It's time to say Goodbye...

[superduperwesman]

Originally Posted by hillbillyreefer

but for that to happen the kids would have to move to the barn, the wife says that isn't going to happen!

Why what's so wrong with that??

http://coolboom.net/tag/traditional-inspiration/

[trilinearmipmap]

If you do go with an overflow box Lifereef is widely acclaimed to be the best with the lowest failure rate. There is another company in the U.S. that apparently makes Lifereef knockoffs for 1/2 price, I can't recall their name. I don't have any personal experience with this but I read up on it a fair bit planning my own tanks.

[naesco]

I just want to post some general comments based on my experience.
The difference between fresh and marine is that marine is less forgiving. You have to go slow, have patience or problems develope early.

There is no problem with sand. IME a sand bed of 3inches provides various life forms that your future fish and coral relish.

Plan the additions of your fish adding one per month rather than four at the same time.

Add the mandarin 9 months after cycling to give your tank a chance to mature and the critters it needs to survive to flourish.

Start SPS and clams after one year.

Sorry if I posted basic info that you already know.
Good Luck eh and welcome.

[marie]

Originally Posted by naesco

I just want to post some general comments based on my experience.
The difference between fresh and marine is that marine is less forgiving. You have to go slow, have patience or problems develope early.

There is no problem with sand. IME a sand bed of 3inches provides various life forms that your future fish and coral relish.

Plan the additions of your fish adding one per month rather than four at the same time.

Add the mandarin 9 months after cycling to give your tank a chance to mature and the critters it needs to survive to flourish.

Start SPS and clams after one year.

Sorry if I posted basic info that you already know.
Good Luck eh and welcome.

All good info except the start sps after 1 yr comment. If the tank is started with the intention of being an sps tank, it is better to start with pioneer sps corals (montipora ect.) then to start with softies and later move to sps. Softies leave little bits of themselves behind which can plague the tank for years after, they also can release toxins that make it difficult for sps to thrive.
There is no reason why you can't start adding some hardy sps at the 2-3 month mark

[naesco]

I meant to say acropora. The pne year comment came from the vendor who gave me advice on keeping acropora and the books I have read.
Thanks for correcting my error.

[hillbillyreefer]

After more research it seems the lifereef overflow is the way to go. I don't want to depend on aqualifter pumps, I despise pumps, and I'm not lucky enough to have them start everytime. We have frequent power outages, that's what you get for living in the boonies. What flow rating overflow would Canreefers put on this tank? I have my own idea but would like others with more experience to give their opinions.

I'm a newb but not a total newb, my tanks atm are a 5 gal softie, 24 gal nano reef, and a 33 with a diy 11 gal sump reef. I've started with the smaller tanks to gain knowledge and understanding of reef setups to make the jump to this 120.

As for sand one of my tanks has it, one had it and one has always been BB. This one will probably have it, I seem to be getting a handle on what animals work to keep the sand clean.

As for stocking there isn't much chance there will be any livestock in the tank before the end of Feb or sometime in March. Too much work to do in the mean time. The Mandarin will be the last fish added. I would like to get the overflow in and running while it's still a fresh tank, just to make sure the basis of the system will work out. Go slow and have fun, the only way to reef.

Thanks for all your input so far, keep it coming.

[Delphinus]

I completely agree with wickedfrags.com. Seems to me the time to drill the tank is now. You'll have the tank empty at some point during the conversion, you won't have it empty once you stock it.

I used an overflow box for many years when first starting and yes they do work but yes they can fail in ways that a drilled tank cannot. Drilling is not hard and the holes can be easily plugged if you wish to convert to sump down the road (patch it over with glass, or just put a PVC cap in the bulkhead).

I guess to me it comes down to the KISS principle. To me drilling, although you have to first get into the right mindset of it I guess, is the simpler solution. Adding boxes and U-tubes or up-and-overs and etc. is the less simple approach.

[Snappy]

Originally Posted by naesco

I meant to say acropora. The pne year comment came from the vendor who gave me advice on keeping acropora and the books I have read.
Thanks for correcting my error.

Be careful not to lump all acropora into the same "hard to keep" mindset. There are several acros that are very easy to keep and care for. If the tank is set up properly and the parameters are optimal I see no reason to wait too long after the cycle is completed.

[wickedfrags]

While a good product I am sure, never the preferred route when setting up a reef. While they work, the opportunity for "failure" exists on an issue that is easily avoidable with a drilled tank. It is the failures in this hobby, specially early on (particularily in the design stage), that get people frustrated with the hobby.

This being said, they can work flawlessly for long periods of time. I however would never recommend someone go this route.

Originally Posted by trilinearmipmap

If you do go with an overflow box Lifereef is widely acclaimed to be the best with the lowest failure rate. There is another company in the U.S. that apparently makes Lifereef knockoffs for 1/2 price, I can't recall their name. I don't have any personal experience with this but I read up on it a fair bit planning my own tanks.