sump for 8 ft tank

[kjr_trig]

I am getting set to order an 8 foot tank, and am looking at 2 options.
Option one would be an acrylic that essentially includes everything, all I would have to do is set it up.
Option two would be a glass tank (pre-drilled and everything) with stand and canopy and a 75 gallon sump, I would be on my own from there. Just wondering if anyone has a similar sump as I would love to see it.....Pictures below.
I am not a beginner as I had a 130 (with wet/dry trickle down) for 6 years before leaving it behind to move cross country. However I have never set up a large tank before, as that tank was negotiated in with the house we had in S. Carolina and had been up for 3 years as the owner did not want to move it. The tank will be fish only with triggers, angels, eel, and tangs.
Thanks.

 

[kjr_trig]

Bump...OK, if no pictures, can someone at least give me a discription of how they would set up the sump?

 

[andy51632]

r u planning on using live rock in your tank? If so how many lbs. per gallon? How bout a live sand bed? or deep sand bed?

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by andy51632
r u planning on using live rock in your tank? If so how many lbs. per gallon? How bout a live sand bed? or deep sand bed?
I will probably do a little LR, but mostly "base rock", I don't see the point in buying much LR as the three Triggers and Puffer would likely eat everything meaningful on it, I don't mind waiting a little longer for the tank to cycle...I would not be opposed to LR in a Rufugium though. I will probably do an inch of live sand or crushed coral....Thanks

 

[gnorman]

well when i first started into the Salt Water hobby, i researched for a year, then took the plunge and set up our 150G DT and 40ish Gallon sump. we got the tank from Lee-Mar ( very pleased with it ) glass set up with the starphire crystal on the front pannel. we plumed the whole thing by ourselves. as for the sump, we have the drain entering a Sump soc or microfilter soc. i highly recommend a compartment for this especially if ur going with an aggressive tank. the socks filter out to much junk its amazing. b.c we have a big bio load in our tank, we changed the socks ever 2 weeks or so b/c they start to overflow. in the same compartment we plumed a HO UV unit. helps with unwanted algae growth and i feel it keeps the water more clear. i think our UV is a little underpowered for our size of water mass so i feel it helps only a little with untanted parasites. ( we had an ich break out for awhile )
in the middle chamber we have fiji mud with a DSB on top. a little LR rubble and some cheato for pods population for our leopard wrasse. in the last compartment we have our Euro Reef RS 250 Skimmer ( rated for 250 gallons, so were over skimming by around 70 gallons), i would higlhy recomment over skimming with angels, triggers, ect. in the same chamber we also have our Dolphin 4700/5600 return pump connected to a CLS. i know ur more advanced than i am since u have been in the hobby longer than i have been but this is just how we did it and i was a total noob at the time. we took the plunge to plumb it ourselves and i couldnt have been happier with the results. plus, it taught me more about the hobby and I Know my own equipment so if something goes wrong i know why.
if u need any help plumbing the tank just come to us, there are so many good people that will help u out, and also, if u have any ?s for me about how i plumbed it, just let me know. i can also get pics for u so just hit me up. enjoy starting ur new huge tank. its so much fun doing all the set up work
oh and also, if ur having triggers and angels, i would go with the glass aquarium. reason- if the triggers are moving rock around and such, wouldnt want a bunch of scratches on the acyrillic. and plus, if u go with the glass u get to do all the work urself, which can be very rewarding. but also, time consuming at the same time ( its just how the hobby works huh?) hope this helped.
eric-

 

[andy51632]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
I will probably do a little LR, but mostly "base rock", I don't see the point in buying much LR as the three Triggers and Puffer would likely eat everything meaningful on it, I don't mind waiting a little longer for the tank to cycle...I would not be opposed to LR in a Rufugium though. I will probably do an inch of live sand or crushed coral....Thanks
I only mentioned the live rock as part of your filtration not for the critters on it. Plus it will look better than base rock. People with reefs like to switch there lr out everyonce in a while to restock their critters. You could probally buy some used lr for cheap but that is up to you.
I would not do crushed coral rather a live sand bed.
I would probally post this in the aggressive forumn. Once I asked the difference in filtering an aggressive tank and a reef tank and I got alot of responses.
From what I remeber, a lot of the people with aggressive setups use a large skimmer and good uv sterilizer. They told me you do not need a refugium. I would think about incorporating a DSB in your sump for nitrate control though.
You might ask for pics of some filtration designs in the aggressive forumn. You should get some responses just be patient and keep bumping your thread up.

 

[kjr_trig]

Ok, I had Bang Guy move this over from the "Equipment" forum...I guess basically what I want opinions on is weather there is much reason to have a Rufugium in an Aggressive set-up. Would I just be as well off going with a Trickle Down/Wet-Dry like on my last tank. Tank will likely be 240 or so, and of course I will have a powerful protein skimmer. Also would be curious to hear from anyone who has had issues with acrylic, would love to hear from people who have had both...In other words, please don't just tell me "You should do glass"

 

[andy51632]

did u get those pics from the site you plan to order from? if you did you should go glass if you order from them. i have heard their acrylic work is not very good. just what i have heard.
only thing I would worry about with a wet-dry is a nitrate issue. i am not forsure how much that will affect you with a fish only tank. i have read to skim the water before it enters the wet dry filter. the skimmer will remove alot of the waste before it is converted into nitrate.

 

[fastazzr1]

i have a large aggressive tank and i went with acrylic due to the cost, weight, and safety. i had a 135 gallon that i turned into a sump. if you need any pics just let me know.

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by fastazzr1
i have a large aggressive tank and i went with acrylic due to the cost, weight, and safety. i had a 135 gallon that i turned into a sump. if you need any pics just let me know.
I would love to see your sump Fast

BTW Fast have you had any issue with your 2 puffers scratching the acrylic with their "beaks"?

 

[stdreb27]

I would think you'd want a fuge with the larger agressive fish, it will help combat the trates that Folwr tanks have problems with, nothing would hurt to have a ball of chaeto in there. Doesn't need to be anything fancy.
I have a 7 inch puffer in my acrylic tank with no problems, but he never bears his beak. Like some do.

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by stdreb27
I would think you'd want a fuge with the larger agressive fish, it will help combat the trates that Folwr tanks have problems with, nothing would hurt to have a ball of chaeto in there. Doesn't need to be anything fancy.
I have a 7 inch puffer in my acrylic tank with no problems, but he never bears his beak. Like some do.
Thanks Stdreb...How does Chaeto work in a fuge anyway? Does it need light?

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
Thanks Stdreb...How does Chaeto work in a fuge anyway? Does it need light?
yeah it needs light, but nothing fancy, I have a clamp light and a 5500k pc bulb on mine it works fine.