Setting up Tank from Scratch

Question
QUESTION: After 6+ Years in storage I am looking at resetting up my 210cm x 70cm x 65cm tank. All my pumps and hoses are looking worse for ware so I'm thinking I most well start from scratch in that area. I am trying to wrok out if useing a sump would be the better option, rather then a external canister. Secondly if the External Canister was teh way to go, what would the better choice be, and for what reasons, the Ehiem Pro III 2180, or the Fluval FX5.
Any other suggestions, about any or all of my setup please comment, Id like to do this right the first time, and as its been 8or so years since my last time I set a tank up, I am sure many things have changed, and To be honest I cant remember much anymore anyhow..

ANSWER: Hello Ray. First thing you must do is make sure the tank is not leaking. After sitting dry for that length of time the silicone seals can become brittle and need repairing. I usually recommend filling it up with water and putting it in a place where you don't care if it does leak and give it a few days to see. This is a large tank and you wouldn't want it to leak in your house! Anyway, About the filters I would agree that you should get new ones. AS far as what kind it is all a matter of what you prefer. For having cleaned and maintained many kinds there are downsides to all of them. If you are planning to do a reef tank and are pretty handy a sump with a refugium is a nice way to go. However I am one of those people who keep my tanks as simple as I can and even on a 125 gal tank I still use three hang on the back filters! I use my tank as a refugium with lots of macro algae and keep my stocking amounts low. So any way you want to do it is your choice. No one way is wrong or right. As for my personal choice if you are going to use an external filter the hang on kinds have come a long way and since I have maintained both I don't see an advantage other than looks for using a canister.Most of the filters on the market are going to be suggested because it is the newest fad. You have to ask yourself if it is truly clever marketing or is the product really that good? I have done this for a long time and I have seen fads come and go. So choose the filter that you know about and are willing to maintain. If it seems too complicated it probably is. I can go on and on with advice on set up but really it is a matter of personal choice. And if everyone did it right the first time we would never learn anything! If you want further advice let me know what kind of saltwater tank you are planning to set up and I can go a little more in depth about the set up.Things have not changed all that much except for lighting.

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QUESTION: Jennifer,
 Thanks for your reply, I had already placed the tank outside and filled it and found no leaks, though i didn't fill it 100% :( Now its in place I hope I wont regret it...
The tank I would like to set up, would be just the normal Reef, and Fish type tank. How much has Lighting changed? I have 2x 150W/10K Metal halide Lights and Will have to purchase a new Fluro Relector with tubes, as the old one never fitted in the hood well. Im thinking 2 x 3ft Double Fluros rather than the one 6ft one that I had. As I can set them in the hood easier.
What about Heating, the Ehiem 2180 has a heating element inside, I'm wondering if this will be enough heating for the entire tank, if this is the case, overall I feel that there would be a reduction in overall Energy Consumption costs, this is only my theory though, based on no actual evidence, hence asking your advice :)
I used to run 2x Canister Filters, 2x Protein Skimmers, 4 x Power heads (2used for the skimmers) 3 Heaters. All which Im guessing I will have to replace, So if I can cut down on the amount I have to repurchase, and run, would be nice. I don't mind about the initial outlay for the equipment, I'm just trying to think about the overall energy usage.
Any Ideas?


Answer
If your concerned about the energy usage then maybe you might want to reconsider metal halide. I don't use them for this reason only. When I said that lighting has changed I meant that the trend towards conserving energy has produced the VHO(very high output) florescent lights. These or even the HO(high output) compact florescent style lights have reduced the need for using halide bulbs to support a reef tank. I have never used metal halide and I have been able to keep almost every type of coral out there.(with the exception of acropora)Florescent burn cooler so you don't need a chiller at the surface or a fan system(less energy use)and you don't have to worry so much about the temp. of your tank going up.This is just my feelings on metal halide you already have the fixtures and may want to go with using that.That is the beauty of setting up a saltwater tank. Every one is different. As for the Ehiem filter with the heater, just check the wattage of the heating element. As long as it is about 5 watts per gallon you should be okay. You may want to reuse some of your old equipment. See if they work and clean them up. You'd be surprised at how long these things can work! However, I do not recommend using old heaters. I have seen what can happen if they fail(temp. reduction resulting in fish loss, smoke coming out of your water,not to mention the shock you can get!)