new setup, need advice

[grizz99]

hi, i'm new to this site and i'm setting up a 75 gal tank with a 20 gal sump, a ES5-3 protein skimmer from euroreef, with a mag 7 main pump. i should be getting my 2-250watt HQI MH's with 2-110watt VHO's soon, i'm filtering my water with a 5 stage RO/DI by spectrapure. i don't have my sand bed in yet and was thinking of doing a DSB, what kind of bed would you guys go with? and in what ratio? also should i put in all the sand before or after i cure the live rock? then i was trying to decide on whether or not to go with a refugium, but i don't have a quarantine tank either, which do you think i should spring for first? i like the idea of having a ref, but don't know exactly how much extra work it would be?

 

[Len]

You have yourself a very nice setup there!

I'd use a mixture of "oolitic" or sugar-sized sand with slightly larger particles, seeded by a few pounds of live sand. You'll need a total of about 150 lbs of sand for a 4" sandbed, so 60 lbs fine sand, 60 lbs courser sand, and 30 lbs live sand would be my recommendation.

There are lots of opinions on when to add the sand. I personally add the "dead" sand into the tank first while curing the live rock in a seperate vat (cheapo Rubbermaid with heater and powerhead will do nicely). After the LR is cured, I place it into the display tank where the dead sand is already at, wait a week and then seed it with live sand. That's just one of many possible courses you can take.

A refugium is very nice thing to have. All that you need to do is plumb it to your tank like you would a sump, except that refugiums need light and should be filled with some sand, rocks, and macroalgae (for habitat). That's about it.

A Q tank is even simplier. Any tank (cheap 10 gallon) with a powerhead, heater, and large diameter PVC (for temporary shelter) is all you need. I keep my quarantine tanks empty and add tankwater to it when I am expecting new arrivals. A Q tank is a very good addition as well and can save the lives of all the fish in your display tank. It's a cheap insurance that I recommend.

 

[Jolieve]

Len has a lot of good advice to offer here and you do have a very nice set up! I'd recommend a fuge if you can set one up and a quarantine tank as well. Quarantine has many virtues, most of which involve ensuring you have healthy fish and other livestock before you add them to your display. Good luck!

J.

 

[grizz99]

how big of a tank would you recommend for the ref? what size pump would you use? would i need to put in baffles? and should i get it setup rght now, or wait until i have got everything setup for a little bit? also what would you use to get the water to the ref? i have a predrilled tank for the sump, should i go from the sump to the ref to the tank, or straight from the tank to the ref? i would have to store it on the floor, or on a small endtable behind the tank. i have some room to work with behind the tank, it's not against the wall. it also would have to have a top on it to keep a nosy cat out. well what do you think? thanks for any and all help.
ben

 

[Jolieve]

Well, given that you have a sump... if it were possible to arrange it so that your fuge gravity fed water back to the tank (meaning the sump sits above the display and water trickles in without the aid of a pump, just gravity) then I would do this. I think a 10-20 gallon refugium should be sufficient for a tank of this size. I'm not sure how I would feed water back to the fuge from the system... if someone else could offer their wisdom please?

 

[grizz99]

i don't think it's gonna be possible to have the ref above the tank. really nowhere to put it, the lights will be hanging from the ceiling and i don't have anything else to set it on that high in the air.

 

[grizz99]

is it that big of a deal if i place the ref on the floor or just a little below the main tank? what size pump would i want to use? how many gph would i want to have going through the ref?

 

[Len]

Below is ok but make sure you have enough empty space in the tank to hold all the water that will flow down when the power goes out and return pump stops working. If you get an equally tall tank and put it side by side, there won't be any problems should water go out. Above is better since the plankton can trickle down into the display, but people have found that pumps really don't kill all that much plankton anyhow.

Flow rate will vary depending on the refugium size, but 300-500gph is a good number.

Again, a refugium isn't a must, but it's beneficial if you can encorporate one without too much logistical headaches

 

[hsosa]

a small mag pump would do the trick like a mag 3 for a return pump. I would get a shut off float just in case your water level drops in your sump. its cheap insurance .

 

[grizz99]

what should i use to bring water from the tank to the refugium if i go with a 20 gal ref?

 

[hsosa]

A LIFELINE overflow. Its runs about $80. This is the way to go. My 100gal is done this way.

 

[grizz99]

where did you get the lifeline overflow? anybody have anything good or bad to say about it?