My Bankrupt Machine :)

[st9z]

Well like the man at the LFS said a year ago....55 Gallon won't be enough for a saltwater tank you have to go BIG, like a 90 gallon or a 180 heck why don't you do a 300 gallon. (Niki's response: Are u CRAZY! 55 gallon is already big enough). If I only listen to him then, I wouldnt be trying to go bigger today. Oh well who ever said bigger isn't better right

 

So the scoop is I bought the 90 gallon from Raymond last week. Right now I am in the process of painting the stand and tank black. Also gathering bigger and better equipment for the tank. I wanted to start a dedication thread so that I can keep track of my progress from the beginning. So if you bored jump on in.

[JMsAquarium]

We want pictures

 

Congrats on your new build. Keep posting.

[st9z]

Oh course!

 

Here is the original tank that I pick up last week.

 

 

Painting with my girlfriends

 

 

 

 

Priming the Tank Trim

 

 

Tonight we are doing our 3rd coat on the stand and 2nd coat on the tank!

[Brian Ward]

you should definitely drill it before you start putting everything together.

[st9z]

you should definitely drill it before you start putting everything together.

The tank is already pre-drill Raymond hooked me up really good

[jamesbuf]

Nice thing about upgrading from a 55 to a 90 is that you can keep the same lights since the tanks are the same length. Tagging along to see your progress......

[jason the filter freak]

i love the thread title i cant wait to see the tank up and running

[st9z]

Nice thing about upgrading from a 55 to a 90 is that you can keep the same lights since the tanks are the same length. Tagging along to see your progress......

about that i was meaning to ask if 4-54 watt T5 would be enough for a 90 gallon. Right now the bulbs I have are the following

 

1 -- ATI 54W 12000K Aquablue Special T5 HO Fluorescent

2 -- ATI 54W Blue Plus T5 HO Fluorescent

1 -- UVL 54W 10000K AquaSun T5 HO Fluorescent

[jamesbuf]

I think you'd be fine for most stuff except for some of the really high demanding sps. Expect to keep any sps directly under the bulbs and not too far from the surface.

[st9z]

i love the thread title i cant wait to see the tank up and running

Thanks Jason. I hope to have the tank up and running before July 4th I can't wait to see it up and running as well.

[zoozilla]

Tagging along for the ride

[st9z]

Tagging along for the ride

Cool welcome Dan!

[st9z]

Question for sump users.

 

A little background: I have a 29 gallon with ASM G3 skimmer on the same sides as the water is coming in from the overflow, then there is a baffle that is glued 7 inches high up from the bottom of the tank, then another baffle that is touching the bottom of the tank and is about 10inches high up that leads to the return pump.

 

Question is, do I have enough baffles to prevent air bubbles, or do i need more?

Another question is would a Mag 7 be enough for the return pump?

 

thanks,

NIKI

 

Some Pics

 

 

 

[jason the filter freak]

I would add one more baffle as for the mag 7 it should be fine. As long as you don't over fill your tank the return pump can be as small as you want it. It can just never be rated at more gph than your over flow is.

 

In theory the slower the turn over in your sump is the more efficent the skimmer will be.

[tbittner]

It looks like some of the water coming out of the skimmer will dump right in between the baffles. It might even end up outside of your sump. I don't have an ASM but doesn't the water come up out of the top of that pipe sticking up? And then flow back down into the sump?

 

As for your pump, I tend to go the other direction. I make sure the pump is slightly bigger than the overflow can handle. Then I slow the flow with a gate valve. I figure it's better to have as much flow as the system will handle and then slow it down to what is truly desired. If the pump is smaller than desired, then you're stuck with buying a bigger pump. A downside to this though is you're using a little bit more electric by having simulated head pressure. It's hardly worth mentioning though.

[Brian Ward]

It looks like some of the water coming out of the skimmer will dump right in between the baffles. It might even end up outside of your sump. I don't have an ASM but doesn't the water come up out of the top of that pipe sticking up? And then flow back down into the sump?

 

As for your pump, I tend to go the other direction. I make sure the pump is slightly bigger than the overflow can handle. Then I slow the flow with a gate valve. I figure it's better to have as much flow as the system will handle and then slow it down to what is truly desired. If the pump is smaller than desired, then you're stuck with buying a bigger pump. A downside to this though is you're using a little bit more electric by having simulated head pressure. It's hardly worth mentioning though.

 

For the pump, I have to agree here. On a 90 gallon, rule of thumb is 10x turnover or 900 gph. The 7 will give you 700gph at 0 head, but that's obviously not going to be the case. I'd go with a mag 9 if you're going to stick with the mag line, but if I were buying a new pump I'd get a Reeflo Dart for external or a Eheim 1262 (I think that's the number) for a submersible. You can always dial back the flow.

[dcreefer]

Congrats Niki, I see you doing big things! I am tagging along also! The stand looks good in black!

[st9z]

I would add one more baffle as for the mag 7 it should be fine. As long as you don't over fill your tank the return pump can be as small as you want it. It can just never be rated at more gph than your over flow is.

 

In theory the slower the turn over in your sump is the more efficent the skimmer will be.

Jason, where should I add another baffle? Should it be in between the 2 existing baffles or at the end?

 

It looks like some of the water coming out of the skimmer will dump right in between the baffles. It might even end up outside of your sump. I don't have an ASM but doesn't the water come up out of the top of that pipe sticking up? And then flow back down into the sump?

 

As for your pump, I tend to go the other direction. I make sure the pump is slightly bigger than the overflow can handle. Then I slow the flow with a gate valve. I figure it's better to have as much flow as the system will handle and then slow it down to what is truly desired. If the pump is smaller than desired, then you're stuck with buying a bigger pump. A downside to this though is you're using a little bit more electric by having simulated head pressure. It's hardly worth mentioning though.

I purchased the skimmer from Dan/Pam and looks like they have a gate valve with a T pipe at the end of the skimmer so that I can adjust the flow. You can't really see it from the pic but i have one of the T pipe end facing down while the other one is facing up. I hope the return water goes down that way or do you think it would flow out from the top as well?

 

For the pump, I have to agree here. On a 90 gallon, rule of thumb is 10x turnover or 900 gph. The 7 will give you 700gph at 0 head, but that's obviously not going to be the case. I'd go with a mag 9 if you're going to stick with the mag line, but if I were buying a new pump I'd get a Reeflo Dart for external or a Eheim 1262 (I think that's the number) for a submersible. You can always dial back the flow.

Hey Brian,

If I add other things inside the sump, like a calcuim reacter, phosban reacter, and the skimmer would that be enough to slow down the water going into the return pump side so that I can use the Mag 7? Or is it safer to just use a bigger pump from the beginning and adjust the flow with a gate valve later on?

 

I think you'd be fine for most stuff except for some of the really high demanding sps. Expect to keep any sps directly under the bulbs and not too far from the surface.

My only concern is the clam sitting on the sand bed :( as for the SPS I really am not into them that much. I really like corals that move with the flow, makes them look more alive. For the ones I do have I will definitely place them high up.

 

Congrats Niki, I see you doing big things! I am tagging along also! The stand looks good in black!

 

Thanks Ray welcome aboard! I'll be tagging along your tank as well

[Brian Ward]

Hey Brian,

If I add other things inside the sump, like a calcuim reacter, phosban reacter, and the skimmer would that be enough to slow down the water going into the return pump side so that I can use the Mag 7? Or is it safer to just use a bigger pump from the beginning and adjust the flow with a gate valve later on?

 

I'm not sure I understand the question. As long as your pump isnt pumping more than your overflow can handle, the pump will be adequately supplied - it's an equilibrium state that will be achieved where the amount of water the pump is moving is equal to the amount of water draining into the sump. The concern is not enough flow through the sump to provide adequate filtration. If you're going to be feeding a calcium reactor, phosban reactor,etc with this pump then you definitely want to size it up quite a bit.

[st9z]

Well we FINALLY finished painting and here are some pics of the final product.....

 

 

 

 

[st9z]

Well I am going to try and move everything into the new tank tomorrow. But first I wanted to do a check list to see if I have everything covered.

 

I have the sump, skimmer, all the pumps, coolers for the rocks, and buckets for the fish and corals.

 

I was planning of moving all the corals first into a bucket, then the rocks, and then the fish. Last pulling the old stand and tank out from the old spot and placing the new one in. After that transfer the sand first, the rock, the corals, and then the fish. I think I will have about 30 gallons of my old tank water and I'll have to buy the other 40 or so gallon. Do you think that would a cycle to occur?

 

Let me know if I am missing anything or if my plan doesn't seem any good.

[jamesbuf]

You've got heaters for the fish and corals right? The water in those buckets will cool down way faster than you think. Or I guess you could just stick them outside right, barring the temp being around 80 degrees.

[dcreefer]

When I moved from a 44 to a 90 I had to test, test and test again the new tank's water to ensure that I was transitioning my fish to like waters. I also kept watch of the temp in the 90 and compared it to my holding area to ensure that my live stock wasn't going to be shocked when I dropped them into the new large and spacious home.

[st9z]

I have heaters and powerheads for the coral, fish, and rocks. Do I need heaters for the live rock as well?

 

Any idea if i only use 30 gallon of my old water and 40 gallon of new water if it would cause a cycle?

[Brian Ward]

I have heaters and powerheads for the coral, fish, and rocks. Do I need heaters for the live rock as well?

 

Any idea if i only use 30 gallon of my old water and 40 gallon of new water if it would cause a cycle?

 

 

 

The cycle is caused by die-off on the live rock. Yes, you need heaters and powerheads for your liverock - the bacteria on the rock is hearty, but requires you to maintain temperature and flow. If you keep the rock from being out of the water for very long then you should not have a cycle since you'll prevent any die-off on the rock.