60G Newbie Build!

S

SlickSilver

New member
Hi guys,

As of two weeks ago I wanted to get into the saltwater world and me wanting to learn more, I joined this forum. Who knew it would cost more than if I wanted to modify my motorcycle? Haha.

I'll use this as a personal log for my progress.

My goal for this tank is to be able to run a FOWLR for now, and be able to transform it into a Reef tank with corals. I bought just the tank (48-1/4"L x 12"W x 24H) and stand, and will be slowly piecing the equipment.

MARCH.07.2011

Items that I bought from MarineDepot arrived, which consisted of:

2 Hydor Koralia Evos @ 750GPH
1 Jager 200W 15" Heater
1 API Saltwater Master Test Kit
1 API Phosphate Test Kit

I also have 80LBS of Ocean Direct Carib. Live Sand coming around this Friday from Foster and Smith.

I'm not going to run a sump system, since my stand does not allow one to be hidden inside. (Too small)

My next purchase is going to be some dry live rock, I was wondering what the general opinion of BRS's dry rock? and what type should I go for? (ReefSaver, Pukani, or Fiji?) (I'm thinking 50-60lbs of Fiji dry, seeded with some LR from my LFS)

Any recommendations?
 
Hey man...dont know to much about saltwater yet but what type of bike do you have? I hope this project doesnt cost more than what it costs to modify street bikes. I have a 08cbr1000rr with full system exausts and bazzaz fuel management system. Its a beast and I love it.
 
kxthor911 said:
Hey man...dont know to much about saltwater yet but what type of bike do you have? I hope this project doesnt cost more than what it costs to modify street bikes. I have a 08cbr1000rr with full system exausts and bazzaz fuel management system. Its a beast and I love it.
Click to expand...

I have an 05 CBR600RR. Italian Red. Love it.

All stock though,except for some Spiegler brake lines and DB windscreen. it was either go buy parts for the bike or get this saltwater aquarium. :fish1:
 
While you can get away without a sump, I'd highly consider getting one. Even if you can only fit a 10g in the stand. It'll allow for ease of future expansion since you hinted that you'd like to try corals down the road. It's better to do it now rather then two years down the road when your tank is full of livestock. Been there before without a sump and the more I learned, the more I wanted a sump. If you don't drill the display tank from the get go, then you have to come up with a pvc overflow or similar later on when you do add a sump. I've run sumps on all of my tanks for the past 8 years, the first year I only had cannister filters and live rock for filtration but I'm rather lazy and cleaning cannister filters every week becomes a chore quickly. I soon found myself cleaning them once a month and then struggled with hair algae. Switched to a sump/refugium setup and have stuck with that same principle since. I've also had less problems with nuisance algae's since running a sump.

A sump will allow you to put in an algae scrubber, skimmer, heater, pumps and other similar equipment. You'll also be able to run a fuge or deep sand bed in one as well. It'll give you a place to do your dosing, testing, top-off etc.. Whenever I syphon out my display tank, I simply put the other end in the sump with a filter sock and the sock catches everything I suck out without wasting water. Then the other added bonus is more water volume, which will help keep things a bit more stable. I like sumps so much that my current sump is nearly as big as the display tank. Like said, I highly recommend them and it's easier to do it now rather then later.
 
Hah...cool deal bro. I have a 07 cbr600 completely stock in my garage waiting on my buddy to buy. The new bike i got on a great deal. It also has stainless steal break lines and origional honda cowl. 1000 is silver and black
 

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King_Richard said:
While you can get away without a sump, I'd highly consider getting one. Even if you can only fit a 10g in the stand. It'll allow for ease of future expansion since you hinted that you'd like to try corals down the road. It's better to do it now rather then two years down the road when your tank is full of livestock. Been there before without a sump and the more I learned, the more I wanted a sump. If you don't drill the display tank from the get go, then you have to come up with a pvc overflow or similar later on when you do add a sump. I've run sumps on all of my tanks for the past 8 years, the first year I only had cannister filters and live rock for filtration but I'm rather lazy and cleaning cannister filters every week becomes a chore quickly. I soon found myself cleaning them once a month and then struggled with hair algae. Switched to a sump/refugium setup and have stuck with that same principle since. I've also had less problems with nuisance algae's since running a sump.

A sump will allow you to put in an algae scrubber, skimmer, heater, pumps and other similar equipment. You'll also be able to run a fuge or deep sand bed in one as well. It'll give you a place to do your dosing, testing, top-off etc.. Whenever I syphon out my display tank, I simply put the other end in the sump with a filter sock and the sock catches everything I suck out without wasting water. Then the other added bonus is more water volume, which will help keep things a bit more stable. I like sumps so much that my current sump is nearly as big as the display tank. Like said, I highly recommend them and it's easier to do it now rather then later.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree 100%.
 
Thank you for the input guys, but I don't think I'll be running a sump system anytime soon. I can't even fit a 10GAL in the cabinet.

MARCH.08.2011

Just placed my order of 52LBS of BRS Pukani Dry Rock.

Still waiting on my live sand, and trying to decide which HOB skimmer I am going to run.

Now off to history class. The joys of college. :)
 
Since you are already spending a nice amount of money can I suggest you go with a Vortech Mp40 on that tank? It will make a difference in terms of good flow throughout your tank plus the ability to change modes for night time, feeding, and natural reef simulating modes.

Also, I am with the other people in saying that a sump is a really really good idea for that tank. Its a lot easier to install than you think.
 
Can anyone recommend me a sump online?

Something along the 20gal range, but at a decent price.

I'd like to implement an in-sump protein skimmer and a refug. area.
 
its so ridiculously easy.. if you dont want to do it yourself, go pick up a 20long and bring it to your local aquarium store and they may do it for a fee. The hardest part is figuring out how you want the sump to function in terms on your drain, fuge, and return.

There is a website that i would highly recommend you use to buy your hardware to drill your holes and the plumbing needed to do it. PM me if you want to know the name, im not sure if mentioning company names here is allowed.
 
What do you guys think of this sump?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190369471031

He's located about 10~ miles away from me, so I could pick it up.

Also, I don't want to drill a hole into my tank, so I'd like to go with a HOB overflow box.

I was thinking about this one: http://www.marinedepot.com/CPR_CS_Overflow_Boxes_External_Overflow_Boxes_for_Aquariums-CPR-CR1511-FIOFEB-vi.html

Which size do you recommend for me to get (GPH?) and what type of return pump would you pair it up with?
 
Looks like a very nice and well built sump. Have you decided on a skimmer yet? If not, you will need to find a skimmer that fits within the skimmer area. Skimmers also work best when they are submerged in certain heights of water. Each one is a little different but you should be able to find the recommended depth range on retailer/manufacturer websites. The problem is when your sump's skimmer section isn't deep enough for the skimmer you want. If it's too deep you can make a little stand out of PVC to raise it up where it needs to be but if its too shallow it won't work the way it should.

I run a HOB overflow. Not a fan of the CPRs because they rely on an aqualifter pump to maintain siphon. Just one more thing to worry about failing. Not knocking CPRs, they just wern't for me. I went with a U-tube overflow made by eshopps which is a cheaper version (but not quite the build quality) of the Lifereef overflow which many regard as the best HOB overflow on the market. As far as size, if you are uncertain go large. The bigger the drain the better and you DO NOT need to match your return pump's flow rate excatly to your overflow box's rating. An overflow box rated for 800gph does not mean you have to push 800gph through it. It just means that it was built to take up to that much flow. Also, keep in mind that some overflow box ratings are on the high side.

Edit: The width of that sump is 13" and your tank is only 12". Will it fit in the stand?
 
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You could make one far cheaper. The sump that is. But I'm cheap and prefer to do what I can myself. I'm also not too crazy on how the compartments are setup in the one that you linked.

Never used a premade overflow, I liked the pvc overflow that I used to use because it was cheap and still looked okay in the tank, I used black pvc to make it and the 4 years that it was running, it never failed.

For your return pump, your going to have to figure out what your head height is going to be, or, how far up is the pump in the sump going to have to pump water up into the display tank. Next, depending on how big your sump is, is also going to factor into how many gph you'll want running through the sump. This is where making your own sump really helps out.

I see you have two evo 750's already, good. I also have two in our 60g cube, our return pump also puts out about 350-400gph at 3.5 feet. Our display tank has a flow rate of about 30x and I'm satisfied with it. While our sump 50g has a rate of about 8x. I originally used one compartment in our sump for the drain and that was it, didn't need anymore baffles then that. After adding an algae scrubber, (I don't use a skimmer) I don't have any baffles being used in the sump because I didn't need them. The scrubber acts like a spray bar and evens out the flow in our sump. Any leftover food, detritus, etc.. settles in our sump onto the dsb (6-8") where worms, pods, etc. clean it up for the most part.

If I were setting up your sump, I'd have a compartment for the drain, one for the skimmer, a large compartment for the fuge, and then another compartment for the pump in that order. Again, this is where making your own comes in handy, I've seen some people use weather stripping to hold their baffles in place so they could adjust them to their liking. For your return pump, I'd aim for no more then a turnover rate of roughly 5x (360gph) at your given head height. The baffles will help slow down the flow in your fuge section enough that junk will settle there. I'm satisfied with my flow currently so that's what I would reccomend since we have the same powerheads.
 
Based on some suggestions, this is what I was thinking on purchasing

For sump placement, I was going to just put it on the floor next to the DT, but that would make the pump have to pump 55" up to the top of my tank.

So I was thinking of just setting a table next to my DT to hold the sump up so it would be more around 36"

Since the pump I was thinking of getting (Mag Drive 5) is rated for 310GPH at 36", would it be a problem for my sump system since my overflow box is rated at 300GPH?

Possible buy list:

Eshoppes Overflow Box - PF-300 (Rated for 300GPH)

I'm pretty sure I'll be getting that EBAY sump. He reduced it to a more acceptable price.

Would the protein skimmer I want fit? I was going to get a reef octopus because from my reading, they've been quite reliable. Since the skimmer section states it to be 12" x 12.5", anything below those would be acceptable, correct?

I was planning on going with this one: http://www.marinedepot.com/Reef_Octopus_Needle_Pin_Wheel_Protein_Skimmer_Protein_Skimmers_for_Saltwater_Aquariums_Reefs-CoralVue-CV5111-FIPS-vi.html (The size 4)

Is it a good choice for the sump?

Mag Drive 5 (310GPH at 36")
 
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MARCH.14.2011

Picked up my sump from Advanced Acrylics.

Also got my package of 60lbs of Pukani from BRS

Will post photos tomorrow.

Finally! I'm so excited.
 
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