Caitlynn's 75 gallon reef build!

[caitlynnanne9189]

Lol yes it's a 4 foot tank. I'm starting to think that may be to much. What does everyone else think? I have a 20 gallon fresh tank that I put a 70gallon grade filter on and it's a lot for the tank!

Idk! Lol. What do you all think / have on your own tanks.

 

[scottayy]

I think it will be fine. You may have to diffuse one of them (or both) by aiming it at the glass and letting it bounce off. Your return pump lines will add more flow but will also help break up the direct flow if you aim them in the current.

Unless you see your fish pinned up against the glass or your sand blowing everywhere it is fine!

The rockwork and fish will actually help to diffuse flow, too.

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

Alright i think I'll stick with what I had planned on. I'm thinking about 100LBS of rock and 80-90LBS of sand. Still far off but wishful thinking!

 

[spoonman]

I have a 1050 and a 750 in my 75 gallon with a 1000 return and that is plenty of flow.

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

Yay! Got the right skimmer

 

[sim1killa]

just one quick word of caution about the ebay powerheads. make sure you watch out for stray voltage leaking into your tank. I have read many complaints of this accruing both from reviews as well as comments on the sellers ebay accounts.

I'm not saying they won't work just watch out for that it would just suck if 6 months down the road stray voltage nukes your tank.

Only reason I say this is I was considering ordering the until I did a mountain of research.

with the amount of flow you plan on using make sure you have a large grit sand. I have sugar fine sand and I know it would be all over the place with that much flow.

 

[carey]

I'd just stick to koralias or seio powerheads, better safe than sorry. You do get what you pay for so keep that in mind.

I would get 2 1050's if it were me.

 

[Ibrahim]

I've got a grounding probe in my tank which cost me like $3. Overall the savings could be spent on sand or rock.

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

Well I bought my return pump. It's a LifeGuard 3000.

I may be buying my sump tank because Petco has the dollar per gallon sale. It's gonna be a 20 gallon sump and I think I'll buy the QT now as well. I'll see what size fits.

 

[carey]

Sounds good! let us know as you go how you're doing!

 

[scottayy]

Oh, exciting. Progress! For some reason this is one of the builds I'm most interested in. Don't ask me why.

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

it's most definitely exciting! I'm happy for progress!

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

Well I have my sump tank a 20 gallon long! And I got a 10 gallon for the QT. I was gonna do a 15 but they didn't have one and this size actually fits pretty well in the space I have. I'm gonna get the aquarium safe silicone and the plexiglas and make a sketch of what I want it to look like I feel the progress!

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

So I need some help or some links to a good home made sumps. I found marine land aquarium silicone that I'm gonna buy and I found a 1/4 inch thick plexiglass that comes in 12x12 sheets. Is that what I want? And do I have to buy anything special to cut it? Thanks guys!!

Here's the plexi I found. Good or no?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004N1JLI4/ref=aw_ls_1_3?coliid=I9XX5XVOBG1XX&vs=1&colid=1C1HPEJJ3L1W1

 

[scottayy]

You should go to lowes or home depot and pick out some acrylic sheets there and have them cut it for you (it's free). A lot better than cutting it yourself. Just make sure you have the right measurements and make sure the guy knows it needs to be a precise cut (from experience, they like to "round" off).

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

Ok cool thanks! I'll go there then! Any insight on the layout?

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

Ok cool I'll have to do that! What about the layout. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[scottayy]

I think the "traditional" sump design is

1st chamber for water in, second chamber for refugium, third chamber for return pump. You can put filter sock and skimmer in the first chamber. macroalgae and live rock and/or deep sand bed in the fuge, and ATO in the third chamber. heaters can go in any.

Usually people incorporate a 3 baffle bubble trap between the second and third chambers. Water goes over the first, under the second, over the third.

So, excuse my drawing, lol

Pretend all baffles are of equal height, though they don't have to be. The height of the final baffle before the return pump chamber will determine the height of the water in your sump (important for your skimmer). You'll want to make it high enough for your skimmer to reach it's optimum level (your skimmer should say what this is). You can always raise the skimmer up on a stand if you need to but you'd have to make new baffles to make the water deeper. Evaporation will be noticeable only in the 3rd chamber. You also don't want to make your sump so full it can't handle the drain from the DT when the power goes off.

 

[caitlynnanne9189]

I think the "traditional" sump design is

1st chamber for water in, second chamber for refugium, third chamber for return pump. You can put filter sock and skimmer in the first chamber. macroalgae and live rock and/or deep sand bed in the fuge, and ATO in the third chamber. heaters can go in any.

Usually people incorporate a 3 baffle bubble trap between the second and third chambers. Water goes over the first, under the second, over the third.

So, excuse my drawing, lol

Pretend all baffles are of equal height, though they don't have to be. The height of the final baffle before the return pump chamber will determine the height of the water in your sump (important for your skimmer). You'll want to make it high enough for your skimmer to reach it's optimum level (your skimmer should say what this is). You can always raise the skimmer up on a stand if you need to but you'd have to make new baffles to make the water deeper. Evaporation will be noticeable only in the 3rd chamber. You also don't want to make your sump so full it can't handle the drain from the DT when the power goes off.

That sounds good. I'm going to look at my skinner paperwork at home. Does each chamber need to be equal in distance or does that just depend on slimmer and return pump size? I have a 20g tank for my sump about how many gallon should it hold for it to run correctly? My DT is a 75g just in case you didn't know

 

[scottayy]

Chamber size doesn't matter. Just make sure your skimmer and return pumps fit. Give a little extra room if you can. It's always a tight fit.

You will have water in the return pipes/hoses and what's left that drains from the overflow. You'll just have to test it out when it's running and find out your max fill line. That is a fun part