OldReefer

+1 on this. I have done this and it works great. You just wire a couple GFCIs in parallel. I is really easy when you think it through. I wouldn't run anything near the tank without GFCIs protection. I'd also run two circuits if you have room for them in your breaker box. It is nice to have dedicated fish circuits in case you want to run them off a generator someday.

BTW... I lost a 90 gallon SPS reef tank because my AquaC EV-400 couldn't pull out enough dissolved organics. I fell in love with needle-wheel skimmers when I switched. That is why I come off as a little bitter regarding " patented injection technology".

I have had bad experiences with AquaC skimmers. They are extremely touchy. The slightest adjustment in water quality and they stop skimming for a day. They take stop skimmer for about 3 hours every time you feed the tank. They also require really large pumps that consume lots of energy and generate lots of heat and noise. They are really a throwback to the 1990s. I agree with the comments about the Avast CS1. They are universally adored on this forum, and I love my CS1 and CS2. Of course long time WAMAS members are biased since Avast is a home-grown company that has its roots on this forum. That being said, any modern needle-wheel cone skimmer is going to do a great job.

I have all the tools you need. Just let me know.

I have been through this a couple times. Moving is stressful for people and families as well as corals. If you are single you can focus all your attention on the tank, then moving and SPS tank is doable. If you have a wife and kids it is best to find some one that can hold the livestock for a couple months and focus on the family. Better to unpack the fish stuff after the wife is happy and the kids are in school. If you think Reefkeeping is expensive, try divorce.

I know they can do it. I have been running the equivalent of a CS-2 in my sump for 3 years. Dan built it for me before he and Justin firmed AVAST.

I have always run opposite. With big fuges (like 90 gallon on a 180), I would see a big pH effect. Now I am running about 20 gallons of chaeto on a 150, and I just leave the light on all the time.

I just freed up 2 Sol Blues from my setup that I don't need anymore. The Apex integration is great with the AIs, but I would look seriously at the D120s for better spectrum.

The basic CS-1 is not a recirc skimmer. The PSK1000 is all you need (a great pump BTW). The recirc mod is done with an optional kit. If you do the recirc mod, you need a feed pump like a MJ1200. Of course I did the recirc mod because I like everything in my tank to be as complicated and expensive as possible. It is an affliction I struggle with.

I feed my recirc version with a MJ 1200. Seems about right.

Little blue hermits do not knock anything over. You can buy 100 fo $20 today from Reefs2go.

You are going to have one heck of a frag sale when you transfer that livestock!

I dose Kent iodine if I am going to mess with my lighting. Iodine makes coral much more tolerant of sudden increases of lighting.

In a few days I will have a set of 60 inch AI Rails with no place to go. I could trade it for Satay and Larb Kai if you could use it. Let me know...

I am probably the biggest LED-hater out there for SPS but I am still stuck with them because of heat as well. I am going from 5 AI Sols to 3 Sols with 4 80 watt T5 supplements and a bunch of additional Royal blue LEDs. T5 retrofits are cheap. I am happy with the ones that ReefGeek carries. My advice is to lean heavy on the T5 supplements. If budget is an issue, consider the Chinese LEDs. if you are supplementing with T5s (Purple and 65k), then you don't have to drop big money on fancy full-spectrum LEDs. If you or your coral don't like the light, you can fix it with a bulb change. Just a way to hedge your bets.

http://www.reeftronics.net/ Oops... Link fell off. Here it is...

I think you mat be looking for RussM over at this site. Lst of great documentation and utilities. I also use his monitoring service.

Do you have the sump sitting on a concrete or tile floor? It is easy to loose a lot of heat that way. It may be too late now, but a piece of styrofoam under the sump can really help. At least you will not have to worry about running a chiller this summer.

The big wet nasty rebuild started today. Here is my holding tank stuffed with corals and clams. My frag tank is also overflowing. The sand bed was a disaster. Not only was it saturated with gunk, but much of it had solidified. It eventually came out in 50lb chunks. I should have known better. If you are are going to have a sand bed, you have to treat it like a living thing and keep all the right critters in it. The sand is all gone now and replaced with Starboard. I have not done bare-bottom in a while. I built a little sandbox for my wrasse to sleep in out of starboard trimmings. So far the only losses are a Bartlett Anthia and one of my big RBTAs. It was attached firmly to a huge group of rocks that had been fused together with layers of encrusting Montipora. I couldn't get it off and I couldn't get the rocks apart. I had to hack up some big rocks and big colonies. I have a new favorite frag tool..... That should give you a feel for the day. It has been mayhem. Corals, rock and buckets if water everywhere.

I can't blame the LEDs for the Bryopsis. I am going to keep some LED and supplement heavily with T5. My SPS were much happier under T5. The sand bed is coming out and will be replaced with Starboard. That should take the nutrients down to the point that ant Bryosis that gets carried over can be controlled.

IMHO the new line of Sicce Pumps blows away both Mags and Rios. They are very quiet, and put very little heat into the water. Dead quiet too. They seem to be a big upgrade for about the same money. Avast has the on their site. If you want to catch ip on the new gadgets, have a look at http://reefbuilders.com/. They review all the new equipment and have a great archive.

Just an update. I have been medically prohibited from sticking my hands in my tank, but I should be OK Monday. In the mean time I have been finishing the hood and lighting. Here it is working. Three of my AI Sol Blues will go down the middle. I can't run the Royal Blue LED strips until I take the drivers off my existing tank. At least the T5s and fans are ready to go. As far as the big take down, sand removal and new aquascape go.... I am reaping the benefits of the WAMAS Comunity. I have a loaner Brute container with pump from Jim, two adfitional Brute containers of my own, and a couple heaters loaned from thefishman65. Jimlin heled me out by picking some of this stuff up or me. So overall I have about 100 gallons of warm fresh water ready to go. My fish should not have to spend too much time in the holding tank. Once I get all of this done, I think I would like to make my holding system a club resource. It is nice to have something like that standing by in the event of a tank disaster or rebuild.

Rapid LED only charges $10 for thier hanging kits and the ship fast.

If I was going with a manifold, I would seriously consider an external pressure-rated pump like a Blue Line 55, or Panworld. You will get more flow through the plumbing and less heat in the tank. They also do not get limed up like the mags.

I am a big fan of the BRS HC. I notice the difference. It pulls the phosphate levels lower and lasts longer.