Getting Started, a million questions

[minerman]

Hello!

I've been spending a huge amount of time Googling and I am just not getting my questions answered confidently. I am starting a new 92 gallon, salt water reef aquarium. My goal is to just have some easy maintenance beginner fish and explore adding corals (which is new for me).

Yesterday, I spent all day cutting and gluing PVC and piping it to a used pre-built sump that I purchased. I have filled up the tank with fresh water, and to my delight, its working great!

Below are all of the burning questions I have right now. Specific recommendations on what to buy next, would be great!

1. Do I need return nozzles to help aerate the water? I am using a pump with a 1200gph flow rate and I have that think dialed almost all the way up at max flow.... I just have an open 3/4" pvc pip that is inserted about an inch below the surface. I have some current on the surface. Also the sump below has a waterfall just before the return chamber. I am thinking I am goo with aeration and I don't need to further agitate the water. True?

2. I have an old protein skimmer from years ago (SeaClone 100). I think I should replace it. The thing doesn't seem to pump air at all. There's no venturi/spinning like there used to be. It also doesn't fill to the top. I think the thing is just junk. -- I have limited space in the sump. I think I'm going to keep it in the first chamber where the water comes in (not like in my photo). I only have about 7" by 7" footprint to insert it in the first chamber beside the incoming pipe. I'm having trouble finding a skimmer compact enough. Also the water level is almost 10". I guess I could build a stand though, if that water level is too high. I also am half considering not using a skimmer at all. Is this a big mistake? Or doable if I keep my stock low/manageable?

3. I think I am going to use the largest compartment for live rock. It is about 10" x 12" x 9" high. My main display just has dry/dead rock in it. I love this rock in the main display, so I am thinking of keeping it and going with live rock only in the sump for filtration. I will just fill that entire large center compartment up. Good idea? Does this mean that I need lighting above my sump if the only goal is filtration? Or will this work without lighting?

4. The overflow I have built is in the back of the tank. It's just an open pipe. So, I need some way of safeguarding it. I've been looking around and haven't quite found a correctly sized weir/barrier online that I can simply just buy and insert it. Any recommendations on how to build a barrier so no fish get sucked into my overflow?

5. Lighting... I just have a glass top to this aquarium. Is there suitable lighting that I can buy and sit on top of the glass and it will support corals? Any specific recommendations? I have never kept corals before, so I am clueless about proper lighting... I really really don't want to build a buy/canopy. I've done about all the DIY I can handle with the plumbing. lol

6. I know this stuff is expensive...but is there any good semi-affordable electronic test equipment that you would recommend? Would be great to always know what's going on with my tank and be able to react to problems quickly.

7. This last one could totally be all in my head...but....I feel like I may have made a mistake, out of excitement, and filled up my tank too quickly. It has a slight tint of blue to it. Do you see it in the photo? Or maybe this is just the lighting from outside? .. Is it possible that I've leeched PVC glue into my tank? Any testing I can do to confirm this? The water in the sump below looks normal to me. Some of the piping, I installed, probably only sat for an hour before I started filling it. Maybe I should just do some large water changes before I add salt and start to cycle it?

8. I live in south Florida and its freaking hot here. We keep our home at 78 degrees in the day time in the summer, to allow our AC to keep up. Looks like my tank temperature is staying at 80 degrees. I have been reading and it sounds like the consensus is that this will be fine. Will this cause me any limitations?

Thanks! I am really excited to get started and add some amazing atmosphere to my home office. I appreciate everyone's help!

 

[ReefLab]

No nozzle needed for the return but you should look at some kind of wave maker/pump in the main display if you plan to have corals. If you want easy corals (softies, some lps) most pumps will be fine. Hydro pumps are powerful, cost effective options.

your display tank will have plenty of surface area for bacteria. No live rock needed in your sump. If anything, use some seachem matrix or similar media in a mesh bag. live rock will accumulate detritis and become a pain to clean (also unnecessary).

I can’t see your overflow set up that well. Not sure if it relies on a siphon or not but you should consider a second emergency overflow a bit higher than that one and then putting a gate valve on the main overflow. Otherwise it is going to be very noisy. Additionally, make sure when the tank is running, if the return were to shut off, your sump won’t overflow. I don’t see any check valve on the return line so something to consider.

for lighting. Sitting directly on the glass I’m not sure but there are lots of options to suspend lights from the ceiling. Lighting can turn out to be the most expensive part of it. Lots of threads on lighting options so do your research. I have a mixed reef with kessil /T5 hybrid.

for testing stuff that gets really expensive. Tunze osmolator is a good option for ATO and audible alerts for water level. and you can look at autoaqua outlets to turn off lights if the temp gets too high.

I would drain and refill your tank. Easy enough and no point in risking the life of fish and coral with PVC glue

80 is ok for ambient temperature. I live in Vegas but we crank the ac to 70 during the day. I keep my tank heated to 78 that autoaqua outlet and a visible temperature gauge would be wise to avoid it from getting out of control

 

[ReefLab]

Also, if your drain relies on a siphon, look at an autoaqua sensor to cut off your return pump to prevent if from running dry if the siphon breaks

 

[anthonygf]

Hello!

I've been spending a huge amount of time Googling and I am just not getting my questions answered confidently. I am starting a new 92 gallon, salt water reef aquarium. My goal is to just have some easy maintenance beginner fish and explore adding corals (which is new for me).

Yesterday, I spent all day cutting and gluing PVC and piping it to a used pre-built sump that I purchased. I have filled up the tank with fresh water, and to my delight, its working great!

Below are all of the burning questions I have right now. Specific recommendations on what to buy next, would be great!

1. Do I need return nozzles to help aerate the water? I am using a pump with a 1200gph flow rate and I have that think dialed almost all the way up at max flow.... I just have an open 3/4" pvc pip that is inserted about an inch below the surface. I have some current on the surface. Also the sump below has a waterfall just before the return chamber. I am thinking I am goo with aeration and I don't need to further agitate the water. True?

2. I have an old protein skimmer from years ago (SeaClone 100). I think I should replace it. The thing doesn't seem to pump air at all. There's no venturi/spinning like there used to be. It also doesn't fill to the top. I think the thing is just junk. -- I have limited space in the sump. I think I'm going to keep it in the first chamber where the water comes in (not like in my photo). I only have about 7" by 7" footprint to insert it in the first chamber beside the incoming pipe. I'm having trouble finding a skimmer compact enough. Also the water level is almost 10". I guess I could build a stand though, if that water level is too high. I also am half considering not using a skimmer at all. Is this a big mistake? Or doable if I keep my stock low/manageable?

3. I think I am going to use the largest compartment for live rock. It is about 10" x 12" x 9" high. My main display just has dry/dead rock in it. I love this rock in the main display, so I am thinking of keeping it and going with live rock only in the sump for filtration. I will just fill that entire large center compartment up. Good idea? Does this mean that I need lighting above my sump if the only goal is filtration? Or will this work without lighting?

4. The overflow I have built is in the back of the tank. It's just an open pipe. So, I need some way of safeguarding it. I've been looking around and haven't quite found a correctly sized weir/barrier online that I can simply just buy and insert it. Any recommendations on how to build a barrier so no fish get sucked into my overflow?

5. Lighting... I just have a glass top to this aquarium. Is there suitable lighting that I can buy and sit on top of the glass and it will support corals? Any specific recommendations? I have never kept corals before, so I am clueless about proper lighting... I really really don't want to build a buy/canopy. I've done about all the DIY I can handle with the plumbing. lol

6. I know this stuff is expensive...but is there any good semi-affordable electronic test equipment that you would recommend? Would be great to always know what's going on with my tank and be able to react to problems quickly.

7. This last one could totally be all in my head...but....I feel like I may have made a mistake, out of excitement, and filled up my tank too quickly. It has a slight tint of blue to it. Do you see it in the photo? Or maybe this is just the lighting from outside? .. Is it possible that I've leeched PVC glue into my tank? Any testing I can do to confirm this? The water in the sump below looks normal to me. Some of the piping, I installed, probably only sat for an hour before I started filling it. Maybe I should just do some large water changes before I add salt and start to cycle it?

8. I live in south Florida and its freaking hot here. We keep our home at 78 degrees in the day time in the summer, to allow our AC to keep up. Looks like my tank temperature is staying at 80 degrees. I have been reading and it sounds like the consensus is that this will be fine. Will this cause me any limitations?

Thanks! I am really excited to get started and add some amazing atmosphere to my home office. I appreciate everyone's help!

Nice start. If I think of something to add will let you know. I think you have room for some live rock in the tank, I would not waste the limited space you have in the sump. You will add a skimmer and i think you may also want to add a UV sterilizer in the future. I have one in the sump next to my skimmer and return pump in a ten gallon tank for sump. I even have a homemade filter box and heater in there also.

 

[Gtinnel]

1. You do not need a nozzle on your return plumbing. You just need to make sure you have surface agitation in the tank. Most people do that with powerheads.

2/3. Seaclone skimmers are absolute garbage, getting just about anything else would be a upgrade. I'd put the skimmer in the bigger chamber to open up options for the type of skimmer that will fit. I wouldn't put rock in your sump for filtration the rock in the tank will be a place for bacteria to grow to act as biological filtration. The rock does not need light to act as filtration. I noticed you said live rock in the sump, with time all rock will become live rock.

4. I have no idea. I've never seen a tank that just has an open stand pipe and no overflow (except a few commercial coral setups). Did it used to have one that got removed?

5. There are tons of options for lights, ranging from cheap "black box" leds, flourescent, metal halide, to incredibly high end led fixtures. What you should get will vary based upon budget and types of corals you want to keep. Many lights have mounting arms, but I personally hung mine from the ceiling. With it being a rimmed, corner tank I suspect mounting lights will be a little more complicated.

6. If you mean electronic test kits, then Hanna. If you are talking about automated digital test, then they're all expensive. If you are asking about controllers with probes, they are mostly all expensive as well.

7. For plumbing (not necessarily aquarium related) it usually takes a few hours for pvc cement to completely dry. I figured the blue tint may be from the glass. If your not sure it may be best just to replace the water. BTW are you using tap water, or RODI water? I don't know of any test to tell if you should change the water (besides perhaps an ICP, but it'd be cheaper to just replace the water).

8. 80 is fine and toward the top end of what I like to keep my tank at. Just remember as you add lights and possibly more pumps all of that adds to the heat in the tank. The best ways to decrease heat are with a chiller (fairly expensive and power hungry) or by increasing evaporation with more surface agitation and air flow (however that increases the amount of top off water required and increases the humidity in your home)

 

[anthonygf]

I have a high water level alert for the DT that will turn off the return pump incase the overflow gets clogged. That has happened to me when I had an outbreak of GHA the algae that gets loose in the water column clogged up the slots in the overflow weir, watehit the sensor and turned off my pump. So thankful for the foresight to anticipate this problem. Saved myself a big mess. I don't have an emergency drain which I think would prevent this.

 

[minerman]

Thanks for all of the great responses so far. You've all convinced me so far that I should go in the following direction:

- No live rock in the sump
- Upgrade the skimmer
- Do a 100% water change before getting started
- Worry about lights later, when I know exactly what requirements that I have.

Regarding the plumbing:
I copied this design: - It was noisy at the start but I was able to hand adjust the ball valves to perfect the flow. I agree, in hindsight I should have went with gate valves.

Additionally, make sure when the tank is running, if the return were to shut off, your sump won’t overflow.

I have done testing, by unplugging the pump. The water level goes below the overflow, before the sump fills up. I still have maybe 5 gallons of space in the sump before it would overflow. Not too worried about this scenario.

Sitting directly on the glass I’m not sure but there are lots of options to suspend lights from the ceiling. Lighting can turn out to be the most expensive part of it. Lots of threads on lighting options so do your research.

That's kind of a bummer that there are no options for sitting light directly on the glass. I think I will plan to research lighting more once I know exactly what I'm going to stock the tank with.

You do not need a nozzle on your return plumbing. You just need to make sure you have surface agitation in the tank. Most people do that with powerheads.

Wouldn't adding nozzles be a cheaper way to arrive at the same solution to get more surface agitation? Or is it that the powerheads would benefit me by transferring flow to the lower parts of the tank too? For the coral? Is that the idea?

4. I have no idea. I've never seen a tank that just has an open stand pipe and no overflow (except a few commercial coral setups). Did it used to have one that got removed?

See YouTube video linked above. I just have an open 1" pipe pointing up. I can imagine all of the things that could get sucked in there. I thought about adding a PVC cap and then drilling a bunch of small holes in it, but I'm not sure if that'd sound terrible or not. lol I think I'd rather just install a divider to section off the back corner of the tank, if possible.

BTW are you using tap water, or RODI water?

Tap water. I am assuming if I do not rush adding stock to the tank, I can get by with that, right? I am so satisfied with simply running the pump and hearing the trickling water right now, that I don't even need to stock it to be happy! lol... I don't mind waiting several weeks to get water parameters perfect, if I need to...



Some other thoughts:

- Most of my history is running a fresh water system with some larger fish. I am concerned that I have basically no filtration right now and you guys are saying I don't even really need live rock. Can I really get by with no filtration at all besides a skimmer? It is true that I plan to keep it lightly stocked, but it just feels wrong to not have more filtration.

- I forgot to mention that I installed a tee with a ball valve that you can see on the right side of the photo of the sump. The idea is that maybe I will use the return pump to slowly send a small portion of the return water to a separate tank that I will use as a refugium. That is definitely a future idea that I have.

 

[Gtinnel]

Wouldn't adding nozzles be a cheaper way to arrive at the same solution to get more surface agitation? Or is it that the powerheads would benefit me by transferring flow to the lower parts of the tank too? For the coral? Is that the idea?

That is why I added nozzles to mine. The biggest advantage IMO to powerheads is the ability to create a varying flow pattern and not just constant flow in the same direction. This basically just matters for corals.

The only filter I have on my tank is a protein skimmer.

See YouTube video linked above. I just have an open 1" pipe pointing up. I can imagine all of the things that could get sucked in there. I thought about adding a PVC cap and then drilling a bunch of small holes in it, but I'm not sure if that'd sound terrible or not. lol I think I'd rather just install a divider to section off the back corner of the tank, if possible.

Adding a drilled cap is a bad idea, it will eventually get plugged with algea. If your overflow is like the one in the video you'll need some way to stop your tank from overflowing if it breaks siphon, I think that's what @ReefLab was talking about. To be fair I didn't finish the video so that may have been explained in it.

Tap water. I am assuming if I do not rush adding stock to the tank, I can get by with that, right? I am so satisfied with simply running the pump and hearing the trickling water right now, that I don't even need to stock it to be happy! lol... I don't mind waiting several weeks to get water parameters perfect, if I need to...

I would reccomend using RODI water, but again is more important with coral. This is an argument that some will say is fine with fish only, I personally would use RODI water for a fish only tank as well.

The only filter equipment that I use on my tank is a protein skimmer.

 

[Subsea]

I disagree with no lights on glass. This 4’ led light bar has an underwater rating of ip67, hard to enforce code on Chinese projects.

I have dropped them in 2’ of water for 30 seconds while they were lite (not recommended) with no problems.

Starting out get 1’ of light bar for every 10G of display volume.

Depends on what color you like to see. I prefer 10-12K color rendition.

#1 has two 2’ led bars over 40G ornamental seaweed lagoon at 4 months young.

#2 has four 4’ led bars over 75G mixed garden at 25 yrs young. Light spectrum on this tank is slightly more blue because of one actinic bar with three 12K bars.

45inch led aquarium light strip bar white&blue spectrum fish Marine Reef Coral | eBay

180 degree Adjustable brackets: freely adjust the installation angle and make the light reach the best balance of the aquarium tank and life. - Adopt high quality Epileds 3W led: longer the lifespan, enhance the light color, less light loss.

www.ebay.com

IP Ratings Explained: The Mysteries of IP65, IP66, and IP67

Click to understand the differences between IP65, IP66, and IP67. Learn about what type of IP Rating to look for when choosing a “waterproof” enclosure.

www.budind.com

 

[Subsea]

Do not allow yourself to be scared off from a cryptic refugium. Cryptic sponges process DOC & DOM 1000 times faster than a protein skimmer. More importantly, protein skimmers strip out live food for hungry mouths. Check out the microbial loop which process inorganic & organic nutrients into live food for tank inverts.

yes, I am an old school reefer. Enjoy the journey with many different ways to navigate. I like easy to maintai.


3. I think I am going to use the largest compartment for live rock. It is about 10" x 12" x 9" high. My main display just has dry/dead rock in it. I love this rock in the main display, so I am thinking of keeping it and going with live rock only in the sump for filtration. I will just fill that entire large center compartment up. Good idea? Does this mean that I need lighting above my sump if the only goal is filtration? Or will this work without lighting?

 

[minerman]

I disagree with no lights on glass. This 4’ led light bar has an underwater rating of ip67, hard to enforce code on Chinese projects.

I have dropped them in 2’ of water for 30 seconds while they were lite (not recommended) with no problems.

Starting out get 1’ of light bar for every 10G of display volume.

Depends on what color you like to see. I prefer 10-12K color rendition.

#1 has two 2’ led bars over 40G ornamental seaweed lagoon at 4 months young.

#2 has four 4’ led bars over 75G mixed garden at 25 yrs young. Light spectrum on this tank is slightly more blue because of one actinic bar with three 12K bars.

45inch led aquarium light strip bar white&blue spectrum fish Marine Reef Coral | eBay

180 degree Adjustable brackets: freely adjust the installation angle and make the light reach the best balance of the aquarium tank and life. - Adopt high quality Epileds 3W led: longer the lifespan, enhance the light color, less light loss.

www.ebay.com

IP Ratings Explained: The Mysteries of IP65, IP66, and IP67

Click to understand the differences between IP65, IP66, and IP67. Learn about what type of IP Rating to look for when choosing a “waterproof” enclosure.

www.budind.com

Thank you so much for the lighting suggestion. This is the main thing that I am racking my brain about. I don't really want to hang things from the walls or ceiling.... How deep is your tank? I am a little concerned that the bottom of my tank will not get the light that it needs, as its ~24" from the surface. Was that 1ft per 10 gal a recommendation from the mfg or just based on personal experience.

My goal is to start with softies and then work my way up to LPS and then eventually some SPS. So, I want good strong light and a wide spectrum that can go 24" deep, at least to certain parts of my tank.

I really don't want to spend this much, but my current idea was to buy 2 of these AI Prime 16's:
I like that they have some options and you can do a little more with them.... You can buy flexible arms for these and attach them to the side glass. I am unsure if this is enough light or not though. I know some call these cheap but it still seems expensive to me, after you buy the mounts to go with them.

If anyone else has lighting suggestions, I would love to hear them!

 

[minerman]

Update: I went ahead and got the 2 AI Prime 16's. I have now added my first life, 2 clownfish of course. They seem to be enjoying their new home so far.

Next up is switching from tap to RODI (I will just start using with my normal water changes and the tap will cycle out of over time). And also I think I will add a peppermint shrimp in a week or 2.

Really enjoying watching the silly clownfish swim.