180 lps tank

[bboyin4lyf]

im in the design phase of my 6 * 2 * 2 " 180 g." im planning it to largly be an lps tank utilizing the following components-
2/3 * mh 12,000 k 175w
berlin style sump
3* sun sun 1000L powerheads
2* 300w heaters
1 * hyper flow return pump.

would 2 mh's be sufficent?

the main question is...... as this is an lps dominated tank will i need to dose calicum or will regular 20L " 1 every 2 days" natural sea water changes be sufficient too maintain ph and calicum levels?

my current 48 * 18 * 18 has utilized this method with out any proplems for over 10 months.

also how much LR would you recommend?

 

[Anonymous]

For a 180 you will need 3 MH lights. It is just to long to try 2. Depending on the live stock and amount you have you may be able to do just water changes. Keep and eye on your Ca and Dkh and that will tell you if it is working.

 

[Len]

Yep; Unless you don't mind some darkened areas with no coral growth, you'll need three to span the length of the tank. Regular water changes should do the trick for LPS, but as Wazzel suggested, keep an eye out on the Ca and dKH. If either is too low, you may want to consider dripping kalkwasser.

As for rock, I'd look for at least 250 lbs if you want a "filled" look, or if you're aiming for a very open, spacious look (not really conducive to LPS placement), 150-200 lbs will do.

 

[bboyin4lyf]

can someone give me a quick guide to dripping kalkwasser. im a bit concerned as i dont really understand it.

thanks for the replies!

 

[Anonymous]

Two part supplaments work well also if the demand in not that great. If you are not comfortable with kalk I would check them out. I like the seachem products, but have heard good thing about b-ionic and the like.