my reef tank plan...please advise

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Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Dec 3, 2003
Messages
42
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Hello everyone.

I'm starting a new reef tank which will be my first SW tank. I've been researching for a couple of months, but my initial plan has run into some bumps..

so far, i've aquired a 36" 2x250Metal Halide Canopy that goes with my 65g 36x18x24 tank. I also have a cheezy stand. I plan to start with some relatively easy corals, then progress to sps/lps/clams/anemone. I want to do this right, from the start.

I originally planned to build a sump/refuge, to go with a prism skimmer(which i now know is not good enough). But no matter how much i research, i cannot understand the concept of overflows, drilling, and the like. I like the idea of the sump because i want my skimmer and heater hidden. i also like the fact the the main tank water level does not move. The problem is that my stand will need a custom tank size to fit in a pillar.

i just need someone to tell me what i should do and what i should get. I'm frustrated about all the plan changes on my end. If I do go with a sump, i'll need to buy a new stand. What kind of filtration setup do you recommend for my tank? do i just buy an internal overflow and get my tank drilled? can i build an overflow? where do i actually have the tank drilled? what kind of skimmer can fit in a 10-20g sump? will the skimmer affect the refuge in the sump? what else do i need besides a pump? what do i do about hoses? sorry, i'm just frustrated and confused. any help appreciated. :?
 
do i need to build a sump? what if i pick up a cpr bakpak2 and have 1pound/gallon of LR? would that be enough? is there a skimmer that can hide a heater?? :?
 
I am a big pro sump person. Sound like you have the lights right. I wish I had started with MH, it took me 500.00 worth of PC fixtures before I took that plunge. As far as your tank goes, here is what I would do, taking a low tech approach.

1.) Aqua-C EV-120 skimmer. Its overkill, however it wont hurt. If you don't want one of those, try one of the little euro reefs.
2.) 120lbs of LR with a 2" sugar sized sandbed.
3.) I know your limited here, but I would try to as close to gallon:gallon as you can on your sump and partition it for a fuge of at least 25% of your main tank. In the fuge I would put a 4 - 6" bed of LS or sugar aragonite and then seed with LS and add some LR to it.
If your going to do a sump its best to make sure you do the absolute best sump you possibly can. Stick a CPR 800GPH hang on overflow on the main tank, drain it down to your sump and then return it with a mag 9.5
Sumps for me is like an endless project. I am currently building my 4th as designing your own is a fairly large learning process. I finally think I have mine configured for the long haul, but only time will tell. Draw plans and post them if you would like more help, and best of luck to you.
 
Brisc0,

thanks for your reply!

Those two skimmers you mentioned are $$$. I can get a cprpak2 for about half the price of a remora. are both of those skimmers sump compatible? will they be enough if i hang one off the back of the tank? are there any sites that explain drilling, overflows, and sumps? thanks
 
I am not going to go with a sump for right now and see how that all works out. For me, the cost and complexity of the system and the potential for failure is high enough that I will just take it easy and see how things go.
 
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