Demasonisrule's 90G

[demasonisrule]

Ok...I've heard that it is good to keep chromis in odd-numbered groups, is this true, and if so, would 5 be good, or should I go with 7?

Just got to put the trim on the stand, and then we will be ordering the RO unit(I convinced my dad to order it online ) , and then we'll get live rock, let that cycle, get the CUC, start getting fish, upgrade the lighting, and get corals! I'm so excited , all of this over a long period of time, of course. My goal is to restain myself, and take a lot of time with this tank.

Any other opinions on the substrate? I'll probably go with aragonite, but with stuff that I have around, I would save about $50 (I'm pretty cheap about things that aren't necessary, so I have more money on things that I do need )

EDIT: Just ordered RO unit, 4-stage, 50gpd, and refractometer! The site says 'within 7 buisiness days,' so it should be here in about 2 weeks

 

[jtnova13]

I also don't want the stereotypical reef tank.

Not sure what you mean by this?

I would add the tang last and as others have said, they are very prone to ich, so setting up a quarantine tank before adding this one is VERY important (if you do indeed add the tang last.)

Some of your stocking will be dependent on your filtration... how much live rock you have, what's in your sump (skimmer, fuge, etc.) AND before you buy this equipment, you should decide what you want to keep in your tank as far as corals are concerned... if you plan on SPS, you might want to invest in a better skimmer whereas if you plan on getting some clams, lps, softies, you might not need a top of the line skimmer.

I also think you could get 3 more chromis in your tank. Never heard anything about keeping odd numbers.

 

[demasonisrule]

I also don't want the stereotypical reef tank.

Not sure what you mean by this?

Hmmm...not sure what I meant by this either? Just disregard it I guess

I would be adding the tang last. Would either a yellow tang or a purple tang be a better choice, health wise?

I'll probably be getting around 100 lbs of lr, but maybe a bit more.

I was planning on getting softys, and maybe some lps.

I will probably be having a fuge in the sump, and the skimmer will probably be a coralife super skimmer 220. Any experiences?

I heard the thing about the chromis from a lfs clerk, so I'll go with 6 most likely.

And we found out that directly above the tank is a cold water pipe, so we may be able to run a pipe down the wall, and have the RO unit sit right inside the cabinet . According to the tracking thing on the website, the unit should be here on Wednesday.

Has anyone had any experiences with drilling the tank? We're really apprehensive about it

 

[jtnova13]

Chekc out my old 90g journal if you get a chance journal

I would be adding the tang last. Would either a yellow tang or a purple tang be a better choice, health wise?

I kept a yellow tang and didn't quarantine, and no ich, but that's the exception, not the rule.

I'll probably be getting around 100 lbs of lr, but maybe a bit more.

I kept ~100lb of LR in my 90g

I was planning on getting softys, and maybe some lps.

cool, I had mostly LPS and softys

I will probably be having a fuge in the sump, and the skimmer will probably be a coralife super skimmer 220. Any experiences?

I had a coralife 125 on my 90g and it worked really well (without a fuge too) 220 is oversized for a 90g in my opinion and especially if you're running a fuge. I think the 125 will be plenty!

I heard the thing about the chromis from a lfs clerk, so I'll go with 6 most likely.

And we found out that directly above the tank is a cold water pipe, so we may be able to run a pipe down the wall, and have the RO unit sit right inside the cabinet . According to the tracking thing on the website, the unit should be here on Wednesday.

Has anyone had any experiences with drilling the tank? We're really apprehensive about it
You CANNOT drill tempered glass. Make sure your glass is not tempered!!!

 

[demasonisrule]

Thanks for the warning about the glass!!

How do we know if it is tempered?

OK...125 gallon skimmer - that should save me a few bucks

So probably a yellow tang instead of the regal...sounds good to me!

 

[jtnova13]

There is usually a sticker on the bottom or something. Otherwise i think if you look at the edge of the glass it will be greenish?

Here is a good link to tell if your glass is tempered
tempered glass

 

[demasonisrule]

Ok...Change in plans!

The 90 gal (this tank) will be used for my ever growing Malawi cichlids ,

and the saltwater will be in the 55 gal that they are in now. I know that their tank isn't tempered, so all plans will be the same, other than stocking. Will update on the stocking plans when I get a rough idea

 

[demasonisrule]

Ok...The cichlids that were going to get too big will now be exchanged for smaller ones, so the saltwater can be in the 90 gal

Other than that, only update is that I got my RO unit, and refractometer today, just waiting to fill the tank because I need to drill the tank, and the drill bit still hasn't come yet

We found out that the tank isn't tempered, thanks for the link

 

[jtnova13]

Sounds good, don't be mad at me if it is though

 

[demasonisrule]

Sounds good, don't be mad at me if it is though

Don't worry, I won't be mad, it would be partly my fault, after all.

No real updates, but we will be doing work on the tank (finishing cabinet, drilling bottom, etc.), because we have a week off from school

 

[demasonisrule]

Just a question about the substrate - could I use a layer of dolomite, and then a layer of playsand on top of that? It would save me a lot of money, and it seems like it would work fine to me.

Also, would T5's fit into a ballast that the T12's that came with the tank are in? I was thinking of modifying them to hang above the tank.

 

[mjzuverink]

it may work with the ballast but not the T12 sockets. but from the picture it looks like you could easily switch out the sockets. you can get all kinds of sockets at home depot and such. just make sure your ballast can handle the wattage of your t5 bulbs which I'm assuming will be 54w?

 

[demasonisrule]

Ok...we might as well just make new ballasts that can hold more bulbs at a time...

On a more p***** note, we were drilling the tank tonight, and guess what? The whole bottom completely cracked

We have decided to take out the little pieces, and put in a sheet of acrylic.

and don't worry jt, we're not mad...at you anyway.

 

[mjzuverink]

sorry about the unfortunate news. I always have a glass tech I know drill the holes cus most people don't know what they're doing

 

[demasonisrule]

Yeah, that probably would have been a good idea for us

We're going to start looking up prices for acrylic, and possibly setting up RO unit today