Chris' 75 gallon future SPS reef build

ChrisF · 09/29/2012, 04:19 PM

Hi Everyone,

I finally decided to make the switch from freshwater planted to reef tanks. After a week of trying to sell of all my plants (or put them in buckets..) and removing old substrate, the tank is finally empty and dry.

I will be drilling the back panel and adding an overflow box plumbed with a 1.5" bulkhead and external durso. The return pump I have is slightly underpowered.. a mag 7.. so first question: is there any problem with using a 1.5 in drain line for only 400gph flow? I hope to bump this up to ~700 in the future.

I have an old 65 gallon acrylic tank that will be the fuge/sump with 32 inches of it to be fuge, 8 inches to house the inflow and pumps for an external skimmer and various reactors. The return section will also be 8" on the other side of the fuge. I am planning on a 5 or 6" DSB in the fuge with live rock and chaeto ect..

I like the minimalist look, and am playing around with 50 pounds of dry Fiji from BRS at the moment.. pics coming shortly.

tony11387 · 09/29/2012, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisF

is there any problem with using a 1.5 in drain line for only 400gph flow? I hope to bump this up to ~700 in the future.

You can always use a gate valve to restrict the flow if you need to. I recommend you look into the Bean Animal Overflow design.

ChrisF · 09/29/2012, 04:35 PM

Thanks for the advice, I was originally considering the bean animal/herbie overflow.. but then read some comments about them being finicky/hard to tune... I could definitely be convinced to go that route. The overflow box I bought is only 6"x4x5 so space is a little limited.

ChrisF · 09/29/2012, 04:51 PM

Sorry about the dirty glass.. still have a lot of cleaning to do!!

The substrate will be about an inch of a tropic eden mini flakes and reef flakes blend.

phpqKa9E4PM.jpg

phpXjztydPM.jpg

phpWrQPxmPM.jpg

ChrisF · 09/29/2012, 04:59 PM

Maybe this will work a little better....

kara13 · 09/29/2012, 06:57 PM

I like the look of this. I'm going to be redoing my tank and this is what I've been considering.

davidadelp · 09/29/2012, 09:46 PM

ive seen in several ppls builds where they use the eggcrate below the sand whats the point in doing this? does it provide something im unaware of?

Tycho · 09/29/2012, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidadelp

ive seen in several ppls builds where they use the eggcrate below the sand whats the point in doing this? does it provide something im unaware of?

The egg crate will prevent the rocks from creating pressure points on the glass. That can potentially be a problem if you have heavy rock and a stand that is not perfectly level in every corner. Also would help from scratching up the glass if you ever decided to go bare bottom i would guess.

Tycho · 09/29/2012, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisF

Thanks for the advice, I was originally considering the bean animal/herbie overflow.. but then read some comments about them being finicky/hard to tune... I could definitely be convinced to go that route. The overflow box I bought is only 6"x4x5 so space is a little limited.

I setup a Herbie on my 70g 6 weeks ago and have only had to adjust it once. my overflow has a 1-1/2 drain hole and a 1/2 return hole and i converted the return hole into an emergency drain. If you dont use a sock or strainers that can get clogged and restrict your flow over time, you will never have to adjust it. A gate valve is a must though. I reduced my drain to 1" and used a 1" gate which are alot cheaper than the larger sized ones. A good idea is to put a union right on top of it, so you can reach your finger in there if it ever gets gunk in it too.
Really simple to setup and the silence is totally worth it. Not to mention the flow seems to be so much smoother!

TheGodParticle · 09/29/2012, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidadelp

ive seen in several ppls builds where they use the eggcrate below the sand whats the point in doing this? does it provide something im unaware of?

Helps prevent rocks from tumbling over if you have sand sifters. Fish, Gobies, snails, and starfish can't get underneath the rock.

ChrisF · 09/30/2012, 12:01 AM

Ok.. looks like a herbie overflow it is. I went back and reread the threads where people were having trouble with adjustment and it was a back pressure issue, like fluctuating water levels in a sump.

Tycho.. good call on the union just above the gate valve, I'll definitely do that.

The eggcrate was really just for protecting the tank while I messed around with the rocks. Not sure if it will go in for good... I do like how it 'grabs' the texture of the rock for a bit more stability.

09/29/2012, 04:19 PM	#1
ChrisF Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Boulder, Co Posts: 15	Chris' 75 gallon future SPS reef build Hi Everyone, I finally decided to make the switch from freshwater planted to reef tanks. After a week of trying to sell of all my plants (or put them in buckets..) and removing old substrate, the tank is finally empty and dry. I will be drilling the back panel and adding an overflow box plumbed with a 1.5" bulkhead and external durso. The return pump I have is slightly underpowered.. a mag 7.. so first question: is there any problem with using a 1.5 in drain line for only 400gph flow? I hope to bump this up to ~700 in the future. I have an old 65 gallon acrylic tank that will be the fuge/sump with 32 inches of it to be fuge, 8 inches to house the inflow and pumps for an external skimmer and various reactors. The return section will also be 8" on the other side of the fuge. I am planning on a 5 or 6" DSB in the fuge with live rock and chaeto ect.. I like the minimalist look, and am playing around with 50 pounds of dry Fiji from BRS at the moment.. pics coming shortly.

09/29/2012, 04:35 PM	#3
ChrisF Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Boulder, Co Posts: 15	Thanks for the advice, I was originally considering the bean animal/herbie overflow.. but then read some comments about them being finicky/hard to tune... I could definitely be convinced to go that route. The overflow box I bought is only 6"x4x5 so space is a little limited.

09/29/2012, 04:51 PM	#4
ChrisF Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Boulder, Co Posts: 15	Sorry about the dirty glass.. still have a lot of cleaning to do!! The substrate will be about an inch of a tropic eden mini flakes and reef flakes blend. phpqKa9E4PM.jpg phpXjztydPM.jpg phpWrQPxmPM.jpg

09/29/2012, 04:59 PM	#5
ChrisF Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Boulder, Co Posts: 15	Maybe this will work a little better....

09/29/2012, 06:57 PM	#6
kara13 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 162	I like the look of this. I'm going to be redoing my tank and this is what I've been considering.

09/29/2012, 09:46 PM	#7
davidadelp Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Daniels, WV Posts: 363	ive seen in several ppls builds where they use the eggcrate below the sand whats the point in doing this? does it provide something im unaware of?

09/30/2012, 12:01 AM	#11
ChrisF Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Boulder, Co Posts: 15	Ok.. looks like a herbie overflow it is. I went back and reread the threads where people were having trouble with adjustment and it was a back pressure issue, like fluctuating water levels in a sump. Tycho.. good call on the union just above the gate valve, I'll definitely do that. The eggcrate was really just for protecting the tank while I messed around with the rocks. Not sure if it will go in for good... I do like how it 'grabs' the texture of the rock for a bit more stability.