Help needed

[jhendu]

Well all that work I put into rebuilding the tank was only temporary. Today we were offered a bigger house here on base to move in to. Since we have 3 little girls and want each to have their own room, we accepted the offer and will move into the 4 bedroom house around the week of Thanksgiving. I intend to dedicate one whole day just to the tank but it is going to be quite a daunting task. Anyone want to help me move it? The real help that I need is prior to the move. I have wanted, with encouragement from the board, to add a fuge. The cabinet doors on my stand are small and have limited me to the 10 gallon almost pointless option. Since I will have the tank moved I intend to slip a 40 gallon or so under there prior to setting it back up. Does anyone have a line on a tank that would work as the sump? One with baffles alraeady installed would be spectacular. If I have to get an empty tank then I would LOVE for someone who knows what they are doing to help me set up the baffles and then setup the whole thing. I have never had a sump and really would like some direction so I don't screw anything up. I am even willing to take the advice of someone and try to mirror their setup. Someone tell what to buy and I'll buy it.

 

[philblumenfeld]

Check this site out, you may find what you are looking for.

http://tucson.craigslist.org/pet/

 

[McCrary]

A 30 gallon long tank would work well, its the same one that I use as my sump/refuge. I know Scott used a 40 gallon breeader on his 110, but it requires a bit of modification to the existing stand. I installed my own baffles on my sump, so it doesn't require a professional to do it (although the first time I did it the baffles were to tight and the tank cracked which was a huge pain, lol). I will PM you my number so if you need any help just call.

 

[cerreta]

I concur. I built a wider stand to accomodate the 40 gallon sump. A 30 long is what you need. The first sump-a-fuge I built was a 30 long. They can be a bit hard to find though.

The best bet is TK or Desert Pets on 22nd street.

If you go to my gallery you will find a schematic for the sump-a-fuge. It is a simple design and very reliable. I have plenty of scrap glass, silicone, hole saws to drill if needed. You will need to buy a Kent Float valve and rig this up for ATO for best performance. What is your name?
Cheers,
Scott

 

[cerreta]

Oh, I also suggest you do a blow-thru on the side of the stand to get the sump in/out once the tank is set back up. You never know when you might need to pull out the sump for repair/replacement, etc. We did this to Matt's stand and it turned out very nice.

 

[McCrary]

Yea, you are probably going to have to cut a hole in the side of the stand. I will post pictures of the hole when I get a chance. Scott is one of the most knowledgeable reefers I have ever met and is a great asset, his sump design is the one I used to setup a 300 gallon with 125 refuge. It is very efficient and he has a zero microbubble problem. My sump design allows for a larger refuge volume, but at the cost of microbubbles.

Tropical Kingdom will be the best place to get a locate a 30L as they are very hard to come by. When I broke mine I went to every pet store in Tucson and finally found one (hidden and dusty) at TK where I bought the original. Petco also has them every now and then, you can order them in at TK for you especially of needed. Start planning how you want the tank to be and we will help point out things in the design to make the tank better. It is very hard to come up with everything right on the first couple tank setups so post your plans and we can help. Talk to Scott if you need anything drilled as he has equipment as is experienced.

 

[jhendu]

Scott,
I like the simplicity of your setup and plan to mirror it. How do you like that skimmer? I hate my crappy POS seaclone and have been wanting to replace it anyway so if you're happy with the one you have, I think I'm going to get the same one. I need to try to save a bit of cash and was wondering if you had any idea on a less costly return pump. Once I get the tank in hand I would love to get together with you and have your help in assembling the sump. I think I'm going to pass on drililng the main tank though. I plan to get rid of this glass during my next move which will likely be in about 1 1/2 yrs. It's scratched up and needs to go. Plus I'm not sure what I would do with my livestock while waiting for the silicone to cure and whatnot. How long would the tank have to be down for drilling and how much would that cost vs an overflow box? I'm looking at the Toms Aquatic overlflow box from marine depot (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~OE1318.html). Anyone hate this thing to the point of talking me out of it? I like the idea of blowing out the side of the stand for access. Looks like I would need to brace up that side of the stand to ensure structural integrity though. Anyone with good woodworking skills is welcome to offer their assistance. I assume that this would be unwise to undertake while the tank is on the stand so again I run into the where do I put my livestock problem. I love this board and am grateful to all of you for the advice.

Jason

 

[McCrary]

Scott's skimmer that he has on his nano wouldn't be appropriate for your 110 gallon tank. An Octopus skimmer would give you a good alternative, they shouldn't be too much and would more appropriately deak with waste produced by your fish.

 

[jhendu]

I was referring to the EV-180 that is shown on the schematic for his sump.

Jason

 

[McCrary]

Lol, that would make more sense. The AquaC he had uses a spray injector which is dated and not as efficient as the NW skimmers on the market now. He replaced it with a ER-RC180 and then added a Deltec AP851 if I remember correctly. Both pulled good junk from the tank, but are expensive.