Lighting & tank setup

[Ryannterror]

Hey guys I'm new to the world of salt. I'm starting up a 30 gallon 36"L x 12"w x 18"h. So far i have (2) Rio+ 600 powerheads, Marineland 250 watt heater. Plans for 30 to 35lbs of fiji Live rock and a Remora Pro or EV 120 if i run a Sump. My question is would a 250watt Metal Halide be to much light for the tank if theres such a thing... my other thought was a Orbit 2x 96w PC. I'm very open to input . Should i run bigger/more powerheads?

 

[Lorna]

I wouldn't trust the rio powerheads as they have been known to be problematic. I would seriously look into the Hydor Koralias as an option. They run well and produce a nice broad flow pattern. The metal halide light would be optimal espeically if you are wanting high light demand corals and livestock later such as sps corals, clams, and anemones. Otherwise the 2x96 orbit would allow you to have some lps and most softies and polyps. You have a good plan so far and it appears you have done some home work. Well done!

 

[KahluaZzZ]

also Seio...great pumps, wide flow, never jammed.

 

[Lorna]

I agree, I ran 2 820 seios on my 75 before I went to koralias and never had a problem with them other than sometimes they needed to be shaken to restart.

 

[TRe]

i used rios before switching to koralias and they are notorius for not starting back up .... a 250w mh would be ideal and some pics would be nice

 

[Ryannterror]

Well I went with 250W single ended MH light. Light and ballast should be here friday. I returned the Rio's and got 2 aquaclear 400gph powerheads. I'll post some pics when the tank has water and some rocks in it

 

[KahluaZzZ]

ok dude if you have the aquaclear 70 ( 400 hpg ) put a net, a foam or something at the funnel-like intake, 'cause it's a fish trap. It's a very powerful pump with a small intake, i lost 2 fishies in mine and i'm not the only one.

 

[Ryannterror]

Today i went down to the LFS and picked up a Kent R/O DI Hi s Max 60 GPD Seems like a real nice system filling up my water storage tank right now!! I also picked up a 5 gal bucket of salt. So i should be ready for the liverock this week and finally some pictures.

 

[TRe]

the only way to know when your ready to start adding anything is by testing your water params .... you do have a test kit right?

 

[Ryannterror]

Yeah i have a test kit. I'm not up to that yet though. Still waiting for the RO to make enough water. I hope by the end of the week to have everything in range so i can pick up some rock to start to cure it.

 

[Ryannterror]

Checked water today all the levels look good.*BOUNCINGS I have a few Questions about sump size and Pump size. I was looking at building a 10 or 20 gal sump. I was looking at maybe a 20L tank. My major question is what size pump should i run i have a 1" return in my 30 gal tank. The Little Giant 3-MDQ-SC or maybe the 3-MDQX-SC but not sure if my return will handle that pump or will it?