300 Gallon Marine Setup - Advice Needed.

[adamgreen240]

Ok, so i think i will do 2" drains and 1" holes for the returns.

Im going to upload a plan of the tank a bit later on!

 

[Colin_T]

if you plan on having the holes drilled in the bottom of the tank, (and in the middle of the base) make sure you use thicker glass than normal for the base. The centre of the base has the most pressure on it and is the weakest point structurally. Having thicker glass on the base will help reinforce it and help prevent it cracking. Alternatively have the holes closer to the edge/ sides of the tank and it will have less pressure there.

For a tank 7ft long x 2ft wide x 2 1/2 ft high the base would normally be about 12mm thick. I would make sure it is 15mm or more if you have holes in the middle of it.

 

[adamgreen240]

Ok thanks, the company who is building it is doing a double thickness base which will be 20mm thick in total so that should be ok.

That said, i will probably have the return pipes go through each weir instead now.

Thanks for the help!

Adam

 

[adamgreen240]

Just out of interest, is there any other lighting i could use apart from metal halides so that i could have corals?

Just the electricity consumption from one of those units is not very attractive!

Also, how many hours would the lighting need to be left on for?

Thanks, Adam

 

[Colin_T]

You can use T5 fluoros but you will use about the same amount of power compared to halides. Basically you would need 700+ watts of fluoro or halide. The halides will produce a bit more heat but get the light deeper into the tank. The fluoros will only penetrate 18-24inches of water, halides will go down 3 or 4 feet without any problem.

Have the halides on for about 8 hours per day and the fluoros on for about 12-14 hours per day.
If you do go for fluoros then keep the corals within 18inches of the surface.

There are LED spot lights but they cost a small fortune and aren't that good just yet. In a few years they will be cheaper and better but for now they aren't worth getting.