New Tank Set Up Questions

[cincyjim]

I just received my SCA 150. It doesn't have the black frame around the top and bottom of the tank. Do I need to put anything under the bottom glass of the tank? It looks to be flush with the top of the stand which is solid plywood. The other question I have is do I need to put egg crate in the bottom of the tank for the rock to rest on? The glass is 1/2" thick.
Thanks much!
Jim

 

[crazycolt42]

Congrats on the tank! I purchased the same one. It should have come with a thin foam piece that is the same size as the tank. My understanding is this can be placed under the tank to help with leveling. I do not think it is necessary though. As long as the plywood is level, you will be fine. As far as egg crate goes, I am new to saltwater, but have a lot of experience in freshwater where heavy rocks are used, and the main reason to use egg crate, is if there is the possibility of your aquascape collapsing. The SCA glass is very thick and if you do your aquascape correctly (don't have sand b/t your LR and glass bottom, don't just stack a bunch of rock loosely without it being stabilized and fixed in place) you should be fine. I know plenty of rock aquascapes that have been done without egg crate and without any problems. That being said, if you are going to have large pieces of rock, and do not trust yourself to not loose your grip on it while moving it around or rearranging, might be worth considering. The other downside (anybody else please chime in) is the possibility of the egg crate becoming exposed in the sand and trapping detritus which could lead to a nutrient problem in a reef tank.

 

[CrayolaViolence]

It is my understanding you always want to put something under a tank that does not have a rim around the bottom. If they supplied a mat, use it. If they did not, then call and ask if you need one. I'd follow the manufacturers rules so not to void any warranties.


As for something on the inside, it's just a good idea. A PVC mat or egg crate either one. While the weight of the rocks won't hurt the glass its the weight of the rocks on a grain of sand or a point on the rocks that could potentially cause an issue. Potentially, that's all.

 

[Pond Boy]

Welcome to the addiction... I would put the Styrofoam under the tank just for piece of mind. When ever I set up a new aqua scape I like to use PVC pipe 3" or 4" pieces I set the rock on these for stability.

 

[cincyjim]

Congrats on the tank! I purchased the same one. It should have come with a thin foam piece that is the same size as the tank. My understanding is this can be placed under the tank to help with leveling. I do not think it is necessary though. As long as the plywood is level, you will be fine. As far as egg crate goes, I am new to saltwater, but have a lot of experience in freshwater where heavy rocks are used, and the main reason to use egg crate, is if there is the possibility of your aquascape collapsing. The SCA glass is very thick and if you do your aquascape correctly (don't have sand b/t your LR and glass bottom, don't just stack a bunch of rock loosely without it being stabilized and fixed in place) you should be fine. I know plenty of rock aquascapes that have been done without egg crate and without any problems. That being said, if you are going to have large pieces of rock, and do not trust yourself to not loose your grip on it while moving it around or rearranging, might be worth considering. The other downside (anybody else please chime in) is the possibility of the egg crate becoming exposed in the sand and trapping detritus which could lead to a nutrient problem in a reef tank.

Thanks for the reply. Well, if the piece of thin foam was black in color then yes I received that however, I thought it was part of the packing materials and it is now at the dump. It would have been nice if it stated do not throw away lol. I'm actually very impressed with how level the top of the stand is. The tank sits absolutely flush with the stand. I had asked the question because I've never had a tank without the black framing on it. I don't have egg crate with my current tank but I've seen others on here mentioning that they used it. I wasn't sure if was being used to spread the load weight of the rock or if it was for something else. I'm at a toss up if I'll use the egg crate at this point.

Since you have the same tank, for plumbing the overflow, I gather you have to glue the stand pipes to the bulk heads were provided and if you don't then you'll have 150 gallons of water on the flow. Is that correct? Thanks!

 

[cincyjim]

I just spoke with Steve at SCA and he said you have to have a mat under the tank to provide an even spread to the surface of the glass. Since I threw away what they provided, he said for me to use a yoga mat that is less than 1/4" thick.

 

[crazycolt42]

Good to know! I totally agree with you. There is no mention of that in anything that came with the tank. I suspected that styrofoam was for something maybe, but I trashed mine too. I made my own stand, and really made sure it was level, but I guess it is technically a frameless tank with inside bracing. Certainly won't hurt to put a yoga mat under it. There is a SCA aquarium owners thread under lighting, filtration, and equipment. In there someone mentions to not glue your drain pipes and return pipe to the bulkheads because if a strainer gets clogged, you will have to take it out. I wondered the same thing as you, but apparently it will not leak if it's just dry fitted in the overflow. Thanks again for the info. I'm just about to put this big sucker on the stand and did not plan on putting anything under it. I just have to recruit a couple of friends to help me lift it off the floor. I've had it sitting on plywood on the floor. Hope it's OK This might be a little off topic, but what do you plan on doing with your tank?

 

[Lmax8rn]

I use those pink 2 x 2 sheets of foam insulation from Home Depot. They work great.

 

[crazycolt42]

I use those pink 2 x 2 sheets of foam insulation from Home Depot. They work great.

Good idea! That'll be easier than a yoga mat!

 

[Lmax8rn]

Good idea! That'll be easier than a yoga mat!

You're welcome! Good luck!

 

[cincyjim]

Those foam sheets would be a great idea too. I'll look into those, thanks!

I'm not planning on using the strainers that came with the bulk heads. Mainly because they are at the bulk head and not at the top of the pipe. Once this is set up I don't see myself being able to reach down two feet to get to the strainer to clean it (I'm only 5'5"). My plan is to use a strainer that fits on top of the overflow pipe. If anyone sees a problem with this please let me know. My real concern though is the overflow box has slits in the bottom of it which in my mind will allow for water to be continuous in the overflow box and as such water will have the chance to drain (seep) through an unglued pipe/bulk head which is at the bottom of the tank which could mean that potentially the whole tank could drain should the main pump fail (power outage/mechanical). My current tank is not drilled and has an overflow box that I put on it (the one with the u-tube) so I have no experience with a reef ready overflow box. I'll ask about this on the SCA thread to see what everyone has done.

My plans... I bought all new sand and I will transfer all my rock, corals, fish, and equipment from my 75g tank to this one. I plan to get some additional rock from TBS to make up the difference. I did buy a new sump though as my current one limits me greatly. Other than that... I just wanted a new tank and to get away from using a u-tube overflow box as I worry that it will fail or something will get clogged in it. I'd like to get some schooling fish but we'll see.

How about you... what are your plans for your tank?

 

[Thornbreaker]

Good luck with your new tank! I'm ordering a 150 from SCA in about a month from now. Good to know it comes with a foam piece as needed or where to get one if it doesn't. I'll be putting mine in wall, so I'm just waiting on our trim guy at this point to get started.

 

[cincyjim]

You'll love the tank... absolutely amazing quality and look! When you open the tank box there will be a thin black color styrofoam sheet on the very top of the tank. That is the piece that goes between the top of the stand and bottom of your tank. Good luck to you as well

 

[crazycolt42]

Sounds like a plan! I am wondering the same thing about the holes @ the bottom. There has been no mention of those holes or what would happen if you take a pipe out. I totally see what your saying and have wondered how those factor in. Thing is, I cannot imagine that they drain the tank before doing anything to one of the overflow pipes?? Apparently, you can purchase an overflow cover from SCA that takes the place of the strainers. I don't want to use them either as they would clog up more often and affect the flow. Thinking about looking into this overflow cover, but since I am running my return up the back, not sure if that will work or not. This is my first saltwater tank, but been doing fresh for years. I'm undecided whether to run a FOWLR or full on mixed reef. I have two daughters in sports and am pretty busy, so the husbandry required for a reef worries me a little, but the more I read about various fish species, the more it sounds like saltwater FOWLR's aren't necessarily that much easier to maintain. I have Varios 6 return pump, trigger 34 sump, and Tunze ATO so far, but this project is slow moving do to time and $$. Thanks again for your help on your own thread! I've had all the same questions, but hadn't asked anyone yet.

 

[Thornbreaker]

Take your time crazycolt. I'm starting FOWLR, but that makes it pretty easy to get a coral or two if I want down the road.

When you guys are talking about the 150 tank, i've been assuming the bottom center 3 holes are screened off with an overflow as in the pictures so that you can do Herbie overflow at least. Is that right? I was going to use all three, including one of them for the return.

 

[crazycolt42]

Take your time crazycolt. I'm starting FOWLR, but that makes it pretty easy to get a coral or two if I want down the road.

When you guys are talking about the 150 tank, i've been assuming the bottom center 3 holes are screened off with an overflow as in the pictures so that you can do Herbie overflow at least. Is that right? I was going to use all three, including one of them for the return.

We'll do Thornbreaker. I have considered keeping my options open by starting with a FOWLR. Only thing is if I go with FOWLR, I will be tempted to get valentini puffer and/or a butterfly. I could use some restraint though and stick with a "reef safe FOWLR" to keep my options open. Yes you are correct. Three bulkheads/holes. They provide you with the return T, one full siphon, and one emergency drain to run a Herbie just as you plan on doing. I have read about some extending the emergency up towards the top, which seems like a good idea to me as the emergency drain seems way too short.

 

[Thornbreaker]

Thanks. Good to know. I can see how a puffer or butterfly could make a difference. I'm looking more at a mandarin and reef safe over time.

Sent from my SM-G900R7 using Tapatalk

 

[cincyjim]

Crazycolt42, well it was brought to my attention by the SCA thread members that there is a glass overflow behind the overflow box. I never thought to see if there was an actual glass overflow and that the black overflow was just a cover. I thought the black one was the actual overflow box. From what they said, since the water over flows between the cover and the overflow that the holes on the bottom of the cover allow for debris to flow back out to the tank so it doesn't become a mess and what not. That being said it isn't necessary to glue the pipes to the bulkheads.

I know others that have reading this must be laughing but this is my first reef ready tank as my current tank is not which is why i was so confused.

My plans are to start doing the plumbing this weekend and get my lights installed on the canopy. If all that goes well, then next week I'll start making the water and do the transfer from my current tank to this tank. It'll be a challenge for sure but I can't wait for the payoff.

 

[crazycolt42]

I'm right there with you man. I really had no idea, but makes sense now. Thanks again for the helping figure this out. I'm excited to hear how it goes. Before you know it... :fish1: I noticed you have 6x54 t5's on your other tank and two 6095's. I have been looking hard at the 6095's for my tank, but am worried it might not be quite enough flow. Have you been happy with them?Also have considered going all t5's since it is tried and true tech. Are you getting all new pumps and lighting for this tank?

 

[cincyjim]

I love the 6095s. They run on the Tunze 7095 controller not my Apex. Maybe one day I'll integrate them with the Apex but no plans to do so soon. I have one on each side of the tank. The left side of my current tank is where my return line is so I can only run the left 6095 at about 40-45% and the right 6095 runs about 60-65%. The are very powerful and should do the job in the 150g tank. I'll just up the percentage on them. I do foresee that I may need to get a couple 6055s to run from the back of the tank about middle ways down to move that area and I'll hook those into the 7095 to have true alternating current.

I will use my current T5 lights but I did get 2 Reef Brite XHO strips (all blue) to provide additional coverage. I've never used LEDs before so this will be trial and error for me. My T5s sit about 4" above the water line on my current tank but with the 150g canopy they'll be about 9" above the water line which is why I bought the XHO strips. Might be an overkill so we'll see. I hated to spend that much money on XHOs though. I probably should have waited to see how things looked and then bought them if I needed them. The 150 is 3" taller and 6" deeper and 1' longer so I thought I would need to boost the T5s.