Thinking about a fuge/ species tank.

[yimmy]

Right now I have a 95gal FOWLR display with a canister and UV as my filtration. My tank is drilled and I have a Little Giant pump that does around 1000gal an hour. I did have a jawfish but he jumped from being scared and eventually got and infection.
Now this is the part where I need help, my tank is about 6in to the right of my desk. On my desk I was wondering if I could hook up a 20gallon tank to my display tank, so it would sort of be like a sump to some extent, just there would be no skimmer. I would have a section for macro algea and to the left of it will be about 15gallons of room for a blue spot jawfish.
This is how I was thinking of plumbing it but let me know if you guys see anything that could go wrong, the water that comes out of my UV ( pretty low flow) will go to my fuge and that tank, and from there back into my main tank. If their isn't enough current in the jawfish tank I will throw a small power head in there. I was going to start up a whole other tank but I wouldn't have the time to maintain to seperate tanks. Thanks for reading this and all the help. I'm almost done drawing a diagram sort of thing of what I hope it to turn out as.
Jimmy

 

[sign guy]

Originally Posted by Yimmy
Right now I have a 95gal FOWLR display with a canister and UV as my filtration. My tank is drilled and I have a Little Giant pump that does around 1000gal an hour. I did have a jawfish but he jumped from being scared and eventually got and infection.
Now this is the part where I need help, my tank is about 6in to the right of my desk. On my desk I was wondering if I could hook up a 20gallon tank to my display tank, so it would sort of be like a sump to some extent, just there would be no skimmer. I would have a section for macro algea and to the left of it will be about 15gallons of room for a blue spot jawfish.
This is how I was thinking of plumbing it but let me know if you guys see anything that could go wrong, the water that comes out of my UV ( pretty low flow) will go to my fuge and that tank, and from there back into my main tank. If their isn't enough current in the jawfish tank I will throw a small power head in there. I was going to start up a whole other tank but I wouldn't have the time to maintain to seperate tanks. Thanks for reading this and all the help. I'm almost done drawing a diagram sort of thing of what I hope it to turn out as.
Jimmy
three things
1 is 15 gal enough for a jawfish I know nothing about them thats why I ask
2 you dont have enough flow to utilize the chato, imo even with a ph
3 you would have to have a two pump system on the same line and that can never work here is why. Lets say you have two identical pumps, one pumping through your uv and exiting in your 20g if it is a 400gph with 30 inches of head lets say your getting 300gph in your fuge. there is no way you can match gph consedering head for the pump pumping water from the fuge to the dt. your fuge will eather overflow or run dry in a short time.
the only way this could work is to have the fuge above the dt so water will over flow into the dt from the fuge

 

[sign guy]

I lied thats more than three things

 

[yimmy]

Thanks I see what you mean...for some reason I completely forgot that the water would have to get back into the tank :notsure: Could it work if I had a PH pumping water from the fuge back to the DT.
This is what I'm now thinking and this could save me mucking around with my already plumbed tank. I have a built in over flow box so could I drop a PH into their have a hose on it from their it goes to my other tank/fuge on my desk. Then I have the same size pump in my fuge, maybe bigger because it will be lower than my display so it will pump back into the display. I'm only 15 and this is my first DIY project for my tank. I still have much to research.
I plan on building the fuge myself and I have a few questions...
What type of glue do you use for the acrylic so I don't kill my fish?
Is there any sort of formula how to measure GPH if its going up?
Is there any acrylic that could melt from the light over the chato?
Thank for the help, sorry for all the questions but I'm still definately learning.

 

[yimmy]

I forgot to add, is there any way to caculate how thick the acrylic should be so it won't break. I was thinking about 1/2 inch, if anyone thinks different let me know.
Thanks,
Jimmy

 

[sign guy]

Originally Posted by Yimmy
Thanks I see what you mean...for some reason I completely forgot that the water would have to get back into the tank :notsure: Could it work if I had a PH pumping water from the fuge back to the DT.no sorry
This is what I'm now thinking and this could save me mucking around with my already plumbed tank. I have a built in over flow box so could I drop a PH into their have a hose on it from their it goes to my other tank/fuge on my desk. Then I have the same size pump in my fuge, maybe bigger because it will be lower than my display so it will pump back into the display. No two pumps are exactly the same they may say 125gph but it may be only 120 and a ph they make 5 min latter will be 132gph its way to hard to try to match pumps and head I'm only 15 and this is my first DIY project for my tank. I still have much to research.
I plan on building the fuge myself and I have a few questions...
What type of glue do you use for the acrylic so I don't kill my fish?weld on buy it at home depotIs there any sort of formula how to measure GPH if its going up?every co. has a diff formula just research itIs there any acrylic that could melt from the light over the chato? A mh will heat it up enough to bend but the same light will cook the chato you only need 10 or 20 watts for a fuge that small
Thank for the help, sorry for all the questions but I'm still definately learning.
dont sweat the ?'s im going to bed so ill check back tomorrow

 

[sign guy]

Originally Posted by Yimmy
I forgot to add, is there any way to caculate how thick the acrylic should be so it won't break. I was thinking about 1/2 inch, if anyone thinks different let me know.
Thanks,
Jimmy
on a 20g 1/8 will be fine 3/16 or 1/4 will be more than fine acryrilic is very strong

 

[yimmy]

I know this is a hard question to anwser but just for acrylic and the light how much do you think thats going to cost? I know for pumps it will wind up around 70$ for both

 

[yimmy]

Here is what I was thinking...I'm not sure how many gallons but thats the dimensions I was thinking...

 

[yimmy]

bump

 

[sign guy]

it should be around 30-50 bucks for the acrylic and 20 for a 0k light
I would figure out your water situation first

 

[yimmy]

So my desk is going to be lower than my DT how do you think I should set it up, it would be very difficult for me to have my fuge higher than my DT the waterline of my DT is about 5.5 feet above the ground...so my fuge would have to be really high up, I dont think I could maintain my fuge if it was that high up, but it could be done cuz I am 6'4''. Thanks for all the help your giving me Sign Guy

 

[sign guy]

what all filtration do you have now?

 

[yimmy]

Now I have a nu-clear canister and a UV sterilizer, I was going to do a complete sump system with a skimmer, but its going on my desk and I don't think that would look all that great so after I'm done with the fuge I'm getting a HOB skimmer I'm not sure if this helps but heres a pic of my plumbing...

 

[yimmy]

My tank is drilled. So in the pic the water drains through the overflow to my littlegiant it goes to a canister, from the canister it T's off through the two drains on the bottom. Then I have a seperate power head for my UV, and then in this picture I just took I have another power head on the top circulating water... later tonight I will post a newer pic

 

[sign guy]

dude the only way this could work is to have your overflow go straight to your desk fuge then to your can filter and uv then back to your dt. but the uv will kill all your copods comming from the fuge

 

[yimmy]

I see what you mean, actually makes alot of sense, what do you think about this...from my overflow it goes to my fuge, from my fuge it goes to my Littlegiant, from my littlegiant it goes to my canister and it T's off, BUT the water going to the UV will have a bulk head so I can turn the waterflow down so alot of the pods will be going through the Canister.

 

[yimmy]

On second thought the pods would get stuck in the canister filter...

 

[sign guy]

the can filter will do its job and and filter the pods out
you have to deside what is more important fuge or pods

 

[yimmy]

I'm an idiot I completely forgot to tell you this...So I have the drain from my overflow and I also have another drain in the center that goes to my little giant, through my canister and back into the tank. Then Hooked up to my overflow is the UV and a seperate PH just for water movement. Another option that I could take into consideration is not implementing a fuge and just having it as a seperate tank.