Planning my 90g, opinions please

[ACBlinky]

The time has come to upgrade again, and this time we're going as big as we can. We have a nook in our apartment that measures 23" deep x 50.5" wide (meant for bookshelves), so the largest tank footprint that will fit is 48" x 18". Because I'm fairly small, I wouldn't be able to reach the bottom of a 30" deep tank, so we're going to go with a 90g (48"L x 18"W x 24"H).

I just got off the phone with the LFS and have a few questions about the tank and equipment they have - I want to make sure I'm buying something decent, this tank isn't going to be horribly expensive, but it's not cheap either.

The RR 90s they have are made by Perfecto or All-Glass. The Perfectos are slightly more expensive. Both have a single corner overflow - I prefer the look of a single corner overflow to two on the back, which I've seen on other tanks, but is there a disadvantage to only having one? Would Perfecto or All-Glass be better, or does it matter?

The sump they recommended is a Saline Solutions 24" x 12" w/d (I'd trash the bioballs), so I'm assuming it's somewhere around 20g. It's $369.99 (Canadian), I have no idea if that's a decent price or not.

The pump they pair with that sump is a Coralife Turbo Sea 1270. I looked it up, it looks like a nice pump but I really have no way to tell (never had a sump or CL before, all this is new to me). Is 1270gph @ 0ft enough, or too much? The inlet and outlet are 1", so I'm assuming that means all the plumbing is 1" in diameter? They want $150 for all the plumbing, which sounds excessive for me - I'd rather read some more build threads, bombard you guys with questions and then do it myself with PVC from Home Depot.

Thanks so much for helping, I really want to get this right the first time

 

[Trigeek]

I would reommend not buying their sump. I used an old 20g I had lying around for my sump and set up a 5 1/2g tank for a refugium. I had three pieces (well, actually four because of my stupidity :rolleye1: ) cut for under $20.00 for the baffles which I just siliconed in place. Total cost of my sump was under $35.00. I also flirted with the idea of buying the wet-dry (similar price), but the thought better of it. You can make a sump out of anything - old tank, rubbermaid containers etc. I would hold the sump money for other stuff (lighting etc.) and just get a sump that is functional for now. That was my plan, but this sump is working so well that I don't have plans to change it anytime soon!

As for the pump, I have an Eheim 1260 which is moderately priced (search the sponsors). You can definately do the plumbing yourself with guidance from the peeps on this board.

The overflow is really a matter of preference. I have one internal overflow that is placed slightly offcenter on the back glass (I have an Allglass 90g).. If you get a black background, you won't notice it.

 

[stereomandan]

One corner overflow is fine.

I agree with Trigeek. Make a sump out of a 29g tank or something similar. I'm going to use my old 38g for mine.

You could go with a lower flow return pump, and then make a closed loop system. That's what I'm doing.

Dan

 

[MrsDorothy]

I have a 30g rubbermaid container for sump. My tank is not drilled. I have a 600gph overflow with a mag 7 for the return. This is how the previous owner had the tank set up.

Congtats on the 90.

 

[ACBlinky]

LOL thanks MrsD, don't congratulate us yet, the new owners of the 65g still have to come and pick it up (tomorrow). We're starting from zero, trying to get everything we did wrong before right this time 'round. The price difference between undrilled and RR isn't much (~$140), and it sounds like we can build a sump fairly cheaply, so the rest of the money from the old tank, lighting and corals will go towards a decent pump, plumbing, sump and - whoopee! - a MH/T5 or MH/PC combo fixture.

Thanks for the help guys, I'm going to go run a search on DIY sumps and see what I can find, then maybe I'll draw something up and ask you for some more feedback

 

[reefbuzz]

Don't pay someone to do your plumbing, it's not hard and you can buy all of the fittings online or at Home Depot and DIY. Use more than 1"; just because the pump inlet and outlet is 1" it doesn't mean you need to use that; larger diameter pipe has less friction and less head pressure. The pump size you selected seems right for a 90g. Also, true or single union valves on both ends of the pump are a must.

I wouldn't pay that price for a sump either; you can probably have one custom made from Miracle Aquariums just outside of Toronto, ina town called Missassuagua or something like that, for less than that price and it will be twice as nice plus it can be made out of acrylic.

I'd also buy a kalk reactor and auto water topoff (float valve).

Keep the posts coming on RC and you'll get it done right. Research and be patient. Good luck.

 

[ACBlinky]

Thanks
Patience is definitely the name of the game with this tank. Until recently the idea of going SLOW never really appealed, and then one day I looked into my overstocked tank full of bare rock and realized that rushing things and selecting the wrong animals had resulted in something less than the marine tank I always dreamed about. Now the goal is to take my time, learn how to plumb a tank (and probably build my own sump), read up on lighting, and once everything's up and running I'll get some uncured rock to seed what we've already got with pods and worms. We're going to stock with just a few peaceful fish (a shrimp goby and a few Talbot's damsels), some shrimp and a couple snails, but for the first few months we're just going to sit back and watch our box of rocks come alive.

Oh, and I do really (REALLY) want an ATO, that's on the list right after the lights

 

[Nano Chris]

Id go with All-Glass, quality seems better, and for a 90gal i use a eheim 1262 with the aga overflow and megaflow sump. Does the job but you can use just a 20gal or 30 gal to do the job. I am not sure on the price because ur in Canada but here i paid abt $265 or so for the 90gal with the overflow.

 

[ACBlinky]

Thanks for the advice
Here the tank is $319.99, which is about $281.50 US, so I guess prices are pretty similar.

I'm definitely going to try to build my own sump, I've been looking at the 'Everything you ever wanted to know about sumps' articles in Reefkeeping Magazine, as well as plans on www.melevsreef.com and I'm starting to feel less confused. The one thing I'm not so sure about is drilling - if I have to drill a hole in the sump, I may chicken out and have someone build it for me. My husband wasn't really blessed with the handyman gene (I'm usually the one who does little repairs), and drilling through glass is a little beyond what I feel comfortable with.

 

[pop-i]

take the advise from Melvels reef and buil your own sump. That's where i got my influences from to build by own custom sump and refugium and it has worked out beautifulkly for me. Combined with a DSB and tons of LR my tank has near perfect pollutant levels (nitrate and phosphates). I built something similar to the model F sump and it rocks in my 90 gallon (same diameters as the one you're looking at). Besides its much more fun to build one yourself instead of paying some shmuck to do the job for you. It will definitely make you a much more competant reefer if you're invloved in all of the aspects of tank construction. As for the plumbing DIY! I think that it cost me less that $40 to do all of the plumbing in my 90 and my 24 nano.