Sump Configuration

[brian313313]

I am setting up an 8 tank system, fish only, to try some breeding. I'm going to put them on a common sump. I already have built the tanks and stand but now I'm working on the sump. I'd like another set of minds seeing if this configuration will be good. As a breeding system, it will be understocked but overfed.

Stage 1 - Run incoming water through a filter sock. Clean this daily or every other day.
Stage 2 - Protein Skimmer sized for the total system.
Stage 3 - Macroalgae & live rock.
Stage 4 - Pump.

The setup will be 8 - 20 gallon longs with about 15 gallons water each. Then probably a 55 gallon sump. I have 4 ft to work with since I mounted the tanks end-to-end. I figure this is about 150-160 gallons in total.

My goal is to keep water changes to 10%/week. (I'll be testing the water regularly and do what is necessary to keep it clean.) This setup is in the basement and while I have a drains & sump down there, I've been advised that putting saltwater in there will burn out the pump quickly. I'll need to lug the dirty water upstairs. (I may run extra plumbing at some point but it's not worth it at this point.)

 

[brian313313]

Pic of system so far. The 4 bottom aquariums will start as quarantine tanks with live rock and powerhead as the filter. Once things are clear, I'll move the fish and add those tanks to the overall system.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Makes sense so far, except for the rock in the tanks. in the picture. If I may ask, what are you planning on breeding? Not a lot of fish that I know of depend on rock, and a lot will accept PVC pipe for cover instead (makes it easier to clean the tanks), even if they're QT's. PVC seems like a better idea to me since it won't absorb medication if you need to use it. You can also reuse it in the breeder tanks as cover for the fish or spawning sites.

-I'd run it through two equally sized filter socks capable of filtering the tank, in case one of them clogs, or if you can't due to sickness or something.
-Protein skimmer: good!
-Make sure to get a fast growing species of macroalgae. I'm a big fan of Caulerpa prolifera in any tank since it's such a fast grower and is only limited to sand. I assume section 3 is used for biological filtration as well as absorbing some nutrients?
-No aquarium pump that I know of "burns out" due to saltwater...

 

[hotelbravo]

-No aquarium pump that I know of "burns out" due to saltwater...

i believe he was referring to pumping what from the basement up to where the setup is will quickly burn the pump which is why he said he would have to lug the water up the stairs.

 

[shifty51008]

I dont understand why it would burn out the pump, as long as you get a quality pump. I use a blueline to pump water up to the 1st floor from the basement to do water changes on my fry/growout tanks. Unless your talking about a sump pump, then yes that will not last long in saltwater, unless you can find one made for it.

Btw make sure to paint the sides of the tanks black except for the viewing side. I would also paint the bottoms white.

 

[reefer1970]

I think the pump he is referring to is his house sump pump in the hole in his floor. He wants to dump his waste water in there. Maybe those have metal parts that can rust. Please tell me those horizontal wooden supports on the stand aren't just screwed in from the sides.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Good catch reefer1970, I too noticed that when I first saw the picture but it didn't register so early in the morning. LOL

A redesign is in order for that stand to hold the weight of those tanks full of water. Need upright boards underneath on all corners. Never trust screws or nails to support weight.

 

[shifty51008]

The side boards have 90 degree metal brackets holding up the supports but i would still use boards under the supports as that will be alot of weight once filled.

 

[ThRoewer]

...
-Make sure to get a fast growing species of macroalgae. I'm a big fan of Caulerpa prolifera in any tank since it's such a fast grower and is only limited to sand. I assume section 3 is used for biological filtration as well as absorbing some nutrients?
...

Any species of Caulerpa is a poor choice as they tend to sexually reproduce and then mess up your water.

Chaetomorpha is a much better choice as it is even faster growing and not nearly as likely to sexually reproduce as Caulerpa.
Also it doesn't need any substrate and can even be used as a filter to sediment out detritus.
It also supports pods better.

The side boards have 90 degree metal brackets holding up the supports but i would still use boards under the supports as that will be alot of weight once filled.

Metal braces, if not made of corrosion resistant steel (SS316 would be my suggestion for saltwater) are going to cause more problems than they solve

I've build stands where I made wooden "ladders" that were glued together and then held together by the boards that carried the tanks. Worked out fine.

... Never trust screws or nails to support weight.

Tell that the guys who build houses around here!
The crappy way they build them makes me shiver. And then they charge you a million dollars for that garbage.
None of those houses will last a couple hundred years... maybe 30, 50 if you are lucky.

 

[Bradw18]

Iv been thinking bout doing the same thing be easier then doing water changes on seperate tanks. iv slowly been drilling all my tanks in hopes of one day having them all connected threw a sump. And once happens I'll convert all my tanks to saltwater lol.

 

[brian313313]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sorry I haven't replied. I didn't get any notifications on this thread.

To confirm, I'm referring to my sump pump for the basement. That's not designed for saltwater. To pump the water upstairs, I'd need to do some plumbing work. I may do that some day but not in the short-term.

The rock is just in the tanks for filtration during the quarantine period. I plan on getting young fish and letting them grow together. That rock will be in the sump once I drill the tanks. That way it will already be seeded. Tanks have been painted black except for the front viewing window. This is going into a dedicated fish-room so will not have much traffic either. I'll put something over the front window while not viewing it.

All the metal in the stand for the braces and screws are galvanized. When building this, I thought they were rust-proof but after googling a little it looks like people have had trouble with this around saltwater aquariums. I will replace the L-brackets with wood. Then I can sink the screws deeper, plug them, and paint over the holes to prevent water contact. The screws are angled to reduce shear strength. I've climbed and jumped on this and it's feels very solid. It's made of 2x6 and each shelf will support about 60 gallons of water. Think this will be enough?

 

[brian313313]

My first breeding plans are clowns & cardinals. Not sure on the specific species' yet. That depends on what my LFS wants to buy. They'll buy percula & ocellaris I know. I'd like to try Banggai cardinals but they prefer blue-eyed and are trying to convince me to go that way. After that, we'll see. It depends how that goes. Freshwater breeding is so easy by comparison.