How would you set it up?

[Woodneers]

Hello all,
I'm new to this so bare with me please. My family really wants a reef aquarium so here we go. We have a 75 gallon display and a DIY 29 gallon sump. I think I've decided on the eshopps eclipse overflow and a dc jabeo return and a few eBay Chinese led lights for now. The display is a foot off the floor in my basement, built in below a entertainment center with ample room for simple maintenance and the sump about ten feet away and directly on the floor. I built the sump with as much water volume in mind. If at any point it overflows it will be fine, it's right near a floor drain. If I decide I need less water volume I think I can drill a few holes in the baffles to lower the water level a bit. I'll probably start the cycle without the skimmer just to get things moving along. I'd like as much bio filtration as possible and with that in mind I need to add sand and rock as well as something in the sump to aid in this. And I already have ro water near the sump just need to add a di cartridge.
When do I add sand and rock?
Where can i add filtration in the sump?
I got a line on some previously used rock from the fish store, any warnings I need to be aware of there?

 

[Reef Jedi]

I can help address a couple things:
You can add sand and rock after it’s been cured. You can cycle rock in the tank or out. It’s up to you.

If you start with dry rock you’ll wanna cure it first before anything. YouTube BRS curing dry rock and that should point you in the right direction. The bleach method will be your friend. You can acid wash but that’s very involved.

You could also cycle the sand before or after adding to tank.

I would add filtration in the first chamber of the sump before it passes through any of the other chambers. The baffles are a little high and I would be concerned about it over flowing. You may want to lower the baffles to allow room for the tank to drain with out over flowing. The Eshopps Eclipse over flows are really good and you’ll also want a Gate Valve to reduce the suction noise you don’t know about yet.

Trust me you’ll want one.

You can add rock or marine pure blocks to aid in bacteria surface area in the sump. I would stay away from BioBalls if I were you.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else!

Happy Reefing!

 

[Woodneers]

In the first chamber I think I'd like to run some filter floss before the skimmer. Is that doable?

Like I said I can easily take the baffles down a bit if needed. I only have 8 inches of head room to deal with as far as overflow goes, I'll do a few test runs once I get the pump in.

 

[Reef Jedi]

In the first chamber I think I'd like to run some filter floss before the skimmer. Is that doable?

Like I said I can easily take the baffles down a bit if needed. I only have 8 inches of head room to deal with as far as overflow goes, I'll do a few test runs once I get the pump in.

When I use to use filter floss/ socks I always had it before the skimmer. Now I don’t use any filter floss of any kind. I’ve found if it’s not changed in a day or so it builds up nitrates too fast. Especially if left unattended. I’ve been with out a filter per say for over 6 months with no issues. Just a thought.

 

[Woodneers]

I like it, simple is usually better. So throw the skimmer in that first section at the appropriate height and let her rip? No worries about turbulent water or bubbles?

Ok, gate valves? Man all pvc ones are spendy! Also need a check valve for the return.Who has the best price on both?

So if I figured this right I have about 95 gallons of water. What size return pump are we looking at here? The jabeo dc series look decent and that's what I had in mind but what size?

 

[Reef Jedi]

I like it, simple is usually better. So throw the skimmer in that first section at the appropriate height and let her rip? No worries about turbulent water or bubbles?

Ok, gate valves? Man all pvc ones are spendy! Also need a check valve for the return.Who has the best price on both?

So if I figured this right I have about 95 gallons of water. What size return pump are we looking at here? The jabeo dc series look decent and that's what I had in mind but what size?

Yea throw the skimmer in the first chamber and let it rip, you don’t have to worry about bubbles because once it’s broke in it will produce very minimal bubbles. But they would be good for chato if you go that route with a refuge. I got my gate valves on EBay. I looked and looked and looked till I found some for around $20. I forget the name of the seller but if you keep looking you’ll find them.

I also got a check valve on eBay. I got the double Union one vs the slide option. I went for less expensive with the double Union but it works really well. Stops the water from going to my basement sump every time.

As far as the return pump that depends on how much return you want. Some recommend at least 3x tank turn over. I personally like to run a faster return. I believe it allows water to be filtered through the sump more allowing more nitrate removal. I personally have a turbo Sea 580 in my basement going up about 10 feet to my tank in the living room. If I were to guess I’d say it’s turning this tank over 6-10 times an hour. It’s only a 40gal so it’s a little over kill. DC pumps are the way to go tho. If you want you can turn up or down your flow rates so that makes it nice. Some even do wave functions. If you ask my LFS they would tell you it doesn’t matter how much return flow you have. But if you only turn over the tank once an hour you’ll find more detritus in the sump and tank. It won’t be happy. That’s why I recommend at least a higher return, regardless of how strong your power heads are in the tank.

Let me know how else I can help!

 

[Woodneers]

Let's talk lighting! I don't have an endless supply of cash for this project but would appreciate something that I could grow with.

 

[Fin]

The baffles in your sump are most likely going to be too high. Skimmers need to sit in about 8-9 inches of water, so you will need to raise the skimmer considerably. Do you already have a skimmer? It looks like you will need one with a small footprint if you are planning on putting it in the first chamber. Make sure you look up the footprint size of the skimmer before buying one.

The second & third baffles will set the water level in the sump, since the water will need to top both of them to get to the return section. Looks like you will only have a few inches left in the sump to keep it from overflowing. You mentioned having the sump 10' away from the display, so you will have an awful lot of water flowing back into the sump when the power is interrupted. I wouldn't rely on a check valve to keep the sump from overflowing. None of them are fool proof.

I am also trying to visualize if you will have enough height, with the display only 12" off of the floor, to use an Eshopps Eclipse overflow and run plumbing to a relatively high sump sitting on the floor. Seems like that will be tough to accomplish with limited height. It will be close.

 

[Reef Jedi]

Let's talk lighting! I don't have an endless supply of cash for this project but would appreciate something that I could grow with.

T5s and metal halides have been proven to grow a variety of corals. I have used both in the past with great results. I currently use Radion XR30w G4 Pros. They are amazing lights but come with a hefty price tag. Older Radion models are nice and prices are coming down. Next I’d recommend kessils. They are good quality lights with a very nice light spectrum. Last in the led world I would say you can grow corals under the eBay cheap Chinese black boxes. The reason I don’t recommend them is, I would rather have t5s and save my money for other things. They are hit or miss however I have seen some people have good results with them. Really I’d pick a budget and find a light that fits that.

 

[Woodneers]

I have another sump that sits a lot lower that I could use instead. I scored it from a local pet store redoing their setup. Doable?

 

[Reef Jedi]

I have another sump that sits a lot lower that I could use instead. I scored it from a local pet store redoing their setup. Doable?

As long as water can go down and drain you should be good. If it can’t a hob would be a good option as well. That’s kind of a tricky spot to put a tank.

 

[Woodneers]

I suppose I could choose a different location but this was intended so the kids can sit and watch. I'll give it a go and if I can't figure it out I'll build a traditional stand.

 

[Reef Jedi]

I suppose I could choose a different location but this was intended so the kids can sit and watch. I'll give it a go and if I can't figure it out I'll build a traditional stand.

Now if it were me.... I’d move the tv. Build that shelf stronger and put the tank there. Then the sump under. Wall mount the tv on a swivel and have a living room couch facing the tank. The tv would just be a bonus in the room.

 

[Woodneers]

So I removed the second and third baffle. If I'm thinking this right they will need to be 8 to 9 inches tall to set the water height for the skimmer in the first bay.
We will be building a stand rather than building it in the wall like we had planned. Stay tuned for that on a later date, should be good I use to build cabinets for a living.

 

[Woodneers]

Anybody on the baffles? Need to get those suckers back in there.

 

[Reef Jedi]

Anybody on the baffles? Need to get those suckers back in there.

Sorry buddy, what’s the question of the baffles? The height?

 

[Woodneers]

Yes, I'm ready to cut them down and reinstall them.

 

[Reef Jedi]

How did this go?

 

[Woodneers]

Still need to cut them down to the correct height. Took a break to get my garden setup. Had to move 20 yards of dirt by wheel barrow. Ready to get back on this.

 

[Reef Jedi]

Still need to cut them down to the correct height. Took a break to get my garden setup. Had to move 20 yards of dirt by wheel barrow. Ready to get back on this.

Did you get this up and running? Any pictures for updates?