OldReefer

I tried that once. I spent a lot of time on it and built a few "sculptures" out of PVC fittings to go over the side, but none really worked consistently. Probably best to get a couple clean garbage cans and drain the sump. It will only hurt for a couple hours.

I think you are going to get a lot of similar answers, but I will be the first to suggest an Avast CS1. They are great skimmers, compact, and affordable. In addition they are a local product from a couple club members that have built a successful international business. If you are watching costs, you can buy the skimmer as a kit. It goes together easily in a couple hours spread over two days.

Jimlin, Nice job getting those ballasts and wires in the hood. Looking good!

Looks like a dream setup. The only thing I can add is that big tanks like that really benfit from ozone. You might want to sons under that. T

I have always thought about doing something similar. I think I would go with an external Pan World or Iwaki pump to mix the salt with and eductor in the mixing tank. You could plumb it up so all you have to do is flip a couple of valves to pump the salt water out to your sump. I really don't like having submersible pumps clanking around the bottom of my mixing tank, getting all limed up.

You still need to figure out the wattage if this return pumps from the factory specs. They are probably not that big so you might be able to run a few hours on an affordable size backup. Coral Hind can help you if you get those numbers. He oes this sort of thing for a living.

That is a lot to run off an UPS. A good starting point is to run your powerheads first and then figure out the rest later. Your tank will go for 10 to 12 hours easily if you have good circulation. If you have a Vortech or a Tunze I can hook you up with a simple and cheap fix.

I have had a selection of clams under LEDs. They do better than SPS. They kept their coloration and grow well. Clams vary dramatically in their lighting needs. Always check your clams for a white growth margin. If you do not see that, give the clam more light, or it will slowly die.

Avast CS1 peg leg. They are very affordable, fit in almost any sump, and do not create micro bubbles. They can do 159 gallons easy. They are not external skimmers, but I din't think you need to be external from the way you describe your set up.

Anthony, Now I am jealous! A floor drain! That is the most single useful thing a reefer can have in a sump room. I don't know if you ever picked up this Anthony Calfo trick for water changes. You put a bulkhead in your sump exactly at the water level next to the skimmer side of the pump where the dirty water comes back from the tank. You the put a valve on it, and a line that goes to the floor drain. When you are ready for a water change you just open up the valve and pump the new salt water into the sump right by your return pump inlet. That water goes up into your display. Your sump level will rise and, the dirty water on waste side of your sump flows out the bulkhead and down the drain. It is a simple pleasure, but you can only do it if the water level of your sump is above your drain.

I was just cleaning a hammer up to do something like this. I have colonies that are way to big to trim with bone cutters. It looks like it works pretty good.

If you want a BIG clam, I am thinking about getting rid of my 14" Squamosa. He is a monster! And needs a bigger tank.

+ 1 Mangroves are a nice addition, but chaeto with intense lighting and flow is amazing. I throw 3 gallons of the stuff out every other week. That is a lot of nutrient export in addition to a big skimmer, pellets, carbon, and BRS HC ferric Oxide.

The only way you can tell if a clam is healthy is too look for a margin of new white shell. If you don't see any new growth it is dying. Clams either grow or die. It is really that simple. Marinescene has some bpnice Derasas. They are one of the most tolerate clams with light. They also like sitting on the sand.

High probability it was lighting. Croceas are very light-demanding. A clam that gets a little too little light will look great for months, or even a year, and then abruptly kick the bucket

I used reef crystals for years, but finally gave up on it because the Ca is so out of balance as you noticed. Every time I did a water change my parameters would swing out of whack. I went with DD H2O. It mixes up exactly to the Ca and Alk parameters I prefer to run my tank at. A water change should be something that pulls your tank into line, instead of knocking it off- track. The down side is that it is pricey. You may be able to do the same by just using Instant Ocean and adding a little Calcium Chloride and Soda Ash to nail your parameters. Once you get the recipe right it will be easy and cheap.

I found that Micro Bacter 7 really accelerated my last tank cycle. As said before, go with anty and all filtration you want during the cycle. The stuff we use to extract nutrients from our tanks will never keep it too clean to grow bacteria. Welcome to the board and the hobby. It sounds like you have been doing your homework.

I have been using an Eheim submerged in a salt-mix tank for years. They work great. Just like Tom said.

I am thinking I would go with 3 MP40s instead of MP60 and MP40. I would call AVAST about a fully decked-out CS3. When planning a new tank, it makes sense to build carbon, GFO, and pellet reactors into the system. It is so easy to plumb those into the initial build compared to adding them later and ending up with a bunch of failure-prone power heads and cords. With a little coordination between Avast and Artfully Aquatics, I bet you could get a slick sump design that puts all the reactors on a shelf above the sump along with your UV Sterilizer. Every thing could be connected to your return with simple valves. The BRS reactors are nice, but tend to be on the small side for a 220. Since your tank isn't in your home, consider a PM3 module to monitor salinity. If you ever leak more that a couple quarts of water, your Apex will flag it immediately when it sees the salinity drop. I assume you have thought about ATO, but if not, I would go Avast again because I like the way it integrates with the Apex and I prefer the air switch they use to a float switch.

1.5 Million gallons of water and no power. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/13605953-418/shedd-aquarium-evacuated-following-outage.html

Just to clarify, what takes the MP40 down to 50% is the voltage. Normal voltage is 24V. UPS or Vortech backup is 12. The only interface between the Vortech and the backup is a DC power connection. The Vortech looks at the two power inputs it has, and when the voltage available on the backup input exceeds what is coming in on the primary input, it puts itself into backup mode. It is real simple but it works well. The bottom line is that it doesn't know or care where the backup voltage comes from. I really like having the big Vortech backup battery, but I also know that they are prohibitively expensive for some people. If I had a nano with a MP10 I would most definately be running an cheap Ebay backup to it.

I have a big nasty generator. I ran a bunch of ELN powere supplies and the AI factory power supplies with no problems.

I have pretty good data on this now. I have one MP40 connected to a Vortech Backup. I have the other Vortech connected to one of these dirt cheap 12V UPSs. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Belkin-battery-back-up-12-volt-DC-Model-BU3DC001-12V-Uverse-Modem-Phone-GREAT-/280912624937?pt=US_Uninterruptible_Power_Supplies&hash=item4167b27d29 After 12 hours both were running an MP40 at 50 percent. I am sure the Vortech battery will last much longer, but 12 hours ain't bad. I did at one point replace the battery in he cheap UPS with a new one. So I spent $25 on the UPS, $25 on a new new factory battery, an $5 for the right size plug at RadioShack. I also used one of these units to backup my Apex, and another to back up a Tunze 6055 in my frag tank. They are incredibly cheap and useful little things.

I found the article. It was in Reefkeeping magazine not Advanced Aquarist. I thought this research was undersold. It shows pretty clearly that in a large tank, light raises dissolved oxygen level much more than air stones. That is pretty significant now that we have cool energy efficient LEDs that generate plenty of light for photosynthesis. It infers that you could save livestock in a big overheated tank by turning some LEDs on. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-08/eb/index.php

I have been looking for a link. I think the research was published in Advanced Aquarist in 2005 or 2006. I can't find back issues that far back.