Jason Rhoads

Good to know! Thanks for sharing. I was unaware of pumps behaving in this way.

Not sure about that, but you could always make yourself a water level indicator by drilling two holes (one top and one bottom) in the container then running clear airline tubing between them. You will be able to see the water height by looking at the water level in the tubing.

Has anyone ever tried running a pump or heater off of a solar panel? Admittedly I am a noob when it comes to electronics and wiring, but wouldn't that work (provided there was sunlight).

You are misunderstanding. A "T" is run off the return line and a valve put on that line. The flow is regulated by opening the valve. This allows you to adjust the flow on the return line without adding any extra back pressure to the pump. IMO it is the better way of regulating flow.

While I have seen some really nice looking tanks under BL LEDs I cannot speak to their degradation. I will defer to the experts in that area I do think that you should try the cheaper LEDs before you buy something expensive. I had a PFO Solaris fixture back in the day and spent around $1k on it used. I got burned pretty badly on the deal (it didn’t keep my SPS alive, and my softies were reaching for light) and luckily I was able to eBay it for around $800. I waited for awhile before taking the LED plunge again and then only after the BL LEDs proved that they could support the coral I wanted to keep. I built myself a small fixture first and watched the growth over the span of 6 months before I went all in and built a DIY fixture for the DT. I love the colors that my leds put out, and am happy with the growth in the corals. But I have not had them long enough to see any degradation in the whites. Good discussion guys!

This is all that matters... Well this and the $$ that will still be in your pocket if you go with BL LEDs. Forgive my ignorance, but if you are using a mixture of colors (RB, 4500k, 6500k, etc...) wouldn't the color rendering for a given emitter be a moot point?

Here is what I used. This brand can be found at Sam's: It will hold just over 5 gallons.

Should work well. I made an ATO reservoir out of a cat litter container (I cleaned it really really well). As long as the plastic is "food grade" you should be good to go.

I agree that drilling it would be best. I had a u tube overflow on a 75g and was constantly having to stick airline up one side and suck the air out to keep a good siphon. I may have had a pump/overflow mismatch though.

Yep GARF is where I got most of the tips for the project. I estimate about one to two months of cure time is needed. I start by adding about a cup of vinegar to some tap water (probably around 5g) which is exchanged every week. I only add the vinegar for 2 weeks/changes so that the rock doesn't get too weak (I have never seen a problem with the rock getting weak, but have read that it can). Honestly I didn't test the PH until the second month and I forgot a few water changes in that time span, so not totally sure on the cure time needed, it could be less

With the footprint of the CLS the outlets (right now 3/4" Loc-Line) will be hidden among the rock work (hopefully, none of this is built yet ) Good point here. I had not considered the fact that I would be creating what equates to 6 sandblasters in my tank. I am glad I posted this before going out and buying the equipment!

I am looking for opinions/ experiences using eductors. I am in the process of building an under sand closed loop and am debating using eductors on some of the outlets. In this application the flow from the CLS will be supplementary and only on for a few hours throughout the day so the eductor is not totally necessary. But, extra flow that costs no electricity sounds like a whole lot of win Main tank turnover will be through power heads set up to create a gyre effect.

1) You don't need any carbon. It can help, but I would not consider it essential. I don't have a filter sock on my current build and wish I did. When I put together my next sump I will have one for sure. 2) This is extra line actually isn't so that the water gets filtered again it is the preferred way to dial down your return pump. You put a valve on the return line going back to the sump and open it to decrease the flow back to the main tank. This is easier on the return pump than putting a valve directly on the return line and creating more head pressure to reduce flow to the tank. 3)Baffles are up to your preference. I just had my baffle system give out (will use glass from here on out) and I actually saw a reduction in bubbles in the DT through running a baffle-less sump. I like one baffle to keep the water level in my skimmer compartment at a constant level. Other than that I don’t see much use for them. If you are running a refugium in your sump you will need a baffle to separate your fuge from the rest of the sump. The sump I just built has the return in the center flanked by a refugium on one side and skimmer on the other. I am running four return lines -two to the refuge and two to the skimmer (skimmer side will have filter socks). But like I said, currently my sump is a totally open (no baffles) 20 long and I don’t see any ill effects to not using separate chambers. I should note that my current tank has a remote refugium and the new build will have the refuge integrated into the sump.

I actually know of a guy (in my NC reef group) who made rock to cover something similar to a CPR. Although he built an entire back wall out of DIY rock, I bet you could make it work. I will try to dig up his old build thread and post it here. You would probably have to rough up the acrylic to get the cement to hold.

I wanted to share a DIY project for making your own rock to help hide those big overflows. DIY rock is a great choice for a project like this because: It is low-impact It is totally customizable It is pest free In my case I wanted to cover the overflow of my 90g bow front but I didn't want the rock scape to take up much space. Due to the curve of the glass there was not much room to stack LR around the overflow so I had to come up with a way to maximize my tank space. Using a 5g bucket as a mold I was able to create a rock formation that fit the curve of the overflow and looked very natural. **Full disclosure:I have not yet put this rock into the tank because I misjudged how much rock I had and ended up with too much rock in the tank. I will be using this rock in my 100g build (look for it Feb 2013). The mix I used consisted of: Portland Cement Crushed Oyster Shells Rock Salt Old Tank Sand (dry sand left from an old tank) Dry Live Rock (I included these for aesthetic reasons, they are not needed for biological function) I will not go into a ton of detail around how you make the rock as this can be found elsewhere I will say this though; be sure to preplan the shape you want. Negative space is more important than "rock space" when building DIY rock as that is where you will be filling with sand/shells/rock salt. The first pic is of the overflow that I wanted to mask using the rock. Next pic shows the 5g bucket being used to mold the back of the rock into a curve: This shows the shape the back of the rock took once hardened: A close-up of the rock, this shows how the salt is used to form negative space in the finished project. Where you see rock salt will be a cave when the rock is cured: A view of the front side of the rock: Tank with one rock piece in place I really like how many overhangs and aquascaping options that are created: I actually have pieces built that (when stacked) allow almost the entire overflow to be covered, but I do not have pictures of those as I was in the middle of a move when I built this batch of rock. Forming the rock to the curve or my overflow allowed me to reclaim some space in the tank. I can use the many shelves created to grow corals or provide shelter to fish/inverts. Having the rock sit snugly against the overflow allows shelves to extend without hitting against the aquarium glass.

Honestly there is no need to break up your rock to use as rubble in the filter. In fact the rubble would behave exactly the same as bio balls if used in the sump in that fashion. Bacteria do not care if they live on rock or plastic. I would leave that chamber empty and leave the rock in the display.

Oh, also seahorses would be great in a low-flow 55g.

You could do a really nice sea grass setup with the 55. That tank would give you enough depth to get a great root system. Plus, you could plumb that into your 40 and have a baller refugium that would produce copious amounts of food for your corals.

+1 on the toggle bolts if you are going from the ceiling. No sense in taking the chance of the light plummeting into the tank I too was running into the issue of how to hang my LEDs (while renting) and I decided to just build a hanging arm that attached to the back of the tank. Cost was around $20 all said and done (I used wood but conduit looks really nice when done well).

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! Looking forward to reefing with you all!

I would be glad to offer any advice needed on the plumbing or drilling aspect (if you go that route).

I have been running this kit on my refugium for two years now: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Overflow-Box-1200GPH-and-video-viewing-/280394416660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4148cf4214 I tee off my return pump to feed it, but I really like the idea of letting the gravity feed from your DT provide the circulation in your FT. That kit comes with the overflow box, the bulkheads, and the drill bit you will need to install the kit. Drilling glass is nothing to be afraid of. Just go slow and be patient.

Will do Tom, I have some pictures from a few past projects that I will post in the next few days.

Right now I am an analyst with Wells Fargo, but I will soon be doing trade investigations with the Department of Commerce. We are actually going to be driving up this weekend to (hopefully) lock in an apartment for a year. Right now we are looking at the Springfield area. The metro blue line would take me right to where I need to be in D.C. After we get a feel for the area I really want to buy a house as upgrading to a much bigger tank isn't a realistic possibility in an apartment.

10 inches is OK, but how thick is it... I am talking about the sand bed people.