Am I on the right track?

[powderhogg01]

I have a 90 gallon curved front aquarium I am going to build into a mixed reef. I drilled the tank with 3 holes for a beananimal and 2 return holes. I build an overflow box that ran nearly the entire length, but not quite the full 48" allowing for a greater amount of surface skimming.
I am working on building the stand with a carpenter I know. My plan for that is to build a 2x4 frame and having him wrap it with some good looking finish work.
I picked up a super reef octopus 2000-int for cheap and have slowly been grabbing up any dry rock I can find. I currently have about 50lbs, which is enough for me to want to start a tank just for cycling rock.
I was thinking I could plumb a brute trash can to a small sump I have, where I could keep the heaters and skimmer. This trash can would allow me to keep adding more and more rock over the next few months until I have enough to fill the 90 display.
I plan on making my sump fill the bottom of my cabinet, though I am currently unsure of how deep I will make it. The sump will have the primary and secondary drains flowing into filter socks, the emergency overflow will dump into the main chamber. The water will exit the socks and pass through a bubble trap before entering a refugium chamber. The water will exit this chamber and pass through a marine pure block before being sent back to the tank.
I am planning to move to a different state in may, so I am holding off on setting up the display tank until the move In the meantime I am getting the equipment I need to get to my new place and set up the display. I would like to have the rock cycled before the move, so I can have some immediate satisfaction, which is why I am planning to do the brute trash can idea. it would give me a means of keeping rock live and healthy along with a few inverts or whatever else.. making the move a bit easier as well. am I on the right track or is there something I have overlooked.

 

[ssobel80]

All I use to cycle rock is a brute trash can, a powerhead or pump inside the brute and a heater. I do water changes whenever I got around to it, (usually every other week, or two, ok maybe three weeks once.) But so far so good!!

 

[whosurcaddie]

Sounds like you have a good plan. Make sure you dont build your sump too tall. A tall sump can be a real pain to work with once its under a stand. I would go with a 17" height for the sump and build it as long as you can fit under there.

You may have to build a stand for the skimmer once its in the brute because a lot of them have specific water depths they are designed to run in.

Good luck and give us a build thread when you get it going sounds real nice.

 

[powderhogg01]

You may have to build a stand for the skimmer once its in the brute because a lot of them have specific water depths they are designed to run in..

I have a 15 gallon tank which was being used as a sump for a freshwater tank I had running. My plan was to plumb it to my brute, which would allow me to get the water level perfect for the skimmer. I know I am over complicating the cycling of the rock.. but I love to tinker and play with things, so it makes sense fo me.
I have a habit of getting carried away and not taking enough pictures.. I will try to get more pictures for the group here.

 

[PAXpress]

I have a 15 gallon tank which was being used as a sump for a freshwater tank I had running. My plan was to plumb it to my brute, which would allow me to get the water level perfect for the skimmer. I know I am over complicating the cycling of the rock.. but I love to tinker and play with things, so it makes sense fo me.
I have a habit of getting carried away and not taking enough pictures.. I will try to get more pictures for the group here.

I agree a bit overkill but hey whats fun for you is what matters! Good luck I think you are indeed on the right track. More well of than I... I'll be building a sump once I move.

 

[powderhogg01]

my plan is to use that 15 gallon sump in order to keep an eye on how the rock is doing while also giving me a place to test equipment I get second hand. So far I have a 4 stage ro-di unt from spectrapure. I have the skimmer, a refractometer, some of the lighting system, dual median reactors,the tank, glass for the sump, 5 gallon of salt, the brute trash can, all the plumbing parts for the beananimal. I had the system running but my current pump did not have enough flow for the overflow to develop a true silent flow, I also did not have a true gate valve, which I now have.
I will be building the stand on the taller side, as it will mostly be viewed from taller chairs or standing. this will give me a lot of space for equipment. I plan to run an apex controller, because they work well, are tried and tested, and just plain seem like the perfect solution.
things I have yet to get include the controller, some led lights(which will be part of a custom retrofit including 6 t5-ho bulbs), ATO, the return pump. I get one item each month and eventually it will be time for the controller and the move!