Anteverius
02/17/2009, 08:26 PM
First, a little background info. I got into the hobby a little over a year ago with the assistance of my then roommate. He had inherited a whole setup for free, so we needed some live rock, sand, etc... to get it going. Searching for live rock on craigslist he found a whole setup (with roughly 60lbs LR, lights, fish, all the goodies) for a very good deal. It ended up being cheaper than just buying LR alone. We decided to split the LR into the two tanks and have a reef and a FOWLR. This turned our kitchen into the new fish room.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Anteverius/40%20Breeder%20Build/FIshRoom2-09.jpg
Fast forward to now...added the frag tank, roommate is gone, and the tanks have become mine. After learning so much in the last year (mostly from here on RC) I have decided that I dont really like my current setup. Crappy sump setup/skimmer, HOB overflow, hard to access sump, the list goes on. This coupled with the fact I want to downsize to only one tank (tired of doing everything twice), I have decided to start a tank from scratch.
Contrary to what most folks around here seem to do, I have decided to go smaller. After seeing a 40 breeder in person, I couldnt resist. Knowing what tank I want, I now am going to start it from scratch. This is where you come in. Not only do I want to document starting this tank from the beginning, I want as much input as possible from the knowledge of RC to make the tank better. I have some plans I have been working on, but things will most surely change before its over.
Some Basic Plans:
Tank: 40 breeder
Sump: 20L (going to have small fuge)
Lights: not sure yet. help!!
Skimmer: not sure yet. help!!
Return Pump: Mag 5 or 7 ??
Water Movement: 2 Koralia 1's. Enough?
Stand/Hood: going to build
The stand is what I will be building first, so I will begin with this. I only have a few requirements for this part:
1.) Be tall enough for easy access/ good viewing height
2.) Sump slide in through front/back or sides
3.) Not really big
I have decided to build something similar to RocketEngineers plans: Stand Plans (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1169964&perpage=25&pagenumber=1) I built the stand for my frag tank but these plans are better, so I will use these. Wanting my stand to be at least 36" tall and wide enough to fit the sump in from all sides, i have come up with this. This is only the frame. There will be a doors on three sides when the stand is finished.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Anteverius/40%20Breeder%20Build/stand.jpg
The next part is the sump. So far I am planning on using a 20L for my sump. I already have one, and it seems to be big enough for what I want. I am going to put in baffles myself. What do you think of this plan so far. (these are rough dimensions)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Anteverius/40%20Breeder%20Build/sumpiso.jpg
In the return area I have a 4"x4" bubble trap to put either a sock or LR rubble. Which is better? Pros/Cons? The skimmer will be in the larger part of this section. The middle is the pump section. I will probably be using a Mag 5 or 7. Will this section be big enough for sufficient flow? The fuge will be fed from tank with a ball valve to control the flow.
Question: Should the water be the same height on either side of the return pump section. From some pictures I have seen (melevs site), it seems the water is higher in the fuge side than it is in the skimmer section.
Heres a pic to show that it fits with decent space on top.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Anteverius/40%20Breeder%20Build/sump-stand.jpg
Any input so far would be appreciated, and I will post more shortly.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Anteverius/40%20Breeder%20Build/FIshRoom2-09.jpg
Fast forward to now...added the frag tank, roommate is gone, and the tanks have become mine. After learning so much in the last year (mostly from here on RC) I have decided that I dont really like my current setup. Crappy sump setup/skimmer, HOB overflow, hard to access sump, the list goes on. This coupled with the fact I want to downsize to only one tank (tired of doing everything twice), I have decided to start a tank from scratch.
Contrary to what most folks around here seem to do, I have decided to go smaller. After seeing a 40 breeder in person, I couldnt resist. Knowing what tank I want, I now am going to start it from scratch. This is where you come in. Not only do I want to document starting this tank from the beginning, I want as much input as possible from the knowledge of RC to make the tank better. I have some plans I have been working on, but things will most surely change before its over.
Some Basic Plans:
Tank: 40 breeder
Sump: 20L (going to have small fuge)
Lights: not sure yet. help!!
Skimmer: not sure yet. help!!
Return Pump: Mag 5 or 7 ??
Water Movement: 2 Koralia 1's. Enough?
Stand/Hood: going to build
The stand is what I will be building first, so I will begin with this. I only have a few requirements for this part:
1.) Be tall enough for easy access/ good viewing height
2.) Sump slide in through front/back or sides
3.) Not really big
I have decided to build something similar to RocketEngineers plans: Stand Plans (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1169964&perpage=25&pagenumber=1) I built the stand for my frag tank but these plans are better, so I will use these. Wanting my stand to be at least 36" tall and wide enough to fit the sump in from all sides, i have come up with this. This is only the frame. There will be a doors on three sides when the stand is finished.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Anteverius/40%20Breeder%20Build/stand.jpg
The next part is the sump. So far I am planning on using a 20L for my sump. I already have one, and it seems to be big enough for what I want. I am going to put in baffles myself. What do you think of this plan so far. (these are rough dimensions)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Anteverius/40%20Breeder%20Build/sumpiso.jpg
In the return area I have a 4"x4" bubble trap to put either a sock or LR rubble. Which is better? Pros/Cons? The skimmer will be in the larger part of this section. The middle is the pump section. I will probably be using a Mag 5 or 7. Will this section be big enough for sufficient flow? The fuge will be fed from tank with a ball valve to control the flow.
Question: Should the water be the same height on either side of the return pump section. From some pictures I have seen (melevs site), it seems the water is higher in the fuge side than it is in the skimmer section.
Heres a pic to show that it fits with decent space on top.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Anteverius/40%20Breeder%20Build/sump-stand.jpg
Any input so far would be appreciated, and I will post more shortly.