Novice Aquarist - Sump & Equipment Questions

[SFMAquariums]

Hello!

I recently bought a house that came with a ~225 gallon (72" long x 24" deep x 30" high) built into the wall of the basement, with access to the back of the aquarium through the laundry/storage room. This has prompted me to dive into the hobby of saltwater aquariums! The aquarium was initially used for freshwater fish but I am planning to repurpose it for use as a saltwater mixed reef tank. The house also came with a tank for use as a sump that is ~45 gallon (48" long x 18' deep x 12' wide).

I have already purchased some initial equipment, including the following:
-RedSea ReefMatt 1200
-RedSea Reefer DC Skimmer 600
-RedSea ReefRun G2 DC Pump 8000
-IM Helio Universal Aquarium Heater Controller
-2 x 300 Watt Eheim Jagger heaters
-Tropic Marin High Precision Hydrometer + 500 mL graduated cylinder
-Instant Ocean Reef Crystals (320 gallon)
-R/O filtration system


I am in the process of making a DIY durso standpipe & am looking to order a custom weir/overflow box to fit this. I am also in the process of ordering a custom made sump/baffle kit from Modular Marine (modularmarine) to build my sump. I therefore had a few questions regarding this:
1) Is a single durso standpipe/overflow sufficient for a ~225 gallon aquarium or should I be looking to add an additional overflow?
2) How many chambers should an ideal sump for a tank of this size have? I was initially planning for an initial chamber with pre-filter socks & the ReefMatt, a second chamber with the protein skimmer, a third chamber for a refugium & then a final chamber for the return pump.
3) In the order process, Modular Marine has asked me how many baffles I want & if I want these baffles to be built so water passes through the middle or if I want water to have to pass over the top of the baffle. They have also asked me how tall I need the baffles to be for the ones that the water flows over the top (teeth are 1' tall on these so add 1' to how high you need the water level). I have been trying to find resources to help me with this but am striking out online so far.
4) I am currently also in the process of sorting out lighting & wavemakers. I am considering sticking with RedSea products just for ease of use with everything being on one system/app but was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this? Further more, I was tentatively planning to start with 2 of the ReefWave 45 (one at each end of the tank for cyclical water flow) & 2 of the ReefLED G2. Does anybody have strong thoughts about these products/this plan?

As I mentioned I am completely green to this hobby so any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much.

 

[SFMAquariums]

Took some photos in case that helps!

(wasn’t sure which forum I should post this in so did cross post, happy to delete whoever ones are incorrectly posted)

 

[Reefing102]

Welcome to RC!

My experience has been most tanks that big generally have two overflows (one in each corner). Whether or not that’s is needed, I think will depend on how you get your flow set up.

The number of chambers is up to you, but your 4 chamber set up sounds like a plan (some may shorten it to 3 chambers and put equipment like the protein skimmer in the return chamber.

As for baffles, I’m always for the tried and true ones that flow over the top. Now how tall, I can’t be certain, but you will want to have enough space in your sump for water to drain from your main display (from display water height to overflow drain height) when power is off/goes out. I’d take a look at some Red Sea or trigger sump set ups to get a rough idea of how they have their baffles set up.

To be fair to Red Sea, while I would never reccomend their tanks, their equipment seems to generally be pretty good. That being said, if your wanting adequate light coverage (if you’re going to attempt corals/anemones), you’re likely going to want 3-4 ReefLED as each set up is designed for a maximum spread of 24”x24” at max height.

As to their wavemakers, the amount of flow you need/want will depend on your aquascape and the types/quantity of corals you grow. Soft corals generally only need lower flow where as SPS corals need high flow. Plus as corals grow, the flow pattern changes in the tank which may require additional wavemakers or adjusting the current ones.

I hope this helps some!

 

[griss]

Welcome to RC!

My experience has been most tanks that big generally have two overflows (one in each corner). Whether or not that’s is needed, I think will depend on how you get your flow set up.

The number of chambers is up to you, but your 4 chamber set up sounds like a plan (some may shorten it to 3 chambers and put equipment like the protein skimmer in the return chamber.

As for baffles, I’m always for the tried and true ones that flow over the top. Now how tall, I can’t be certain, but you will want to have enough space in your sump for water to drain from your main display (from display water height to overflow drain height) when power is off/goes out. I’d take a look at some Red Sea or trigger sump set ups to get a rough idea of how they have their baffles set up.

To be fair to Red Sea, while I would never reccomend their tanks, their equipment seems to generally be pretty good. That being said, if your wanting adequate light coverage (if you’re going to attempt corals/anemones), you’re likely going to want 3-4 ReefLED as each set up is designed for a maximum spread of 24”x24” at max height.

As to their wavemakers, the amount of flow you need/want will depend on your aquascape and the types/quantity of corals you grow. Soft corals generally only need lower flow where as SPS corals need high flow. Plus as corals grow, the flow pattern changes in the tank which may require additional wavemakers or adjusting the current ones.

I hope this helps some!

I agree and can't add anything additional.