new tank suggestions

[saltank]

Well, instead of moving my 46gal bowfront from basement to upstairs I saw a 72gal setup on sale (bowfront with stand & builtin overflow) - pretty much convinced my wife that we should set this up in our living room and transfer the 46gal contents to it.

Looking for advice on plumbing/pumps for the sump. Probably a 20gal sump. What pump brand/size will I need to pump the water from the sump back to main tank. Also what size plumbing? Any thoughts on partitioning the sump to have an area to house macro?

Keeping in mind this will be in our living room, sound is a concern - no noisy pumps!

Additionally I will be looking at acquiring a 48" pc fixture if anyone has or knows someone looking to sell one

Thanks for you advice. Oh yeah if I transfer some of the water and the live rock and some of the sand from the 46gal do I have to be concerned with cycling the new tank?

Thanks again.

 

[SnowManSnow]

If you care....

My advice would be to plan on going with MH from the get go.

JMO.

B.

 

[saltank]

Thanks but pc lighting has suited me fine I have no reason to change from that

I am really interested in the plumbing and sump advice as I have never worked with it before.


Thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

see: http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... 147#801147

 

[Len]

Hey bob, you're missing the spirit of what I was trying to convey. Feel free to start original discussions on your ideas. But please refrain from answering in other people's thread (and yes, this redirect is essentially the same thing).

 

[Anonymous]

Hey bob, you're missing the spirit of what I was trying to convey. Feel free to start original discussions on your ideas. But please refrain from answering in other people's thread (and yes, this redirect is essentially the same thing).

ok

am trying to comply

 

[Anonymous]

Well, instead of moving my 46gal bowfront from basement to upstairs I saw a 72gal setup on sale (bowfront with stand & builtin overflow) - pretty much convinced my wife that we should set this up in our living room and transfer the 46gal contents to it.

Looking for advice on plumbing/pumps for the sump. Probably a 20gal sump. What pump brand/size will I need to pump the water from the sump back to main tank. Also what size plumbing? Any thoughts on partitioning the sump to have an area to house macro?

Keeping in mind this will be in our living room, sound is a concern - no noisy pumps!

Additionally I will be looking at acquiring a 48" pc fixture if anyone has or knows someone looking to sell one

Thanks for you advice. Oh yeah if I transfer some of the water and the live rock and some of the sand from the 46gal do I have to be concerned with cycling the new tank?

Thanks again.

I like to go with one return pump that turns over the sump volume 10 times per hour as a minimum. This would amount to a pump that actually puts out about 200 gph in your case after head loss and friction from the plumbing. Here's a pump that has worked fine for me in the past--
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem. ... uct=DN1121

Keep in mind that bigger pump=more water flow down your drain=more noise. It is not really necessary to have a ton of flow going through your sump. You will want to add closed loops or some supplemental powerheads in your main tank to increase the circualtion there. I usually shoot for at least 20 times the tank volume turned over every hour in the main tank as a minimum, usually closer to 30 to 50 times per hour.

You shouldn't have any issues with the move if done correctly. Best way--remove as much clean water from your 46 as you can into a large drum, 5 gallon buckets, straight to the new tank, whatever. Remove the rock and sand from the 46 into these buckets. Remove as much water as you can first, important. If you pull the rock and sand out first you get cloudy water. Then just move everything into the new tank.

Obviously you'll have a bit of space to fill, around 30-35 gallons or so of salt water. The way I would do this is to premix up that amount in a large container with a powerhead and heater for a few days. Obviously match the temp and salinity to your established tank. Then slowly pump this aged water into your new tank until filled. Think of it like a big water change. You could also probably just add 5 gallons at a time over a week or so.

 

[Anonymous]

Any thoughts on partitioning the sump to have an area to house macro?

Keeping in mind this will be in our living room, sound is a concern - no noisy pumps!

>>>

Thanks for you advice. Oh yeah if I transfer some of the water and the live rock and some of the sand from the 46gal do I have to be concerned with cycling the new tank?

Thanks again.

If you have room, putting an area in for macro is a great idea. But, I wonder if there will be room for that with a skimmer in there as well????

I can't make any pump suggestions, I have not yet found a pump that I love and want to recommend. Check out the pump guide, maybe it can point you in the right direction. http://reefs.org/library/pumps/

If you transfer a good deal of the water, and the live rock, you should be OK in regard to cycle. I have done this several times (upgrade to larger tanks using most of the same stuff) and have not had a problem so far.

 

[saltank]

Thanks for the responses.

Matt from what I have found in research 1" plumbing will/can provide somewhere in the area of 600gph draining from the main tank.

Is there any issue with trying to match the return volume closer to that, perhaps a pump that will move 500-600gph after head loss? Will that be too much movement in the sump.

And also I forgot earlier, what is your opinion on submersible vs nonsubmersible pumps for the sump.

Laura the skimmer is a hang-on remora that currently hangs on the back of my 46gal, I planned on hanging on the exterior of the sump, I think this would leave room for a macro area.

Thanks again.

 

[saltank]

Matt

after reading your post again I see your comment re: not needing a ton of flow through the sump

one further question, in your experience what is an easy way to move the sand?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, well you want your return to be significantly less than what your drain can handle, just in case there are clogs, buildup in the drain pipe, etc. Keep in mind that beyond feeding your skimmer (and fuge) new unskimmed water, there is really no reason to have a ton of flow in your sump. It just makes noise going down the drain, which you're trying to cut down on. You may want to get a bigger pump, and then just tune it down a bit with a gate valve to where the noise is acceptable.

I assume you know about Durso standpipes yeah?

Hmm,
submersible pros: Takes up less space in your stand (you can have a bigger sump). A wee bit cheaper.
cons: Adds heat to your tank. Takes up space in your sump.

external pros: Takes up no space in your sump. Keeps added heat to a minimum.
cons: You have to buy a couple ball valves and unions, and a bulkhead. This will cost around $25 or so. You have to have space in your stand outside the sump to fit it all. A bulkhead, union, pump, etc. will stick out about a foot or so if it's a 6" pump. Keep that in mind.

 

[saltank]

Thanks Matt, you've helped.

I did plan on a durso standpipe and I do like the idea of cutting down the flow through the sump

Just need to decide on submersible vs nonsubmersible for the sump

Thanks again