"OverKill" Reef - My Project

Jcohen9999 · 03/13/2004, 10:06 PM

Hi All,

I started out as a member of this board by lurking for many months and then about 3 months ago I posted my plans for my first tank setup<< click here >> .

Basically my plans are the same except that I am going for MH lighting from the get go. Anyway, I have finally started the project and following in the footsteps of others I have decided to keep a weekly log of my trials and tribulations in this thread and maybe along the way get some hints/tricks/traps from you all.

Here we go....Weekend #1

Got my Rubbermaid sump and refugium tanks:

and started plumbing them by creating an overflow:

from the fuge to the sump:

and of course I had to start the plumbing inside of the cabinets before the counter top goes on:

Next week's installation will include the RO/DI unit, the closed-loop and the pumps.

Wish me luck and thanks for viewing my post. Any comments or suggestions would be most welcome.

Regards,
Jeff

christsoldiers · 03/14/2004, 12:23 AM

wow, that's a serious amount of sump for a 26 gallon tank! You'r gonna have like twice the tank volume in the sump! Lookin forward to seeing it all done.

Jcohen9999 · 03/14/2004, 06:44 AM

Me too

But actually it should about 175 gallons total for a 26 gallon display....So here's a question that I dont have the answers to:

When I go to buy liverock do I buy for 175 gallons or 26 gallons?

Jeff

xfactor · 03/14/2004, 07:47 AM

175 - as long as you have a good sand bed, you don't really need rock in your sump, its really up to you.

thats nothing when I do my new setup in my basement I am going to have a 300 gallon sump :P

Jcohen9999 · 03/14/2004, 08:22 AM

Oops....there goes the budget. Buying enough LR for 175 gallons is going to hurt.

But let me ask you for clarification: There is no way that 350 lbs of LR is going to fit in the 26Gal tank so I would assume that a lot of this rock is going into either the sump or the fuge. How does this mesh with your statement about not needing LR in the sump?

Jeff

Wheeldog63 · 03/14/2004, 09:45 AM

I would put the majority of it in the 'fuge, with a little in the some if you want, that way the liverock will host a plethera of differant creatures in the 'fuge and you also get the filtering capabilities of the rock. Your filtering capabilities on this will be insane for a 26 gal display. Also, how long before you upgrade

Since we all know you will want to in the near future, and will have the setup to do it.

~Kelly

jon007 · 03/14/2004, 10:01 AM

I wish i had a basement so i could have a crazy sump / fuge setup like that. With such an elaborate / huge filtration setup, why not with a bigger show tank?

reefjunkie3 · 03/14/2004, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xfactor
175 - as long as you have a good sand bed, you don't really need rock in your sump, its really up to you.

thats nothing when I do my new setup in my basement I am going to have a 300 gallon sump :P

Talk is cheap

xfactor · 03/14/2004, 11:09 AM

yah it is, but the price diffrent between a 150 gallon and 300 gallon tub is 30$ so BLEH! ;P

and depends on how much flow you depend on having in your sump, if its a wide and deep enough sump, I would turn the entire thing into a fuge like I will be doing with mine.

BarryG · 03/14/2004, 12:23 PM

ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a serious sump I wish I had a basement so I could have one. Good luckÃ¢â‚¬Â¦.

xfactor · 03/14/2004, 12:26 PM

yah hehe I got a finished basment that is the size of the foundation of my house, so :P I got room for 20+ of them if I really wanted to put some massive tubs in there.

marine61 · 03/14/2004, 04:48 PM

You don't need that much rock as long as you don't put a heavy bioload in the main display. Of course more is better.

Jcohen9999 · 03/14/2004, 06:33 PM

Thanks for the replies.

The plan is to eventually add another 100-150 gal tank sometime in the future so i guess you could consider this part of that plan but then again the situation worked out where what ever sump/fuge I was getting was going to be in the basement so the 2 100 gal stocks tanks still cost me less than a smaller acrylic sump/fuge and I did have the room.

Anyway, I am considering getting a "package" from TBS for a 40 gal tank as a starter and then add live rock from different locals as I go. Most of it would go in to the display tank as I don't plan on having very many fish (except for the required clownfish - bosses orders

) but I know about the benefits of LR in the sump so that's another reason it is so big.

I plan on updating this thread as I go so check back from time to time and make sure I dont screw this up

Regards,
Jeff

Jcohen9999 · 03/16/2004, 05:52 PM

I got tonight a little early so I was able to drop the tank off to be drilled.

Specs for drilling:

I also decided to make my own internal overflow but the acrylic store was closed before I got there. I'll try again later in the week.

Any input would be appreciated....

Jeff

Tarasco1 · 03/16/2004, 06:00 PM

Looks good. SCWD's are getting a bad rap at the moment, supposedly they cause a loss of flow rate. Some people are just going with T's. Keep us updated!

Jcohen9999 · 03/16/2004, 07:12 PM

I know about the loss of flow rate that is why I decided to go for Mag18s for both the return (15 ft of head loss) and the closedloop (10ft of head loss and the SCWD). Should be enough for a 26 gal tank. If it turns out to not be enough for the sump then I could always add a PH in there.

Thanks,
Jeff

Jcohen9999 · 03/17/2004, 12:14 PM

Just ordered the the following:

PF5517 .24IN ACROLIGHT:150MH+2X55WCF+PFO BLST
AS2141 SeaTesT Hydrometer
SFPR SALIFERT REEF PACKAGE TEST KITS
DN1115 Mag-Drive Supreme 1.5 140 GPH Water Pump
DN1131 Mag-Drive Supreme 18 1800 GPH Pump
3Q1111 SCWD - SWITCHING CURRENT WATER DIRECTOR
WB1127 WON Pro-Heat IC Heater 500 Watt
VA1123 ViaAqua VA300G Heater 300 Watt
FT1514 Plastic Hose Clamp 3/4"
FT1515 Plastic Hose Clamp 1"
SF1135 Salifert pH Test Kit
SF1129 Salifert Nitrate Test Kit

From MarineDepot.

Now I need to sit and wait for the UPS shipment....I guess I can spend sometime with the family for the next 5-10 business days

Jeff

Jcohen9999 · 03/20/2004, 04:47 PM

I just got the tank back and it looks great!

Still waiting for my order from MarineDepot.

Jeff

Jcohen9999 · 03/21/2004, 08:18 PM

This was a slow w/e without the order from MarineDepot but I did manage to get a few things done....

Painted the tank:

and built the stand for the fuge:

Thanks for visiting....and as always any input would be appreciated....

Jeff

dubluv · 03/23/2004, 07:36 PM

hey Jeff, your setup is coming along very nicely. an inspiration to us other newbies! btw, where did you buy the rubbermaid tanks? i was thinking Agway might carry them. (Hicksville) also, you can buy the sand at Homedepot, but they might not have it in stock because its a seasonal item. there are numerous places online to get your LR, which i'm sure you've discovered by now. i got mine from marinedepotlive. however, i wouldn't buy from them again, as the rock was 'too' cured. mostly dead stuff, but that's not uncommon with fiji rock coming across the country to the eastcoast. at least that's what i was told. i might try the gulf stuff (aqua cultured), or at least some of it to mix with other LR

steve

Jcohen9999 · 03/23/2004, 08:04 PM

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the compliment. I just decided that if the boss was going to give the ok on this then I was going to go for it. (she likes it better than my other hobby).

I did buy the stock tanks at Agway in Hicksville. I called them to order in the 75gal version but this was all they could get...works for me though.

Still hunting down that sand in quantity but I should be picking up a few from a fellow reefcentral member fishome25 (IslandReef.com).

As for LR...I am seriously leaning towards the 40 gallon 'package' from TBS as a starting point. I then want to add in a few rocks from all origins for my display tank for a good mix. Does this sound like a reasonable plan?

Regards,
Jeff

oh...and I got most of my marinedepot order in today...I am stoked for this w/e

Jcohen9999 · 03/30/2004, 01:43 PM

Well a mixed bag this weekend. Some sucess in that I received and installed my RO/DI system from Aqua-Safe Systems:

It works great and I was able to produce approximately 28-30 gallons in about 8 hours (gotta find a use for that waste water).

and picked up about 10 bags of Southdown from islandreefs.com(thanks a bunch Tom - btw everyone on LI should check him out) and the HomeDepot in Copiague.

Unfortunately, the PFO Acrolight that I ordered from MarineDepot was bigger than advertised on either of their sites:

...so back it goes. If anybody who reads this far

knows of a MH/PC (or similiar) hood that fits a 26 gal Bowfront well, you know where to reach me.

Next weekend should be a big one as the tank will finally be placed and plumbed into its final position.

dubluv · 03/30/2004, 09:42 PM

you're right about Tom, he's a good guy and has really nice stuff. i recently picked up a zoo colony and a shell with mushroom coral, plus some more tonga branch rock. he gave me some sand to seed my tank also. my tank is a 36bow, and i'm considering adding a sump and refugium also.

jun41 · 03/30/2004, 10:22 PM

So is the tank is still going in the bathroom?

TheUltimateNoob · 03/30/2004, 10:37 PM

i was also wondering. if you're spending so much money and have such a big sump and spending so much time, why not do a bigger display? but everything looks very nice.

03/14/2004, 04:48 PM	#12
marine61 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: NY Posts: 173	You don't need that much rock as long as you don't put a heavy bioload in the main display. Of course more is better. __________________ And he started in to whippin' on my fav'rite baby seal With a lead-filled snow shoe . . . Current Tank Info: 40 brd. 50lb Fiji, 10lb tonga 20lb live sand, 60lb CC, Remora, three MJ900, one Aquaclear 3000.

03/16/2004, 05:52 PM	#14
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	03/16/04 I got tonight a little early so I was able to drop the tank off to be drilled. Specs for drilling: I also decided to make my own internal overflow but the acrylic store was closed before I got there. I'll try again later in the week. Any input would be appreciated.... Jeff

03/16/2004, 06:00 PM	#15
Tarasco1 Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,526	Looks good. SCWD's are getting a bad rap at the moment, supposedly they cause a loss of flow rate. Some people are just going with T's. Keep us updated! __________________ Mike

03/17/2004, 12:14 PM	#17
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	Big $$ Day Just ordered the the following: PF5517 .24IN ACROLIGHT:150MH+2X55WCF+PFO BLST AS2141 SeaTesT Hydrometer SFPR SALIFERT REEF PACKAGE TEST KITS DN1115 Mag-Drive Supreme 1.5 140 GPH Water Pump DN1131 Mag-Drive Supreme 18 1800 GPH Pump 3Q1111 SCWD - SWITCHING CURRENT WATER DIRECTOR WB1127 WON Pro-Heat IC Heater 500 Watt VA1123 ViaAqua VA300G Heater 300 Watt FT1514 Plastic Hose Clamp 3/4" FT1515 Plastic Hose Clamp 1" SF1135 Salifert pH Test Kit SF1129 Salifert Nitrate Test Kit From MarineDepot. Now I need to sit and wait for the UPS shipment....I guess I can spend sometime with the family for the next 5-10 business days Jeff

03/20/2004, 04:47 PM	#18
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	w/e 2 - Got the Tank Back I just got the tank back and it looks great! Still waiting for my order from MarineDepot. Jeff

03/13/2004, 10:06 PM	#1
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	"OverKill" Reef - My Project Hi All, I started out as a member of this board by lurking for many months and then about 3 months ago I posted my plans for my first tank setup<< click here >> . Basically my plans are the same except that I am going for MH lighting from the get go. Anyway, I have finally started the project and following in the footsteps of others I have decided to keep a weekly log of my trials and tribulations in this thread and maybe along the way get some hints/tricks/traps from you all. Here we go....Weekend #1 Got my Rubbermaid sump and refugium tanks: and started plumbing them by creating an overflow: from the fuge to the sump: and of course I had to start the plumbing inside of the cabinets before the counter top goes on: Next week's installation will include the RO/DI unit, the closed-loop and the pumps. Wish me luck and thanks for viewing my post. Any comments or suggestions would be most welcome. Regards, Jeff Last edited by Jcohen9999; 03/13/2018 at 09:47 AM.

03/14/2004, 12:23 AM	#2
christsoldiers Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 120	wow, that's a serious amount of sump for a 26 gallon tank! You'r gonna have like twice the tank volume in the sump! Lookin forward to seeing it all done.

03/14/2004, 06:44 AM	#3
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	Me too But actually it should about 175 gallons total for a 26 gallon display....So here's a question that I dont have the answers to: When I go to buy liverock do I buy for 175 gallons or 26 gallons? Jeff

03/14/2004, 07:47 AM	#4
xfactor Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Louisville, Ky Posts: 990	175 - as long as you have a good sand bed, you don't really need rock in your sump, its really up to you. thats nothing when I do my new setup in my basement I am going to have a 300 gallon sump :P

03/14/2004, 08:22 AM	#5
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	Oops....there goes the budget. Buying enough LR for 175 gallons is going to hurt. But let me ask you for clarification: There is no way that 350 lbs of LR is going to fit in the 26Gal tank so I would assume that a lot of this rock is going into either the sump or the fuge. How does this mesh with your statement about not needing LR in the sump? Jeff

03/14/2004, 09:45 AM	#6
Wheeldog63 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 292	I would put the majority of it in the 'fuge, with a little in the some if you want, that way the liverock will host a plethera of differant creatures in the 'fuge and you also get the filtering capabilities of the rock. Your filtering capabilities on this will be insane for a 26 gal display. Also, how long before you upgrade Since we all know you will want to in the near future, and will have the setup to do it. ~Kelly

03/14/2004, 10:01 AM	#7
jon007 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: augusta, ga Posts: 100	I wish i had a basement so i could have a crazy sump / fuge setup like that. With such an elaborate / huge filtration setup, why not with a bigger show tank?

03/14/2004, 11:09 AM	#9
xfactor Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Louisville, Ky Posts: 990	yah it is, but the price diffrent between a 150 gallon and 300 gallon tub is 30$ so BLEH! ;P and depends on how much flow you depend on having in your sump, if its a wide and deep enough sump, I would turn the entire thing into a fuge like I will be doing with mine.

03/14/2004, 12:23 PM	#10
BarryG Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Newark,Delaware Posts: 181	ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a serious sump I wish I had a basement so I could have one. Good luckÃ¢â‚¬Â¦.

03/14/2004, 12:26 PM	#11
xfactor Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Louisville, Ky Posts: 990	yah hehe I got a finished basment that is the size of the foundation of my house, so :P I got room for 20+ of them if I really wanted to put some massive tubs in there.

03/14/2004, 06:33 PM	#13
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	Thanks for the replies. The plan is to eventually add another 100-150 gal tank sometime in the future so i guess you could consider this part of that plan but then again the situation worked out where what ever sump/fuge I was getting was going to be in the basement so the 2 100 gal stocks tanks still cost me less than a smaller acrylic sump/fuge and I did have the room. Anyway, I am considering getting a "package" from TBS for a 40 gal tank as a starter and then add live rock from different locals as I go. Most of it would go in to the display tank as I don't plan on having very many fish (except for the required clownfish - bosses orders ) but I know about the benefits of LR in the sump so that's another reason it is so big. I plan on updating this thread as I go so check back from time to time and make sure I dont screw this up Regards, Jeff

03/16/2004, 07:12 PM	#16
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	I know about the loss of flow rate that is why I decided to go for Mag18s for both the return (15 ft of head loss) and the closedloop (10ft of head loss and the SCWD). Should be enough for a 26 gal tank. If it turns out to not be enough for the sump then I could always add a PH in there. Thanks, Jeff

03/21/2004, 08:18 PM	#19
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	End of w/e #2 This was a slow w/e without the order from MarineDepot but I did manage to get a few things done.... Painted the tank: and built the stand for the fuge: Thanks for visiting....and as always any input would be appreciated.... Jeff

03/23/2004, 07:36 PM	#20
dubluv Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 403	hey Jeff, your setup is coming along very nicely. an inspiration to us other newbies! btw, where did you buy the rubbermaid tanks? i was thinking Agway might carry them. (Hicksville) also, you can buy the sand at Homedepot, but they might not have it in stock because its a seasonal item. there are numerous places online to get your LR, which i'm sure you've discovered by now. i got mine from marinedepotlive. however, i wouldn't buy from them again, as the rock was 'too' cured. mostly dead stuff, but that's not uncommon with fiji rock coming across the country to the eastcoast. at least that's what i was told. i might try the gulf stuff (aqua cultured), or at least some of it to mix with other LR steve

03/23/2004, 08:04 PM	#21
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	Hi Steve, Thanks for the compliment. I just decided that if the boss was going to give the ok on this then I was going to go for it. (she likes it better than my other hobby). I did buy the stock tanks at Agway in Hicksville. I called them to order in the 75gal version but this was all they could get...works for me though. Still hunting down that sand in quantity but I should be picking up a few from a fellow reefcentral member fishome25 (IslandReef.com). As for LR...I am seriously leaning towards the 40 gallon 'package' from TBS as a starting point. I then want to add in a few rocks from all origins for my display tank for a good mix. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Regards, Jeff oh...and I got most of my marinedepot order in today...I am stoked for this w/e

03/30/2004, 01:43 PM	#22
Jcohen9999 Overkill Reefer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Syosset, NY Posts: 740	Weekend 3 Well a mixed bag this weekend. Some sucess in that I received and installed my RO/DI system from Aqua-Safe Systems: It works great and I was able to produce approximately 28-30 gallons in about 8 hours (gotta find a use for that waste water). and picked up about 10 bags of Southdown from islandreefs.com(thanks a bunch Tom - btw everyone on LI should check him out) and the HomeDepot in Copiague. Unfortunately, the PFO Acrolight that I ordered from MarineDepot was bigger than advertised on either of their sites: ...so back it goes. If anybody who reads this far knows of a MH/PC (or similiar) hood that fits a 26 gal Bowfront well, you know where to reach me. Next weekend should be a big one as the tank will finally be placed and plumbed into its final position.

03/30/2004, 09:42 PM	#23
dubluv Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 403	you're right about Tom, he's a good guy and has really nice stuff. i recently picked up a zoo colony and a shell with mushroom coral, plus some more tonga branch rock. he gave me some sand to seed my tank also. my tank is a 36bow, and i'm considering adding a sump and refugium also. __________________ Steve Current Tank Info: 36 G bow front (setup 02/04), 130W PC, no sump, remora, LR and starting with soft coral and shrooms. 12G eclipse nano. 120G, 30G sump, 2-250MH's, just started 9/04

03/30/2004, 10:22 PM	#24
jun41 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Burlingame, Ca Posts: 683	So is the tank is still going in the bathroom?

03/30/2004, 10:37 PM	#25
TheUltimateNoob Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vienna, VA Posts: 1,657	i was also wondering. if you're spending so much money and have such a big sump and spending so much time, why not do a bigger display? but everything looks very nice.