Changing things up. Need advise.

[Girthrockwel]

I have a 75 gallon marineland tank and stand. The tank isn't drilled and when I set it up I don't think I really put a lot of thought into things. Currently I have a fluval 406 canister a reef octopus classic 1000 HOB skimmer and a CPR HOB fuge. I hate this setup. It sux. I wish someone had shaken me by the shoulders and said NOOOOOOOOo. But it is what it is. Now I want a sump with a fuge and an in sump skimmer. My budget isn't massive but I'm planning on buying things over the course of a couple of months. Once I get everything in my hands, tear the tank down, move livestock, sand and rock into Rubbermaid containers and drill the tank install an overflow and place the sump. Get all the plumbing set up and put it all back together.

I'm thinking about the eshoppes medium overflow box and have been eyeballing the current USA DC return pumps. That overflow says it's 800gph. What size return pump should I go with? Are these pumps crap, great, middle of the road? I've been looking at them because of cost and somewhat positive reviews, oh and I like the idea of a D.C. Pump.

 

[Girthrockwel]

I'm thinking of building my own sump with a 20 long, will that be sufficient for a 75? Or should I spend a little extra dough on a prebuilt sump like a low end trigger? Also..... seeing what I'm trying to accomplish with these other parts and pieces, what would be a good skimmer that will get the job done, be reliable and not force me to take out a second mortgage?

 

[mcarroll]

A few thoughts....

I know you said sump+skimmer, and it's obviously a fine way to go, but it's not perfect either, and it's as rote as your first iteration and you said that bothered you.

So, before you move on in that direction at least consider a better version of what you have....sell the canister and skimmer you have...replace with a Tunze Reefpack 500.

The 500 is your carbon/media filter, skimmer, and ATO all in one...and most likely beefy enough to upgrade with you to your next system....up to about 150 gallons....bigger, depending on the kind of system you're keeping.


Reefpack 500
Comline® DOC Skimmer 9012: Designed for mixed aquariums or soft coral aquariums with 200 to 1,200 ... mehr

0500.000

608.40 USD

If you do switch to a sump
I'd stick with traditional AC powered pump for return. Lifeguard, Mag, Sicce, Eheim are all great choices IMO.....Lifegaurd is probably the best bang for your buck AND one of the better warranties AND one of the most-efficient designs. A $50-$60 Quiet One 2200 (Lifeguard) would probably make a pretty ideal choice for a 75 Gallon tank.

Tuzne Drain
Tunze also makes over-flow drains as well as through-wall and through-bottom drains that are all nice. Especially the over-flow....definitely the nicest one I've seen.

Check em out...

TUNZE Outlets


Tunze Sump Kits
These are pretty awesome turn-key sump systems...everything included, including a well-fitting lid, and all parts are top-notch. Both the 15 and the 16 are in-range for your 75 gallon.

Skimmer Kit 15
(0015.000)
for salt water aquariums up to 500 liters (135 USgal.).
Glass tank 1591.100 (300 x 320 x 460 mm (11.8 x 12.5 x 18.1 in.))
Safety volume: 21 liters (5.5 USgal.)
DOC Skimmer 9410 with post-filter
Osmolator® 3155 with infra-red technology and alert sound emitter
Recirculation pump Silence 1073.020
(2,400 l/h (630 US gal./h), Hmax 2 m (78.7 in.))
Storage container 5002.250
Total energy consumption: 41 W

724.89 USD


...or...


Compact Kit 16
(0016.000)
for salt water aquariums up to 500 liters (135 USgal.).
Glass tank 1591.100 (300 x 320 x 460 mm (11.8 x 12.5 x 18.1 in.))
Safety volume: 21 liters (5.5 USgal.)
Comline® DOC Skimmer 9012
Comline® Multifilter 3168
Osmolator® 3155 with infra-red technology and alert sound emitter
Recirculation Pump Silence 1073.020
(2,400 l/h (630 US gal./h), Hmax 2 m (78.7 in.))
Storage Container 5002.250
Total energy consumption: 56 W

889.50 USD

 

[mcarroll]

If you build your own sump like I did, I highly recommend a 30 Gallon (long) and install as few walls and baffles as possible.....ideally none, but one if you need a refugium wall.

2¢

 

[Big G]

Eshopps medium Eclipse overflow
Eshopps RS-200 sump
Reef Octopus Varios 2 DC pump

I have all of the above except I got the large overflow for my 90. Pretty sweet setup.

 

[Girthrockwel]

Some good info there. I've got a lot more research to do.

 

[Girthrockwel]

Big G, I was thinking about the large eclipse. Can you take a picture of it in your tank. Should give me a decent idea of how much real estate it takes up. Is there enough room for a bean animal?

 

[Big G]

Here's a shot from the back before I filled the tank. It's a 48" long x 24" deep. As you can see my tank has a rim. So when figuring out where to drill the holes the template that Eshopps gives you is not helpful; it (the template) is for an rimless tank. So I eyeballed it and marked the holes so that the internal box fits about 1/4" below the rim. Then I inverted the drilling template so I could use it to guide the drill bit. Worked great. I really like how slim the internal box is inside the tank. It hardly sticks out into the tank. Nice. Let me know if you have more questions. Hope this helps. Cheers!