50 Gallon Corner

[BlindZide]

Hey guys! It has been a while since I have been on here. Life has had a grip on me and put my reefing to the side. I found out I was going to be a Dad again so I had to downsize from 2 40 Breeders. I figured this 50 Gallon Corner tank would fit the bill and for what the people I bought it from charged me for it, it was a no brainer.

Tank is a 50 Gallon Corner Reef Ready. Has a rear corner built in over flow and is drilled for the plumping. Came with a tiny sump that I still havent figured out how to put the skimmer in. They gave me EVERYTHING! I am talking TONS of live rock, skimmer, sump, tank, stand, heaters, additives, fish....you name it for a whopping $200. For the most part I didn't need anything extra but I wasn't going to tell them no! We all know this hobby isn't cheap.

Yesterday I went ahead and scrubbed the tank clean not using any chemicals. Set it up and pulled water from one of my 40 Breeders into it. Had to add some fresh salt water to top it off and get the sump running. I then transferred my fish into it and dropped in a few pieces of live rock again from one of my 40s. The I have a few more pieces to move over into this tank today while the rest is sitting on my deck to dry out as to kill any baddies that were in the tank before. Sand is new. I am aware I may have a cycle due to the new sand but I was thinking that adding some established live rock would make it a very small one. At this time no corals are being added, they are sitting idle in the 40 that is still running.

Lighting is an Ocean Revive S026.

My current coral list is:

2 Frogspawn (differnt species)
Duncan
Hammer
4 types Mushrooms
3 types of Zoas
1 type of Pallys
Ricordea
4 Different Acans
Donut Coral**(spelling)
Cork Coral* (identity by LFS)
Colt Coral* (identity by LFS)

Livestock
3 Anemones (I had one and the darn thing split twice)
2 Clowns
6 Line Wrasse
Lawnmower Blenny
Red Scooter Blenny
**Tang (pending might want to give away or give to LFS)
Serpent Star



I do have a few questions:

#1. How do I get this Rio Skimmer into the sump? It wont fit with the return pump and the other sections are built for filter media (bio balls and sponges).

#2. Should I used the UV Sterilizer they gave me? If so, how do I know if it is still in working order.

#3. I have tiny bubbles being spilled back into the main tank from the sump. The are coming from the return. I do not see any bubbles in the return line. What could be causing this? (there were no bubbles at the sellers house)

#4. I know the rules on tangs. This seller gave me a tang. Said it was a lemon tang. Never heard of that before so I took to google to find out it is a yellow tangs BUT this one isn't yellow. Its body it white and it fades to yellow on the edges and fins. No signs if distress. It is swimming and eating perfectly. It is in my QT tank as we speak. Why is the body white?

Thats it for now, if I think of more I will post it up. Pics below. Suggestions welcome!

 

[myram]

It's a 54 gal corner tank, same as I have.

A sump in the stand is tough with this tank. I used a 10gal tank with 3 sections. I put a picture below of when I used that setup. I have since gone to a basement sump with a 30 breeder tank........much more room to move and work around.

I have a Yellow Tang in my tank and he's fine. I bought him small so I can have him for a couple of years, then I'll bring him to the LFS and get a smaller one.

 

[BlindZide]

Nice job with your setup. It is a tight fit under there. The issue with the sump I have would be that there is only 2 sections and 1 is made for filter media and not a skimmer. The other side I have the water level at the exact point as the previous owner had tagged it and this doesn't allow me room for the skimmer and return pump. If I can adjust the return nozzle to not allow much back flow during a power outage I may be able to move the water line to a level that would fit both devices. Would that be a smart thing to do?

 

[myram]

For about $30 you could take a 10gal or 15gal tall tank and make your own sump. Both of those tanks have the same footprint, so they will fit in the stand. Get 4 1/4" glass panels cut at a local glass store, silicone them in, and then you have space for your drain/skimmer section, middle section (fuge and heaters), and return section.

Sell that sump you have to recoup some money.