175g Deep Sea tank

I ordered a 175g Pro from Deep Sea Aquatics yesterday! Current plan is to put it in my spare bedroom that for the last 3 yrs has been more of a storage / junk room. It actually backs up to the living room wall where my current tank is. I've always wanted to do it so now I am...I'm going to cut a hole in the wall and mount it in the wall.

I picked up a 110g (72"x18"x18") a couple of weeks ago off Craig's List for the sump / fuge. Attached are plans for it. I'd originally planned to do a separate area for rock and separate area for a mud bed / macro algae. Anyone have an opinion one way or the other on that? I want a lot of open space in the DT so I wanted to have a large area in the sump for live rock. What depth should I plan the water to be?

I think the new tank has 3 drains, if so I'd planned to set it up with what I think is called the bean drain where one is facing down, one is facing up and the third is up a little higher in case the tank tries to overflow.

Here's the equipment list so far...again any suggestions are appreciated.
Tank: DSA 175 Pro (72"x21"x27")
Lights: still debating between the Vertex Illumia SR260 5ft or 4 of the AI SOLs (and I see AI is coming out with a new model sometime in Aug).
Skimmer: TBD
Powerheads: 2 - Vortech M40w ES (I'm planning to have clear space along the front and back of the tank, rock work will be concentrated mainly near the center)
Sump - 110g (72"x18"x18")
Return pump: TBD
Auto top-off system
Depending on leftover budget maybe a controller of some type

Any suggestions on the skimmer and return pump?

I was planning to set up a simple auto water change system by putting a "Y" connection on the return line with ball valves on each section so an appropriate pump for that.

AI has new(er) lights called the Vega.
Not sure if those are the ones you're talking about or maybe they have even newer ones out.
AquaIllumination AI Vega Color LED Aquarium Lighting

Are you talking about cutting a hole in the wall above your current tank to display the new huge one through the wall? If so that sounds awesome. You will likely be able to see the tank from 360 degrees. Very cool!

I can't wait to see how this turns out? What do you think the timing will be for filling it up?

yep, was referring to the Vega's. Hoping someone will do a review on them soon. Unfortunately I'll be taking the current tank down and selling it to help pay for the new stuff. Although that would a very cool idea.

It's still really cool that you're going to be able to see it 360 degrees....and you idea of keeping the rock in the DT down to a minimum is great for that imo

Do you plan to build a custom stand for the tank or use a standard one?

Really looking forward to seeing this!

going to build something out of 2x4 / 2x6's that the 110 will also fit under.

Ok, so last night I got an email from Ecotech. They said 3 Radions would work fine on my tank. That just makes my decision harder...I'd thought I would need four of them and that was going to be too much. I can handle getting 3 of them. So...any thoughts on which lighting option I should go with?

Radions are awesome but I looked at the Vertex you were talking about and that sounds awesome too. lol
It's a tough decision. Espcially since the AI Vega will be out soon. Maybe wait for some reviews on that before making you're decision if you can.

yeah, i'm hoping someone reviews the Vega's soon!

Well, it's that time! Tank arrived yesterday and confirmed it does have a total of 5 holes in the overflow. Any expert suggestions / diagrams on how to set them up the right way? This is my first attempt and I don't want to screw it up! :-)

Most people do three drains with one pointed up and two returns from what I've seen......but you can really do it however you want.

Check out d2mini's topic. His tank has 5 holes drilled, I believe. His setup is insanely complex and cool and you don't have to do that but he has great labeled diagrams of his plumbing if you're interested.
https://www.livingreefs.com/d2minis-epic-fantabulous-new-reef-build-t38569.html

That's a nice tank!

Sweet tank!!

Noice!!

Should the baffles leading into the return section be lower or should both sets be the same height?

Well, progress is being made. Stand going together and new toys arriving! Along with the goodies below also got my 150lbs of dry rock. I opened one of the boxes to check it out...it looks great!

Slowly but surely making progress. Once I get the tank on it and the plumbing done I'll add additional braces. I'll cut the sheet rock out after I've moved the existing tank in the living room

I'm still working on buying equipment. How long should I wait after the tank has cycled to purchase / install the skimmer? Is it a matter of the amount of livestock?

If you have the money you can purchase it now. You can have it ready-to go...you just don't want to be running the skimmer during the cycle.

If there's a money situation then I would say you could run it skimmer-less for awhile....but once you get one and see how much gunk it's pulling you'll probably say "man I should have done this sooner" haha :-)

any suggestions on the right skimmer?

Reef octopus makes the best budget friendly skimmer. (also the most recommended skimmer on the site!) Others that I have heard good things about are, aquamedic
and lifereef.

Protein skimmer, ozone, skimmer, venturi, in-sump, hang-on, Euro, stand-alone. downdraft, needle-wheel, protein

Protein Skimmer, Protein Skimmers - AquaCave.com

Perfect! One of the LFS's is having their annual sale and they list: In-stock reef octopus equipment 25% off.

But wait there's more...just read the entire post and it says the fish club members get an extra 5% off sale prices! I gotta be the first in line!!!!