75G Re-Build

[Rob B]

[FONT=&quot]Hi all. I’m in the process of setting up my 75G tank, again. It has been down for 2+ years because I didn’t have time to care for it after my wife had some medical issues. Now that she is recovered, I’m ready to get it rolling again. My intent is to start with a FOWLR tank, but I want to add ease-to-care-for corals eventually.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] The set-up is as follows:[/FONT]

- [FONT=&quot]75G pre-drilled tank with corner overflow (pic attached, w/ Acitinic lights on)[/FONT]
- [FONT=&quot]20G tank set up as sump (pic attached)[/FONT]
- [FONT=&quot]Tunze Silence Recirculation pump (40-210 gal/h)[/FONT]
- [FONT=&quot]Aqua-C EV120 in-sump skimmer w/ Tunze Silence pump[/FONT]
- [FONT=&quot]Two Hydor Koralia powerheads[/FONT]
- [FONT=&quot]Current USA Nova Extreme light fixture (2x24W 10,000K DL and 2x24W 460nm Acitinic)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I think that’s everything. At this point, I’ve re-built the sump, put all the LR in the tank, and am in the process of re-doing all the plumbing. I’m hoping to do a leak check and add salt this weekend.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]A couple of notes and questions:[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot](1) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]The LR is obviously not “live” anymore, and neither is the sand. Taking advice from a post in the “Introduce Yourself” forum I’m going to use a small raw shrimp and a piece of LR from my LFS to cycle the tank.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](2) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]I’ll be replacing the bulbs in my lighting fixture before I add any fish or inverts or anything. The fixture also includes lunar/moon LEDs, but they seemed to burned out. I’m think about replacing them with this: Lunar Lights | Current-USA. Does anyone have any experience with these or any other recommendations? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](3) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]I need a light for my refugium. Any suggestions? I was thinking about this one: JBJ Macro-Glo Adjustable Refugium Light. Thoughts and/or comments appreciated.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I think that’s about it for now. Would appreciate any comments or suggestions, especially on the sump design.[/FONT]

 

[Old_Moe]

for the sump design, usually the bubble trap has 3 dividers. water flows over the first, under the second, then over the third. There are a bunch of sump threads in the DIY section.

here is a recent one.

https://www.livingreefs.com/sump-project-t44267.html

older one, but I have some measurements in my replies

https://www.livingreefs.com/sump-overflow-t37367.html#post513206


Good Luck!

 

[Old_Moe]

Sorry.... forgot... Welcome to the site!

 

[Bluesaltwater87]

welcome to the site bud!

I like the sump but why do you have sutch a large area open in the return area? were you going to put in something else?
I like it bud. looks like you had a nice tank hope it looks as good or better.

 

[Ted]

The sump you are showing is basically the same design as mine the only difference is my bubble trap is after the fuge. Its a good design.

 

[Bifferwine]

Hello and welcome! I think the sump looks fine as is. About the lunar lights, you can replace them if you want, but they don't do anything for the tank except make it look nicer to you, so it's not necessary to have them.

 

[Rob B]

for the sump design, usually the bubble trap has 3 dividers. water flows over the first, under the second, then over the third. There are a bunch of sump threads in the DIY section.

here is a recent one.

https://www.livingreefs.com/sump-project-t44267.html

older one, but I have some measurements in my replies

https://www.livingreefs.com/sump-overflow-t37367.html#post513206


Good Luck!

Thanks Old Moe. Since I haven't added any water yet I may re-do the sump with the 3 baffles. I'll let you know.

 

[Rob B]

I like the sump but why do you have sutch a large area open in the return area? were you going to put in something else?
I like it bud. looks like you had a nice tank hope it looks as good or better.[/QUOTE]

The return area is large to protect against evaporation. I don't have an auto top-off system yet. I will eventually, just trying to decide if I want to go DIY or off-the-shelf.

 

[JohnVH]

Hello and welcome to the site. The sump looks good.

 

[Ted]

I like the sump design...My in sump return pump ended being much larger then I was anticipating. A little more room there is a good idea in my opinion..

 

[Rob B]

So, after reading the posts here and other places, I'm thinking of re-doing my sump. Here's a simplified drawing:



A couple of questions:

(1) Anyone have any thoughts on the benefits of over-under-over bubble traps versus under-over-under bubble traps? I've read some places that under-over-under provides a better bubble trap. Will I still end up with bubbles from the overflow from the fuge into the return pump section?

(2) Any thoughts on pros/cons of the water flowing into the refugium from the bottom?

Thanks in advance four your advice, comments, etc.

 

[Bifferwine]

I don't think it matters (the over-under thing). In order to save space in my previous sumps, I've just used two baffles for the bubble traps, and they still worked fine. One thing to consider -- the way you have it configured, you won't be able to keep sand in the refugium (if that's something you were planning on doing). Go the other way if you want sand.

I also recommend putting one bubble trap in the whole system, before the return pump. That way you can trap all the bubbles before they get to the pump. The way you have it, you may see some bubbles going from the fuge to the return pump. But I don't think it's a big deal at all. I think it looks good.

 

[Bluesaltwater87]

i think that is you have the water come from the bottom it will ster up the sand and send it all over the place.

 

[Rob B]

So, I did a leak check this weekend. After a couple of adjustments, everything is working fine. :D As soon as Hurricane Sandy gets out of the way I'll start adding salt and finishing up a few remaining things.

Question: I decided to go off-the-shelf for a top-off system. Any recommendations? I've looked at a couple of systems. This one

JBJ ATO Automatic Top Off System Water Level Controller - AquaCave.com

is relatively cheap, but I've seen mixed reviews. This one

Tunze Osmolator 3155 Water Level Regulation System with NEW Magnetic Bracket - AquaCave.com

is much more expensive, but has good reviews. (Plus, I have two Tunze pumps in my tank that seem to be good stuff.)

Any comments or recommendations?

 

[Rob B]

Filtration question: All I'm planning for filtration is live rock, LR rubble in the refugium, and the skimmer in my sump. Is that sufficient? Should I add a filter sock at the output of the drain from the main tank, or something else just to trap dirt? Last time I had it set up I had a lot of what I call detritus on the LR. How can I avoid that? Or do I just vacuum it out when I do water changes? I don't want to use a sponge because I've heard they can be nitrate traps.

 

[Ted]

I have been trying to decide between the two top off also..I am pretty sure I will go with the tunez. Filtration sounds good. I am running the same thing. I do not have filter socks. I figure bigger stuff will be the responsibility of the clean up crew. Just seems a shame to be trapping the pods I am trying to stock the tank with. I think a more natural method is the way to go.

 

[Bifferwine]

Filtration question: All I'm planning for filtration is live rock, LR rubble in the refugium, and the skimmer in my sump. Is that sufficient? Should I add a filter sock at the output of the drain from the main tank, or something else just to trap dirt? Last time I had it set up I had a lot of what I call detritus on the LR. How can I avoid that? Or do I just vacuum it out when I do water changes? I don't want to use a sponge because I've heard they can be nitrate traps.

What you are planning is sufficient. You can add a sock, but you should clean it every few days. Most people get the detritus suspended by blowing it off with a turkey baster, then suck it up with a powerhead connected to tubing during water changes.

 

[Rob B]

So I decided to go with an Aqualifter Pump and an Ultralife Float Switch for the top-off. It's relatively inexpensive and simple. The only concern is there's no backup, so if the switch gets stuck in the open position the pump would just keep pumping water into the sump. Still trying to figure out if I need a backup. I wanted to go with the Tunze osmolator, but $200 is pretty steep. Maybe sometime in the future ... when there are more funds available.

In the meantime, leak check is complete. Making/adding saltwater as quickly as possible. Only concern now is I think my pump is too big for my skimmer. Still tuning it to try and get it right.

 

[poksal]

I like you LR arrangement. You can add LR rubble to your return pump chamber too you know, adding more LR with good flow never hurts. Heck, I dumped my bio-pellets and filled my bio-reactor with LR rubble and kicked my tests another few points here and there.

As for your refuge light. I ended up with the cheap ones with the spun metal reflectors w/clip-ons from the hardware store and stuck in screw in worm florescents. The biggest pro besides cheap is EASY to move out of the way. I use those cheap-o clip-ons as handles to move them. Then I used bright full spectrum hardware store worm florescents, plants like those. They just set on the glass cover pumping in light. I light my refugium at night at the opposite cycle as my tank lights to buffer day/night pH shifts. So there is my opinion anyway.
-randy-

 

[Rob B]

You can add LR rubble to your return pump chamber too you know, adding more LR with good flow never hurts.

What do you think about adding LR rubble to my overflow box? I'm not sure how much flow it gets (it's drilled with a standpipe in it).

Next question: Last time I had it set up, my snails spent the daylight hours in my overflow box, and came out at night. That was OK, but I had a couple fish get into the overflow as well. I'm not so thrilled about that. Any ideas on how to keep fish out of the overflow? I've used plastic gutter guard in the past but wondering if there are better solutions.