i need help building up my tank

[chris_s9181]

i am wanting build a salwater set up i got a 120 gallon tank ordered and a stand for it i want to build a large coral base with some reef frendly fish and invertebrates , but i done a lot of research its just so confusing because i don't know if i have to have live sand and a live rock or what to set it up i know about the salt and water but the rock and sand is confusing but also i know i need to get an rodi unit but what kind is the best, is a overflow that goes on the back of your tank just as good as a hole drilled pvc pipe to the bottom just as good? same with a sump , if its not drilled at the bottom of my tank then how do i get the returned water back up to the tank its just i know a lot now but i don't know how to figure out whats best for me and what do i need to do about flow and power heads do i need to drill holes into the glasss for power heads to or what? any help would be appreated

 

[kevdogg]

Well thats quite a list of questions you have there. So lets try to whittle a few of these down for you.

Live Rock (LR) and sand.
The LR is the medium that holds the bacteria that will act as your main source of filtration. It is not necessary to buy all LR, buy dry rock and seed it with a few pounds of LR. You are going to want 1-2 lbs of rock per gallon to provide adequate filtration for your tank. It is the same with the sand however your LR will act as the seed for the sand. Use aragonite sand not play sand! There is a lot of bad stuff in play sand that will hurt your tank and inhabitants.

RODI
Check out The Filter Guys , or bulkreefsupply.com. Any unit these guys sell will work fine. Remember that the object of the RODI is to remove any contaminates that are found in your water.

Overflow
The best and easiest route is to have your tank "reef ready", predrilled. The hole is in the bottom of the tank but the water is skimmed off the top and taken to the sump. If you are using a non drilled tank the return line can be run up and over the edge of the tank edge.

Sump
A tank that is set up for filtration and hiding equipment, normally under the Display Tank (DT). Not necessary to have but very useful to have. Most hide the heaters in here and have a section called a refugium that holds additional LR and chaetomorpha (algae that is used to remove excess nitrates and phosphates from the water. A section for a protein skimmer can be housed in the sump.

Power heads
Water circulation in the tank is very important. This allows the nutrients to be dispersed all around the tank and does not allow anything to settle out of the water column. The rule of thumb is 25x-30x turnover rate. A 125g will need around 3125 gph of water movement. No holes are needed in the tank for this. Most are suction cup mounted.

I hope this helps a little, make sure to check out the article section above it does breakdown all the equipment a little. If you need any additional information feel free to ask.

AND Welcome to the site!

 

[sprink669]

very informative! Thanks
I am in the process of doing the same

 

[Northstar24]

Do yourself a favor, start reading threads here, and go pick up a copy of The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. Read it, then read it again. You'll probably still have questions after that, but you'll have a very strong base knowledge which will help you immensely

 

[Ulta]

Kevdogg has you set on the right track.

Things I would like to add:

- I suggest to get your tank Drilled! It is Sooo much nicer than having to deal with a Siphon! First make sure that your tank is not Tempered Glass (most standard tanks are only tempered on the bottom as far as I know) You cannot drill tempered Glass. If you are a DIY guy its not that hard to do. Took me about 10 mins to drill through the side of my 75g. http://www.glass-holes.com/ is a good site for DIY hole drilling kits.

- Get yourself a Sump and a GOOD protein Skimmer rated for about 2x your system volume. Reef Octopus is a great brand of skimmer :)

- Also, use dry sand and Dry rock mostly. But it would be a good idea to add in a cup of live sand and a few live rocks AFTER your tank completes its cycle to introduce some good bio-diversity into the system.

 

[Ulta]

Here is a picture of a typical sump, this is my 50g sump that I just put in while upgrading my 50g /w 20g sump to a 75g /w 50g sump.

First Chamber(left):
-Has the overflow hose from the hole I drilled in the DT.
-Protein Skimmer
-Maxijet 1200 pump that is used to pump water through my Bulk Reef Supply Dual Carbon (absorbs impurities in the water) & GFO (absorbs phosphates, making it hard for algae to grow) reactor.

Second Chamber(middle) Refugium:
- This is a place with low flow where you can grow Macro Algae (Chaeto), Grows best under a High Pressure Sodium bulb. The purpose of this is that the chaeto will grow and absorb dissolved nutrients and nitrates from the water column. Growing algae here in order to deter it from growing in your display tank!

- Also a place where you can grow healthy pod populations (Amphipods, Copepods, & Isopods) which live off from detris and algae, where they can be free from predation (hence the name refugium). These little guys will supply your fish and corals with a good supplemental food source. They are sometimes the most overlooked part of a complete reef system.

Third Chamber(Right):
- Is just my return pump which pumps the water from my sump back up into my display tank. The flow rate of this will also determine the rate at which the water flows back down into the overflow from the DT.

-This is also the chamber which will vary in depth depending on evaporation (notice the marked line). You should top off evaporated water daily with Fresh RO/DI water. NOT salt, unless you wish to raise your salinity.