Setting up 75 gal

[ninerfan4life]

Alrighty ladies and gentlemen
Im not new to the hobby however i have been out of it for a while and have decided to get back into it. Im going to try a new approach and DIY a refugium sump (which i have never had before). I currently have a 75 gal and bought a 20 long the other day for the sump. The tank is not drilled yet and am planning on doing so. IM looking for opinions and advice. Plan on doing a lil bit of everything.

Been looking at the shadow overflow from synergy ..... http://synergyreef.com/product/16-shadow-overflow/
1. 16" or 20 " overflow?
2. power head size?
3. LEDS?
4. Return pump size?
5. Glass size for the sump (3 chambers: Skimmer, refugium, return)
6. Opinions and sand bed depth in refugium (and why please)
- I heard get the reef mud. should i mix sand and the mud together or just use the mud? I plan on putting algae, snails, and crabs in the sump.... anything else recommend?
7. Flow rates through return and overflow.

 

[ninerfan4life]

For the record I planned on going with the reef octopus 150, and two 1200 gph power heads on each side, one more on towards the top and the other favoring the bottom. Possibly two more lowing flowing ones on the back on the tank (depending on the rock set up and coral later on down the line). Also thinking about doing a wave maker later on when I'm ready and toying with that. Thinking a mag 7 for the return maybe 9.5... maybe. Not to sure on the LEDs due to them not being around last time I had my Reef tank set up. Want to go with them because I'm tired of paying the electric bill when the Halids are on lol.

 

[jay0705]

Reef mud is a bit out dated. Most folks use lr rubble or just lr. Leds have come along way. It really depends on what you want to keep. Since you ran halides iam guessing your a reefer. Then you want high end leds. Such as kessils

 

[ninerfan4life]

I have always wanted to do a sump but I had such good luck with the HOB filters and skimmer I didn't see the need to switch over to the sump. But now that I'm staring over I want to give it the old college try. Going to go slow of course but sps's will come later on the road so I want to get a led light fully capable to handle them. I plan of having mostly lps and leathers ( who really knows though lol). Since I have never done a sump I was wanting to get some feed back from others with experience with sumps because YouTube only goes so far.

 

[jay0705]

Imforbis is a sump master lol. Myself i still run hob lol

 

[jay0705]

I say that bc she is on here usually daily lol. I believe snake and 2quills are good with them too

 

[ninerfan4life]

Well hopefully I can get lucky enough for them to chim in lol. I Consider going with the Hob again but one of my fello reef buddies talked me into trying a sump lol

 

[jay0705]

Lol they are the way to go

 

[florida joe]

I don't know much about it BUT as a place to start if it was me knowing that a 20gl long is 30" x 12" x 12" I am assuming it is glass but i would go with acrylic for the dividers easier to cut and drill in my opinion. Get the two pieces you need for the chambers. Get the foot print for the skimmer and return pump cut cardboard the size of the foot prints and so you can play around with the two dividing pieces of acrylic to give you the room you need.

 

[jay0705]

Florida joe is another sumpster lol

 

[lmforbis]

Definitely decide on the skimmer and return pump first. That will determine your chamber size for two chambers. What ever is left is refugium. My baffles are about 2/3 of the height of the sump tank. My tank is 120 gallon and sump is 40. With 2/3 I have about 13 gallons empty, a little more than 10% of my display tank volume. That allows for back flow if the pump is off for any reason. It is important to allow that extra space to prevent a flood. I use acrylic for my baffles. Cut it on my table saw and glue with aquarium safe silicone. Super easy to make. It took me an hour to make my current one. I let the silicone cure for a few days before adding water. I spent $25 on the acrylic and $6 on the silicone. I already had the 40 gallon tank. One hint to make it easy is to place the sump tank on its end so the baffles are horizontal. I just stack scrap wood boxes etc to get to the correct height then glue in the baffle. Works like a charm. Continue till all are in place.

 

[beaslbob]

some diy ideas

make an overflow from pvc pipe.

use storage containers for the sump.

Have a separate large container refugium and a small container sump (where water is pumped from) areas.

you can even a use smaller container inside the larger to serve a baffles .

my .02

 

[2quills]

The 16" overflow should be plenty.

For the same price take a look at the Skimz SN143 skimmer. Much smaller foot print.

For leds take a look at Kessil 360s, A.I. Hydra 26 HD's, or Current Orbit Marine Pro fixture.

Mag pumps are fairly noisy and not very efficient. If you want a silent pump take a look at the Water Blaster 3000.

Wait to make your sump baffles until you have your equipment on hand.

 

[ninerfan4life]

The 16" overflow should be plenty.

For the same price take a look at the Skimz SN143 skimmer. Much smaller foot print.

For leds take a look at Kessil 360s, A.I. Hydra 26 HD's, or Current Orbit Marine Pro fixture.

Mag pumps are fairly noisy and not very efficient. If you want a silent pump take a look at the Water Blaster 3000.

Wait to make your sump baffles until you have your equipment on hand.

I really like those kessils just don't like the fact I would have to spend a thousand dallied just on lights. The hydra's are pretty appealing. Have you had any issues with that motor on the skimmer? Read some reviews on it last night and boy oh boy did people seem really disappointed in it

 

[2quills]

I really like those kessils just don't like the fact I would have to spend a thousand dallied just on lights. The hydra's are pretty appealing. Have you had any issues with that motor on the skimmer? Read some reviews on it last night and boy oh boy did people seem really disappointed in it

I bought mine in 2012 and haven't had a single issue.

That particular model utilizes a different pump. DC current and variable speed.

You could look into the SK181 model that has the Eden pump like mine. Slightly more expensive but same small footprint.