1st step of upgrade - Questions

[Snotman]

I currently have a 30 gallon reef tank that is running quite nicley and have developed acute Galonitis! I want to make the move to a 120g as I have the perfect Hardwood sideboard just over 6 foot long with 2 big cupboards underneath. Ideal as a cabinet as I dont mind drilling into it and removing shelves underneath for sumps etc.

I want to do this over a period of time and would like the first step to be the creation of a sump/fuge or both that will be suitable for use on the 120 when I get it. The reason to start with the sump is that my current tank does not have one at all and I would like to run it on that tank until Im ready to transfer everything across.

My main questions are:
As the return pump I will need for the 120 will probably be an Aqua Medic 6500, would this be way too much turn over for the 30g in the meantime? If yes, is there a way I could temper the flowrate but still only have to buy the one pump without causing undue wear on it?

Could I use my Prizm hang on skimmer/UV unit on the sump and still expect it to cope with the increased water volume of the sump + the 30g? (how big a sump would I need for a 120g)

Would 2 sumps, 1 filtering/skimming etc and 1 fuge at different ends of a 120g be a good idea or a waste of money?

Any suggestions on a better way to approach this would be appreciated

 

[Ziggy953]

I'm not familiar with the GPH of the pump you are interested in but if it is rated for a 120 it is most likely WAY too big for a 30. If you were going to make the move to the 120 very quickly I would think that a ball valve on the pump wouldn't hurt it too much but extended use like that could cause undue wear. As for the sump and fuge I use 3 different containers for my sump/fuge configuration. I started my tank with a 75g wet/dry filter that came with a skimmer, I got rid of the bio-balls and just use it to hold my skimmer and then I added to it a 20g tall tank that has my fuge in it. I then added a 10g tank that holds my return pums and heaters. I have a dual overflow, one drain line goes into the skimmer tank and the other goes into the fuge (reduced flow about 300gph) Both dump into the 10g return tank and get pumped back to the main tank. With a little tinkering you can make most anything work!!

Good luck! HTH