My new 150 gallon tank JUST A FEW QUESTIONS

[deejeff442]

i wasnt planning on such a big sump but i found it on clist for $150 and couldnt pass since i have the room 12 foot long together.
ihad the tanks running for 4 days then yesterday my wife called in the morning and said the 225 was overflowing. well when i got there the resilicon job my neighbor did on it sprung a pinhole leak on the bottom front.so i had to empty the whole think sand and lr.
luckily i had my 90 gallon sitting there empty and put the stuff in there with a heater and ph.
so i had to re seal the bottom.i figure i would refill tomarrow.
what a pain.
luckily i didnt transfer my fish yet.
i will post some pics when the tanks are running and the sand has settled.

 

[younngballa88]

LIttle update for you. I bought a ro/di unit just waiting for that to come in and im gonna have to rebuild my stand in the mean time. My berlin (protein skimmer )just fits under my stand so i would not be able to clean it ever. So i will take pictures as soon as i make some more progress. I woke up this morning to 8 inches of snow so i didnt get much done.

 

[dragonboy]

I love the collection of fish in that tank do you know how many gallons is it?
Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/2970304
These are a guys tank Im in love with. Hopefully he doesnt mind me sharing. he may even post here.
The tank is a lot like yours just way bigger. His tank sticks out of the wall. His overflows are on one side instead of the back. He put the rock in the middle and the fish can use the entire tank instead of just the front and all sides can be seen.

 

[crypt keeper]

I believe 400 or 450.

 

[crypt keeper]

Originally Posted by Younngballa88
http:///forum/post/2974971
LIttle update for you. I bought a ro/di unit just waiting for that to come in and im gonna have to rebuild my stand in the mean time. My berlin (protein skimmer )just fits under my stand so i would not be able to clean it ever. So i will take pictures as soon as i make some more progress. I woke up this morning to 8 inches of snow so i didnt get much done.
check your pm's

 

[younngballa88]

Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/2975896
check your pm's
Thanks for the link. I am pretty happy with the one I got though. Good looking out.
OK Today was a good day I got my New ro/di unit and I finished rebuilding the stand. (still have to close it in but its good for now). All I need is to buy a dual overflow and I can start plumbing (yes I did decide not to drill to scared lol). Ahh I cant wait

. Oh and I need to decided how i want to setup my Fuge. Took some pictures for you all since I know how crappy threads are with no pics lol. Oh also I took a few pics of my current tank so you can see what I have running right now. Ill keep you all posted and add more pics when I decide how im gonna set up my Fuge. Ill probably draw something up tonight.
Also I realize that I have the good ro water line and waste water line both filling the small tank in the one pic

. Just filling for leak test and cleaning Also to test ro/di unit.

 

[younngballa88]

Here is a pic of my fuge plans. Please advise if you see a problem of something that should be changed. Thanks
OH also the divider walls i was planing on using plexiglass. Is this ok? Also is live rock a good idea in the fuge or just thick sand bed and plants ???

 

[crypt keeper]

I would say no to the sand. This area will have lots of flow. Its not needed. Just some rock and Cheato is what most people do.
That tank is cool looking. What is the backround wall made of? Its really neat. Gives it more of a realistic look.
Clown looks fat and healthy.
what are you HOB Overflows rated at? How many feet will it be for your return pump to pump the water back up to your main tank? What size sump?

 

[younngballa88]

Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/2978287
I would say no to the sand. This area will have lots of flow. Its not needed. Just some rock and Cheato is what most people do.
That tank is cool looking. What is the backround wall made of? Its really neat. Gives it more of a realistic look.
Clown looks fat and healthy.
what are you HOB Overflows rated at? How many feet will it be for your return pump to pump the water back up to your main tank? What size sump?
Ok Background is made of egg crate and GREAT STUFF foam and rocks,shells,sand,pebbles. Very easy to make and cheap. A Lot of people in europe do it. But i got the idea from my lfs they were charging 40 bucks for one sheet though and i would need two. lol i made it myself for 10 bucks.
LOL thanks that clown is the female. Her mate was hiding.
I have not bought the overflow yet but the one im planing on is Eshopps Overflow Box PF-1000 daul outputs 900 gph. Is this good you think??? Its about 4 foot from my tank to sump. Sump is 30 gallon. Thats all I could fit.
I wanted to thank you crypt keeper You have been constant help for me.

Thanks so much.
Also he is a picture of the background stuff. The shelves are there for when i decide to try coral again. Also the cave is still there but i didn't like how it looked so i covered it in live rock and now is home to my coral banded shrimp. lol He LOVES that cave and only leaves at night and for food. LOL hes great
Oh also i must add that you NEED to make sure that GREat stuff is fully cured before adding to your tank and i also let mine sit in a tank for a few days before adding. It will retain water. Some people dont use edd crate and o right on the glass but i didnt want to do that. I cut the egg crate big so it just stays in place by itself.

 

[crypt keeper]

Hey no problem. This site has helped me out a lot. Just kind of paying it forward.
What return pump do you have?

 

[younngballa88]

Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/2978501
Hey no problem. This site has helped me out a lot. Just kind of paying it forward.
What return pump do you have?
Well Its from my other tank that i dont have anymore. Its a Quiet one brand. Thats all i know. Is there a way I can figure out how many gph it is? I am going to get a new one but right now im a little short on that kinda cash. I was going to try and get it going with the cycle with the pump i have and change out asap.

 

[younngballa88]

UPDATE Hows it look now.

Ok having some issues with the fact that my stand is not very long. I was going to drill the tank(fuge) and pull the water out with a pump. But Not really enough room. MY question is what are the benefits or disadvantages of the two options submersible pump in 3rd chamber or like in the picture. Also please comment on how many gph pump i should be looking for. my overflow is 900 gph. Thanks Also if you could point me in the right direction (like brand) for a energy efficient submersible pump.

 

[crypt keeper]

It doesnt say on the pump anywhere?
Your return needs to be at least 1100 gph. I doubt the pump you have is that big. You can get away with it if your sump has enough room in it, that if your power ever went out it wont fill up and spill out. If it doesnt then bad sump choice for one but your return pump you have wont keep up.
If not maybe run two return pumps and route them together with a T connector. You can get a mag 7 for $100

 

[florida joe]

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head. Can you post a more detailed pic of your plumbing? Where the couplings (for maintenance) and valves (to control flow) will be I would keep the sand. Not add any live rock allow all the room you can to grow higher algae. You will IMO want to plumb you system so you can isolate your refug from your sump if need be. Also you need to plan where the overflow from your skimmer with go. Again this is just off the top of my head.

 

[younngballa88]

Thank you for you thoughts flordia joe. I will work on a more detailed drawling. Also I am thinking im gonna go with a mag 12 for my return and the eshopps 1000 dual overflow. QUESTION. Are these mags safe to submerse in saltwater? They wont rust or anything? I picked up my bad and nag holder assembly today. So I need my overflow and pump. Equipment wise and need to do final mock up of fuge and go ahead and put that together.

 

[florida joe]

Mag-Drive pumps are NOT recommended for external use.( so you are good to go if you are going to submerge it) I am in no way an expert on refug/sump building. I do however have a working knowledge so if you post some detailed drawings I as well as others I am sure can give you our input

 

[younngballa88]

Yep planning on submerging it since I am basically out of space under my tank. Its a 44 wide so I was limited with my fuge size (well at least in its current resting spot).

 

[younngballa88]

1. Ok I was doing some measurements of my sump. If I do a 1" space between each baffle that would only leave a 12x8 fuge area. But if I Make the space between each baffle 3/4" I have a 12x10 fuge area. Thoughts??? I should be going to Lowe's in a few days to get my glass. (The only Lowe's close to me is about 30 minutes. Bummer)
2. My input lines are going to be 1" (with valves of coarse) Question= Should I make my return line smaller? Like 1/2 or 3/4" ? I think if I went a little smaller you would have more pressure.

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by Younngballa88
http:///forum/post/2979212
1. Ok I was doing some measurements of my sump. If I do a 1" space between each baffle that would only leave a 12x8 fuge area. But if I Make the space between each baffle 3/4" I have a 12x10 fuge area. Thoughts??? I should be going to Lowe's in a few days to get my glass. (The only Lowe's close to me is about 30 minutes. Bummer)
2. My input lines are going to be 1" (with valves of coarse) Question= Should I make my return line smaller? Like 1/2 or 3/4" ? I think if I went a little smaller you would have more pressure.
If you are gravity feeding into you sump/refug I would not worry about pressure. Also I really need a visual. As soon as you can post a drawing of your set up valves and couplings included I can get a better feel for your system

 

[younngballa88]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/2979605
If you are gravity feeding into you sump/refug I would not worry about pressure. Also I really need a visual. As soon as you can post a drawing of your set up valves and couplings included I can get a better feel for your system
OK visual will be posted tonight. Also wanted to fill you guys in that i have sorta pushed the pause button. I found another tank for my fuge thats at my in laws that i think will work great its 6 inchs longer. So i have to work a deal with them since they are not using it then i can add 6 inches to my fuge area.

Ill keep you posted with new pics asap. And will post a complete plumbed visual for everyone. Also have again decided to go with drilling the tank instead of crappy overflows. Thanks all.