Trying to figure out what I need to get started

[Skimmy]

I take it that purchasing it off of that site is Qty by the lb?

how much space is 60lbs of dry rock going to require within a sump??

so SWC Extreme 200, 60lbs of BRS dry rock.

I still need a submergable return pump?

plumbing setup

then once I have gotten all of this stuff and its plumbed I need to know what to do to make the saltwater and how to stabalize the tank.

Ive been reading about breaking in skimmers and such aswell... what does this mean?

mkay, here we go...

first, you must go through a bacteria cycle that will take 35 days until it has sufficently colonized every surface of the aquarium/sump and the water column. it starts from the moment that you add your first waste producing creatures to the tank. You cannot add any more creatures in this 35 day time frame, and then must add them slowly about one a week after that.
If you deviate from this, your asking for trouble....

second, the "skimmer break in" period is simply you waiting for bacteria to grow on the internal surfaces of the skimmer body and pump, as well as waiting for production oils and chems to dissapate (vinegar bath is great for cleaning some of this gunk off before adding it to your sump). once this happens the foam production in the skimmer changes, and the skimmer starts acting the way it will under normal operation. usually any bubbles escaping the skimmer outlet diminish to nothing or much less, depending upon design.

third, your return pump choice and set up, I would say go with a low watt internal Eheim pump, for a 90g aquarium I would suggest running the water from the main display through the sump 3-5 times an hour. slow is good, you want water to dwell in the sump for a long time so that the skimmer/refugium/media filters hava a good chance to clean the water before it is pumped back to the main display. save all the crazy water flow for the dispay tank, not sump throughput. an Eheim 1260 (600gph @0') pump
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...OD&Product_Code=EHEIM1260&Category_Code=Eheim
would be perfect for your system. I would suggest running a vinyl hose up to an over the back plumbing return:
http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=21127&cat=482&page=1
and just using plastic clamps to clamp everything.

also here is a decent cheap knock off overflow box:
http://shop.aquatraders.com/Continuous-Siphon-Overflow-Box-600-p/44011.htm

I'll post more on saltwater, element dosing regime and name brands a little later.

 

[raprgz@comcast.]

The siphon and overflow box bring up a flow question...

I keep getting told that I need water cycles of approximatly 8-10x per hour especually if I am interested in doing hard corals. if this is the case I need my volume to be 21,600 gpd, 900gph?

I am targeting tha ceramic magdrive pump but until I am sure of what my volumes need to be I am unsure of what to buy. I am also looking at purchasing one of these http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...&Product_Code=CS100&Category_Code=CPROverflow

but I want to make sure the volume is right for my tank. Is it a bad thing to get one that will do more volume such as the 1200gph v the 800gph?

how much do these volume numbers really need to match?

what is a AquaLifter Air Water Feed Pump or venturi pump?

still all great information, thank you to everyone that has been contributing to my learning.

 

[Skimmy]

I keep getting told that I need water cycles of approximatly 8-10x per hour especually if I am interested in doing hard corals. if this is the case I need my volume to be 21,600 gpd, 900gph?


what is a AquaLifter Air Water Feed Pump or venturi pump?

still all great information, thank you to everyone that has been contributing to my learning.

absolute BS in my 15+ year opinion...

the best high end german/dutch tanks mostly all do low flow through the sump for multiple reasons;

1. your skimmer and media reactors are typically being fed 1-3x gph of total display volume, so having more flow than than in the sump simply means those extra water molecules go uncleaned and pass back to the tank. and typically, in coral tanks it is better to NOT run mechanical filtration(filter pads, and socks) 24/7 on your system, as the corals feed on the detritus particles stuck in suspension in the water column. you would typically only use those during or after water changes/cleanings.

2. the macroalgae in the refugium as well will absorb nutrients better if the water dwells in that chamber longer.

3. power savings, you are using less watts to pump less water, so less cost.

in the add for both the aqua traders overflow and the CPR overflow (both weir style overflows) they suggest an aqualifter or venturi pump to suck the air out of that nipple on the top of the overflow box, so that it keeps full of water and running smoothly, otherwise air collects in there.

so again for 90g, 3x to 5x through the sump would mean than you need an overflow box that will do about 500gph, but it is only the return pump that really determins the rate at which water goes through the overflow box. so if your return pump is pumping 350-400gph @ 4' of head, then that's how much is going through the overflow box.

hence my suggestion for the aquatraders 600gph weir style overflow, and the eheim 1260 return pump. mag drive pumps are really quite crappy, loud, and run hot, so they heat the tank, and fry after a couple years. if you buy an eheim pump and take care of it, you will have it for over 10 years, it will be dead silent, and wont heat the tank.

 

[Chichas01]

+1 on the Eheim.

 

[luke33]

Get a nice u tube overflow instead of the c style. A utube won't need the luft pump to work correctly. The lifereef is the best, the hurricane and eshopps are both mid level and work well too. Or you could drill before you get it all set up which would be ideal : )

 

[raprgz@comcast.]

So is there a list of pro's and con's to a weir baffle style or a tube style over flow?

also how do you calculate out the vert. head space into gph? for the return.

 

[user 26995]

I was using an eshopps overflow on my 55 and worked great. Kept an extra u tube on hand for when I had to remove the one in use for cleaning. Theres going to be a lot of opinions on which style people think is better. I liked the eshopps, but I haven't used the other style before.
The gph on vertical head ft. is per pump and per manufacture but usually close. +1 on Eheim pumps here too.

Per the info posted on a distributors site
1250 Hobby Pump
320 gph with a max head of 6.5 feet at 28 watts.
1260 Hobby Pump
634 gph with a max head of 12.1 feet at 65 watts.
1262 Hobby Pump
898 gph with a max head of 11.8 feet at 80 watts.

 

[Skimmy]

Get a nice u tube overflow instead of the c style. A utube won't need the luft pump to work correctly. The lifereef is the best, the hurricane and eshopps are both mid level and work well too. Or you could drill before you get it all set up which would be ideal : )

+1 for drilling a hole over an overflow box,
you'll have issues with either a j tube overflow or a weir style, they both collect air bubbles at the top of the radius.
here's a nifty pic of a well designed in tank overflow through a bulkhead:
(no i didnt make it, dunno who did...)

 

[raprgz@comcast.]

with that diagram your essentially bleeding the air out of the system through the john guest? is the water pressure high enough to bleed the system ever so often?

 

[user 26995]

I started with the overflow box and u tube. My current tanks all have a built in overflow. If you have a chance to drill the tank and put in an over flow, do it. It will be well worth the time and work.

 

[raprgz@comcast.]

Where can I take it to get it drilled or how do I tell if my glass is tempered or not? I have 1/2 thick glass.. and I got the tank from a friend so there isnt a way for me to tell what it is.. for all I know its lead paned glass...

 

[Chichas01]

Perkins glass on Broadway in Seattle drills for $10 per hole but only on Saturdays and you should call ahead a day or two to let them know you are coming if you decide to go there.
You can tell if it is tempered with a pair of polarized sunglasses or try this:
http://www.salt-city.org/showthread.php?t=9542

If the bottom is tempered, you are not out of luck. You may be able to drill the back of the tank and install a 'coast-to-coast overflow'. You can google that and read up on it or some other folks who do it this way can chime in on it.

 

[Skimmy]

the back of a tank is typically never tempered, and is where i was connotating you should drill your hole.
IMO, Never drill a hole in the bottom of your tank if you can avoid it. acrylic or glass.
and closer to you would be sunset glass, i think they are in bellevue or issaquah.

 

[raprgz@comcast.]

WOW $10.00 a hole saves like $100 off of a weir.. getting a box (or building my own) is pretty darn simple once you have the hole.. sealing it isnt that bad either.

I will definatly go this route. I will be calling both sunset glass & broadway tomorrow to see what I can do. This is GREAT information. Thank you, Thank you!

 

[Chichas01]

it's Perkins Glass on Broadway on Cap. Hill

 

[raprgz@comcast.]

Ok Thanks.

So far my purchases look as follows:
Protein Skimmer: SWC Extreme 200 $280.00
Power Heads: 2 OctoPumps @ 3000gph $ 90.00
Return Pump: eheim 1260 @ 1200gph $135.00
Return Jet $ 6.00
BRS Dryrock 60lbs $125.00
Drill Tank $ 25.00
In tank overflow box $ 40.00
UV Sterilizer $100.00
Salt (not sure what to use) $100.00
Sub-Total $851.00

Lighting Choices:
T5 HO light ballast 48" Odessey $110.00

or

48" Halid 500w $200.00

Im leaning towards the halid lights but I am not sure which one will give more coverage and depth to the tank.. I have heard people say that you cant go wrong with halid lighting but I firmly believe you can go wrong with everything if you dont know what your doing... I will be greatful for all of your opinions.

Currently for the refugium I have a standard 20gal tank.. if I need to change it out for something bigger please let me know. Since I am looking at increasing the size of my sump / fuge should I be accounting for overall volume when I am making product decisions or do you think I am already targeting the right products?

what size hole should I be looking to drill into my tank? 1"?

Perkins Glass: (206) 322-4949
Sunset Glass: (425) 454-5087

 

[bigblue141]

A 1" hole is realibly good for about 450 gph. Go to gl*******s.com and they will tell you all you need to know about overflow return ratings. The size of your overflow box will also determine your overflow as well.

As for salt goes... If you're going to have coral, every LFS in the Puget Sound Area will recommend Reef Crystals to you.

GARF.org also has information about building a "bullet proof" reef. There are many theories out there on what the best way to set a tank up is.

 

[raprgz@comcast.]

so do I need to have this hole drilled towards the top or the bottum? I have seen some boxs that are not whole columns and I am use to seeing column style built into tanks.. is this just a box that I essentially will be using silicone to put in a corner or something?

 

[Skimmy]

it doesnt even have to be a box, it can just be a bulkhead and an elbow:

 

[bigblue141]

Any updates to your tank?