New 240 Gal Setup Help

[street fish]

Hello MRs,

I recently purchased an acrylic tank with the following specs:

71" L x 30" H * 21" W

2 Corner Over flows - drilled with two 1.75" holes

Acrylic Sump (will get dimensions)

Mag 18 Pump

I wanted to get your guy's help with:

a) Stand Suggestions - Should I do a steel stand and build around it? Do you think I should make a custom stand? Does anyone in the NY area have a carpenter that is a proven Aquarium Stand builder?

b) Filtration / Plumbing - What parts/plumbing will I need to setup the wet/dry. Never done this before and would appreciate any sort of guidance.

c) Pump - the tank came with a used Mag 18. Can you recommend a moderately priced pump that will work for this setup? How do you determine what amount of flow you would need?

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

For your stand I would contact bueller on here, he does beautiful work, and his stand hell build for you wont give you any issues- safety wise.

You want to get a pump to turn over the volume of your tank 6 times an hour or better, so look at the GPH rating on the pumps you look at- keep in mind every foot of head(plumbing) you lose approximately 100GPH and for every 90 degree elbow you need to add 2 feet of head.

I used pvc to plumb my sump as do most people- you can use vinyl tubing but if you do I wouldnt use clear because the light in your fuge will cause algae growth in any kind of clear plumbing so good old cheap white pvc works great. If using pvc make sure you use primer as well as the cement- so this way the primer preps the surface of the pvc and the cement will adhere properly. You want each drain to go to its own filter sock in the sump as well.


Also if its a wet dry its different than a sump- if a wet/dry- dont use the bio balls. Others that use wet/dry will be a better help I use a sump so I'm not super familiar with the wet/dry filters, I just know that most guys dump the bio balls in them.

Just remember also that the loc-line(the return jets in the tank) are for surface agitation and to return the water to the tank from the sump/wet/dry- your flow inside your tank is done by powerheads.

Hope this helps and Im sure others will contribute as well.

 

[street fish]

Thanks Jimmy - Do you have Bueller's contact? user name?

As for the pump, this is extremely helpful info. Can anyone suggest a good brand with a okay price?

Also, PVC seems to be the go to plumbing...just not sure what sizes are needed...

For your stand I would contact bueller on here, he does beautiful work, and his stand hell build for you wont give you any issues- safety wise.

You want to get a pump to turn over the volume of your tank 6 times an hour or better, so look at the GPH rating on the pumps you look at- keep in mind every foot of head(plumbing) you lose approximately 100GPH and for every 90 degree elbow you need to add 2 feet of head.

I used pvc to plumb my sump as do most people- you can use vinyl tubing but if you do I wouldnt use clear because the light in your fuge will cause algae growth in any kind of clear plumbing so good old cheap white pvc works great. If using pvc make sure you use primer as well as the cement- so this way the primer preps the surface of the pvc and the cement will adhere properly. You want each drain to go to its own filter sock in the sump as well.


Also if its a wet dry its different than a sump- if a wet/dry- dont use the bio balls. Others that use wet/dry will be a better help I use a sump so I'm not super familiar with the wet/dry filters, I just know that most guys dump the bio balls in them.

Just remember also that the loc-line(the return jets in the tank) are for surface agitation and to return the water to the tank from the sump/wet/dry- your flow inside your tank is done by powerheads.

Hope this helps and Im sure others will contribute as well.

 

[street fish]

NVM! Found Buller!

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Talk to saltwatercritters theyre a vendor on here thyere names/ usernames are

Russ-masterswimmer

Jim- House of Laughter

Theyll steer you in the right direction andm ay have the pump you need.

 

[street fish]

Cool man, much appreciated

Talk to saltwatercritters theyre a vendor on here thyere names/ usernames are

Russ-masterswimmer

Jim- House of Laughter

Theyll steer you in the right direction andm ay have the pump you need.

 

[street fish]

Anyone else?