90 gallon build........need help

[AIR-FX]

ok thanks to blockhead i will be purchasing a 90 gal tank with overflow plumbing. i have a stand built and i have a 33 gal cloumn tank that i hope i can use as a sump. will the 33 gal work for a 90 gal tank? right now my 56 gal has a hang on the back filter and protien skimmer. when you have a sump....that becomes the filter right? and what do i need to do about a protien skimmer? i have lights..more coral for the bottom....plenty of live rock............what else do i need to get?

 

[dreaminmel]

The 33g may work as a sump but won't be ideal. Typically we section off sumps with baffles to keep the skimmer's air bubbles from getting to the return pump and being pumped back up to the display tank. That is much easier to do with a sump tank that has a larger footprint. If you have a hang-on skimmer you'd want to see if it will hang nicely on the 33g as you may not have enough room to fit both an in-sump skimmer and a return pump. The other concern is that your sump tank needs to have enough room in it for water volume to drain down from the display in the event of power outage or intentional turning off of the return pump for maintenance. How much water drains down from the display will depend on how far the water level drains before air enters the lines to break the siphon. If your 56g would fit inside the stand for the 90g, I'd be tempted to use that instead.

 

[block head]

i agree with mel, the 33 is not going to be your best option. a cheap tote or used tank will most likey be a better solution. imo bigger is usally better .

 

[naprestsleep]

I have a 30 gal sump on a 92 gallon tank, with a separate refugium. The 30 is barely enough space to hold the water when the pumps are off. I too recommend the bigger the better.

 

[Dave VG]

I had a 40 breeder as a sump under my 90 gallon tank with a chem shelf and a ASM-2 in it with a separate good sized refugium. Worked great lots of room. As a mater of fact I'm going to set it up with my 30 long I'm setting up now.

 

[dreaminmel]

30 long definately works fine, used one under my 125g for a while. :thumbsup: The part of this one being a column shape is what makes me suggest a different tank may work out better.

 

[superkat]

listen to Mel. That's my advice.

 

[Dave VG]

One good thing you have going for you is your starting with a clean slate. Don't make any hasty decisions. There is no set in stone way to do it and every system on here is custom made to fit. Do what you have room for. Bigger is always better if you can do it especially if you are planning a refuge and in sump skimmer. This will also add extra water volume which is a plus. I would look at systems posted on here and other club forums to get some ideas. Just do a search you’ll find hundreds. There are allot of good ideas out there. BUT there are as many if not more bad ideas out there so beware. Learn from other peoples mistakes and do it once. It’s always 10 X harder to redo it later. Good luck to you.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

x2

x2

do it right the first time!

link to new aquarium setup including some info on sumps:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074