aclos3
New member
We'll its time to do some upgrading!
I have an 18 gallon nano thats been up and running successfully for 6 months now. However, I feel it is time to add a skimmer and a sump to add some water to the system and take out the heater and other filtration from the main tank.
I recently found a new stand at the goodwill that will allow me to fit a 10 gallon underneath. It was quite the find for $6.99. Made of quality pine construction, easily holds 200 lbs and the bottom of the inside of the stand sits flush with the ground, not raised up a few inches off the floor. Although it had aparently been used for a stereo (had connections in the back) it should make the perfect stand! I will post some pics that show the sump and the changes I made to the stand itself in a bit.
The vertical drop from the top of the tank to the bottom of the stand is now 44inches, which I will just round to 4 feet for good measure.
I have an overflow coming that should work well for my application, but I wanted to run my return pump idea by you all.
Below is a link to the power head/return pump I was thinking of using. Ok, I know its not a real "return pump" but shouldn't it work?
Rio 1400+
According to the chart on the site, it should push 243gph with a 4 foot rise. This seems reasonable since the total system will have about 23-24 gallons of water for a total water change of 10x per hour. I will probably use some flexible hosing to return the water to the top of the tank, then drop down into the tank itself with pvc. 3/4" inner diameter outlet on this pump should leave a lot of options for hosing.
So:
-What do you guys think of this pump choice?
-Too much, too little? I will try to have the return pipe opening near the bottom of the tank, will this pump be able to drive enough water through the system or will it blow my reef apart?
-How would you go about fastening the hose to the outlet of this pump if it is a good choice for my setup?
My skimmer is a Coralife SS Needle Wheel up to 65g. I have tested it in freshwater, but I have not actually used it on my set up yet. I have had it for a while now, but never hooked it up since I am just now getting around to adding the sump.
-Will this skimmer overskim my small approx. 24 gallon system?
- Should I set it up on a timer and only run it for part of the day? If so, what kind of hours would you recommend.
Here is the bioload/inhabitants of my tank (see pic):
- 2 inch maroon clown
-2 inch blue damsel
-4" flower anemone
-Serpent starfish
-1 peppermint shrimp
-4-5 turbo snails, 4-5 blue leg hermits.
-green star polyps
-yellow polys
-pulsing xenia (just added)
I have an 18 gallon nano thats been up and running successfully for 6 months now. However, I feel it is time to add a skimmer and a sump to add some water to the system and take out the heater and other filtration from the main tank.
I recently found a new stand at the goodwill that will allow me to fit a 10 gallon underneath. It was quite the find for $6.99. Made of quality pine construction, easily holds 200 lbs and the bottom of the inside of the stand sits flush with the ground, not raised up a few inches off the floor. Although it had aparently been used for a stereo (had connections in the back) it should make the perfect stand! I will post some pics that show the sump and the changes I made to the stand itself in a bit.
The vertical drop from the top of the tank to the bottom of the stand is now 44inches, which I will just round to 4 feet for good measure.
I have an overflow coming that should work well for my application, but I wanted to run my return pump idea by you all.
Below is a link to the power head/return pump I was thinking of using. Ok, I know its not a real "return pump" but shouldn't it work?
Rio 1400+
According to the chart on the site, it should push 243gph with a 4 foot rise. This seems reasonable since the total system will have about 23-24 gallons of water for a total water change of 10x per hour. I will probably use some flexible hosing to return the water to the top of the tank, then drop down into the tank itself with pvc. 3/4" inner diameter outlet on this pump should leave a lot of options for hosing.
So:
-What do you guys think of this pump choice?
-Too much, too little? I will try to have the return pipe opening near the bottom of the tank, will this pump be able to drive enough water through the system or will it blow my reef apart?
-How would you go about fastening the hose to the outlet of this pump if it is a good choice for my setup?
My skimmer is a Coralife SS Needle Wheel up to 65g. I have tested it in freshwater, but I have not actually used it on my set up yet. I have had it for a while now, but never hooked it up since I am just now getting around to adding the sump.
-Will this skimmer overskim my small approx. 24 gallon system?
- Should I set it up on a timer and only run it for part of the day? If so, what kind of hours would you recommend.
Here is the bioload/inhabitants of my tank (see pic):
- 2 inch maroon clown
-2 inch blue damsel
-4" flower anemone
-Serpent starfish
-1 peppermint shrimp
-4-5 turbo snails, 4-5 blue leg hermits.
-green star polyps
-yellow polys
-pulsing xenia (just added)
