New 75 build - want it to be perfect HELP!!!

I have spent the most time so far trying to design this closed loop - and plumb it. I THINK I am happy with the way I have it set up now. Won't know until I get water in the thing.

Goda is correct with his suggestion of using a smaller OM unit. He suggested the SuperSquirt, which will work fine, but they have a new model called the Compact Super Squirt. The compact version looks more like the 4Way & 8Way, but utilizes a 1" inlet and 3/4" outlets. It's capacity is 2500gph, which should be more than adequate for your 75. Here is a link you might find helpful: Compact Super Squirt Note that the price of $225 is about what the Red Sea Wavemaster Pro sells for - without the powerheads.

Glad you decided to drill the tank. Life will be soooo much easier for you without a hang on the back overflow.

If you are on the fence about overflows, let me show you how I had the 75 set up. I posted these pics on another thread last week, you may have seen them already.

This is my horizontal overflow. Note in the bottom picture that the overflow is hardly noticeable against the black background. Once the tank filled up, the overflow was completely out of view.

There are two 1" drains (with 90 degree fittings pointing down) going through the upper portion of the back glass. These are tied into a single 1.5" drain line that goes directly down to the sump. Can't put my finger on pics of the plumbing right now.

Just sharing ideas. I love 75 gallon tanks and hope that you end up with a killer reef!

Horizontal_Overflow1.jpg


horizontal_Overflow2.jpg


Horizontal_Overflow3.jpg


horizontal_Overflow4.jpg
 
Toonascott,

Nice work so far. Sweet fishing pics also. I moved from New Orleans in 2002, and I really miss the fishing.

Stay away from a controller. IMO these things really complicate things for little benefit. I like meters (ORP and pH) but I would not use them to control anything other than my own decisions about when to do water changes or additives. Also, if your controller craps out you got problems.

I really like the Oceanmotion concept. Coralfiend has got one sweet tank!!!! The plumbing on that is first class. The returns in the front with the loc-line tubing is a great idea. I do not think the 40x flow is crazy, that is what valves are for. 30x is probably more of a compromise.

Euro-reef skimmers are the best available. I have never seen a bubbleking, but there is now way I would drop that much for a skimmer. Also, I have never seen a Deltec, but Lunchbucket the skimmer KING beta tester talks about one on his website-- seems favorable.

I would go with a refugium, more water changes (20-40% monthly), and less dependence on chemical filter media. But if it works for you, stick with it.

Spectrapure's dosing pumps are first rate. I have been dosing kalk for almost six years with the same pump, and I have never had any trouble with the pump or with maintaining water levels. Set and forget. About once a month I stick something in the outlet of the tubing to break up calcium deposits.

Good Luck. Enjoy the set-up.
 
Thanks for the compliments jvetter. I also agree with what you said about the EuroReef skimmers. The skimmer I had on the 75 was awesome. Never had to monkey around with dialing it in or anything. Plug it in and empty the cup - often. How much more efficient can you get. The skimmer is also made of first rate materials. How many acrylic objects have you ever seen that look the same five years later? I can clean my ER up and it still looks brand new. I did not use one on my new tank because of space limitations. I hope that doesn't bite me in the rear. I am using a LifeReef skimmer on the new tank. Percieved as "old school" by many, but if it fills the skimmer cup up, that's all I care about. I have never heard anyone complain that the LifeReef skimmers didn't do that. I believe that this is the same skimmer that Melev uses. That's a pretty significant endorsement to me.

Toonascott, you had asked about drawings of the refugium on the 75. I dug up these pics that I took while I was putting it together. I made this out of scrap 1/4" plate glass. It held 30 gallons. Built a little stand for it, to elevate it above the top of the sump. A gravity fed input on one end and an output inside an overflow to control the water level on the opposite end. Anyway, here are the pics. Hope this helps.

This thread is really making me miss my 75! :sad1:

Refugium.jpg


Refugium2.jpg


Refugium3Stand.jpg


Refugium4installed.jpg


Refugium5installed.jpg
 
My take on flow is that it is necessary to help remove waste products from the corals and to keep that waste (along with fish waste and uneaten food) suspended in the water column as long as possible. This will maximize the possibility that it will be skimmed out of the tank by the overflow and not settle to bottom to decompose.

I guess my reasoning is, with my set-up, I can control the flow a bit better, for example I can point outfeed pipes at corals that need high flow and leave he valves wide open, on corals that need low flow, I can leave the valve slightly closed. I'm a control freak I guess :eek1:

As far as the waste goes, I think a nice cleaning crew would take care of that. I want a large cleaning crew, lots os shrimp, snails and at least 2 starfish.

I still think the Oceans Motion system is great, but can't justify the cost just for random flow. I do love the plumbing in your 120 though, those 2 pipes below the sand look sweet! I think I may try to do something like that on my 75.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8090423#post8090423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Phillybean
I guess my reasoning is, with my set-up, I can control the flow a bit better, for example I can point outfeed pipes at corals that need high flow and leave he valves wide open, on corals that need low flow, I can leave the valve slightly closed. I'm a control freak I guess :eek1:

As far as the waste goes, I think a nice cleaning crew would take care of that. I want a large cleaning crew, lots os shrimp, snails and at least 2 starfish.

I still think the Oceans Motion system is great, but can't justify the cost just for random flow. I do love the plumbing in your 120 though, those 2 pipes below the sand look sweet! I think I may try to do something like that on my 75.

Nothing wrong with that. Like I mentioned before, I'm not going to tell you that doing it that way won't work. I know people that have their system set up that way and they are very nice. Just a preference. :)
 
jvetter - thanks for the props man

I also appreciate the advice on controllers. I am going to stick with the little dial type lighting controllers for now. I will ponder the whole controller idea.

I already playing with my new Kent phosphate reactor. I may find that a good skimmer, good flow and water changes take care of any potential phosphate problem.

I think I am going with the euroreef skimmer.

So... looks like my list is coming together.
let me go make that list and post it tonight.
 
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