freshwater to 75 gallon saltwater reef with fish evolution.

[Unicorn]

got the replacement impeller today for my power head. noticeably more current. im anxious to see how a true koralia 1400 works in comparison.

payday tomorrow. im torn what to buy next...
what would be the smartest buy?
i maybe able to get a used 6 bulb t5 light from craigslist for 175. or i could buy base rock. i want to buy another power head. depending on how two work in the tank i may get a third...
should i start buying some of the supplies for my sump? carey mentioned in another thread that petco may be having a $1/gallon sale so i may look into that.
or that sc150 skimmer that tdwright1971 suggested?
we have an empty 55 but the footprint of a 40g breeder may work better. im going to say im stealing the idea from unicorn but im sure others have said it before or ive seen it before, but i had the moment of clarity to understand why when i saw it in her thread. the layout is that the fuge will be on one end the skimmer will be on the other with the inlet from the overflow and the return pump will be in the middle with a "t" and a ball valve to control a slower flow for the fuge then return the bulk back to the dt. im thinking that the footprint of the 40breeder will give me more surface area for the dsb and skimmer vs the depth of the 55 gallon.

ive only got 150 - 200 to play with maybe more if sweety pie chips in. im hoping someone can clue me in on the smarter next step.

any direction would be helpful.

thanks!

I bought a 40g breeder first but it didn't fit under my tank LOL it's 18" wide while my stand only fits up to 16-17 without any room left. But I heard that 40g breeders are great for sumps. During petco's $1/gallon you can basically steal that thing

 

[Unicorn]

is there any pluming needed for this reef octopus needle wheel skimmer?
Reef Octopus Needle/Pin Wheel Protein Skimmer

like all i should need to do is put it together and turn it on right?

Pretty much looks like it.
I have my eyes on the bubble-magus but urs seems so much cheaper now wonder which one is better...

 

[coffeetwitch]

i think i got yelled at by sweety pie for not planing on using the empty 55 we have. flip flop again and i am back to the 55... just for giggles we put it under the dt and its a tight fit height wise. it may be problematic to service anything in it should i be forced into using it. i guess if i watch my skimmer and return pump foot print dimensions i will have the length of the tank to still have an effective refugium.

 

[coffeetwitch]

i only ask about the plumbing for the skimmer because they have poor instructions(no pictures or pop up books) and they made a point to say that its metric fittings. 3/4"=19mm but aside from that idk. i didnt even look at bubble magus because most look wayyyy outta my price range.

this is supposed to be a good bubble magus cone clone recomended by tdwright1971

150 Gallon Fresh Saltwater Fish tank Protein Skimmer | eBay

 

[Unicorn]

i think i got yelled at by sweety pie for not planing on using the empty 55 we have. flip flop again and i am back to the 55... just for giggles we put it under the dt and its a tight fit height wise. it may be problematic to service anything in it should i be forced into using it. i guess if i watch my skimmer and return pump foot print dimensions i will have the length of the tank to still have an effective refugium.

Problem is, the sump is exactly the place you will do most of your maintenance! Also, is there enough space to place a 20" high skimmer in there, pull it out and place it back in when you have to clean is? What about light for your fugue? Is there enough space? I'm basically living in my aquarium stand, hanging around in there doing maintenance (which right now is more like playing around considering there is not much in there)

 

[huma-huma]

Yeah anytime you are taping off stuff to paint, its best to let the paint gel and get the tape off, if not itll leave a horrid jagged edge

 

[coffeetwitch]

Problem is, the sump is exactly the place you will do most of your maintenance! Also, is there enough space to place a 20" high skimmer in there, pull it out and place it back in when you have to clean is? What about light for your fugue? Is there enough space? I'm basically living in my aquarium stand, hanging around in there doing maintenance (which right now is more like playing around considering there is not much in there)

its a 6 inch gap between the top of the 55 and the bottom of the stands frame. easy to work on? sure if i where to drain the water out and slide the "sump" out from underneath it. the light is planing on being one of those clip on work lights and one of those corkscrewy compact florescent from the hardware store so i may work.

im too big of a guy to fit under our 125 stand. so maybe its a good thing that i have to pull it out to work on it.

 

[huma-huma]

Take top trim off, cut a few inches off tank, put trim back on, problem solved

 

[coffeetwitch]

Take top trim off, cut a few inches off tank, put trim back on, problem solved

its been considered.

 

[Unicorn]

Dunno, 6" is not much. I got 14" and I wouldn't want any less than that
But I also got a high stand. Don't like having to bend down to look at my tank...

 

[coffeetwitch]

when a person is 6'+ the whole world seems like it was built by midgets.

 

[huma-huma]

when a person is 6'+ the whole world seems like it was built by midgets.

Hahaha very true, my 125 doesnt even come up to my neck...only reaches midchest.. I like not needing a stool to reach the bottom back of the tank. But seriously, id go the cut top route, even if the cuts slightly off the trim will cover it

 

[Unicorn]

But seriously, id go the cut top route, even if the cuts slightly off the trim will cover it

+1

My 120g goes all the way up to my forehead. I'm 5'5.5"
I dont mind using a stool to do stuff in the tank as most maintenance is done in the sump anyways. I'm ~110lb and those 14" of clearance are great... My boyfriend, who of course is bigger, is struggling. So if u are 6'+ I would recommend cutting the tank as huma-huma suggested

 

[coffeetwitch]

hmmmmm how much clearance do you all think a husky framed guy should have in order to properly service a sump? if my math is correct, if i where to make the 55 12" tall i would have a looooong

 

[coffeetwitch]

wrong button.... 30 gallon sump

 

[huma-huma]

Id cut another 6-8 inches off the top, that should give you roughly 12-14 inches of clearance, more than enough for an arms length. I wouldnt cut the 55 down to 12", you wanna try to contain the salt creep and mist, a 12" sump wont comtain much

 

[coffeetwitch]

some more pics to waste your band width on.

if i cut it down to 14 inches i will have 11 between top to bottom. and i think that because its under an iron frame i have a bit more room to work through.

i havent come up with a plan on covering the mess that will be my sump. maybe just a pull away wooden skirt that i can trip over when im working on it.... my blood pressure will love me and sweety pie can laugh at me.

 

[Unicorn]

In a sump you are looking more for surface area rather than gallons. 20g sumps are too small not due to water amount but due to surface area provided. That's why the 40g breeder is so great.
I have to agree with huma again. Considering what you have vs what you need, 14" should be ok, but not less. Don't forget: once the sump is filled you CAN NOT move it to place stuff in it. Try to stuff a 20" high skimmer with 6" clearance in there with tubes and lines hanging around in there

 

[coffeetwitch]

yeah im worried about space for water to go in the event of a power out if i cut it too short.

 

[coffeetwitch]

ha i told sweety pie i wanted a 75g for the sump. she said no to that too. if its surface area thats important the diff between a 55 and 40 breeder is 78 ish square inches