Moving and upgrading... need some suggestions

[boilermaker1]

I've got a HOB everything 29 G system right now thats honestly just getting overgrown. My colt is now 14" in diameter, my torch was 2 heads, now its 4, my devils hand is bigger than my own. Combine that with a GSP and Zoanthid explosion, and there's too much stuff in there with 3 fish, 2 shrimp and the hermit crab army.
I'm moving in about a month and a half, I'd like to upgrade. I'm thinking 65G because it lets me keep my light (which is 36") and save the $$$ on buying another new one. The only issue I have is how well a 2x96W PC fixture will go through 24" of water. I suppose those "low light" corals will come in handy down low.
Anyways, I'd like to make my 29 a basic sump. I'd like to keep it as simple as possible. My LFS seems to prefer the drilled type cone overflows vs. the big built-in boxes. I'm 1/2 tempted to agree because they take up so much less room. I'd like to just make use of the extra water volume down there, skim it, then use a submersible pump and shoot it back up to the main display. Without knowing all the right terms.... it sounds like closed loop to me. I'd had the thought of splitting the pump outlet pipe into 2 powerhead type streams. As far as flow control... do you just put a valve in the gravity drain to match the inflow to the outflow?
Or do you valve the pump to match?
I'm looking for recommendations on skimmers. Somewhere in the 250 dollar range, good enough to skim this, and still stand up to a bigger system later.
Also looking for a quiet pump and recommended flow rate. I was thinking a MAG 7, but I don't know if thats too big/too small. I also have 2 MJ600s and a 900 if I end up needing more flow. Most of this tank will be softies and a few of the lower light LPS. I don't think I'm going to do anemones and I have no SPS plans.

 

[boilermaker1]

anybody?

 

[jgsensor]

I'm not sure I know exactly what you are asking, but I will give it a go. Your lighting should be okay on a 65g tank if you are planning on only having low light corals like softies and maybe a few LPS. For the return pump you will need to determine how much water your overflow/drain can handle and then match it with a return pump. Not knowing what that amaount is it is hard to say what pump to go with. Maybe someone else can chime in on that. I have ran both the mag pumps and Rio HF pumps and both work great. For a skimmer I like My Reef Creation skimmer. They pull a ton and can always be upgraded if you get a larger tank. However they can get to be expensive depending on what you go with. Another one to look at are ASM's they are less expensive and work quite well. You will defenately need some PH and the MJ600/900 will be a bit small for that tank IMO. The MJ1200 should work well.

If it was me (and I have been through this already with my own tanks) and would first sit down and decide where I want to go with my tank. It may be worth it to wait a bit longer and save up the money to get the setup you really want instead of upgrading two or three times. I myself went througha 46, 90,120, 180 and numerous different equipment items before I ended up with my current 375g. Needless to say i wasted a lot of cash in the process. IMO if you like the hobby and plan to stay in it get the biggest tank you can afford and always get equipment that can be used on a larger tank later with minimum upgrade cost.

 

[boilermaker1]

I can't go enormous because I'm limited by the apartment floor rule. It seems that a lot of people feel 100 gallons is the most that should be on an unknown floor, so I'm going to hang out with a smallish tank for a while. It'll be a while before I upgrade again... otherwise, yeah, I'd just go get a 180 and call it a day.

 

[jgsensor]

Sorry to hear you have limitations beyond your control. I am not sure what these cone shaped overflows are you mention, but I am a fan of the built in overflows. They are less hassle IMO than having to hang one on the back and worry about the siphon. I like to keep things simple. The Mag-7 or the Rio 2500 should work good for the return pump for that size tank. I have never put any type of valve on the return pump to control the flow (it creates back pressure on the pump), but I have put ball valve on the drain lines mainly to stop the flow of water in case of maintenance on the sump or maybe the pumps, but you could just use straight piping. If you are running a sump I would use powerheads in the tank to create flow instead of trying to pull a lot of water through the sump with the return pump. You don't need that much flow in the sump. You could use a MRC MR-1 skimmer with the mag 12 pump would work wonders on a tank that size. Good luck.