Need some newbee advice...sorry.

officerbogus

officerbogus

New member
I am going to be setting up a 135 gl tank with a 75gl sump/fuge...
for fish, LR and Zoo's.

First I am in no real hurry and want to do this right,

I have a odyssea 160 skimmer
a 1200gph continious siphon overflow box with lift pump.
about 250lbs of kolorscape sand from HD
dual 400 watt MH

I will be DIY ing my about 75% of my live rock.

My ?'s are.

1. Is a DSB something that a newbie can do? I have read about DSB crashes, Like I said I am in no hurry so I can take my time to get the proper fauna, etc.. into the sand bed .

2. Is my lighting enough and whats the best placement?

3. Is one overflow box enough, and what about placement for those?

4. Is there a link that explains plumbing, I have never messed with pvc pipe and want to do it right?

5. What size return pump do I need, my return line is about 5 ft max? And do I need to drill the tank for the return line nozzle?

6. Is there anything you would do diffrently if you were starting a new tank?

7. Absolutely any advice you have...


Thanks for even taking a look, I really appreciate your time.
Paul
 
1. Is a DSB something that a newbie can do? I have read about DSB crashes, Like I said I am in no hurry so I can take my time to get the proper fauna, etc.. into the sand bed .

You'll get carying opinions here. You can do it any way and be successful. For myself, I'll never do a tank with anything except a DSB (if I did barebottom, I would have a remote DSB). Actually, "deep" may be a bit of a misnomer. I usually do 1.5-3" of sand. Any deeper than that isn't really necessary. I can explain why if you like, but it will take a while to pull the studies and links.

2. Is my lighting enough and whats the best placement?

Should be plenty (maybe even overkill) for what you're doing. With a pair of 400s, one over each half of the tank should be fine. You may want to keep them a little higher so you don't overlight your corals.

3. Is one overflow box enough, and what about placement for those?

Should be fine (though drilled is better) and wherever it works into the scheme of your system.

4. Is there a link that explains plumbing, I have never messed with pvc pipe and want to do it right?

Not really, as each setup can be unique. See my answer to your last question...

5. What size return pump do I need, my return line is about 5 ft max? And do I need to drill the tank for the return line nozzle?

You can run a U over the top of the tank or drill it. There are a lot of different options here. See last question's answer also...

6. Is there anything you would do diffrently if you were starting a new tank?

Everything looks/sounds pretty good. More research maybe, but there's no end of that, ever.

7. Absolutely any advice you have...

Yep, make it out to some meetings, see other people's tanks. I think you'll find that your tank with be a mish-mash of other people's tank as you decide what you like and what you think will work for you both setup and maintenance-wise. No two setups are alike, and we've all got good idea. Even just checking around online should help spur some thought...
 
Don't know much about lighting and plumbing but I do know that I WILL have every tank Drilled before I set them up, Im kinda weary about overflows, just take a look at the name of them,(Overflow) doesn't sound like something I want my tank messin with.

Check in to drilling the tank for outs, ins, and closed loops. JMO
 
Sounds like fun! Good luck with the DIY rock Paul. I made a small test batch two months ago. I placed two pieces that had been cured in fresh water for about a month into my Live Rock holding tank and haven't seen any coraline growth yet after almost four weeks in saltwater. Plan wwwwwaaaaayyyyy ahead if you are going to use 75%.

If you have the time, research drilled overflows instead of a siphon overflow. Jason (jmkarcz aka kracken) can help you with this.
 
WOW, I must say I have always been imipressed with the willingness to help out a newbee in need. But thats an blazing fast response.
I really do appreciate the guidance, and I am definetly going to make some meetings.
 
I'd blame the quick responses on the weather there's nothing else to do this time of year with no good ice! LOL
 
O and if you need some portland cement or other items for making the DIY LR, let me know I have more than I will ever need. Smallest bag I found was 80 lbs, I probably used less than a lbs.
 
Officerbogus,
Blame the fast response on Scott having no life beyond RC and this reef club. It really is kind of sad.
I echo all of Fred's advice (RCS). The only thing I can say is taht you may want some supplemental actinic lighting if for no other reason than some of the corals out there fluoresce under actinic and you don't want to miss it. Also drill your tank. Do NOT mess with overflows. They are a problem waiting to happen!
jandlms
Jon
 
Cool officerbogus, I am from Algoma your probably the closest one to me on here. Well maybe not I did some drywall up in Door county and that is quite a hike too I guess. What resturant did you buy? Sounds like you have a plan in my opinion though if you are not planning on doing SPS's then 800 watts of light is a bit much for the electric bill but maybe that isn't a big deal to you. But again once you get into this I think its fun to try it all. My first tank was done with an overflow and I would not recommend that to anyone like Brian says if you are not there all the time to watch it the siphon will quit and you will have a tank full of bubbles. Pvc pipe is pretty easy to work with I mess with it at work sometimes and did my tank I like the clear cleaner and glue it just looks so much better when your done. Hey if you ever want to check out what I have your more than welcome. Even have some stuff that's overflowing in my tank you could take home if you wanted it. The biggest thing to remember that I have learned is opinions are like ******* everyone has one :lol: and most of them will work.
 
Where are you getting the clear PVC cleaner Mako? Never mattered much since my PVC work has usually been concealed by walls or ceiling. I have only ever used the purple cleaner, clear glue.
 
yaitisme, I would have to check but I think it was at Home Depot or Menards. Didn't know it was hard to find. There is just no way to do a neat job with purple cleaner unless you want it to take forever. The hard part was to find gray pipe.
 
Ok so I feel a little better about my planning stage...

Bri Guy, jandlms,
I have read a bit about the dangers of drilling tempered glass, how do I find out if mine is tempered ? Also is it possible to drill the tank down the road, or does it have to be done before you start?

Mako56,
Youve got me a little scared about my power bill, is there some calculator online to figure expenses.
I bought the old D' Amicos pizza in Sister Bay. Algoma isnt that far, I would love to see your set-up and maybe get some ideas and guidlines for my new set-up, and buy some stuff off ya...
 
250w would be plenty for what you're planning on keeping in there. 400w would be good for SPS, but if you're planning on keeping all softies/zoas, then there's no need to go larger than 250w. There are calculators out there to help figure electricity cost (and it's not too difficult to do manually), you'll just need the current that the ballasts pull, the time you're planning on running them and the cost of your energy (per kWh).
 
The best way to find out if the tank is tempered is to call the company that makes the tank and ask them. Thats the best way, Jason knows other ways to find out maybe he will chime in to help. (something to do with polorized glasses)
 
I have already purchased the used dual 400 watt mh set-up. It was a great deal and I coudnt pass it up as a way to get into MH. Can I still keep zoo's with this much power... can it be done.
 
Just about anything can be done. Zoos can handle the high light, although I do see conflicting posts aboutthem losing some color under MH. Just build your rock work with lots of overhangs to block some light. Ypou could also use the old trick of blocking the light with screen or raising the lights high enough to diminish the light a little.
jandlms
 
For electrical usage it's easier to use Watts, so...

400 watts + 15% for the ballast (magnetic I am assuming) = 460 watts

460 watts / 1000 = .46 KW hour usage.

8 hours a day x 30 days per month = 240 hours per month usage (estimate)

.46 KW x 240 hours = 110.4 KWH used per month

110.4 KWH x Utility Rate (mine is .10101) = $11.15 + 8% taxes =

****$12.04 per 400 watt MH per 30 day month @ 8 hours per day.

A 250 watt MH would be around $7.00 per month each. Make sure you figure in this $5 difference per month per fixture before you use a fixture that is larger than what you actually need. $10.00 per month adds up very fast! JM2 cents
 
OK, so after you guys planted the seed and doing some more investigating about this overflow, I am going to go with the drilling and bulkhead option.
As I have bought this tank used, how do i find the maker?
I will do some research on drilling, but wheres the best place to get parts, such as bulk heads and loc line, hoses, etc...
 
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