DIY fuge

[lilreefgirl]

Hi everyone!
I want to start off by saying that I am VERY new to this hobby.
I have a 60 gallon tank that I am VERY SLOWLY setting up. I am going the DIY route as much as possible to save money on set up costs.

I have a 20 gallon sump planned - please let me know any comments on what I have drawn up. I also have questions about if/how to do certain things. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

My plan is to have a Mag 9.5 as my return pump. I am not getting a skimmer right away, as I dont plan to have any livestock for a while. I am planning on lights and skimmer purchased much later. However, I have planned the compartment for a Reef Octopus Extreme 160 as recommended by another forum member. If I end up with something smaller, then at least I have the room, as the 160 has a fair size footprint.

Please let me know what you think!
Cheers! :Cheers:

 

[RIJohn]

Alright since you are using my layout ie same return pump and same skimmer I drew up a rough (I mean Rough) picture of what I did. Any questions feel free to ask







I used egg crate instead of a larger baffle for the return chamber to avoid bubbles. Egg crate keeps the Macro Algea from my fuge out but allows water flow. Also it allows more water for pump to draw from so less chance of it running dry.

 

[RIJohn]

Sorry didnt realize how small I actually made it here is larger version

 

[RIJohn]

If you need a larger version PM me

 

[lilreefgirl]

Sorry, I cant read it at all :(

How to you send PMs? (omg, I'm so new)

 

[RIJohn]

How to you send PMs? (omg, I'm so new)

You can click on a user name, Menu should pop, click pm user and its like posting a repley, I just sent you one.

 

[lilreefgirl]

Ahh...I see...thanks!

 

[RIJohn]

No problem...

 

[lilreefgirl]

Okay, so why is the baffle next to the pump only 6" high?
I thought it should be fairly high to allow plenty of water around the pump? Is that not right?

I have also seen 3 baffles between skimmer/fuge - is this overkill?

Is there something I can read up on to research why the baffles are placed where they are? Or can you/someone tell me? (am I making this more difficult than it has to be?)

Should I extend the skimmer area to 11 inches (i have it set at 10 in the drawing) I dont know for sure which skimmer I will be using, but this seemed like a fairly large footprint & that skimmer was recommeded.

Also, I have the bubble trap next to the return pump - is that wrong? Should it be on the other side next to the intake/skimmer??

 

[lilreefgirl]

Oh, I forgot - I updated this sump plan to 30 gallons.
(the drawing reflects this)

 

[RIJohn]

Okay, so why is the baffle next to the pump only 6" high?
I thought it should be fairly high to allow plenty of water around the pump? Is that not right?

The reason for that is so it high enough to keep sediment out of the return area, but to allow the return pump to draw from more water from the fuge. When you fill the sump with water the water sits atleast in mine 10in high. Also the baffle is low enough where no extra bubbles are formed.

[quoteI have also seen 3 baffles between skimmer/fuge - is this overkill?][/quote]


No its not over kill but it not really needed.

Should I extend the skimmer area to 11 inches (i have it set at 10 in the drawing) I dont know for sure which skimmer I will be using, but this seemed like a fairly large footprint & that skimmer was recommeded.

The foot print from what I have seen does not include space for the air line. I made mine 10.5in to accomidate.

Also, I have the bubble trap next to the return pump - is that wrong? Should it be on the other side next to the intake/skimmer??

NO, if you want it all depends. If you plan on having a fuge then I would recommend that you put trap near the skimmer so the fuge will not have as many bubbles.

 

[lilreefgirl]

Update:
I am picking up a second hand Euro Reef RS 100 on Monday. (8.5x10 footprint - going into approx 9.5x11.75 space)
I may also be getting a Mag 9.5 from the same seller.
The sump is in "build stage" - however I need to pick up another baffle to add the bubble trap between the skimmer & the fuge. I just need to figure out how deep the skimmer should be and then I can have that baffle cut to the right size.

Here is the newest drawing:

 

[lilreefgirl]

Oh, and I picked up 50lbs of dry rock, 15lbs of aragonite sand and a handful of rubble, it now sits in a 10g tank seeding. I am also using a new Koralia 3 for circulation.

Does anyone know how long that would take to seed & become live? I dont have any lights on it, but the tank is an old FW tank with incandescent bulbs that are functional - should I have them on??

Thanks!

 

[coolhandgoose]

Do you have a piece of actual live rock mixed in with the dry rock? cuz if you don't I'd stick just a couple of pounds of actual live rock from the LFS to mix in with the dry rock to start seeding it.