Filtration needs for 75g reef tank

[H@rry]

My inside overflow boxes are about 6 inches square. The outside boxes are a couple of inches larger. You can use common PVC for the U tube.

The key elements are:

Your U tube should be balanced in size to the flow of your return pump. If your pump is pumping more than the U tube can handle the tank can overflow. If the pump is not pumping enough to create a good flow in the U tube, bubbles can build up and stop the siphon.

Make sure that your inside overflow box has teeth to keep snails out. Snails can stop the U tube up.

Know the maximum water level for your sump to prevent a flood in case of a power failure.

Make sure your return line has a small hole at the water line to break a siphon during a power failure.

It's really not much to it. A "balanced" overflow box, U tube, and return pump system is very reliable and trouble free. It would be a lot easier to show it to you than to explain it to you. Come take a look sometime.

 

[mltmtascp]

We have overflow boxes on three of our aquariums including our 120. They have worked well for us. We are hosting the club meeting in April and you can come and see out tanks. Putting an over on a tank is easier than drilling a tank that is already filled. Here is a link to the one that we use on our tank (these are the cheapest that we have found). http://www.aquatraders.com/overflowboxes.aspx

If you look in the very center of our tank you can see the black box.
They have to have an aqualifter pump which you can purchase elsewhere for around $20.

Monica

 

[boogs79]

Great, that doesn't look bad at all! Everyone has been extremely helpful. I would like more info about the club as well. I have a long journey ahead of me, but I definitely have the bug (not the bank account). I live in Madison and work in Huntsville.I would love to see some tanks that are up and running.

PM me if that is possible.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I am in Madison, too. You can come over to my place on a weekend.

Tomoko

 

[Mariner]

I wouldn't discourage you from installing a sump if that's the way you decide to go, but as Tomoko said you can have a pretty nice reef tank using a hang on skimmer. I've had my sumpless 75 gallon running successfully for nearly 6 years with an HOB AquaC Remora Skimmer.
Here's a pic of the right side of the tank.

FWIW,
Mariner

 

[malnurs]

yeah i have an overflow box like the one in mltmtascp's photo. bought for about $30 on e-bay. i liked it better than the u-tube cause i can see if any bubbles are accumulating. I do wanna get a RR tank in the future when i upgrade it just looks cleaner being integrated into the tank itself.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Very pretty as always, Mariner An amazing thing is that the tank is under standard fluorescent bulbs (like shop light).

Tomoko

 

[boogs79]

With a overflow box I still need a refugium and return pump? I know these questions might seen a little weak, but this is my first tank!

 

[mltmtascp]

yes you do. But you can built a fuge out of a cheap tank with dividers glass or Acrylic. You can find a decent price pump on the internet. The return flow has to match the drain. A good link to set how a fuge works is
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

 

[Tomoko Schum]

You need a sump and a return pump. For 75 gallon tank, I suggest that you use a 20 gallon long glass tank or a Rubbermaid container that you can fit inside your tank stand. A refugium could be a part of the sump.

When you come over, please remind me to show you my 20L sump under my 29G tank. It was very easy to put it together all by myself.

I know that you in the peanut gallery here is wondering what kind of monstrosity of a sump with heaping silicone I put together but this one actually looks okay. If you don't know what I am talking about, it's better that way.

This sump has a refugium in the center. The left most compartment is where the drain pipe goes in. The PVC Tee is a kind of a silencer. This is also where I put my in-sump Excalibur skimmer.

It helped very much to have a glass shop cut the glass plate baffles for me. They made them very snug so that they stood on their own in the glass tank. I can easily apply silicone without making a huge mess.

Tomoko

 

[boogs79]

This is good stuff! We have a table router at work that I can cut .25" Acrylic to any design.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Great. If you are going all acrylic, I'd use Melev's design with a refugium on the end. If you are using a glass tank to cut cost, I'd stay with glass sheet for baffles since silicone bonds with glass much better than with acrylic sheet.

Tomoko

 

[8BALL_99]

Here is a pic of one of my sumps from my build thread. Its much bigger then you need but it shows you a layout like tomoko is talking about. Its good to have the refuge on the end so you dont have to run all the water that goes to the sump through the Refuge.

 

[boogs79]

Thanks 8Ball,
That looks well built!

 

[8BALL_99]

Thanks, haha looks can be deceiving. Really though Acrylic isn't that hard to work with. If you do decide to build your own. Just take your time on the cuts and try to make them as smooth as you can. Use weldon 4 to glue it. When you build it start with the sides then the top bracing then install the bottom. You can leave the bottom oversized then use a router to trim off the excess. If it leaks when your done no big deal, you can always just add either some weldon 16 or 40 if its a small leak. For a large leak just cut a small piece of acrylic and glue it on the inside where the leak is. My first one leaked BTW