220 Build/Livestock Transfer/Questions Advice

I recently came across a buy that I couldnt pass up and I now have a 220 gallon oceanic tank. The guy bought the tank new and was never able to set it up and just had it sitting in storage. He nearly gave it away!

My current set up is a 125 plus 50 gallon sump that has been running for nearly 6 years now. I've had good luck throughout the majority of my time with my tank but I have run into setbacks here and there. First, I would like everyone's opinions on overflow systems. I have twin dursos in my 125 that have worked wonderfully. I built them myself and the corner overflows that encase them. However, I am not much on the boxes in the corner of the tanks. Its lost space and isnt exactly appealing. On top of that the areas inside the corner overflows are hard to clean. Does anyone have any experience with the beananimal system? Are they quiet? Would drilling the tank near the top edge be of any concern as far as fracturing or the tank failing?

As far as transferring livestock....I"ve been fortunate enough to sell off some of my corals and fish to cut down on the amount of livestock to transfer. Should I transfer them all at once? Once I have my 220 up I will want the 125 down ASAP.

Suggestions on sump size for the 220? My current setup includes 3 chambers in a 50 gallon setup. The first chamber contains LR and my skimmer along with the intake lines. Second chamber is my refugium with Cheato and the last chamber is my return chamber with chemical filtration. I am definitely open to suggestions.

Water flow though the sump? I have a 1300 GPH pump that I purchased and intend to use but I wanted some input on it. The sump will be in another room but the drop from tank to sump will be minimal. Should I increase that flow? My 125 has 600 GPH through the sump.

Can I use 2 protein skimmers? I want to keep my current RO skimmer and add another skimmer to make up for the extra volume. Will 2 skimmers do the work of 1 large skimmer? I realize that seems like a silly question but I am just taking everything into consideration.

How many Tangs can I comfortably put in a 220? I sold my Tangs because I want to add several at once. I was thinking 2 yellow, 1 purple, a powder blue, and possibly an achilles. The 2 yellow and purple would be added together I thought, and then the powder blue and achilles together. Any advise or thoughts? Is this too many Tangs for a 220? Tank dimensions are 6ft by 30 inches tall and 24 inches deep.

I have had sand in my tank for entirety of the time I have had it setup. But I have noticed over time that it appears to leach nitrates into the water. (Its my theory.) Despite good tank maintenance I have had slime buildups on the sandbed. Crushed coral or sand for the 220? I will have a lot of flow in the tank and sand movement is a problem for me now.

Once I start the build I will begin posting pictures of my setup and the process as I go along. Thanks all for the input.

 

I'm afraid there's not a lot I feel that I can suggest given your questions but I'd say a light layer of sand and it can be a combination of crushed coral and sand....that would be my advice on that. Hopefully, others with tang experience as well as sump/overflow knowledge will chime in. Congrats on the new tank and the good deal you got!

 

You should look at @Todd_Sails build thread for the overflow. He has a C2C overflow which is what I will be doing on my next tank.

I would definitely transfer everything at once and use as much of your existing water as you can without disturbing your existing sandbed.

It sounds like for your sump size 125g would be good since you have one laying around but you could also just use the existing 50g. The 125 seems like a lot but it would be the same as @civiccars2003 setup.

I would read through civic's build thread, it may answer some of the questions you have since his tank is the same size as yours and he has a lot of tangs as well.

Hope this helps

 

I would be interested in the c2c design but isnt that similar to the beananimal design? I checked his thread and I like the looks of that. I am going to do some comparing and see which I like best.

The 220 would be set up separate from the 125 and I would think the 220 would need to cycle first? Otherwise I would definitely transfer the water.