How to make a 90 Gallon Plain Tank Reef Ready??

[WhiteCloud]

I have a 90 gallon tank for FW tank in the living and a 40 Gallon SW tank my Office. The SW tank was more or less an experiment to see if I could be successful at SW...and it has been great! The family gathers around and watches the SW MUCH more than the FW, which also make it more difficult to do work in the office. The FW has been a horror show...and I am thinking about converting this 90 Gallon plain (NOT DRILLED) tank into SW tank.

I want the 90G to have a Sump/Refugium Setup, and it is in a living room, so I would like it as quiet as possible. As it is not drilled...I have 2 options:

1. Drill it: I have NO DIY skills or tools to do this, and as I want an Overflow Skimmer setup, I would have to drill the bottom, and then somehow make the Overflows...which I have NO CLUE even how to start.

2. HOB Overflow Box: This would be the easiest way...and with a 90 gallon, it would need 2 HOB overflow boxes. The Aquarium is against the wall in a room entry...and I would like the aquaurium to be only 4-5 inches or closer to wall if possible. Is there a NARROW HOB Overflow that people recommend that would work for this?

Also...can anyone recommend a Refugium that I can buy (again..no DIY skills...and when dealing with water....I do not trust myself to make it)? I am looking for a refugium where I can have:

1. Heater Placement
2. Protein Skimmer Placement
3. NO BUBBLES!
4. Refugium area for a DSB, Macro Algae Growth, and Pod Breeding area
5. A light for the Refgium area for Macro growth
6. A LR Rubble area where the water falls into
7. Return Pump Area

Sorry for the long post...but as this will be quite a expensive venture...I would like to make sure I get things right the first time.

Thanks

WC

 

[ellisz]

You could just have the tank drilled and then add 2 bulkheads and put a durso style stand pipe on the outside of the tank. I had a tank like for a bit. There was a strainer on the inside(came with the bulkhead) that would surface skim and you caould adjust the water level by rotating the fitting. This wau you woud not have to have an overflow built inside the tank and the holes would be in the back of the tank. Some tanks are tempered glass on the bottom and cant be drilled there.

As for teh refugium, look for a sump with a refugium built inside to sit below the tank. There are a lot of people doing this. You might be able to find an acrylic person in your local Reef club or near by to build you one. There are companies that will custom build these too.

HTH

 

[saltwatersmac]

Here's a good HOB overflow

http://aquacorals.com/ShopOverflows.htm

Personally I would use only one because it's rated at 900 gph and the AGA megaflow is rated at 600gph although it can be modified for more.

Here is an overall good site to learn about sumps and refugiums.

http://melevsreef.com/

After reading here I felt confident enough to design my own sump/fuge. Still in construction.

HTH
Stephen

 

[WhiteCloud]

Stephen,

Thanks for the info...and guess what....Aquacorals is one of the LFS that I visit as it is only 1hr away from my house. I picked up my first coral from there this past thursday. I used the information on this website to set up the majority of my tank.

The ONLY problem I have is that she sell Amiracle HOB Overflows...which are VERY Wide...and will need at least 4 inches from the wall. She also just uses Sumps with DSB and LR...no lighted refugiums with macro in them or anthing.

I came across melsreef yesterday while looking for information. This is what made me scared that there is a lot of DIY work..that I would not dare to do.

 

[saltwatersmac]

Lifereef is another reputable dealer for overflows and they have a slimline series.

http://lifereef.com/frame.html

I have never used one but I have heard good things. They are a bit more expensive.

I ran across several people on the internet that makes ready-to-go sump/fuge setups but I can remember them now. If I can remember I will post back.

Stephen

 

[WhiteCloud]

Thanks so much Stephen!!

The lifereefs overflows look perfect for what I am looking for. Their Sumps and Refugiums look incredibly complex to me. They do look pricey...The Double Slimline will give me 15x Water Turnover in the tank...and that is just wonderful!

Thanks

WC

 

[saltwatersmac]

I'm not sure how big your sump/fuge will be but 15x turnover seems a bit high IMO. It 's probably rare that anyone gets all their flow from just the return on their sump. Although that would be nice. Just something to check out before you make your decision.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showt...6b0cc&threadid=550482&perpage=25&pagenumber=1