Okay so as the title says, with any luck I will be starting up a 40g/20g sump reef tank in the next few months. Originally I was thinking I would go with FOWLR, but thinking more on it, I'll probably want to go into some easier corals eventually so I might as well start with that in mind. I haven't ironed out all the details yet regarding equipment but this is what I'm looking at right now: protein skimmer I'm debating between the bubble magus curve 5 and the reef octopus 110 space saver, ro/di unit I'm looking at this one BRS 4 Stage Value Plus RO/DI System - 75GPD on bulkreefsupplies, I like the Eheim brand for a return pump but I don't know exactly which one I would need, the rest of the plumbing I don't know yet, heaters dunno, lighting I don't know either but since I'm going to be looking towards corals down the road I'm going to put $400 to some good lights (I would prefer LED to maybe cut some heat down and save on energy). That's all I have planned so far, and of course the odd ball stuff like test kit (salifert or Red Sea), refractometer, etc. I'll be setting up a QT of course (probably 10g). I think I want to do a couple pounds of live rock an the rest I'm going to do dry to limit hitchhikers. Should I do live sand or does it matter? I think I covered pretty much everything, but of course I still have a lot of blanks so if anyone wants to chime in your most welcome to! Sump is going to be a 20g (hopefully) so the dimensions will be 30x12x12, I haven't figured out how I want to section it out but I would like to be able to have a refugium so any input in that? Information of lights would be welcome as well. Oh and I would like to stick to a budget of $1500 (just setup and equipment, not including rock, sand etc.) if that's feasible. Whew, that was long....
First saltwater build! 40b/20g sump reef.
- Thread starter GHsaltie
- Start date
stingeragent
New member
Live sand is just an overpriced marketing trick imho. Id just use well rinsed dry sand. Ill post a longer response when i get home. On phone now
Ok, good to know. I'll be looking forward to your next response! Surprisingly I managed to make that post on my phone without any typos lol.
stingeragent
New member
Ok, your tank/sump choice is a good start. Having that in mind the next step you need to figure out is the stand. Will you buy one or diy it? Either way, make sure the inside dimensions of the stand will fit your tank in question. Also make sure, that you can put the sump into the tank after the stand is built, and if not, make sure you put it in while building. ( I also did a 40b, 40 sump, built my own stand, measured carefully, got the dt on top, filled to the top, and low and behold the front wasn't big enough for me to put the sump straight in. Tried to go in through the side, but the reinforcement leg I somehow didn't think to measure, wouldn't let it go in that way either. Ended up switching from a 20L to a 20H as a result which I wasn't happy with. Long story short make sure the sump fits in the stand before the DT is full of water). Next on your list needs to be the overflow plumbing. I'd go with a bean animal or a herbie setup, and then plumb the return over the top. Also when considering your overflow box, double check the dimensions to make sure whatever type of plumbing you have inside the overflow box ( upturned 90, downturned, etc) is able to actually fit. ( I screwed that up also. Put in an upturned 90, and then another 90, tried to put the overflow box on and it was hitting the pipe) The BRS rodi units are great. Thats what I use. Eheim is good, I used one on my 40, and have a mag 9.5 on my 125. Also works good. As for the return pump size that will determine what flow you want through the sump/based on your drain size. If you go with a herbie and use 3/4in pipe, your return will have to be different than if you used 1". I'd personally recommend using a 1" drain, but if you have to go smaller 3/4 is the bare minimum. (and again, how I know, I used 1/2in and the flow rate was terrible) . If you wanna go led under 400, your best bet will be the chineese reef lights on ebay. Would need 2. I personally ran 2 kessil 160we's, (that will be 550-700 depending on if you want the controller for them as well, plus the goosnecks). As I said earlier, don't waste your time on live sand. Using mostly dry rock, and some live isn't a bad idea, but keep in mind, even when buying coral, there is a good chance you will pick up a hitch hiker on it.
stingeragent
New member
Typo, I meant I had a 20g sump, not a 40.
WaReefer458
New member
I have 1 Kessil 360we on my 40 on a goose neck with plenty or coverage. Looking at 525$ for the light, mount and controller. Another thing I'd like to give some insight on is your recommendation for the plumbing. I did a 3/4 return from a mag 9.5 with a 1.5" drain. I can run the pump wide open getting killer tank turn over and it runs almost completely silent.
aznxgqb0yx
New member
You Search craiglists for deals, I've seen some kessil 350w go for $200 with the goose neck and everything. As for the tank stand I'm assuming it's a 40 breeder your going to run? If so you can go to lowes or Home Depot and get their metal stand it's about $60-70 I can't remember. You can skip out on the skimmer if your just doing easy corals and stick with water changes but if you want a skimmer the reef octopus is good. As for return pump you can try look for used one online and save you some money As long as you have right drain size you can run any size pump you want. As for live rock you can save your self some money and just get dry rock and then seed them off once piece of live rock or added bacteria to the tank and eventually it will become live, I got mines from reef-cleaners.org
Some metal stand pics. I'm just using the shelf board they had to cover up some of the open area for now, eventually there will be a wall built to make it a room divider.
This strainer (75 micron) goes in side the 5 gallon bucket instead of me running a filter sock with a 1 1/2 bulk head drain at the bottom of the bucket
Some metal stand pics. I'm just using the shelf board they had to cover up some of the open area for now, eventually there will be a wall built to make it a room divider.
This strainer (75 micron) goes in side the 5 gallon bucket instead of me running a filter sock with a 1 1/2 bulk head drain at the bottom of the bucket
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Thank you all for the replies! I'm still doing some research on overflow options, so not positive what I'm going to do for that but right now I'm liking the herbie setup. I've been trying to take a little bit of a break from looking at equipment as I kind of brain-fried myself. So instead I've been thinking a little on stocking options and thought I might as well run my list by you guess, I'll probably end up changing a few things before it's all said and done. Anyway, here's what I'm thinking right now:
2 snowflake ocellaris clowns
1 red mandarin dragonet (this one is second only because its high on my want list, however it would absolutely not be added until the tank is at least 6+ months old and has a high stable population of pods. At that point in time I would reevaluate as to whether my tank could support it. I'm also looking into different ways of propagating pods.)
1 macneill's assessor
1 Yasha goby/pistol shrimp pair
1 neon goby
1 zebra barred dartfish
CUC:
2 cleaner shrimp
2 peppermint shrimp
1 fire shrimp (mainly because I like the look of these guys, but don't know if I would do this is one being that I would also have the pistol shrimp.)
various snails (I don't like crabs of any kind, so I'm going with snails and shrimp.)
I like my list so far but want to check with more knowledgeable reefers first so that I can make any needed adjustments. I think compatibility wise it's good, but I don't know if the bio-load would be too much. What about the CUC, does it need adjusting? As always any/all suggestions are most welcome!
2 snowflake ocellaris clowns
1 red mandarin dragonet (this one is second only because its high on my want list, however it would absolutely not be added until the tank is at least 6+ months old and has a high stable population of pods. At that point in time I would reevaluate as to whether my tank could support it. I'm also looking into different ways of propagating pods.)
1 macneill's assessor
1 Yasha goby/pistol shrimp pair
1 neon goby
1 zebra barred dartfish
CUC:
2 cleaner shrimp
2 peppermint shrimp
1 fire shrimp (mainly because I like the look of these guys, but don't know if I would do this is one being that I would also have the pistol shrimp.)
various snails (I don't like crabs of any kind, so I'm going with snails and shrimp.)
I like my list so far but want to check with more knowledgeable reefers first so that I can make any needed adjustments. I think compatibility wise it's good, but I don't know if the bio-load would be too much. What about the CUC, does it need adjusting? As always any/all suggestions are most welcome!
Is this the same light http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/kessil-a360w-e-tuna-sun-led-aquarium-light.html? It says it covers 24", would that be enough coverage and would it support corals?
This is the same thing on ebay right http://www.ebay.com/itm/KESSIL-A360...ash=item20fe362582:m:mct-Kl1In8bB3A5orgYxarQ? $409 for the light and gooseneck if I'm reading it right. Would that be considered a good deal?
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stingeragent
New member
To me it looks like the same light. Gotta be careful with ebay and make sure you read the description very well. Make sure all the important model number/letter codes are on there. That's a good light, but since I've never seen one in person, I can't say if you would have shadows near the sides with just 1. I did have a single 160we on my 40 for about a week, and had some side shadowing.
I'm back again! I haven't been able to do much researching lately (life has a habit of getting in the way of things) but I've still been browsing the forums and today came across one where it was mentioned that salt tanks can harm nearby electronics. So now I have a new worry, because I was planning on putting my tank in my dad's office. His computers are against the back wall and the tank would be on the side wall, about 3-4ft from the nearest computer. Is that too much of a risk? The last thing I want is to ruin my dad's computers....
So I finally committed myself to this project and bought my 40b and 20L sump! I'm going to start drilling once I find a suitable drill (any input on that? I know zippo about drills...) and I'm currently searching for some place or someone to cut glass for my sump baffles. That brings me to one of my questions, how should I divide up the sump for the skimmer section/fuge/return? I'm going to get the Reef Octopus 110 space saver, so the dimensions of that are 6.1"x7.87". Also, what are items that I should absolutely buy new and which ones are things I'd be fine buying used? Main reason for asking, I want to slowly stock up on some of the items that I know I'll need, and with Black Friday coming up I would like to have a better idea of what equipment I can go ahead and purchase, and which ones I can still buy used. I was going to go ahead and get my protein skimmer, as it's still on sale and I have a $5 coupon from BRS, except that it's still out of stock.... kinda bummed. Questions on test kits: is there and astronomical difference when using Hanna tests compared to the salifert tests? Do I need the digital refractometer or is the regular one that looks like a telescope good too? I think that's all for right now lol. I'm so excited and nervous at the same time to start this tank!:lolspin:
I used my Black and Decker cordless drill set on the lowest clutch setting - that way the drill won't jerk on the glass possibly cracking it. Check the DIY sections for how-to's on drilling tanks and what kind of diamond hole saws to use.
Glass baffles - I just went with the thin glass that Lowe's cuts and sells. If you can find a place that sells thicker glass definitely go with that but the 1/8" stuff will work, just have to be careful when working around it b/c it will crack easily.
My sump is a 29 gallon high (same footprint as your 20L) and I have it divided into 3 chambers (refugium, return pump, and overflow/skimmer). I had to wait until I had the skimmer (Octopus 110INT) and return pump (Mag 9.5) in hand so I could actually place them in their respective places to get accurate measurements for the baffle placement. You can look at my build thread for pictures of what I did:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515797
For test kits you can do API for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and Calcium. I use Salifert for Ca, Mag, and Phos. Haven't used Hanna. A refract. is a better alternative over the traditional swing arm hydrometers for testing S.G. Just make sure you get some calibration fluid for it.
BTW, I stocked up supplies for 3 months while I worked on my stand and tank build so don't worry about waiting for sales and or good deals. It usually pays off in the end.
Congrats and hope this helps!
Glass baffles - I just went with the thin glass that Lowe's cuts and sells. If you can find a place that sells thicker glass definitely go with that but the 1/8" stuff will work, just have to be careful when working around it b/c it will crack easily.
My sump is a 29 gallon high (same footprint as your 20L) and I have it divided into 3 chambers (refugium, return pump, and overflow/skimmer). I had to wait until I had the skimmer (Octopus 110INT) and return pump (Mag 9.5) in hand so I could actually place them in their respective places to get accurate measurements for the baffle placement. You can look at my build thread for pictures of what I did:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515797
For test kits you can do API for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and Calcium. I use Salifert for Ca, Mag, and Phos. Haven't used Hanna. A refract. is a better alternative over the traditional swing arm hydrometers for testing S.G. Just make sure you get some calibration fluid for it.
BTW, I stocked up supplies for 3 months while I worked on my stand and tank build so don't worry about waiting for sales and or good deals. It usually pays off in the end.
Congrats and hope this helps!
Dkuhlmann
New member
Petco's $ per gal sale ends today. You can get the 40b and the 20gal sump for $60 
If you can't get it today they have this sale several times per year.
Check out the 165W Dimmable full spectrum led aquarium light Marine Reef Coral SPS/LPS Lamp available on Ebay for $82.99 includes shipping. There are deals if you buy 2. This is the route I'll be going in the next couple of months. It's almost the same price to get this light as it is replacing my T5 bulbs.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/251495773757?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82
Here is a 300W LED Aquarium Light Dimmable Full Spectrum Reef Coral SPS LPS Marine Tank 3W, I will probably go this route instead of two of the others.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300W-LED-Aq...d3fc2&pid=100338&rk=20&rkt=29&sd=251495773757
If you can't get it today they have this sale several times per year. Check out the 165W Dimmable full spectrum led aquarium light Marine Reef Coral SPS/LPS Lamp available on Ebay for $82.99 includes shipping. There are deals if you buy 2. This is the route I'll be going in the next couple of months. It's almost the same price to get this light as it is replacing my T5 bulbs.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/251495773757?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82
Here is a 300W LED Aquarium Light Dimmable Full Spectrum Reef Coral SPS LPS Marine Tank 3W, I will probably go this route instead of two of the others.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300W-LED-Aq...d3fc2&pid=100338&rk=20&rkt=29&sd=251495773757
Thanks Dkuhlmann, that's where I got my tanks, the $per gal sale, and I definitely made sure that they were Aqueon tanks rather than Tetra. I was going to go with the Kessil 360W-E lights. I really like the price on those lights you posted, but how is the quality? Is MarsAqua a good brand? I was also hoping to find a light that could be mounted rather than hang from the roof, but if the ebay light is pretty good then I might give it a shot. I'll have to do some more research later today, as right now I need to go to work.
Dkuhlmann
New member
When I bought mine from Petco they only had the Tetra's. Not much difference between them really but I do think the glass is a bit thicker on the Aqueon's.
Those lights I posted are very good. Several here on RC have them and I've got a buddy that has a side business raising frags and has a bunch of them. Never any issues. I do like the 300w one and will more than likely get that one instead of two of the smaller ones. Either way they are a great deal.
Those lights I posted are very good. Several here on RC have them and I've got a buddy that has a side business raising frags and has a bunch of them. Never any issues. I do like the 300w one and will more than likely get that one instead of two of the smaller ones. Either way they are a great deal.
WaReefer458
New member
Sorry for taking so long to reply. Yes it's the 360we tuna blue. From the pic you can see the coverage is great, just a little dampened in the upper corners but I'm very happy with it. Also just a heads up when you do your plumbing, I added a tee in my return with a ball valve and 3' of flex hose. Not water changes are done in under 3 min. Keeps me from being lazy about it.
