new 46 gallon bowfront

[trickyy21]

going to pick it up tomorrow: tank, standard cover and flourescents, stand...$50 )
just finished breaking down the old 29.
want to do a sump on this one, but i'm trying to avoid adding any extra weight, this whole setups gonna be on the second floor (
and neither of my powerheads work anymore....sigh.

any thoughts/ suggestions on, well, anything at all?

p.s. i have my heart set on reef, so please dont be too off topic with ideas.

 

[Ben1]

46 gal bowfront plus sump is nothing to worry about on a second floor. I would go that way it helps your display stay so much cleaner. No heaters or skimmer pumps in the tank. Plus gives an area to add reactors and whatever else you may wish. If the tank is not RR find out if the back is tempered and drill it. I did a few pretty easily with a hand held drill, diamond bit, and drill giude from here. Youd also need to do some simple plumbing. Thats what I would do atleast...

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/advanced_ ... ords=drill

Anyhow sounds like you are getting a used tank, if so be sure if it has been sitting empty for awhile to check the silicon around all the edges. Also be sure copper has never been used in it.

If you plan to use those standard lightstrip NO lights then your coral options in a reef are limited but there is still plenty to choice from. Zoathids, plays, leathers, discosomas, even some low light LPS might be ok.

Good luck

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think a bowfront would be sealed with silicone, though, would it? I've never seen a glass bowfront, only acrylic.

Tricky, if you're really concerned then make absolutely certain the set-up is next to a load-bearing wall, personally I've always preferred interior walls (better temperature insulation, tend not to shake with door slams, tend to not be exposed to too much sunlight for better viewing). Otherwise, Ben's got ya squared away in that department.

Also, ask him now NOT to flood a basement. :lol:





Oh! With normal output fluoros you can grow Tridacna derasa, actually grow, as well as the other stuff Ben's listed.

 

[Anonymous]

My favorite tank ever was a 46 gallon bowfront reef (only I flipped it around and had a bowback since I didn't have a bowfront stand. the live rock and flow worked much better that way). I wouldn't put a sump on it, you can get a perfectly good hang on skimmer for that size tank. A sump would just be an extra headache. Just don't overstock it.

 

[Ben1]

Also, ask him now NOT to flood a basement.

ah so I flooded my basement a few times. Any my kitchen, and my living room...got to repair that drywall still lol.

Anyhow have fun with the tank, good luck.

 

[Nemo2007]

Unless you're prepared to do constant water changes, I agree with the addition of a sump. If you can't drill the tank, overflows do work. I'm using a 72G reef ready oceanic bowfront on the third floor with a sump without a problem concerning weight. However, water changes become an actual workout since I buy my water from the LFS. Anyway, the sump will give you a chance to add a really good protein skimmer. I use a Euroreef model but there is a good thread listed on this site to help you choose a good one for your tank. Do yourself a favor and buy one rated for a larger tank. The sump will also give you a nice place to add a phosphate absorbing agent. In my opinion, they are really helpful when starting a new tank to keep nuisance algae under control. I use Rowaphos. Besides giving the tank a clean look with heaters and so forth out of the way, adding a sump will give you a chance to add a filter sock to the system. They are not necessary but help rid your system of larger particulates before they break down into the crud the protein skimmer has to remove. -As long as you change the sock every 2-3 days. Good water flow is a must. If your old pumps are on the blink, a price efficient solution may be maxijets fitted with "mod" kits. I use MP40w VorTech's and a modified maxijet. Specie recommendations sound good above but when you're really ready to let the tank shine, upgrade the lighting to T5's or metal halides or some combination of the two. My set up uses 8 T5's (Current USA Nova extreme). Well that's my two cents on the topic.

 

[Anonymous]

I had a 46G reef for a few years and it was a nice tank (probably my best tank since I did not know much and did not Tweak it constantly). The tank is tempered so I do not know if you can drill it. I personally would not use a HOB over flow box. For a HOB skimmer look at the Deltec MCE600. That will probably skim allot better than allot of in sump skimmers for that size tank.

The tank is sealed with Silicone. I just had my 46 FW let go after 10 years :evil: .

 

[JD'sReef]

I love my drilled 46bow. For a while all I was using was a CPR Cyclone 200 skimmer, it fit perfectly in the stand. Now however I have moved up to a E.T.S.S. 600 (which by no means will fit in the stand), but I am loving it. A bit of over kill, but since it was given to me I had to jump on the opportunity. I posted some pics below for you to get some Ideas of the current set up. The display has change a bunch since these shots, but the sump is still the same.
Good luck,
J.
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