New Filter Set Up For My New Tank...

[ryangrieder]

so im building a new filter set up for my new tank thanks to TIM on here :biggrin:. i think its a 42 or 46 bow. im getting tired of my biocube so this will do for now. he gave me a sump with it but i kind of want do build my own like all my others in the past. the tank i am ordering from that i am building around for the sump is a 18g custom acrylic tank from glasscages. its 20x9x15 because its the only one that would fit under this tank. its a thin tank and the stand is stainless steel and glass cabnit. there is only 10 inches of width under the tank in the stand. anyway, i wanted a fuge, rock, bio ball and pad section. i know thats alot for this tank but i want to go big and good. so i drew this up real quick on the "paint" program. do you think this would be good to go or do u think i should switch anything around? just looking for some quick input.

once its all good and set up ill start a thread for it because im getting a custom matching stainless steel canopy and custom hand build LED unit for it and its going to be a fun journey....:spin:

 

[SevTT]

Assuming that this is a reef tank, and not a FOWLR, it's probably a good idea to drop the bioballs. Current wisdom on the subject suggests that they can cause problems with elevated nitrates. Also, as far as flow goes, put the skimmer right after the return from the DT -- it can be in the same section, you don't have to baffle it off, generally -- and before the fuge, otherwise you'll wind up skimming out a lot of the good stuff that the fuge produces before it can get sucked into your DT. I'd also eliminate the pads during normal operation, unless they're very coarse and just to catch detritus. You want all the pods and such that'll grow in the fuge and in the LR to find their way through the pump and up into the DT.

 

[ryangrieder]

alright good idea thank you.yes it will be a reef tank. so maybe where my filtersock is ill put my skimmer and rely mainly on the filter sock to polish it up. i just thought having only the fuge and lr was too basic for it but if you think thats really enough then maybe ill eliminate that whole section consisting of the bioballs and pads and just put a bubble catcher there or something. ill knock out the baffle where the skimmer is and get a larger section of lr down there. it should consist of lr right? not like marco rock or base rock or anything right?

 

[tomtoothdoc]

have you planned out which skimmer and return pump to use?
20" is not a lot of room to play with....sock ~4", skimmer ~ 6-8", baffle ~ 1-1/2" per section at least 2 sections= ~3", return pump ~ 3-4", that would leave ~4" for the fuge....no room for live rock section.
you can just put lr around the skimmer and the return pump. also you can save some room for a bigger fuge section by using an external return pump with a bulk head.

 

[motortrendz]

more rubble rock instead of bio balls and the skimmer after the fuge is no good.. itll take out all your bods b4 they get a chance to get into your DT...just a thought, it should help you

 

[adamt]

look into the aquac urchin skimmer for ur set up its got a real slim prolfile and set it up in the same section as ur dt then do ur fuge area then just baffle off a return pump section, you can always toss a media bag in the dt/ skimmer section if you need some phos guard or chemi pure. with a main tank full of lr and sand that should be more than enough filtration and itll be alot easier to design.

 

[ryangrieder]

have you planned out which skimmer and return pump to use?
20" is not a lot of room to play with....sock ~4", skimmer ~ 6-8", baffle ~ 1-1/2" per section at least 2 sections= ~3", return pump ~ 3-4", that would leave ~4" for the fuge....no room for live rock section.
you can just put lr around the skimmer and the return pump. also you can save some room for a bigger fuge section by using an external return pump with a bulk head.

thanks, yeah i thought about the size. external pump would be helpful. thank you

more rubble rock instead of bio balls and the skimmer after the fuge is no good.. itll take out all your bods b4 they get a chance to get into your DT...just a thought, it should help you

very true. thanks motor. ill take that into considderation. the rubble rock there and skimmer there after fuge, it should be the other way around

look into the aquac urchin skimmer for ur set up its got a real slim prolfile and set it up in the same section as ur dt then do ur fuge area then just baffle off a return pump section, you can always toss a media bag in the dt/ skimmer section if you need some phos guard or chemi pure. with a main tank full of lr and sand that should be more than enough filtration and itll be alot easier to design.

yeah i know alot about the urchin skimmer. i am actually thought about it and i decided i am going to go back to using my coralife super skimmer venturi cause even though people have different thoughts about it, it worked wonders for me. but anyway, its a hang on OR in sump skimmer. so i can hand it on the side of the skimmer and not in it so i dont have to have a full spot just for the skimmer anymore. but i agree with the the rest of what you said. i occasionally do throw chemi pure and purigen in my sump every now and then just to quickly polish it up. but that would be an easier design. thank u

 

[UnknownWaters]

Yeah no bio balls or you will be here asking why your nitrates are high. and no silly round packing sponges that you try sellin at the store they are no better than bio balls.

 

[ryangrieder]

well i actually found a sump that would fit, only thing is that its new so i cant find ANY reviews on it on what people think. its that new ProFlex or whatever by aqueon. its really cool because its a universal sump. it can be changed into either a refugium, wet/dry or berlin system. they have 4 sizes. the 1 and the 2 are only 9 7/8 inches wide so it would fit in the stainless steel stand. im not 100% sure if i might get it yet but thinking about it because it seems to look real nice. here is the link to it

 

[motortrendz]

looks cool, but looks dont equal function.. depends on the price if its worth it.. i would jusyt get a tank a build one myself

 

[ryangrieder]

found it on amazon yesterday for 199. cant find that seller anymore now tho. grr... i would build one but its like i said. i need to custom order a 9 inch wide tank. which ended up being just about 100. then build it all and ect. i mean thats easy, but just the fact that this looked so much cleaner then i would do and no too crazy in price. yeah i think ill wait on it for a bit and try to find reviews.

 

[masterswimmer]

Those Aqueons sell every day of the week for $199.99. That was no deal from ebay.