Hey all. Last time I was on here, I talked my hubby into building me a 220 galllon. Well, he didn't and we settled on a 135 gallon all glass. So, now where is the forum on big tanks? Now that I have it, I am just staring at it and need some help getting started. Thanks!
big tank questions, where's that forum?
- Thread starter CareyMarie
- Start date
Hi CarieMarie, and welcome to reefs.org. 
We don't have a forum dedicated exclusively to large tanks. Many of our members have large tanks though. I moved you thread to the General Forum where it will get allot more exposure than here in the DIY forum. I left a shawdow of the thread in the DIY forum so it still appears there too!
What kind of questions do you have?
Louey
We don't have a forum dedicated exclusively to large tanks. Many of our members have large tanks though. I moved you thread to the General Forum where it will get allot more exposure than here in the DIY forum. I left a shawdow of the thread in the DIY forum so it still appears there too!
What kind of questions do you have?
Louey
Well, to start with my 75 gallon has a berlin system, my 55 has a plenum, the other has modified Berlin, and the 30's have a canister and a hang on filter. So, I wonder if I should make a 55 into a sump, or my 75 into a sump, or a 30 into a sump. That is the first of my questions. Next, I was thinking of putting my protien skimmer before my sump, then the sump. I'd like to move the placement of my refugium to above my tank and make a small surge from the refugum into the tank. I am thinking about bagging the uv sterilizer for this new tank and would like feed back on that. How's that for starters?? LOL! See, I am stuck!!
Thanks! Carey
Thanks! Carey
I would bag the UV sterilizer.
I don't understand the part about the skimmer before the sump. What kind of skimmer are you planning?
I would go with the 75 for the sump if you have enough room for it. The 55 would work fine to though. The bigger your sump, the more overall capacity your system has, which is a good thing.
Is this going to be FO or a full blown reef? SPS corals? Clams?
What kind of lighting are you planning?
DSB?
I like your idea about having your fuge above the tank.
I don't understand the part about the skimmer before the sump. What kind of skimmer are you planning?
I would go with the 75 for the sump if you have enough room for it. The 55 would work fine to though. The bigger your sump, the more overall capacity your system has, which is a good thing.
Is this going to be FO or a full blown reef? SPS corals? Clams?
What kind of lighting are you planning?
DSB?
I like your idea about having your fuge above the tank.
I thought you'd say the 75 should be the sump, but I will be sad taking it down, it has been up forever and has some really nice corals in it. My new tank will be a mixed reef, maybe a clam too, never tried them. I do have some small hitchers that have done well so maybe I'll get lucky with a clam.
Lighting will not be fancy, just 400WattMH (three of them) and VHO or PC with them. On timers of course. If the 75 goes, then I will have 2 175 watt MH and PC combo to figure into the new tanks lighting system.
What is DBS?
OK, so here goes! Laugh any time you want to and shoot the plan out of the water so to speak, but this is what I had in mind for the skimmer first.
Overflow into a small tank that has a fluidized sand bed filter and the skimmer (thinking of a percision marine or turbo floater) from there down to the sump. (standard kind with bio balls, etc..) add heater and more live rock, then return. Almost like a two step sump. Does that make any kind of sense to you?? Or anyone watching this??
All opinions welcome. I want my foxface and my clown tang to be happy in their new home, not dead. Oh! What about my mandarin?? He won't survive in the new tank. Maybe the 75 will have to stay.
Thanks!
Carey
Lighting will not be fancy, just 400WattMH (three of them) and VHO or PC with them. On timers of course. If the 75 goes, then I will have 2 175 watt MH and PC combo to figure into the new tanks lighting system.
What is DBS?
OK, so here goes! Laugh any time you want to and shoot the plan out of the water so to speak, but this is what I had in mind for the skimmer first.
Overflow into a small tank that has a fluidized sand bed filter and the skimmer (thinking of a percision marine or turbo floater) from there down to the sump. (standard kind with bio balls, etc..) add heater and more live rock, then return. Almost like a two step sump. Does that make any kind of sense to you?? Or anyone watching this??
All opinions welcome. I want my foxface and my clown tang to be happy in their new home, not dead. Oh! What about my mandarin?? He won't survive in the new tank. Maybe the 75 will have to stay.
Thanks!
Carey
I don't see a problem with a 2 step sump, it shouldn't more sensitive to pump failures than any other system, if plumbed correctly.
I would get rid of both the fluidized bed filter and the bio-balls. Both end up with nitrates as a final product and are not appropriate for a reef. Spend the money on an extra good skimmer.
I would get rid of both the fluidized bed filter and the bio-balls. Both end up with nitrates as a final product and are not appropriate for a reef. Spend the money on an extra good skimmer.
Yeah, since you shouldn't go with a fluidized bed filter, you could eliminate the first sump all together. Use the 75 as the sump, and the 55 as a refugium tank. Plumb it to the main system. You could easily use the lights from the 75. Or, use the 55 as a sump, and keep the 75 set up seperate.
Put your new skimmer in the sump. Save some space.
Just my 2cents.
B
Put your new skimmer in the sump. Save some space.
Just my 2cents.
B
Why tear apart a perfectly running system, esp. if it leads to regret? You can get a used tank for the sump...you'd save some bucks over new. My sump on my 200 is about 55 gal, so that would work. It may also give extra space for that first sump with the skimmer upstream you mentioned.
Never heard about fluidized bed filters causing nitrate problems, bio balls yes, but this is new to me, and don't use one personally. My LFS has a 10 foot tall fluidized bed filter they are adding to a new system with a 2ft. wide by 15ft. tall skimmer. They plan on this feeding a display for everything they carry. BTW, don't public aquaria use them too? Sorry not trying to hijack...honest. I hope I didn't screw up your thread, but since the filter is part of your preliminary plan, I became curious myself.
Never heard about fluidized bed filters causing nitrate problems, bio balls yes, but this is new to me, and don't use one personally. My LFS has a 10 foot tall fluidized bed filter they are adding to a new system with a 2ft. wide by 15ft. tall skimmer. They plan on this feeding a display for everything they carry. BTW, don't public aquaria use them too? Sorry not trying to hijack...honest. I hope I didn't screw up your thread, but since the filter is part of your preliminary plan, I became curious myself.
Well it's an aerobic system, which like bio-balls yields nitrate as an end result. If a system is heavily skimmed in addition it probably wouldn't be an issue, because there wouldn't be enough waste available to make problem levels of nitrate.
Also any fish-only system would be fine with this type of filter.
Also any fish-only system would be fine with this type of filter.
Wow! Thanks all for the input! Keep it coming at me!! So what is the very best skimmer I can get for my 135 that is not to terribly spendy?
I love to design new systems, that is why I have so many tanks. So I was thinking that if I go the two step route, than to get from the first to the second, I'd have kind of a spillway leading to the lower. You guys know if that has been done??
Carey
I love to design new systems, that is why I have so many tanks. So I was thinking that if I go the two step route, than to get from the first to the second, I'd have kind of a spillway leading to the lower. You guys know if that has been done??
Carey
I would go with an aqua C remora. Very simple . go with a good pump mag 9 I have this running on my 300gallon sytem. Also have a knop on the outside of my tank. here is a pic. Ive had this skimmer for 5years now. still works. I just change out the RIO pump. I know should stay away from Rio. I skim 24/7 since I have a big fish load. although I know that I go probaly add more fish. but Im too afraid too. anyhow good luck.
Attachments
I used to have a refugia above my main tank that spilled this way back to the main tank. It was relatively low flow, and ran off a separate pump from the main return. I just drilled a hole at the waterline in the refugia and ran an L in pvc to the water surface in the main tank. Worked fine; snails clogging it are the only problem I found; use strainers or have 2 pipes.
I'd go with a bigger model. I have an Aqua-c EV 180 on my 120 that is nice. The brands most people will say are the best are Euroreef and Aqua-C. I chose Aqua-C because it can be run outside the sump, otherwise I think I would have chose Euroreef. There are other skimmer brands that are gopod also, but most require large pumps to drive them and use a lot more electricity.
Sounds like it's gonna be a nice setup...
On the fluidized bed filters, first off I have no experience with them
What I've heard is that if you have a power outage, or no flow thru them for as little as one hour, you get a breakdown in the bacteria and a large die off. Once flow is restored, you're pumping all that into the tank, which could cause problems.
You may want to check into that...I've seen lots of posts on these and heard varying info.
If anyone knows for a fact if this is true or not, please post!
On the fluidized bed filters, first off I have no experience with them
What I've heard is that if you have a power outage, or no flow thru them for as little as one hour, you get a breakdown in the bacteria and a large die off. Once flow is restored, you're pumping all that into the tank, which could cause problems.
You may want to check into that...I've seen lots of posts on these and heard varying info.
If anyone knows for a fact if this is true or not, please post!
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