Reef aquarium build for a 100% saltwater n00b

andyahunt · 01/22/2012, 06:33 PM

Ok, so i'm going to piece together and build a reef tank soon. I have never ever dabbled in saltwater tanks before. All of my fish keeping experience is keeping 1 Piranha in a 29 gallon tank. That tank sprung a leak *saved the fish!* and months later, i'm jonesing to dive into a reef tank.

I have done a decent amount of research, and have decided on a 55 gallon display tank with a 10 gallon sump, and a separate 10 gallon refugium. The reason I plan on doing 2 10 gallon tanks for the sump/refugium, is simply because it will only cost me $16 for the tanks. I'd much rather have a 20 long, or even a 40 long, but i cant find any cheap used ones.

I plan on doing a gravity DIY PVC pipe overflow from the main tank to the sump with a bio bag and protein skimmer, than another DIY PVC pipe overflow to the refugium with a small section of the refugium housing a heater and a 950 GPH pond pump for the return.

One issue I have, is matching my gravity fed PVC overflow's with my return pump. based on this chart, 1" PVC pipe for the overflow's would suffice. Is that correct?

In my display tank, I would have about 100 pound's of cheap play sand mixed with 20 or 30 pounds of live sand to give me an estimated 4" sand bed. On top of that, I would have a crap load of pukani dry rock mixed with a few pounds of seriously encrusted live rock.

In my refugium, I would have a large amount of reef rubble as my substrate, and a mix of kato and caulerpa algae.

How does this setup sound to you guys? Please give me as much constructive criticism as possible! Thanks.

michaelr · 01/22/2012, 07:38 PM

i have no experience with diy overflows but to me it sounds risky. the reason being is that a professionally made overflow has a high enough risk to malfunction in some way as it is. Now, obviously i dont know your expertise in plumbing or building overflows so it is all guessing. Also, the one thing id be afraid of with cheap play sand is it leeching a lot of silica into the water.

mikeyj28 · 01/22/2012, 07:51 PM

The "cheap play sand" is not a good idea. Most play sands have silicates in them that will cause you more problems than good. You would be mostly battling algae outbreaks with the play sand. I would just use sand that is designed for reef tanks. Also Caulerpa is generally considered good when it stays where it is suppose too, but it can easily become a weed that can be difficult to eradicate in the reef tank. If you introduce Caulerpa into your main tank, on accident, keep a close eye on it and prune heavily to keep it in check. I would just stick with Chaeto.

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01/22/2012, 06:33 PM	#1
andyahunt Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 1	Reef aquarium build for a 100% saltwater n00b Ok, so i'm going to piece together and build a reef tank soon. I have never ever dabbled in saltwater tanks before. All of my fish keeping experience is keeping 1 Piranha in a 29 gallon tank. That tank sprung a leak saved the fish! and months later, i'm jonesing to dive into a reef tank. I have done a decent amount of research, and have decided on a 55 gallon display tank with a 10 gallon sump, and a separate 10 gallon refugium. The reason I plan on doing 2 10 gallon tanks for the sump/refugium, is simply because it will only cost me $16 for the tanks. I'd much rather have a 20 long, or even a 40 long, but i cant find any cheap used ones. I plan on doing a gravity DIY PVC pipe overflow from the main tank to the sump with a bio bag and protein skimmer, than another DIY PVC pipe overflow to the refugium with a small section of the refugium housing a heater and a 950 GPH pond pump for the return. One issue I have, is matching my gravity fed PVC overflow's with my return pump. based on this chart, 1" PVC pipe for the overflow's would suffice. Is that correct? In my display tank, I would have about 100 pound's of cheap play sand mixed with 20 or 30 pounds of live sand to give me an estimated 4" sand bed. On top of that, I would have a crap load of pukani dry rock mixed with a few pounds of seriously encrusted live rock. In my refugium, I would have a large amount of reef rubble as my substrate, and a mix of kato and caulerpa algae. How does this setup sound to you guys? Please give me as much constructive criticism as possible! Thanks.

01/22/2012, 07:38 PM	#2
michaelr Young Reefer Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Missouri Posts: 507	i have no experience with diy overflows but to me it sounds risky. the reason being is that a professionally made overflow has a high enough risk to malfunction in some way as it is. Now, obviously i dont know your expertise in plumbing or building overflows so it is all guessing. Also, the one thing id be afraid of with cheap play sand is it leeching a lot of silica into the water. __________________ I wish there was an undo button on reef keeping Current Tank Info: 55 long and 28 gallon biocube

01/22/2012, 07:51 PM	#3
mikeyj28 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 834	The "cheap play sand" is not a good idea. Most play sands have silicates in them that will cause you more problems than good. You would be mostly battling algae outbreaks with the play sand. I would just use sand that is designed for reef tanks. Also Caulerpa is generally considered good when it stays where it is suppose too, but it can easily become a weed that can be difficult to eradicate in the reef tank. If you introduce Caulerpa into your main tank, on accident, keep a close eye on it and prune heavily to keep it in check. I would just stick with Chaeto.