Meglomaniacs 29 Gallon Fowlr Build thread

[meglomaniac]

Im not new to the hobby but have been out of the saltwater game for at least 10 years so this is where I will post.
SnakeBlitz33 has been helping me on my 20g H sump and I would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to him for doing so. I had to go with a 20H because of space issues under my stand and will post pics of the sump once my baffles are all in place.
After reading some guides on here it seems I should plan my livestock first so thats where I will start . In the past I have owned and loved predator fish. Previous saltwater fish include snowflake morrays, Purple Spot grouper, spiny puffer, Triggers, etc etc. Honestly speaking I love these type of fish but dont intend to go in that direction this time ...especially in a 29g tank. There are a few things I would like to keep in mind when selecting fish and I am sure I will not be able to get everything I want, especially in a 29g.
In matter of importance
1. Bright Colors or amazingly odd shapes
2. Wont hassle or consume my clean up crew (I LOVE inverts)
3. Not OVERLY territorial
4. Not poisonous ( I have a kid )
5. Out in the open or schooling
When I had saltwater years ago I could spend hours upon hours just looking at my Live Rock and discovering new life. From what I have read and people I have talked to they all seem to agree the Live Rock of 10-15 years ago is no more. Can anyone confirm this? Am I going to be truly dissapointed in what we now have to choose from?
Eventually (2-3 years) I will upgrade to a larger tank but do not want that to affect my Fish selection so lets say 29G DT will have to be a big enough size for adulthood.
My sump will contain a small area (6.5"x12"x11.5")to grow Caulerpa incase that effects fish selection
I think the only fish I am certain on so far is a dwarf angel. Bi color or flame. Other then that I am completely open to suggestions so that I can research further.
Thank you for reading and I will post Pics and more questions soon.

 

[meglomaniac]

Heres my Sump so far 20g H
Far right section is skimmer+filter sock
Then small Fuge
Bubble trap/Return
Its my first time working with Silicone and glass as well as building a sump so I kinda butchered the silicone job. Also my glass shop cut the baffles slightly smaller then what I asked.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Thanks.
You could add in a deep sand bed in your refugium of about 4-6" and still grow macroalgae on top of it. The deep sand bed would keep your nitrates and phosphates down in such a small system and over time add some stability. You will still have to maintain the sandbed every year or two with a good gravel siphon and cleaning though - like almost all sand beds in general.
I hope you have enough room for evaporation dude - Yes, a small pump can fit right there - but your evap rate may be pretty high and you will have to top off that chamber more often than a larger return section. But - it shouldn't be a very big deal. I think it should be fine if you stay on top of top offs.
Overall, it looks good!
We need pics of your actual tank soon!

 

[meglomaniac]

Yeah will get pics of the actual tank soon. How often do you think I will need to top off with this setup? Also will it help if I keep a lid on top of the sump? I was thinking maybe get some acrylic and use a holesaw for the return line and the other side can have a hole to hold my sock The return area is 5.5"x11.5"x12". Will I have to top off daily? I would like to be able to go away for a weekend and not have to worry. If this doesnt look like it will work I would rather know now.
I ordered my kit from glassholes.com and cant wait for it to get here.
Here is a shot of my setup. Dont mind the stand I have not painted the inside of it yet or made doors for it yet. The stand is a DIY made from douglas fer and 3/4" ply and I went a little overboard since it could probobly hold the weight of 4 of these tanks. The water in that tank looks like a tea color from the driftwood I had in it. The tannen tends to give it a slight tint and the black backround makes it look darker. That black is actually a water base painted on the outside. I am open to suggestions on colors for my backround .

 

[snakeblitz33]

You will just have to look at it and see about how much and how often it takes to top it off. You could always purchase an ATO kit and then you could be gone for a week with no worries.
I like black or blue backgrounds personally. But, it's your tank - do what makes YOU happy. I'm not the person that is going to see it every hour of every day that I am home. lol. You could paint it yellow and green - as long as you personally like it.
It is starting to come together! You're going to have to empty everything out of the tank and take it outside to drill it. Make sure you watch a few videos on drilling tanks before you start drilling it. It really does help.

 

[meglomaniac]

Yeah I am taking it to my friends house who has some nice sawhorses and a hose. I have watched numerous videos on drilling and think I am ready to go. LOL@ yellow and green. What do you think for fish selection? Is my 29 too small for a dwarf angel? I get mixed reviews on tank size for the bicolor or flame. Also I was thinking about a clown since my son would LOVE it. The only thing that worries me is I hear they can constantly glass surf up and down. That may get old quick for me. If they swim all over its fine but i cant stand a fish that just goes up and down in 1 spot.
Auto top off would be great but budget is an issue as always. I wont mind topping off every other day till I can afford one but would rather put that money to my own RODI unit first. I prolly should of put Meglomaniacs poor man fowlr.
Thanks again

 

[meglomaniac]

It looks like I can build a DIY ATO very cheap. Seems very basic and straight forward for a gravity fed ATO using a 5 gallon air tight container, a few fittings, and some airline tubing. My desk is right next to my stand so it works out pretty well.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Meglomaniac http:///t/393006/meglomaniacs-29-gallon-fowlr-build-thread#post_3493502
It looks like I can build a DIY ATO very cheap. Seems very basic and straight forward for a gravity fed ATO using a 5 gallon air tight container, a few fittings, and some airline tubing. My desk is right next to my stand so it works out pretty well.
You may want to consider something a little more expensive. Sure, you can do it that way, but it's rather difficult to figure out what the exact drip rate is.
By the way, you don't want to use an air tight container.

 

[meglomaniac]

Ok what If I had a container of water with a small bulkhead that fed 1/4 inch tubing to my sump. In my sump I would have a float VALVE that was firmly in place. My only concern is if the float valve or any device of similar fashion would suck up a small amount of saltwater while in the open position.Im not sure if I can post links to youtube so I wont. If this is a bad concept is it possible to get this done for a reasonable price? I really dont want to spend over $30 if possible . Thank you

 

[snakeblitz33]

Float valves wont back siphon. If your container is above the water line and your float is adjusted downwards. Theres two options ofninstalling the float in the sump. First, you could drill a hole in the sump itself. Second you could silicone a piece of egg crate to the sides of the sump and/or baffle and then thread the float through it.
Only use plastic float valves.

 

[meglomaniac]

My overflow kit is here !!! I ended up going with the super nano without the teeth. How do I determine how far below the rim of my tank I should mount it?

 

[meglomaniac]

 

[snakeblitz33]

 

[meglomaniac]

I have been looking through some articles but I am having trouble choosing my substrate. I have about 10-12 lbs of crushed coral leftover from my diy rock but this is bigger then what I would like. I have both my DT and a small section of my sump. My DT is a 29g with a 30"x12" footprint and my sump will contain a deep sand bed in a 6.5"x12" footprint. I definately see gobies in my future so that is why I am thinking of doing a smaller size grain aragonite but wanted to get some feedback before I purchase anything. I could always use the crushed coral for my quarentine tank (10g). Thanks again

 

[meglomaniac]

I should also state that I am worried about my substrate blowing around with my aqueon 1250 gph powerhead. I have seen several grains that I like but they are not aragonite. They simply say aquarium sand and are from *****. They state on the package for fresh or marine use but dont know if I can trust that. I do not want to be battling algae blooms like with a fine silcate sand.
I have had zero luck finding cheap dry rock in my area or even online until today. A local pet supplies store had medium tufa rock on clearance for $5 a peice. I told them I would buy all 5 peices for $20 and they went for it. Now I think its time to break out the chizzel and make this stuff look more natural.

 

[elrodg]

Yeah will get pics of the actual tank soon. How often do you think I will need to top off with this setup? Also will it help if I keep a lid on top of the sump? I was thinking maybe get some acrylic and use a holesaw for the return line and the other side can have a hole to hold my sock The return area is 5.5"x11.5"x12". Will I have to top off daily? I would like to be able to go away for a weekend and not have to worry. If this doesnt look like it will work I would rather know now.

I ordered my kit from glassholes.com and cant wait for it to get here.

Here is a shot of my setup. Dont mind the stand I have not painted the inside of it yet or made doors for it yet. The stand is a DIY made from douglas fer and 3/4" ply and I went a little overboard since it could probobly hold the weight of 4 of these tanks. The water in that tank looks like a tea color from the driftwood I had in it. The tannen tends to give it a slight tint and the black backround makes it look darker. That black is actually a water base painted on the outside. I am open to suggestions on colors for my backround .




A good idea is to find a place that sells lengths of vinyl. Easy way to switch background colors

 

[elrodg]

I went to a screen printers shop. It's only about 79 cents per linear ft

 

[meglomaniac]

Thats a good idea. To give me something to do while waiting to save money for my RODI unit I am now working on a background made from tetra pond sealer , crushed coral, and epoxy resin. Ill post pics when I am done.

 

[xcali1985]

Don't know if you have decided on an ATO option if not look into autotopoff.com I use their kit and I have no problems. Mine is attached directly to my RODI unit however, you can buy the dual float valve one. It comes fully assembled. Only thing you do is determine the spot of your float switches on the strip they supply.
It is pre-wired with an outlet so you can plug in a pump pump water into your sump. I think this will be better than a gravity feed method as if something gets stuck in there for some reason it will stay on. With the dual float you have a back up that will kill power if the first one jams.
Trust me when I say its extremely easy to assemble because all you have to do is set zip ties through the base installed on the float valves.

 

[meglomaniac]

The picture does absolutely no justice for how this turned out but figured id post it anyway. What you cant tell is that it is very 3d looking. In this pic it just seems flat but is not at all.

Made the background with egg crate, tetra pond sealant, crushed coral, 2 part epoxy resin and some peices of tufa rock. I have some touch up to do but its almost complete. That bottom Tufa rock actually sticks out alot. I do have 4 medium peices of Tufa left over that I was going to use for base rock. I may just put those in my sump for now and get some macro rock for my DT.
I will definately be doing an ATO with float valve. Once I get my sump 100% I will figure out how I set up my float valve.