120g build officially under way

[tripseven]

Thanks Allen. The photo doesnt show much detail but this stuff is loaded with tons of nooks and crannies and the rubble will be used in my sump.

I havent found a 21" wide pre-made sump so I have decided to DIY my sump to maximize the sump size in my stand. The stand opening is 38" so Im planning on building a 34 x 21 x 16 sump/fuge; about 49 gallons overall.
Im going with Melevs F and G models as a guideline since he is well known with his designs. Plus he was nice enough to respond to my questions by email
With this size sump it will leave me 12 x 21 empty space for other future stuff. Sound about right to you all? What other gadgets will I need to fit under the stand once the tank is established enough for reef?

Thanks

 

[Ziggy953]

That sounds like a good plan to me! Marc is a very good benefactor to the reef community. He may not get back to you right away but he will answer your questions!

As for other gadgets and such well there are all kinds of things you can add to the system. Some better then others some not needed. You will have to decide which direction you want to go with your system when you get to that point. I think the plans you have set at this point are on point and you are working towards a great build!

Oh, I have some Marco rock I know the pics are misleading. It's good stuff!!

 

[SparKy697]

Mark always answers. Not sure how he keeps up, but he does.

You spoke of having extra space for future stuff? Are you planning on a refugium? I built the same basic sump and use the one end as the fuge, the middle is where most of the water enters the sump and the other end as a return section. Just my opinion, if you are planning on a fuge (highly recommended), do it now. No reason to wait, it's just another bag or two of substrate. That way you get all of your plumbing done and get the added volume right off the bat.

Some things to consider as you build your sump: 1)Incorporate a chamber for RO/DI water. This often gets overlooked and you end up with a bucket or jug sitting next to the tank. 2)Make provisions for a float switch to control an auto top off system. You will understand the need for this in the first week. 3) Choose your lighting fixture for the fuge and build a bracket for it. It's easy to get your plumbing done and realize you forgot about how to mount your light (or so they tell me lol). 4) Think about making the baffle wall between your fuge and the rest of the sump out of something other than clear acrylic, like maybe black. I did not do this on mine, but the next one will have it for sure. There is no reason to have light in any part of your sump other than the fuge. Light just makes stuff grow and give you things to clean out. The opaque baffle wall will greatly reduce the amount of light getting into the rest of the sump.

As for the MarcoRocks. That rubble also makes for great mountings for frags when you get to that point.

For me, as far as this hobby goes, there is nothing more fun than a new build. Especially when you get to make your own stuff. Have fun!

Looking good!

 

[tripseven]

Glad to know Im headed the right general direction .

Joe, a fuge is definately in the sump plan and thanks for the great tip on the dark fuge wall. Less stuff growing in the sump sounds like less maintenance.
The sump I have in mind will drain on left side with skimmer, fuge on right side and return section in the center. Is there any benefit to have a LR rubble section before the skimmer section? I saw this at a LFS but they had tons of room under their 600+ display tank. Would putting a bunch of LR in the fuge be ok or would it interfere with macros?

Thanks

 

[SparKy697]

Live rock is pretty much there just for biological filtration. The general thought on that is that you can never have too much LR for bacteria to make a home in. Is it needed in the fuge? No. Is it a problem in the fuge? No Some view the fuge as another tank with special inhabitants. Often you will see where the fuge is used as a deep sand bed, which seems like a good idea (here is where you will find many opinions on how deep a sand bed has to be to be useful).

The fuge is the place to put stuff that you may not want in your display tank. Adding a little extra LR is not a problem at all

 

[Ziggy953]

Great points Sparky (Joe, may I call you Joe?)!

I have about 45lbs of rock in my fuge (20g tank) It started off with just a few small pieces but as I increased my tank size and added more rock I ended up with extra and it found it's way to the fuge. Now I have rock in all areas of my sump. Nothing wrong with it, just additional bacteria and you have cured rock for the next tank you setup. MTS...it's gonna get you!

 

[tripseven]

More LR goes on the list.

The reason I asked about LR in the fuge is that somewhere I read that the cheato should kinda swirl around in the fuge and thought the LR might interfere. I think I may have misunderstood and that the water should swirl around in the fuge; any clarity on this? Also...what are others thoughts on fuge sand bed depth?

What is MTS?

Thanks

 

[Ziggy953]

I have several kinds of Macro in my fuge Cheato is one of them. It usually ends up on the bottom under the other macro and gets very little light, however it is always green. The idea behind a fuge is to have lots of macro some rock and light with low flow. You want the water to "mingle" with the macro for a while so it can absorbe the excess nutrients. Sand beds...hmmm...great debate. I have about 4" of sand in my fuge. Next time I set it up it will be deeper.

MTS = Multi Tank Syndrome

 

[tripseven]

That sums it up pretty well Allen. Just when I thought my wish list was nearing completion...more sand, more rock!

All the different purposes of different tanks, compartments, gizmoes and gadgets are makin my head spin but at least now I know the clinical term for it...MTS lol

Im actually having tons of fun putting this together and perhaps the toughest part would be patients. That and not spending too much at once since Im in the aircraft industry and Im smelling layoffs in the near future. Hope Im not on the list!

Thanks!

 

[SparKy697]

(Joe, may I call you Joe?)

Well my wife calls me Sir.... You may call me Sir as well.

"Just when I thought my wish list was nearing completion..."



Come on, I bet you could not even type that with a straight face?

 

[tripseven]

Come on, I bet you could not even type that with a straight face?

yer right, I couldnt...Sir

 

[tripseven]

Octopus Extreme 200

Got my Octopus skimmer in today and quite a big difference in construction quality than the CSS 220. Now I can get going on my sump build.

Another one off the list

 

[SparKy697]

Nice buy.
I just picked up another model (smaller) of the same skimmer. It seems like a good design, and seems to be working fine.

What's next?

 

[tripseven]

Nice buy.
I just picked up another model (smaller) of the same skimmer. It seems like a good design, and seems to be working fine.

What's next?

I think Im gonna get the sand next or maybe start my sump build??? Heck, I dont know hehe. One things for sure...I gotta watch my budget during this weakened economy period as not to carry over a CC balance. In this area with Boeing, Microsoft, Weyerhaeuser etc laying off big time one must pay attention. Im optimistic though and hoping Obama and crew can pull us out of this one!

 

[SparKy697]

A thought:

When I started my little 29g reef, I had the tank up and running before I had finished the sump. With the live rock in and the lights running, some snails, and the closed loop, everything went quite well for a few weeks without problems. It's a nice way to get things going and have time to play with the rock while you are waiting on the sump. Think about it, people have tanks setup without a sump all the time. You are not going out and buying a ton of stuff to put in this tank for a long time anyway. You could have your plumbing started down to where the sump will be with valves glued on to keep the water from draining out of your main tank. Then just slip in the sump and finish the plumbing when the time comes.

You have options.

 

[tripseven]

Joe - You actually made me think a bit there and does seem doable. I still need PHs or I would have to setup an ext pump somehow, which seems easy enough but Im gonna wait a bit more.

Have a pair of Rio+ 2100 PHs on the way. Does anyone have comments/criticisms on these units? They are freebies so Im thinking QT, salt mixers, LR cure etc at the very least.

Thanks

 

[tripseven]

Picked up four Koralia 4 PHs, 330lbs aragamax sand, and a titanium ground probe last weekend.

I have decided to hold off on the build for a little while. Tired of renting for the last two years and looking to purchase a home again so that will consume much time and money. But as soon as I find something and get moved in the tank is first on priority.

 

[Tank2379]

Wow 11 bags of Sand?

 

[tripseven]

Wow 11 bags of Sand?

I calculated for 4" SB and a couple extra for the fuge I havent built yet. Probably over-kill but didnt want to come up short when it comes time to put it all together.

 

[Ziggy953]

Dude that is a lot of sand! I used 120ish in my 120 and have a 3" bed in most places, deeper in some and less in others. One nice thing you wont have to go out and buy sand to replace as it vanishes out of your reef.