Newbie with a question

[Dolomiteclay]

I bought a 72 gallon bow front tank yesterday, and I decided after many years of freshwater that it was time to try a reef ank. Once I started reading about the setup of marine aquariums I realized that the setup is much more in depth than anything I have done before. I'm not very handy when it comes to drilling things, and my tank does not have a built in overflow box. So I figured that my next step would be to buy an HOB overflow box, a skimmer, and a sump. While searching the posts here and looking on the net, I found this website.

http://www.superskimmer.com/Protean_Systems.htm


Does anyone have any experience or know anything about these systems?

 

[Bojangles]

I' ve never heard of them, but thats not too suprising for me

Personally you'll find it alot more cost effective to build your own sump and plumb it yourself using the diagrams on this website. I perfer CPR overflow boxes on a nondrilled tank

 

[Dolomiteclay]

The CPR HOB overflow box was what I was thinking too. Do you have a recomendation for a protein skimmer?

 

[mr_X]

asm, and euro-reef make great skimmers. make sure you purchase a skimmer that is larger than your application, because most manufacturers exaggerate their skimmers. for a 72 gallon tank, with say..a 30 gallon sump give or take, i'd choose a skimmer rated for 150 gallons or better.
i use CPR overflows also, and i think they are well worth the money.

also, those all-in-one sumps like the link you posted above, aren't that good IMO. the skimmers are crap and those usually utilize bio-balls as a host for your de-nitrifying bacteria. if you will be using live rock for that, it will end up working against you. you are better off saving money and buying a plain glass tank and gluing in some partitions for your sump.

if you do choose one of those all-in-one jobs, take out the bio-balls.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

Thanks for the advice Mr. X. I will probably just go on ahead and build my own sump since my cabinent has a rather strange shape to it.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

I think I want to go with this filtration system. Stil not sure about the pumps and powerheads.

Over flow box.............CPR CS 100
Protein Skimmer.........Euro reef RS-80
Sump ........................build my own 29 gallon

 

[Anonymous]

I think I want to go with this filtration system. Stil not sure about the pumps and powerheads.

Over flow box.............CPR CS 100
Protein Skimmer.........Euro reef RS-80
Sump ........................build my own 29 gallon

You could consider this http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... l%26sa%3DN for circulation, and use powerheads for the deadspots.

I think Tunze makes pretty nice powerheads. Wider flow vs jet flow. Quite spendy though. I don't have a Tunze but may get one later on.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

Thanks for the posts guys. I'm thinking of getting an eheim 1262 submersible pump which is rated to 900 gph to go along with the above setup. Will that be enough? Should I get two smaller ones?

 

[Anonymous]

oops i think someone should have asked what you plan on having? Are you going for a reef aquarium or Fish only? Reefers require higher flow, and if you will be having SPS you will need even more flow.

I have about 1700 gph total in my 50 gallon. I have sps and lps. So answer to your question is, it depends

 

[Dolomiteclay]

I want a reef setup sps and lps. I also just added a tunze nano stream pump.

 

[Anonymous]

I like to go to the Members Specification section and look at other people's setup. You can get an idea of how people set up their powerheads or closed loop system. Look for tanks similar to what you're looking for and research from there.

Someone told me that his theory is to use a closed loop system for circulation, and use powerheads to hit the deadspots. A lot of setups usually have 2 powerheads. One on each side.

I'm a newbie myself so take my advice with a grain of salt.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

I appreciate this advice. I feel a bit overwhelmed, but I'm not one to back away for challenges. Thanks for all your help.

 

[IslandCrow]

If you're thinking hard corals, you'll need to also start thinking about lighting. Most of them need a lot of it. There are many different types out there, but most SPS are going to need some type of metal halide or high end T-5 lighting. Oh, and if you're still looking at powerheads, check out the Hydor Koralia. It's a lot cheaper than the Tunze, and much better than the Maxijets.

I definitely understand overwhelmed, there's a lot of information. Here's your simple mantra, though: live rock, live sand, a good protein skimmer and water changes. If you have at least 1 pound of live rock per gallon of water your tank can hold, a good protein skimmer, and perform regular weekly or monthly water changes, you can keep a healthy tank. Once your tank has cycled, just try some snails and hermit crabs. If those are doing well, try a fish. If that's going well, try a soft coral or maybe one of the easier LPS. You'll be at least 3-4 months into the hobby by now, so take the next couple of months to really hit the books on the exact corals you want to keep, and at 6 months, you should be off and running.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

Thanks for all of the advice. I have thought a little bit about lighting, but as you said, it will be months before I even think about putting a coral in the tank. For right now I have been more concerned with the mechanical aspects of the aquarium. I ordered everything today and will probably add the sand next week sometime. I have to build my sump before I can do that though.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

OK...so I built a 20 gallon sump with three partitions and I ordered the following.

60 lbs of live sand
two 150 watt heaters
1 tunze 650 gph power heard
1 hydro 1200 gph power head
1 eheim 900 gph pump
1 euro pro rs 100 protein skimmer
1 cpr overlow box with an aqua lifter

I have gone ahead and filled the tank with sand and water in order to start the cycle. I put one of the power heads on and I'm going to install the rest of the equipment tomorrow after work

How long should I wait before I purchase live rok?

 

[mr_X]

immediately.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

Can i get by with just a few pounds for the time being and then add more later. My LFS here is a little pricey on the live rock.

 

[Anonymous]

yes you can. Live rock is pretty spendy at a LFS. You can try to find live rock from people abandoning the hobby in your area, or order online. Much cheaper that way

 

[shabash]

I got my live rock from toofishy.com they were one of the few that will mix and match and have a 5-lb min as opposed to some others that require 20lb min. I like the fact that you can mix and match types. they also sell rubble rock which i use for my fuge and you could add to your sump if you are going to want to use macroalgae there also. you are going to like the hydor. I have a hydorflo not the koralia (essentially the same) and my corals love it. it creates a wave effect as it spins and blows. good luck!