New member and New tank project

jchase1970

jchase1970

Member
Also have my ro/di unit ordered and my clear pvc for my returns. I have an equipment list being quoted on and hopefully can get that coming in the next week. I don't expect to be doing anything on the tank for the next week because or work, a week of 12hr days has just popped up and I can use the extra cash to sink into this tank.
I have most everything figured out as to how I want it all set up but I still need to figure out the size of my sump. Is there a problem having to big of a sump? Or is it, the bigger the better?
 
melypr1985

melypr1985

Member
Originally Posted by jchase1970
http:///forum/post/3181614
Also have my ro/di unit ordered and my clear pvc for my returns. I have an equipment list being quoted on and hopefully can get that coming in the next week. I don't expect to be doing anything on the tank for the next week because or work, a week of 12hr days has just popped up and I can use the extra cash to sink into this tank.
I have most everything figured out as to how I want it all set up but I still need to figure out the size of my sump. Is there a problem having to big of a sump? Or is it, the bigger the better?
I think that with fish (or anything) bigger is always better.... but then again, I'm from Texas where everything is bigger!

But serriously though, I dont think you could make it too big. Just make sure it fits where you want it and will hold whatever water will drain into it when the power fails. As long as it fits those criteria then make it as big as you want!
 
jchase1970

jchase1970

Member
kinda what I thought too, but alot of people seems to put in a quite small sump compared to there DT. I was thinking bigger with more LR in it would increase filtation and add more gals to your system size which would make it more stable and allow the DT to support more, which is important to me since I settled on a 125g tank.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
if you havent gotten your LR yet, you should check out marco rocks. the rocks are really nice and they are weighed dry, so you definately get more rock for your money.
also, with the plumbing being clear, i would worry about excess algae growth that could inhibit the flow
 
jchase1970

jchase1970

Member
Hopefully the clear pvc in the tank wont be a big algae problem I have a couple of reason, 1 I will be using pure specturm led lighting that will not induce algae growth in the DT and a oversized sump/fuge. We will see how it turns out.
That marco rock, is that just base rock not LR? Is this man made rock? It looks like alot of the homemade stuff I have seen, not that that's bad for base rock as it often looks better then the real thing.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
its funny you should ask that because i just got an e-mail from them about a month ago titled "It's real". pretty much about how their rock is pure natural reef rock. it is base rock, that will need curing. one thing i found out, with the help of king_neptune, is that the marco rock retains all of it's salt, so when i started curing it, my salinity went way up. either way, it's been in my tank for a few months and it's colored up enough already that it's hardly discernable from the rest of the fugi rock. when i first saw it i thought i had made a mistake, but after a few weeks it really started coloring up. you had mentioned getting more rocks per lb in post #9, that's what got me thinking of marco.
 
jchase1970

jchase1970

Member
Well I thought I'ld post an update on this nightmare I started that has included everything from piping in the way to cracking a 125gal tank.
After the New Year I went to The PVC Store in evansville to get my bulkheads, A store that had been open for 40yrs and they were closed out of business. They had schedule 80 bulkheads and I had ordered a drill bit for that size of bulkhead. This meant that I had to order a new bit and bulkheads from glassholes.
I finally get the holes drilled, get the tank sit in the wall. pipe the pump and returns and get the water filter installed. I ordered my live sand. I got a deal on some live rock from a swap meet. Feeling good about the tank, getting excited. My returns came out of the side panels of the tank down the wall and back into the cabinet, I didn't have the straps but I wanted to go ahead and fill my tank. So I started filling the sump, pumping it to the tank and repeat over and over, till the next day I finally get 175+gals of ro/di water in the tank. I decide to go ahead and add the salt and let it mix in the tank. I have the pump running for a couple of days and have completely forgot by now that I never support the 1 1/2 return lines. I get my live sand and add it to the tank. I didn't rinse the sand like everyone said you should do, so it is very cloudy, cant see though the tank cloudy. I figure it will filter out and settle. The next day I'm looking at it and I can start to see though the tank. That night I am going to bed and I lok at the tank 1 more time and I see what looks like a crack. yup, Right there in the side cause I didn't support the pipping, I don't even know why I used ridged pvc, should have just flexed it in anyway, but oh well. So now it's midnight, I'm draining 125 gals of tank water. Of course I have 120lb of sand in there now too. I dont even worry about the sand at this point.
Over the next few days I ponder about my problem, do I fix the used tank, do I order a new tank and fix the used one later, or do I just give up because everything that could delay me in this project has. I just about pick the give up route, but I decide to just order a new tank from glasscages and have a center overflow installed, means I have to cut a hole in my cabinet top I made but who cares. New tanks going to take 3 weeks and I have to drive down to TN to get it, only about a 3hr trip down, so not that big of issue.
I get my new tank, I get it installed I rework the plumbing and yeah middle of march I have a tank up and running.
I'm still working on it I have not built the canopy yet and I am using a old light in it. I am trying to get the canopy built this week coming up, and then I can build my LED lighting, but well see if that happens that fast or not. The tank has been up and running for 6 weeks or so, I have some hermits and snails in it. A couple of small pieces of coral. No fish yet. Would like to get a couple of fish for Easter, but IDK.
Things are coming together now and I am so happy that things have worked out since I cracked the old tank. I was so stressed at that point, lol.
Here's a pic about 3 weeks ago. It's hasn't changed to much except the other side of the wall has been redrywalled and repainted, this side looks the same.

Sorry for the delay in updating but I was so close in just walking away from it.
John
 
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