# New 180just back into hobby need help



## Rizzard70 (May 14, 2013)

Hi I am going to purchase a 180g tank reef ready for a Cichlid tank. This tank is coming with a 55g sump with 2 pumps for the filtration. Also 3 36" LED strips 2 Blue & White 1 White. tank is 6'X2"x2' I guess my first question is this a good filtration system for this type of tank?


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Welcome to CF! A reef ready 180G with 55G sump and LED lighting sounds like a no expenses spared setup! Some people keep cichlids in tanks smaller than that sump. I think you will like it 

Any idea yet what you might stock?

But before buying fish, make sure to read this article!


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## Rizzard70 (May 14, 2013)

Thanks! I found the tank and stand set up for a nice deal. I am going to take my time setting this up. I want a active and colorful tank. Not sure what I might stock yet. Open to hear what everyone has to say


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Rizzard70 said:


> I want a active and colorful tank.


Check into mbuna from Lake Malawi. What have you kept previously?


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## Rizzard70 (May 14, 2013)

Frank, I see to have a 55g tropical various fish, then switched to salt water and didn't give it enough attention so after 5 years with salt I took it apart and sold everything. My daughter love fish so I thought it would be a great time it get back into the hobby.

I have been looking and reading about mbuna from lake Malawi. Even thought about some peacocks. Have to see what goes well together. I have a big tank to fill


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

You can set up a beautiful cichlid tank and have it be much less work than a salt water setup. Kids like baby fish! Pick 5 or 6 species of mbuna and get a 2m, 8f group of each. They will be breeding in no time, you have colors galore, and your daughter always has something to look at. In a 180G, you can ad a group of synodontis catfish for added interest.

Mbuna are virtually all colorful. With peacocks the females are grey and most look alike despite being different species. In a breeding setup you only get 1-2 colorful males per species, and really you should only have one species per tank, because they will readily interbreed. That's the reason peacock enthusiasts go for all-male setups for show tanks in which they want to have lots of colorful fish. Evidently there is going to be no breeding, and there won't be as much meaningful interaction between the fish as in a breeding setup, so less interesting behavior to observe...

Another choice would be cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. They have incredibly diverse behaviors, and lend themselves to community setups where you pick 1-2 species to live in the rocks, 1 species to live around a bed of snail shells, and 1-2 species that prefer open swimming space. They are very interesting to watch, but typically their coloration is more subtle - you need to have a close look to really appreciate it - not as bold and in-the-face as the colors of mbuna.

And then there are New World Cichlids, but that's another story :lol:


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## ratbones86 (Jun 29, 2012)

fmueller said:


> You can set up a beautiful cichlid tank and have it be much less work than a salt water setup. Kids like baby fish! Pick 5 or 6 species of mbuna and get a 2m, 8f group of each. They will be breeding in no time, you have colors galore, and your daughter always has something to look at. In a 180G, you can ad a group of synodontis catfish for added interest.
> 
> Mbuna are virtually all colorful. With peacocks the females are grey and most look alike despite being different species. In a breeding setup you only get 1-2 colorful males per species, and really you should only have one species per tank, because they will readily interbreed. That's the reason peacock enthusiasts go for all-male setups for show tanks in which they want to have lots of colorful fish. Evidently there is going to be no breeding, and there won't be as much meaningful interaction between the fish as in a breeding setup, so less interesting behavior to observe...
> 
> ...


Couldn't have said it any better than that! :thumb:


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## Rizzard70 (May 14, 2013)

Thank you guys. A lot to consider. I am working on cleaning up my tank and stand, refinishing the stand and getting the sump ready with plumbing. Having a hard time finding the 4 flanges I need for the tank overflows and returns. HD and Lowes didn't have them. Tomorrow ill try the local plumbing store. Ls resort LFS. Once I figure out how ill post some pics of my progress


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Rizzard70 said:


> Having a hard time finding the 4 flanges I need for the tank overflows and returns. HD and Lowes didn't have them. Tomorrow ill try the local plumbing store. Ls resort LFS. Once I figure out how ill post some pics of my progress


If you mean bulkheads, they can be hard to come. The ones I have were ordered from www.savko.com and www.glasscages.com.

How to post pictures is here.


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## q8vw (Mar 12, 2013)

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/plumbing/bulkheads.html Little bit expensive, but really good service, you can get the drill bit + bulkheads which fits exactly.

What kind of overflow system you planning to use?


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## Rizzard70 (May 14, 2013)

Thanks. Another question,
Can you have too much Texas holey rock? I live in Texas and its easy to come buy just walk down the street... Should I mix it up with sandstone and slate?

What about heaters? Looking at 2 250 jäger's in the sump.

Also substrate looking at PFS, crushed coral mixture?

I was thinking on the return in the tank can I build a spray bar for the water coming back from the pumps? I have two pumps pushing 1087 gph max. Wanted to put the bars in the back of the tank for cirulation?

Any thoughts on this would be great! Been doing a lot of reading here and learning so much! Thanks to all who share their knowledge so freely


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## sheridan (May 17, 2013)

I'm actually getting back into the hobby as well. My last tank was a 75 gallon cichlid tank with custom 3D background. I got rid of it when I moved and I've been tankless for a while. 
So, recently I bought a tank from a friend and just like your situation it is also a reef ready 180 gallon with an extra 55 to be used as a sump. I also live in Texas as well. "small world huh?" lol
So maybe we can collaborate ideas. I very new to sumps. I always used canister filters on my tanks. I'm in the process now of researching lights. Even tho the tank came with 4 florescent fixtures, I'm thinking of going LED


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Rizzard70 said:


> Can you have too much Texas holey rock? I live in Texas and its easy to come buy just walk down the street... Should I mix it up with sandstone and slate?


I wouldn't mix. One type of rock makes for a far better looking aquascape than mixing different types. If you have access to Texas holey rock, by all means, it's great stuff! PFS makes for a great substrate. Crushed coral does the same for buffering that THR does. If you have plenty of THR, no need to bother with crushed coral. Again, no harm if you ad that as well. Just not needed.

The new Jäger heaters are not what the old green ones used to be. That said, I have not found anything substantially better. Last year I spend big dollars on a Ranco controller and two 500W Finnex heaters. The controller is awesome, but both heaters are already dead! After less than half a year! I wish there was any heater I could recommend for folks with a sump setup. If you have a canister, the Hydor ETH series is great.


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## Rizzard70 (May 14, 2013)

sheridan said:


> I'm actually getting back into the hobby as well. My last tank was a 75 gallon cichlid tank with custom 3D background. I got rid of it when I moved and I've been tankless for a while.
> So, recently I bought a tank from a friend and just like your situation it is also a reef ready 180 gallon with an extra 55 to be used as a sump. I also live in Texas as well. "small world huh?" lol
> So maybe we can collaborate ideas. I very new to sumps. I always used canister filters on my tanks. I'm in the process now of researching lights. Even tho the tank came with 4 florescent fixtures, I'm thinking of going LED


That is great. What part of Texas? Mine was not with lights so I am looking into the LED as well.


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## sheridan (May 17, 2013)

Rizzard70 said:


> That is great. What part of Texas? Mine was not with lights so I am looking into the LED as well.


I'm in east Texas area. Little ole Lufkin, TX.


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## Rizzard70 (May 14, 2013)

Ok back at setting up my tank. I started a new job and put on hold. Filter is set... and water in trying to cycle the tank. I have a 20 gal sump with 2 pumps running. My question is how high do I fill the tank over the overflows? seems like when I shut the pumps off the sump almost completely fills up? Do i need to get it in a bigger tank? please advise. I was also thinking about getting a fx5 or 6? right now I am pumping about 1500 gal per hour. the pumps are rated at 900 each. So i fugure I will never get the max out of them. Also it is rather noisy? Any sugestions on how to quiet it down a bit?


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

I would fill it to just above the overflows. IF it is still coming close to filling the sump considdering getting a larger one or simply keeping less water in the sump. Remember, water is about 231 cubic inches per gallon so you can calculate the amount of gallons you need in the sump by using that information. For example for a 180G...

72x24x(height of water from surface to the bottom of the overflow)/231=gallons need in sump for backflow


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