Long time reader, first time poster

gradymo

gradymo

Member
Hello all, name's Mike, just wanted to introduce myself. I was in the hobby many years ago, and am now just getting back into it. Pictured (hopefully) is my tank as of today, it's a 90g.

full tank shot

my Anthias, 1 male, 2 females

my False Perculas
I also have a yellow tail, and 3 stripped damsel (which will be departing soon),and a Scooter Blenny. I'm currently running an Eheim Pro II canister filter, an EShoppes protien skimmer, 2 Koralia 750s, and about 85-90 lbs of lr. For lighting I have a cheapo "auction" 216w pc fixture, and a nova extreme 108w T5 fixture. Thanks for looking!
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Glad you came out of lurking around the forum and decided to join us!
So even though you've been here for years, WELCOME!

How old is the tank? Are you planning on any corals, or just having a FOWLR?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hello!
I have a 90g as well, it's a nice size tank, not too large and not too small. I have bad eyes but I do believe I see some coral frags in picture #1 and #3.
 
gradymo

gradymo

Member
The tank's about 8 months old. I'm just starting to get into corals. If you look on the top of my light fixture, you can see the pvc overflow that I'm working on so I can get rid of the canister filter. And yes, those are pom pom frags you see in the 1st and 3rd pic. I'm going to move some of the rock work around so there's an island on the right side of the tank so it doesn't take over everything.
I've made mistakes with this tank, like using tap water to start it off, but have since switched to RO water for changes and top offs. I plan on purchasing a unit from AirWaterIce in the near future. I'm thinking about the Compact III unit, and upgrading my lights (get rid of the "auction" unit and get another T5, or possibly MH. And I used 4x4s for my stand so I can only fit a 10g under there. I might be able to get 2 of them in there. What would be better in the 10g, a sump, or a fuge? I thinking the fuge, but I'm no expert.
 
gradymo

gradymo

Member
And I lied on my heading, I had a couple of posts back in 2008. Don't hate me....

Memory's is fading everyday...
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gradymo http:///t/391403/long-time-reader-first-time-poster#post_3470947
The tank's about 8 months old. I'm just starting to get into corals. If you look on the top of my light fixture, you can see the pvc overflow that I'm working on so I can get rid of the canister filter. And yes, those are pom pom frags you see in the 1st and 3rd pic. I'm going to move some of the rock work around so there's an island on the right side of the tank so it doesn't take over everything.
I've made mistakes with this tank, like using tap water to start it off, but have since switched to RO water for changes and top offs. I plan on purchasing a unit from AirWaterIce in the near future. I'm thinking about the Compact III unit, and upgrading my lights (get rid of the "auction" unit and get another T5, or possibly MH. And I used 4x4s for my stand so I can only fit a 10g under there. I might be able to get 2 of them in there. What would be better in the 10g, a sump, or a fuge? I thinking the fuge, but I'm no expert.
Since you can only get a 10G under the tank, a fuge would probably serve you better. You might want to continue to use the canister filter, just for your media. I used a canister filter (Fluval FX5) on my 155 for extra water movement and basically as a media reactor. I had a sump as well. I pulled out everything in the Fluval except for the trays that just held my GFO and Carbon. It worked great since I needed the extra movement, it basically served as a giant power head and reactor and cleared space in my sump. Since I had the sump, I could completely tear down the canister and clean it out as needed. Something to consider.
The AirWaterIce RODI units are nice. I have the Typhoon and LOVE it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gradymo http:///t/391403/long-time-reader-first-time-poster#post_3470948
And I lied on my heading, I had a couple of posts back in 2008. Don't hate me....

Memory's is fading everyday...
I guess we can forgive you this time
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
A ten gallon sump for a 90g aquarium is extremely small.
It might be beneficial to think about planning a sump beside the tank instead of directly underneath it.
A fuge is a great way to manage nitrates and phosphates and if you add a mechanical filter to the design, it's great for removing particulates. Add a heater in the return pump section and you have a sump/fuge.
 
gradymo

gradymo

Member
I realize a 10g is rather small, but it would still be beneficial, wouldn't it? I plan on just 2 chambers, have the overflow run into the fuge, and have a separate return chamber, I could possibly fit another 10g next to the first one for mechanical filtration and the heater. I don't have room next to the tank. I could put it in the closet behind the wall behind the tank, but my 15 year old daughter probably would object....
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Yes, the more water volume, the better. That being said, you have to be careful when using it as a sump because it may not be able to handle the volume coming out of the main tank. I'd google some builds and try to find others that have a 10G sump, there has to be someone, and see what they did.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
You might be able to get some custom glass pieces cut and just assemble a sump underneath the stand in place... I've had to do that before - and it works well.
I would definitely not use a 10g on a 90g. There isn't enough room for overflow, especially since you need at least a Mag 7 return pump.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top