See I told you so!?!?!? Opinions needed.

Buddyboy · 07/03/2006, 10:41 PM

Hi All,

I've been running my first saltwater tank sumpless for about 3 months now and the constant oil slick problem is ugly and a real pain! Also, the huge AquaC overflow box (works good for bubbles, but not for the slick), the heater, etc. inside the tank takes up too much room and looks fugly as well. Therefore, I must come to the conclusion that... everyone who told me to go with a sump from the start WAS RIGHT!!!

hehe Oh well, the damage is already done...... but I was thinking about going with a CPR overflow box and adding a small sump under the tank. Is it worth it to go this route or should I start again and buy a drilled tank? Starting again would be a real nuisance but the oil slick and lack of space inside the tank sucks. Anyone have any ideas? The tank is 38G (12" wide) so i'm sure I could fit a 10G sump under the tank. Thanks for your thoughts!

Bud

xtrstangx · 07/03/2006, 10:45 PM

I'd skip the CPR overflow box. They are known to fail and ruin your floors

Can you fit a 15g or a 20g under the stand?

You can either add an overflow box or you can drill the tank. Drilling the tank would be less intrusive inside the tank and would look a lot better, but would be a lot of work. You'd have to pull all of the stuff out of the tank (coral, fish, rock, possibly sand) and drill it.

The oil slick is terrible. I had that for a long time. Lots of people say add more flow and it will go away, I put a 300 GPH pointed straight at the surface (made a 1/2" ripple above the surface) and it did nothing but condense the slick on 1 side of the tank.

aztbs · 07/03/2006, 10:47 PM

I added a sump after the fact to a standard 55g. You can not fit much under there and it is a PAIN to work in it or maintain it.

Make your 38g into the sump and get something bigger now before you waste more money trying to make this work for you. If you are already complaining about space, you know you will just upgrade later.

Buddyboy · 07/03/2006, 10:54 PM

hehe I won't have "permission" to upgrade the tank for another 2 years or so. I'll need to make due with this tank for now as I just spent well over $2000 for this setup. Thought I might be able to sneak in the overflow and a small tank for under the stand!!!

When you had your 55G tank with sump did you use a siphon overflow? How did it work for you?

Sk8r · 07/03/2006, 11:02 PM

A 10 gallon sump is what I have for my 52. A HOB overflow [hang on back] would do ok, though the U tubes can be a pain if you have any flux in water level. Combine it with an autotopoff connected to the sump and you should be ok.

aztbs · 07/03/2006, 11:05 PM

I had a custom built siphon overflow box and it worked flawlessly. I never understood how people could have so much trouble with them. It never broke siphon in over a year and a half of operation and I never had to clean it out. Just keep it shielded from the light.

I ended up breaking a ten gallon tank trying to get it set up in the stand. So I ran a 20H tank as a sump next to the main tank instead and built a cover for it. If you have the room, get the biggest sump you can so that you can put a good sized skimmer in there and have room for a refugium to grow some macro.

Buddyboy · 07/03/2006, 11:34 PM

Well, if I can't fit a 10G sump under my tank, then that rules out a siphon overflow!! hehe Unfortunately, I have no room to put it to the side of the tank. Was it an All-Glass 55G tank stand? Has anyone else fit a 10G sump tank under their 55G/38G/20G stand?

Buddyboy · 07/04/2006, 06:39 AM

Anyone?

Hal · 07/04/2006, 06:50 AM

I highly recommend a drilled tank. I've been running with a siphon overflow on my 150 for the last few years, and really regret it. I have to clean the U-tubes every couple of months, which doesn't sound to bad until you have to do it. I'm going for a low maintenance tank (auto-topoff, timers, etc), and this task is rather annoying.

My biggest beef is that my double lifereef overflow can only handle about 1200 gallons per hour. As you know, flowrate is rather important in this hobby.

Oh, and while I've never lost siphon yet, the constant fear I have of it occuring and finding the contents of my sump pumped onto my family room floor is always in the back of my mind.

sloshesv · 07/04/2006, 09:43 AM

I just scoop the top layer of my tank a couple of times a week. No big whoop.

aztbs · 07/04/2006, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Buddyboy
Well, if I can't fit a 10G sump under my tank, then that rules out a siphon overflow!! hehe Unfortunately, I have no room to put it to the side of the tank. Was it an All-Glass 55G tank stand? Has anyone else fit a 10G sump tank under their 55G/38G/20G stand?

Yep, it was an All-Glass 55 stand. I broke the tank trying to put it in throught the front door. It should have fit, but it didn't. The 10 gallon tank will fit inside, but to get it in there, you have to move the tank out and put it in through the back.

It is possible that the slick may eventually go away as the tank matures. Just make sure your skimmer is tuned and pulling out dark stuff.

Buddyboy · 07/04/2006, 10:19 AM

Ugh! Oh I see now. I would need to put the tank in from the back! You really do have to pre-plan these tank setups! In any case, maybe i'll just battle it out with the slick until next year and maybe upgrade then. Once the pain of the initial cost has subsided....

Thanks so much for all your input!

scottfarcuz · 07/04/2006, 10:58 AM

You have the remora (or remora pro) prefilter box and still have the scum layer? If thats the case I don't think you have the box set right.

Also why not put the heater in the discharge part of the filter box?

07/03/2006, 10:41 PM	#1
Buddyboy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 211	See I told you so!?!?!? Opinions needed. Hi All, I've been running my first saltwater tank sumpless for about 3 months now and the constant oil slick problem is ugly and a real pain! Also, the huge AquaC overflow box (works good for bubbles, but not for the slick), the heater, etc. inside the tank takes up too much room and looks fugly as well. Therefore, I must come to the conclusion that... everyone who told me to go with a sump from the start WAS RIGHT!!! hehe Oh well, the damage is already done...... but I was thinking about going with a CPR overflow box and adding a small sump under the tank. Is it worth it to go this route or should I start again and buy a drilled tank? Starting again would be a real nuisance but the oil slick and lack of space inside the tank sucks. Anyone have any ideas? The tank is 38G (12" wide) so i'm sure I could fit a 10G sump under the tank. Thanks for your thoughts! Bud

07/03/2006, 11:02 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	A 10 gallon sump is what I have for my 52. A HOB overflow [hang on back] would do ok, though the U tubes can be a pain if you have any flux in water level. Combine it with an autotopoff connected to the sump and you should be ok. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/04/2006, 06:50 AM	#9
Hal Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Longmont, CO Posts: 1,889	I highly recommend a drilled tank. I've been running with a siphon overflow on my 150 for the last few years, and really regret it. I have to clean the U-tubes every couple of months, which doesn't sound to bad until you have to do it. I'm going for a low maintenance tank (auto-topoff, timers, etc), and this task is rather annoying. My biggest beef is that my double lifereef overflow can only handle about 1200 gallons per hour. As you know, flowrate is rather important in this hobby. Oh, and while I've never lost siphon yet, the constant fear I have of it occuring and finding the contents of my sump pumped onto my family room floor is always in the back of my mind. __________________ Some days it's not even worth chewing through the restraints. Current Tank Info: 250g starphire: 72x28x30, BeanAnimal drain with an oversized non-durso emergency drain, 4 inch DSB, 3x Reefbreeders Value LED fixtures, SWC/MSX 300A skimmer, Geo kalk reactor, 3 Vortechs w/bb, carbon reactor, and a RKL

07/04/2006, 09:43 AM	#10
sloshesv Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: ft myers, fl Posts: 723	I just scoop the top layer of my tank a couple of times a week. No big whoop. __________________ It's just sloshesv, your Honor Current Tank Info: 55 gallon reef, 20 gal seahorse and leaf fish

07/03/2006, 10:45 PM	#2
xtrstangx Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Shawnee, Kansas Posts: 4,568	I'd skip the CPR overflow box. They are known to fail and ruin your floors Can you fit a 15g or a 20g under the stand? You can either add an overflow box or you can drill the tank. Drilling the tank would be less intrusive inside the tank and would look a lot better, but would be a lot of work. You'd have to pull all of the stuff out of the tank (coral, fish, rock, possibly sand) and drill it. The oil slick is terrible. I had that for a long time. Lots of people say add more flow and it will go away, I put a 300 GPH pointed straight at the surface (made a 1/2" ripple above the surface) and it did nothing but condense the slick on 1 side of the tank.

07/03/2006, 10:47 PM	#3
aztbs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Chandler, AZ Posts: 4,492	I added a sump after the fact to a standard 55g. You can not fit much under there and it is a PAIN to work in it or maintain it. Make your 38g into the sump and get something bigger now before you waste more money trying to make this work for you. If you are already complaining about space, you know you will just upgrade later.

07/03/2006, 10:54 PM	#4
Buddyboy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 211	hehe I won't have "permission" to upgrade the tank for another 2 years or so. I'll need to make due with this tank for now as I just spent well over $2000 for this setup. Thought I might be able to sneak in the overflow and a small tank for under the stand!!! When you had your 55G tank with sump did you use a siphon overflow? How did it work for you?

07/03/2006, 11:05 PM	#6
aztbs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Chandler, AZ Posts: 4,492	I had a custom built siphon overflow box and it worked flawlessly. I never understood how people could have so much trouble with them. It never broke siphon in over a year and a half of operation and I never had to clean it out. Just keep it shielded from the light. I ended up breaking a ten gallon tank trying to get it set up in the stand. So I ran a 20H tank as a sump next to the main tank instead and built a cover for it. If you have the room, get the biggest sump you can so that you can put a good sized skimmer in there and have room for a refugium to grow some macro.

07/03/2006, 11:34 PM	#7
Buddyboy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 211	Well, if I can't fit a 10G sump under my tank, then that rules out a siphon overflow!! hehe Unfortunately, I have no room to put it to the side of the tank. Was it an All-Glass 55G tank stand? Has anyone else fit a 10G sump tank under their 55G/38G/20G stand?

07/04/2006, 06:39 AM	#8
Buddyboy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 211	Anyone?

07/04/2006, 10:19 AM	#12
Buddyboy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 211	Ugh! Oh I see now. I would need to put the tank in from the back! You really do have to pre-plan these tank setups! In any case, maybe i'll just battle it out with the slick until next year and maybe upgrade then. Once the pain of the initial cost has subsided.... Thanks so much for all your input!

07/04/2006, 10:58 AM	#13
scottfarcuz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,610	You have the remora (or remora pro) prefilter box and still have the scum layer? If thats the case I don't think you have the box set right. Also why not put the heater in the discharge part of the filter box?