112 Gallon Build

[Gunnar.Reykdalsson]

Hey everyone, I am currently doing renovations on the house with my father, and together we decided to build my currently empty aquarium into the wall. The thing is I am going to need advice on stuff that I don't know about such as setting up a sump, and the lighting. I don't plan on keeping super difficult corals, because I am going away for college and want something easy for my parents to maintain while I am away, that's why i'm setting up such a big tank. (easier to maintain water parameters) So for now I will mostly just post pictures of the build process, and ask questions here and there, starting with... How the heck to I set up a fully functional sump that won't overflow on me? (Any links to a really good thread about this?) And also what kind of lighting would you recommend, DIY LED light board, or store bought LED's (is it really that hard to make your own?)

Thanks in advance!! Love reading all your threads, hopefully I can show my own tank off on here soon too!

 

[Gunnar.Reykdalsson]

Oh yeah, I am planning on using a 30 Gallon stndrd glass aquarium for the sump, which I can hopefully also have a refugium inside of.
Here is a picture of my current 29 Gallon BioCube (Sorry it's messy) ... and also a picture of the beginning of our construction process...

 

[snakeblitz33]

That's cool.

Sumps are fairly easy. I can't post everything on my phone, but there are some good articles on the subject in the articles section of this site.

Also, if it's being built from scratch and you have the room under the tank, I suggest going with a larger sump, such as a 55g tank. They are usually on sale- I got one at my local big pet store during their $1/gallon sale recently.

Also, to make the overflow fail safe for your parents, try reading up on a bean animal overflow if you are a handy person.

You'll have to buy a decent return pump for the system too, I like fanned mag drive pumps, lifeguard aquatic quiet one pumps and if your doing an external pump, Reeflo makes a decent pump. Some people prefer eheim hobby pumps and more expensive pumps with bells and whistles,... It's really up to your budget.

 

[Gunnar.Reykdalsson]

Im wondering if there is a way to plumb a sump, without drilling holes in the main tank, or having an overflow box? Can you have the siphoning tubes coming directly out and over the top of the tank? Or is drilling/ overflow the only way to do it...

 

[snakeblitz33]

Gotta get the water down there somehow,.... Internal or external overflow. I think teleporting all that water might be a bit expensive over time

 

[snakeblitz33]

All joking aside,

You can have an external overflow which is essentially a controlled siphon. It just takes a little planning.

 

[Gunnar.Reykdalsson]

I have been reading about HOB siphons. I don't think it would be too hard to make the plexiglass enclosures needed inside the tank and on the back, plus that will give me some surface skimming which i was concerned about getting without a drilled tank.

As for lighting, I have been trying to come up with a cheaper way to have LED's, so I was wondering if using something like this...

This is a 20 Watt Par38 Dimmable Bulb, with 1,200 lumens, colour temperature of 3,000K 120V

would these bulbs be strong enough to support corals, but also give off nice colour? I am trying to find a nice way to light the tank, without breaking the bank. Tank is 5 feet wide, so i was thinking like 4 or 5 of these bulbs suspended over the tank? What do you guys think

 

[Gunnar.Reykdalsson]

Also tank depth (top to bottom) is 2 feet

 

[Gunnar.Reykdalsson]

Also there are these 165 Watt Chinese LED aquarium lights on ebay... my only concern about them is that they say the voltage is from 85-265, but is the plug a 120V or a 240V .... in otherwords does it plug into a regular house plug on a 15 amp breaker? The ad doesn't specify how many amps are used at full power

 

[bang guy]

As for lighting, I have been trying to come up with a cheaper way to have LED's, so I was wondering if using something like this...
View attachment 619
This is a 20 Watt Par38 Dimmable Bulb, with 1,200 lumens, colour temperature of 3,000K 120V

would these bulbs be strong enough to support corals, but also give off nice colour? I am trying to find a nice way to light the tank, without breaking the bank. Tank is 5 feet wide, so i was thinking like 4 or 5 of these bulbs suspended over the tank? What do you guys think

The bulb will support many types of corals. Unfortunately, because of the color of the light it's going to look really ugly.

 

[snakeblitz33]

A pre-built acrylic overflow from Eshoppes would be the way to go with an external overflow. I feel like building one out of plexi would be a bit much.

Those LEDs are like spotlights, depending on the optical degree.

The Chinese LEDs are nice. I'm buying two for my tank. The 165w full spectrum LEDs,...

 

[Gunnar.Reykdalsson]

I ordered two of the 165 W chinese LED's off of ebay, i'm really excited for those after watching some youtube videos and they are a great price too! Cost just under 300$ after the US to CAD conversion. Also, thanks i didnt know they sold pre-built external overflows, that should save me some time