Going from nano to large scale

[digi]

Hey all,

I've been running a nano reef in a 8 gallon display tank (20 gallons total w/ sump and fuge) for a little over a year... everything's been going well. I have been thinking of going with a much larger setup, but am wondering how things work on a much larger scale? Let's say, 100 gallons... There's a few questions I have.

1. First of all, how do water changes work in such a large tank? Do you guys do them weekly? 10-15% water volume? 10 gallons - 15 gallons each week is a lot of water!
2. Equipment includes: Powerhead, Skimmer, Lighting, Filter? Have I missed anything?
3. Do you guys use ATO's? In my Nano its pretty essential... I dunno about on a larger scale setup.
4. When is a dosing regime required? I am clueless about this topic... I dont dose.

[xtreme]

When you come by to check out my SPS you can check out my system. I'd say its a decent size setup and I can answer most questions you would have about large setups.

[Namnuta]

1. i do 36 Gallons weekly. Its not to hard once you get used to it. Takes me 30-45 min.

2. All of the above. I use filter socks

3.ATO is a must. I have about 220 Gallons total volume, and i top up about 1-2 gallons a day.

4. I never dosed as i had little SPS, most of my elements were topped up with water changes. I now dose two part, very slowly, adjusting as needed.

[lastlight]

Since removing my ATO to put onto my larger tank I have to daily dump water into the 34g and I find it to be a pain in the rear. Not to mention those salinity fluctuations can't be good. I'd highly recommend one.

An easy way to do water changes is to have another tank plumbed in parallel with the system that you can take offline, drain, refill with your new water and bring back online. Changes of any size are a breeze this way and the system can still run and your sump levels don't change (can leave ATO running without fear of it adding a bunch when you drain water)