where to get 135 cube

[vessey]

here is a program for calculating how much sand you need

http://www.reefs.org/library/downloads/sandcalc.exe

vessey

[asherah]

doh
i'm on a mac =p

asherah

[Myka]

As far as skimmers go...SPEND THE MONEY!!! Go with Euro-Reef as minimum (you'd need the RS180)...ATI if you're feeling rich.

If you want Angels then obviously you aren't planning a reef setup. So I am confused as to why people would be suggesting you get a MH setup. Your choice of hanging some T5s over top wouldn't be the best idea because they come in 24" or 36". Power Compact fixtures come in 30". If I were you I would buy 2 dual (double bulbs) 30" fixtures, so you can place one towards the back of the tank, and one towards the front of the tank. They will penetrate 30" just fine for just fish. So I just saved you a bunch of money here to upgrade your skimmer.

Now if you ever thought of upgrading to a reef, you could maybe pull off a 250W HQI MH (mogul would never cut it), but you'd have to have good water clarity. Numerous T5s would also work with optimal water clarity. If you're just learning then I would suggest a 400W MH as they will easily penetrate the 30" depth.

There is NO WAY in heck you're gonna fit 130 lbs of live rock in that cube and have room for the fish to swim. With a FOWLR I don't see the need to put more than 70-80 lbs in there. So that just saved you more money to upgrade your skimmer!

BUT, I'd go with a traditionally shaped tank. Larger fish will be MUCH happier. With the cube you will be limited not by the gallons of your tank, but by the length of your tank. You would need to pick fish that are happy with a 30" tank, which means you're not gonna be able to put anything in there that gets bigger than about 4", OR anything that is a very active swimmer. That's a whole lotta little fishies in that big tank. PLUS, that cube is gonna look tiny compared to a 4' or 6' version.

I would suggest a 120 with measurements of 48" x 24" x 24". Then enjoy your Angels (not the huge species though). Or a 180 72x24x24...then you can get the biiiiig Angels!

[asherah]

Well I think I would rather hae a reef =p So I'll go with the metal halides

80 pounds of rock
180 gallon Tank--3/4. Price: $1525.00 - EURO-BRACED somewhere better to get it ?
sump with refugium $399
AquaC EV-180 Protein Skimmer With Mag-Drive 7 Pump
Lumen max II 250 watt pendant - $150 or 400watts
-10,000K 250watt HQI Halide Bulb - Ushio - $86
-Ice Cap 250W Electronic Metal Halide Ballast - $158.95
-Two Little Fishies Red Mangrove Pods
koralia 4 - $48 More ?
Fiji Live Rock - $381 80 pounds
Tropic Isle Tahitian Moon Sand - 8 - 20 lbs $112
plumbing - $100

[michika]

Sounds like you have some good ideas going for this new cube of yours. So I take it you are going to go for a reef. Are you going to put dwarf angels in? Granted they are hit or miss, and you did say you wanted some angels.

May I ask why the Mangroves, instead of say cheato, or another macroalgae?

A few suggestions of things to include in your design;
- unions and valves before & after any pumps if needed.
- an area for timers and plugs preferably up high
- drip loops
- GFCI plugs
- Consider how tall you are vs. how tall you stand is, in short, can you reach all the areas of your tank.
- Can you feed/put your hand in your tank without burning yourself on your lights

Just a few things I learned the hard way (except the GFCI thing). Hopefully they help you a bit in setting up your new system.

Have you thought of a stocking list at all? If you are going to go 180 are you going to have it built, or look for a pre-build model? If you are having it built you may want to consider going shallower, and longer. Fish like say tangs, and chromis are more side to side swimmers then say up and down like seahorses are.

Something else that might help you along with a few ideas here and there is looking over everyone else's tank journals. There are lots of great ideas in there that don't often get discussed or pointed out.

Good luck!

[asherah]

Well I think i' going to go get this 220 from this guy in edmonton the only thing is that it isn't rimless but it's $200 with an overflow
ah well
anyway it's 48" x 30" x 36"

asherah