Well, I am in the Planning Stage. ADVICE ?!

[TheOracle]

I am new to the forum so I will start off by saying hello to everyone and give a brief history of my experience thus far and then I will discuss my new project. I started in freshwater as most of us probably have, with a mixed african cichlid tank with some canister filters. I then also moved on to have a 29 gallon biocube for awhile with some true peculas and bicolor dotty but to be frank it was a pretty simple set-up and I only had it for about 2 years (no skimmer no nothing, just the standard filter that was built in) before I had to move out of state and it couln't make the trip with me.

Now, on to my current project. I was able to score a 90 Gallon craigslist special canopy and cabinet which I am currently stripping, repainting, and adding new fixtures. It came with a glass tank too, but it is so abused and scratched that my ocd is not going to be happy. With that I am going to be purchasing a new 90, not drilled/no overflow. The cabinet could allow for a sump system but until I eventually go to a larger tank I am just going to stick with a HOB skimmer.

Now this is what I was thinking for hardware:
-reef octopus 2000 HOB skimmer
-(I already have it laying around) fluval 206 canister "don't freak out, I am pulling the bioballs and I plan on running chemipure elite, purigen, sponges, and some frags of live rock inside the canister" a mini sump in my mind atleast. I read about others doing similar but this is where I was most unsure
-I have a 48" Coral life t5 quad bulb lighting housing {I think it might work but its been in storage for awhile} but no bulbs at the moment, I was maybe looking into just doing a current USA orbit 48" LED. I am not that familiar with Current USA but the internet had good things to say about the results of reefing with this light. Anyone here used it.
-Live rock & crushed coral
-and then some power heads and a heater.

Stock list Plan (roughly)

4 Blue/Green chromis
2 Purple Dottyback
2 Yellow Dottyback
1 Tang (not sure yet, suggestions probably not a yellow kind of boring to me)
And I was going to try a blue throat trigger, crazy I know. But sometimes you can get one that leaves its tank mates alone and doesn't eat them. All I can do is try right.

Then I want to do some simple coral, yellow polyps, Green mushrooms, cabbage leather and perhaps some cauliflower colt


Well now the fun part, what should I change and why. Am I just a dreamer thinking I can have a trigger and corals ? Is my idea of a canister as a mini sump a bad idea ? Let me know what you all think.

Thanks in Advance,

The Oracle

 

[Marc.The.Shark]

I ran a canister for a while a loooong time ago in the same regard. It was a HUGE PITA to clean out all the time. Don't miss it one bit. That being said, it's doable & people have success, but never again would I. I'd have my LFS drill the tank for me & go with a sump, so much easier. Just take a look at how many people run canister filters anymore, not very many. You have to ask yourself why......

And welcome to the forum!!

 

[TheOracle]

I ran a canister for a while a loooong time ago in the same regard. It was a HUGE PITA to clean out all the time. Don't miss it one bit. That being said, it's doable & people have success, but never again would I. I'd have my LFS drill the tank for me & go with a sump, so much easier. Just take a look at how many people run canister filters anymore, not very many. You have to ask yourself why......

And welcome to the forum!!

I hear ya, I just can't get past the cost honestly. Its like double the price to get a drilled tank and then to get the sump, pump, stand pipe, inlet/outlet hoses, refugium + light, ect. ect. when I have the canister in my basement and can just easily add the HOB skimmer. If I was planning on keeping this tank past 5 years then I could justify it but I would like to get into a 150 by then [my college debt would be paid off ] and getting a drilled tank and some awesome goodies wouldnt be that big of a deal. So, lets say I scrap the whole canister all together, should I do a HOB filter with basically the same deal ? chemipure and purigen and a few sponges or would I just be running into the same issues, could I get by on a skimmer and using the liverock and sand to take care of the rest. thoughts ?

 

[Marc.The.Shark]

Oh, you can do it. Just need to be very diligent about cleaning it out or it gets decaying food/matter & turns into a nitrate factory. I'd definitely run it if it's your only option. you're gonna want the mechanical filtration. Just clean it out regularly (like once a week). People usually change their filter socks like 2x a week, this would be the equivalent. I just started to get lazy & went to 2 weeks, then 3, then a month! lol, not good

My LFS drills tanks for $15 per hole. And can usually find a Craigslist sump in the 40B size for $50 or less.

 

[TheOracle]

Ya my LFS wanted to charge me 149 for a 90 all glass tank and for the drilled with an overflow it was going to cost me 400. I guess I never looked into getting it drilled myself.. I wonder how much of a pain that would be LOL. I guess as another option do you have any experience with the hang on overflows that can run down to a sump and then it would basically run back up to a U outlet. Not many people use them from what I can find. I would guess there is a reason behind that.

 

[Marc.The.Shark]

Yeah, if those lose siphon then they flood your tank all over the floor till your return chamber runs dry & you burn out your pump. I'd go with the canister option before that.

You could always get a glassholes kit & do it yourself. Plus, I always run over the top returns using 1/2" CPVC, then tie them into regular 1/2" PVC below, makes it less intrusive in the tank & less holes I have to drill

 

[Husterix]

If you're still looking for a tang I would recommend one of the ctenochaetus family. I have a ctenochaetus strigosus which is always active and picking on the rock/glass.

 

[trapstars]

I would go to petco or petsmart and get a little tank and make a diy sump. just finished making one myself. i think i have around $40 in to mine right now.

 

[Naiad]

Yeah, if those lose siphon then they flood your tank all over the floor till your return chamber runs dry & you burn out your pump. I'd go with the canister option before that.

You could always get a glassholes kit & do it yourself. Plus, I always run over the top returns using 1/2" CPVC, then tie them into regular 1/2" PVC below, makes it less intrusive in the tank & less holes I have to drill

There is a way around this if you get a little diy. I ran these for over a decade on my 120. I also ran a canister before... such lovely colors from the nitrate test cards.

 

[trapstars]

and i also use the current orbit light. im not a fan of it. i havent had the best luck with it. it satisfies my mushrooms but my torch and gsp couldnt get the light it needed from it. no matter where i put them in the tank.

 

[TheOracle]

This is what it looked like to start


Well besides picking up a cabnit and canopy on Craigslist and refinishing it and picking up a marine land 90 gallon I haven't moved any further. Still considering perhaps finding or building a diy sump with an overflow.

Anyways picture update and new cabnit hardware

 

[TheOracle]

I would go to petco or petsmart and get a little tank and make a diy sump. just finished making one myself. i think i have around $40 in to mine right now.

How did you get the right size pieces of glass to insert inside the tank ?

 

[BoneXriffic]

You can find more parts on craigslist all the time, especially sumps. Also i ran over flow boxes on a non drilled 100gal for years..... its not so scary.also my lfs drills for 5 dollars a hole. Check with yours. If your going in i reccomend doing it all as right as possible

 

[TheOracle]

You can find more parts on craigslist all the time, especially sumps. Also i ran over flow boxes on a non drilled 100gal for years..... its not so scary.also my lfs drills for 5 dollars a hole. Check with yours. If your going in i reccomend doing it all as right as possible

Well because of your profile picture I have to start of with a Go Green lol and aside of that what overflow did you use ? I see the benefits of drilling it out but I'll probably out grow this tank in like 4 or 5 years and at that point I will get into a 150 or 200 that will be drilled with dual built in overflows. But till then I want to keep things simple lol

 

[BoneXriffic]

That being said a simple hang on the back over flow would be perfect.

 

[TheOracle]

That being said a simple hang on the back over flow would be perfect.

I was looking at these three overflows. Any one I should particularly get over the others ?

Anyone had experience with these products

 

[TheOracle]

I was leaning toward the eshopps just because the overflow is black and the background on my tank is also painted black, it would blend nicer than clear

 

[trapstars]

thats what im going to purchase as well is the eshoppss. i just like the quality and the black overflow

 

[trapstars]

i got a measuring tape and measured or the width of the baffles and found a style i liked and took my measurements to local glass shop and they cut and polished the edges for near to nothing. then went to lowes and purchased aquarium safe silicone and secured the baffles. it was actually a really fun little project

 

[TheOracle]

Okay. Well after finally finding a hob overflow I liked and realizing the costs of the actual overflow, the pump, hoses, a lifter filter even. I have decided my LfS will drill for $25 a hole and I found a overflow I liked by cpr. I am planning on having it drilled and mounted in the center to obtain maximum input. But my question is what size bulk head should I go with? If I wanted to use a 1" pvc or maybe soft tubing does that mean I get a 1" bulkhead. Obviously I have never done this before. Sorry for all the questions but I appreciate all the response and knowledge thus far.