need your help MR! james1990 1st upgrade 27cube

[james1990]

hey guys, I have a few questions reguarding my first tank upgrade from my 9gal nano cube to a 27 gal rimless cube that "E.intheC" passed on to me. Thanks Eric!

1) I want to upgrade my 10gal sump to a sump that I can later use on a tank up to 100 gal. I like to do things over kill (like many of you on here) so I want options on a high end sump that I will not grow out of. plenty of room for equipment, and a big fuge. I know I can make one, but i want my options for premade first.

2)I have an MP10 Wes which should be fine. But what intensity can I ramp it up too for a 27 cube? I know this depends on what I plan to keep so I will say it will be a mixed reef but I want to set up the perfect environment for SPS, and some LPS on the lower part.

3)Bare bottom or sandbed?

4)do I need a bigger return? Im running the MJ900 currently with the eshoppes nano overflow. Will this flow enough water?

Right now the tank is holding water and ill let it sit for a day or so to make sure it doesnt leak. Once I get this going I will post a thread and pics. I want to document this conversion. I will have more questions as I go so I would like to post them all here. I couldnt do this without you guys thanks!

 

[james1990]

need some answers guys help the new guy out!

 

[kenconnect]

hey guys, i have a few questions reguarding my first tank upgrade from my 9gal nano cube to a 27 gal rimless cube that "e.inthec" passed on to me. Thanks eric!

1) i want to upgrade my 10gal sump to a sump that i can later use on a tank up to 100 gal. I like to do things over kill (like many of you on here) so i want options on a high end sump that i will not grow out of. Plenty of room for equipment, and a big fuge. I know i can make one, but i want my options for premade first.

2)i have an mp10 wes which should be fine. But what intensity can i ramp it up too for a 27 cube? I know this depends on what i plan to keep so i will say it will be a mixed reef but i want to set up the perfect environment for sps, and some lps on the lower part.

3)bare bottom or sandbed?

4)do i need a bigger return? Im running the mj900 currently with the eshoppes nano overflow. Will this flow enough water?

Right now the tank is holding water and ill let it sit for a day or so to make sure it doesnt leak. Once i get this going i will post a thread and pics. I want to document this conversion. I will have more questions as i go so i would like to post them all here. I couldnt do this without you guys thanks!

1- you need to get a diff sump for this setup cuz if u try to use a sump for 100 gal it just will not work out with the skimmer and return pump
2- 1 mp10es will be ok unless you want to get the wes and it all depends on ur aquascape but i personal wouldnt go more than 3/4 of the way.
3- sand. Cuz bb is a pain you will see alot of stuff floating around .
4- i would change the mj900 for a mj1200 and put a valve

 

[james1990]

Can someone recommend a sump? pro-flex? eshoppes? Do I need to plan for anything other than room for skimmer,my reactor mj900 pump, return pump, heater, and fuge? I dont want to spend the money and down the road think of more equipment that I dont have room for.

@kenconnect- thanks dude. I have the mp10 Wes so that on 3/4 should be fine? or would adding another one be ideal? options are: one 10Wes, two 10Wes, one 10Wes and one 40Wes. Again, I will be upgrading to a bigger tank so money is not an option if I can use on bigger tanks down the road.

also, when you say put a valve, what exactly do you mean?

 

[kenconnect]

Yeah 1 mp10wes would be fine turned up 3/4 of the way of full blast speed. I think two mp 10 will be over kill never mind 1 mp10 and 1 mp40. But if ur looking to upgrade soon just stick to the mp10 for now, then when u do ur upgrade again u can just sell it here on mr. people are always looking to buy mp10 so u should have no problem getting rid of it. And I was saying a valve on the mj1200 so u can turn it down if it pushes too much current .

 

[james1990]

awesome thanks. What do you think of an external return and a side bulkhead? They look like they give more room inside the sump and keep the pump in better condition

 

[thirty6]

awesome thanks. What do you think of an external return and a side bulkhead? They look like they give more room inside the sump and keep the pump in better condition

If you have the room for it, and need to buy a pump its a nice option as it won't adversely effect temp as quickly, also leaves more room in sump. How big is your stand? That will no doubt help in picking the sump

 

[skene]

Take everything into account that you've read so far.. then add this... how much more water displacement would you like to have... The larger the sump... the more stable the water parameters would be once the tank matures. Also you want to have a large enough place to add equipment... so the larger the stand the easier it would be choosing equipment and work around that.

 

[E.intheC]

I personally wouldnt bother with an external pump.. You can make a nice sump out of a plain 10 gallon and use an internal pump. They're typically quieter, less wattage, and less chance of leaking.

Good luck man! Keep posting pics and ask questions. This is the place to do it for sure.

 

[james1990]

Update: so here's what I have so far.
Eshopps PSK 100H skimmer (hang on)
Eshopps RS 100 sump (1' blk head,
24"L x 12"W x 16"H, 20 gallons)
Triton 3 return pump (850 GPH)

Only things to figure out are plumbing and if I can still use my Eshopps PF- nano overflow ( up to 200gph, 3/4" blk head) what do you guys think? If I can get by using it id like to, keeping costs down. Is it okay to go from 3/4 to 1"?

I heard you want a slower flow through the sump anyway so I'll turn down the triton 3 with a valve therefore making the small overflow acceptable?

Plus I picked up some BADASS real reef rock from Aquarium Village today LOADED with coralline and other fun things. These puppies were seeding in there red sea 30 gal cube for god knows how long. Super excited, have them in a bucket with a power head, small heater, and a full spec par38 above them Like a pimp! LOL

 

[james1990]

 

[james1990]

I just need to figure out a stand, maybe ikea has something

 

[jwisson]

Did you ever get your sump running? Let me know if you need any help

 

[tomtoothdoc]

I just need to figure out a stand, maybe ikea has something

i would not get an ikea "stand"..... either build one or buy a manufactured aquarium stand. 27 gal. weighs over 200 lbs filled.....i don't know if i'd trust an ikea furniture with a tank.

 

[james1990]

yea after going there I realized this. I am just leaving the sump next to the tank as it sits now, im moving the tank within a year so ill deal with the eye sore. thanks.

Question for all you guys,
While I still figure out my plumbing and what not, would I be able to fill the tank with sand, my liverock and new salt water and just put a powerhead and heater in it with no filtration? wouldnt this in theory be the same as keeping the rock in a bucket with a powerhead? with no livestock in it this shouldnt be an issue untill I finish the plumbing

 

[james1990]

fab'ed up a return for the cube. took a Eshopps nano 1/2 overflow and attached vinyl tube to a threaded 1' pvc

the only thing i can think of for a spray bar is taking a 3-4 inch 1' pvc and drill some holes in it and cap the end? any other suggestions?

 

[james1990]

Attached a 1" ID vinyl tubing to the PSK-100H skimmer. Does it look like it would work fine?

You would think you would be able to run the eshopps skimmer with the eshopps sump that are both rated for the same gallons without modification

 

[E.intheC]

The skimmer setup looks ok, but on the drain, I would be concerned with three things. The first is the risk of losing siphon and having your tank overflow. The second is the pipe intake's water level. If you turn the pump off or it clogs for whatever reason, you're going to drain water until the water level s equal to the white PVC pipe you have there. That's a lot of water. Finally, those clamps will rust and leach into the tank.

 

[james1990]

I get what your saying about it draining alot of water when I turn the pump off. to clarify, this is not the overflow, but the return pipe pushing water into the tank, so I dont think it needs to maintain a siphon like an overflow does?

i plan on drilling the tank with a glass holes kit.

 

[nyprdr]

he means the minute that pump goes off all the water in the main tank will siphon to the sump until it reaches the level of the pvc.. i think? right? lol