Filtration

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by MIKE22cha
A 125g sump/refiguem below the tank? My stand is going to be 7'x4'x3.5' so there will be room under there.
*****
How many pounds of live rock should I get? How much inside tank and how much inside sump? I got 60lbs.
Just make sure you check the design of the stand in your planning. A 6 ft long tank can be difficult or impossible to "jimmy" into the stand if the supports and doors do not leave enough space. If you're building the stand yourself, you should consider putting a door on the side of the stand for easy insertion/removal of the sump.
I'd put as much liverock as possible in the sump, for the filtration. In mine I keep a clean up crew and a couple small fish in there to get the uneaten particles of food. In the display, you want to walk the fine line between keeping a lot of swimming space but also making sure there are large caves for your shark to hide in and swim through. Make sure you get only heavy pieces of rock for the display and set them up so that they are VERY stable. Sharks will swim, climb and maneuver on all the rocks and can topple the structures if you aren't careful. They also sometimes will go for food stuck in the rocks and can potentially topple the structures on top of themselves, hurting or killing them.

 

[psusocr1]

what i STRONGLY suggest is that you go the your LFS and ask them to see how they plumbed a reef ready tank and a non- reef ready tank.. once you see how a tank is all plumbed and someone explains it to you then you can come back and read these suggestions and go "oh i get it now" other than that its kind of hard ot understand what we are talking about

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by psusocr1
hey CRIM,, i see we are both working hard at our jobs right now

It is Friday, right? The brain's not exactly cooperating with my professional life right now.

 

[mike22cha]

Ok. I get the closed loop system. But here's a drawing I made trying to comprehend all this stuff of the overflow and sump. Not that great.

 

[psusocr1]

It is Friday, right? The brain's not exactly cooperating with my professional life right now.
i have a bunch of of science equations and proposals on my desk right now but i just ate lunch which means im a bit sleepy .. ESPECIALLY on a friday afternoon!
i cant see the drawing its too small

 

[mike22cha]

Ok when you get home save it to your my pics and then click on it and zoom or whatever. Basicly the words show the powerhead in the green section, and pump at the end towards the grey section. I divided the sump into three parts, a refiguem, a sump(live rock), and a protein skimmer. Three overflows into the tank, the powerhead pushes water towards the end where there is a pump to return it back to the tank.

 

[psusocr1]

i see the drawing good ennough to figure it out i think, but no its not like you have it.. honestly once you go check plumbing out on a tank you will get everything.. just go to the LFS and you can see how its done then you will understand it all..i think your getting very confused

 

[mike22cha]

Ok. Will do.

 

[crimzy]

Here is a sample of my sump design. See psu, I did get something accomplished today.

 

[mike22cha]

Thanks Crimzy that makes sense. I'll try to draw one using that.
Could I use a pump to get it to the sump, then use that protein skimmer to pump it back up? I'll make sure they're the same gph.

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by MIKE22cha
Thanks Crimzy that makes sense. I'll try to draw one using that.
Could I use a pump to get it to the sump, then use that protein skimmer to pump it back up? I'll make sure they're the same gph.
Protein skimmer should have its own pump. It will need a different GPH than your return. And you don't need a pump to get water to the sump. Gravity will do that. As your return forces water back up into your display, the water will overflow into the drain and go into the sump.

 

[mike22cha]

Ya I understand that, but what if I don't want my tank drilled?

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by MIKE22cha
Ya I understand that, but what if I don't want my tank drilled?
Then you use the hang on overflow design but trust me, you want the tank drilled. You will be much happier.

 

[psusocr1]

See psu, I did get something accomplished today.
I guess your right.. I on the other hand have a blank stare at my computor waiting for 5:00

Then to th beach i go ,, hopefully there are waves today so i can surf
BTW,, if you have any say in the tank you get as CRIM said you DEF. want a drilled tank.. HOB overflows are terrible!! floods, clogs, leaks etc. etc

 

[mike22cha]

Ok the skimmer that I showed below has a Sedra 9000 pump which max flow is 900 which I take is 900gph. So how many holes should I have and how big?

 

[psusocr1]

did you ever see a saltwater plumbing setup before? not trying call you out but it sounds like your getting everything very confused not really understanding how anything works ...its a must to go see one to understand how everything operates and how everything is hooked up..
im guessing this is your first setup so i reccomend that one, you might want to try to higher someone or get someone to come help you out( thats what i had to do) and two i cant really talk but this is a very large tank to start out with.
if you dont mind me asking how old are you? a setup like this initially is going to cost you some good money , let alone the monthly maintenence , electric bill, food, supplies, bulbs, filters, parts, water bill, etc. etc?? or are you just planning for the futue?
to answer your question.. you dont need any holes for a skimmer unless your running out-of-sump skimming which then will require to drill some holes in the sump which would probably be an inch or inch and a quarter for the bulkhead, and then it depends if your running an external or submersible pump for the skimmer as well, which can lead to another hole

 

[mike22cha]

Ok I understand about you asking questions and all. I'm 14, I know about the expensises. I figure 5000$ for everything except livestock. I mow lawns and help my mom clean an office and get around 90$ a week off that. I'm trying to set up an account with a doctor and my dad and I figured I'd charge 100$ a month to maintain the tank. Plus hopefully Birthday Money and Christmas money.LOL

My dad also offered if I get a 4.0 GPA this year, which I gotta make myself to get a good scholarship, either an iPhone or 400$. I was thinking of selling the 125g to the doctor for 800$, but I kinda like it as the sump. I'm going to buy all my equipement used.
Here's a pic I drew of the sump, closed loop, and lighting. I was thinking getting a 48" for sump. The black box on the top is the 72"lighting, the black box on bottom is the 48" lights. The black box on the left of the tank is the Dolphin Ampmaster.

 

[crimzy]

Mike, it sounds like you are trying to do this tank on a budget, (like we all do). IMO I'd forget the closed loop. It adds complication, expense and will not really do much to help your tank. Get yourself a decent sump and skimmer. You'll need one strong pump and 2 or 3 smaller, inexpensive powerhead. You could do all of the filtration for a thousand bucks or so.
A shark tank like you are talking about does not need the type of current that you need in a reef.
Also, in your picture, you have 5 separate chambers in your sump. Why? And there is really no need for the egg crates.

 

[mike22cha]

Ok but is that sump idea work?
Also will the powerheads mess with the sharks electrical magnetic field senses? Also would a computer right next to the tank mess it up like the powerheads? Oh, and what about a mag floater?

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by MIKE22cha
Ok but is that sump idea work?
Also will the powerheads mess with the sharks electrical magnetic field senses? Also would a computer right next to the tank mess it up like the powerheads? Oh, and what about a mag floater?
No problems with the powerheads, your computer or a mag float. Not sure about your sump design because I have never seen one with 5 chambers and egg crates for separation. No need to overcomplicate the sump. The goal is to make the fuge chamber as large as possible and still leave enough room in the last chamber for your equipment. The simplest design is probably also the most functional.