new to saltwater 55 gallon set up questions

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I think a 20L would make an excellent sump if you can make it fit. :)

Enough room for everything you'd need
 
I wouldn't alter the stand, unless you made it yourself because it can cause the stand to spread the weight unevenly or might make it not strong enough to hold the weight.
 
Im sure i can make the stand more than sound and level. So what are the dimentions of my 3 chambers? Still need a skimmer and pump. What have you all used with reliable success? Over flow rated for 600 gph. 4 feet of lift. And what kinds of matterials should i put in the refugium? Is a dsb like a pleneum? Raise the bed off the bottem of the tank about four to 6 inches of sand and then my how much live rock and macro algea lighted buy what light? Ive just about have this planed out thanks to you guys. Just needing the final details so i can start making and collecting all the parts.
 
I keep about 6 lbs or so of LR and a 3-4 inch sandbed with macro algae in my refugium. A shop light from home depot with a squiggly tube bulb for plants is all you need for light unless you wanna get fancy. :)
 
You'd probably need about a 900gph pump or more. You also need to install ball valves in the return pipes so that you can adjust how much goes up. I'll attach a pic of my setup when I get a chance. It'll give you an idea of what to do.
 
A 900gph pump at 4ft head will still be somewhere close to 800, now hes paying for a lot of pump hes not using, and the elec for a pump hes severely restricting.
 
If you throttle back a pump, it shouldn't use as much energy because it isn't running at full tilt. And carey, if you look at the second pic I posted, you'll see the 3" pvc tubing that carries the water from the refugium on the right, to the middle bin which houses the skimmed and pump. The pvc pipe has a sponge filter on the refugium side to catch debris..its def not perfect but it works for now. Once I get a more solid grasp, imma alter it
 
Whoops accidentally posted under my girls name.... the statement from peapufferzilla is actually me;)
 
squiggly tube bulb? those screw in florescent energy saver bulbs? you said for plants. is that going to be a common wattage? slitherbomb im looking forward to those pictures and instructions. carey thank you for your input. very valuable information. no kidding i was lost earlier today. but all of you have really helped.
 
There you go. The tank is currently empty but it's setup. The overflow os on the left and return on right.
 

Attachments

  • image-3843463098.jpg
    image-3843463098.jpg
    59.3 KB · Views: 125
  • image-1547652162.jpg
    image-1547652162.jpg
    45.3 KB · Views: 131
  • image-2546804350.jpg
    image-2546804350.jpg
    60.8 KB · Views: 119
  • image-4096334098.jpg
    image-4096334098.jpg
    59.4 KB · Views: 138
yes i am getting a very good idea... thank you... i like coffee, what can i say?

good pictures too from both of you... defiantly tanks some of the lost in the sauce out of the equation.

is that 3/4 or 1" pipe your using? how did you get your measurements for glass heights and placement and for your overflow tube?
 
Yes the pump isnt able to pump full speed, but unless you are slowing it electronically its still trying to pump full bore.
 
My pump is 485gph. At 4 feet it is pumping almost half at about 250gph. My pump only has to go about 2 feet so it's not an issue but for him a 900gph pump or more is necessary. And if it's too much, he can do what I did and throttle it back by using a t joint and a ball valve to reduce how much is pumped back.
 
ok, im starting to get a grasp of some of this, even on baffle set up... but still uncertain on recommended brand names. i was given a name for a power head for in tank circulation earlier in this thread. thank you sir...

what would be a good protein skimmer for my set up? whats a good name in pumps to return to the tank... i think i like the idea of having that 900 gph with a "T" and ball valves to return to the refugium and help regulate flow to the tank. im also starting to look at eshopps overflow box still rated at 600 gph. so im thinking 900 would be a good match or maybe with a recommendation i can look at what other pumps would be a better match with that flow rate.

ive had a good time listening and learning today, thank you for that. just need names of manufacturers or what you ladies and gentlemen use.
 
im sold thank you.... youve been very helpful carey. i was looking at ebay for skimmers and found a marineland(i think also sold local at a few different stores) octopus, and found a vertex. all rated for a 100 gallon tank. is that too much on a 55 gallon? i like over kill but i can refrain if it is counter productive. in every ones sump, how high do you keep your water level, i figure that info would be handy when i have glass cut for my baffles.
 
Last edited:
Yes the pump isnt able to pump full speed, but unless you are slowing it electronically its still trying to pump full bore.


true story. thats the way it is in hydrolic systems on heavy equipment.. but they use pressure relief valves. thats why i like the idea of a "t". if you go pump then "t" with a ball valve on the line running back to the refugium the pump can run full tilt with out restriction and will not damage anything mechanical. that leg of the return system being the path of least resistance and there by making it the control.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom