would you suggest a koralia 2,3, or 4? Or are the seios the best option?

thanks,
k-dawg-


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

What does your sump drop/return? I have two koralia 2 running in the 75 gallon, which added another 1200 gph to the total flow. I would suggest to go witht he koralia 1 which puts out 400. Depending on what your sump returns you can go with 2 of the koralia 1. Remeber that mushrroms don't like much flow, but leathers, zoes, and other softies like capenella do like flow.


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

the return can put out about 800gph but i have it teed off into the refugium which cuts it to about 200-300GPH, at full power its like 40X turnover in the sump and that made a ton of microbubbles. Do i really need 2 of em, can i get away with maybe one koralia 2 or 3, i hate losing tank space to powerheads.


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

i know how you feel. Loosing space to power heads suck. In all honesty though i think you will be fine with just one Koralia 1 or 2.


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## vvolfe1 (Oct 9, 2006)

leveldrummer said:


> just a suggestion, im not telling you how to do anything, but since you have most of the stuff there, if you want to, you could cut apart that 4x39 setup, get a better ballast (one that over drives the bulbs), individual reflectors, and you would be able to keep WHAT EVER you could imagine as far as light goes. sps, anenomes, clams... all that junk!


 I'd like to second this. I have a 4x54w nova extreme over my 55. I recently got a 90aga tank with a icecape 660 ballast. So I went out and got new 54w T5s and the reflectors for them. After watching my 90 with the overdriven T5 lamps and reflector when I then look at my 55 I swear I have lamps out. The icecap system has to send out atleast 3x the light as the other.
So, I ended up tearing apart the nova fixture and put on icecap reflectors on the lamps and it maybe doubled the light output. Soon hopefully I wil upgrade the ballasts to 2 vho ballasts so I can overdrive these 4 lamps also.


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

Today I got 60 lbs of fiji live rock, and last week i redid my sump, I have a half dozen frags waiting in my brother's tank as well as an O. Clown that i'll add once the cycle finishes


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Looking good ...


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Definately looking good man!

But i have to say that i agree with the lighting advice... your gonna need to up your equipment by a bit.


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## Bear (Jun 8, 2006)

What frags do u have waitin to go into the tank?


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

They're all frags from my tank ( GSP, Zoas, Mushrooms, Xenia) and he also bought a Ricordea Yuma..


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

ya nothing too special thats why i'm not too worried about light right now


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## k-dawg- (Feb 2, 2006)

update:
came home with some goodies from vacation and also put all the frags and my brother's clownfish in the tank

Purple plume gorg








False perc








Sand sifting snails/conchs








Merman's shaving brush








Lettuce Nudibranch


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