54 gallon Mixed Reef idea!

[stottsbc]

54 Gallon What if Question. I have a 305 Fluval on my tank currently. what if drilled an overflow, added a 10 gallon ( more mechanical filtration and a splitter for a protien skimmer, heater... and hooked my Fluval return up to the 10 gal? anyone have any suggestions? Also i was planning on putting an inline emperor aquatics smart UV lite 18 watt. in line with the return going into the 10 gallon mini sump?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by stottsbc http:///t/393336/54-gallon-mixed-reef-idea#post_3498376
54 Gallon What if Question. I have a 305 Fluval on my tank currently. what if drilled an overflow, added a 10 gallon ( more mechanical filtration and a splitter for a protien skimmer, heater... and hooked my Fluval return up to the 10 gal? anyone have any suggestions? Also i was planning on putting an inline emperor aquatics smart UV lite 18 watt. in line with the return going into the 10 gallon mini sump?
Hello and welcome to the site!
I have a 40g sump on a 90g tank. The ONLY filtration is the protein skimmer. Why not go 20g sump and drill the 54g...and not have any canister on the system at all? A return pump would be better than trying to rig up a canister filter and UV lights are a waste of your money. A 10g sump would be a bit small for a skimmer to fit in. I have a 56g tall tank, such a small foot print I had to use a tall 20g for the sump. I use an Ehiem 2000 for the return pump and it works great.

 

[noobzilla]

I tried using my fluval 305 as a return pump off the sump I built and it really sucked. (Not in a good way) I was getting more pressure out of my kitchen faucet, and it gave very little water movement. I've got a 55g myself and have been reading and been told many times you want 5-10x your volume as your flow rate. The fluval is rated at 260 GPH, but it was pumping less then that by far. Harbor freight has a 620gph pump in the $35-50 range, and it moves a whole lot more water then the canister ever did. I am by no means an expert, and am still learning myself, so take this with a grain of salt.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Some canisters cant unction properly if you sit it beside the tank. They need he downward pressure of the suction hose to maintain their output and their "prime".
+1 on what flower suggested.

 

[stottsbc]

I appreciate all the responses. i'd definetely like to just put a 20 gallon sump in there but i cannot fit a standard sump below since the tank dimensions is 38Lx27Wx28H (corner tank) and a 20 Gallon High (shortest length) dimensions are 24"x12"x16". It might work if i put it strait back length wise and sit it up on the outside footers and cut out indensions in the wall for the back corners. another close fit i found is off lifereef.com - Model B. I'm currently deployed so i cannot measure the exact inside measurements but via internet specs this item would squeeze in barely at a heavty price ($1149 for everything) - Priced as Follows:
Complete System $1149.00
Separate Components:
Prefilter $119.00
Sump/Refugium $499.00
Skimmer and Mag9 pump $423.00
MagDrive7 return pump $83.00
Refugium Light $69.00
- I am definetely trying to find the largest volume sump i can

 

[snakeblitz33]

I'd ditch the corner tank for a better shape... but that's just personal preference.

 

[stottsbc]

I'm thinking about it .. the reason i got that corner was for looks.. fits in my living room corner where it gets lots of attention..