New tank somewhat nervous; needs advice

[TheStig]

hey gals/guys! My name is Jeff and this will be my first saltwater tank. I have been keeping freshwater tank for a while now and am looking to jump into a full reef tank so I'm trying to do as much research as possible. I have acquired parts of a saltwater set up through a trade for an old cell phone but I am not sure what else it is I need to be successful.

I want to have a full reef setup and so far here is what I have:

-58g Oceanic tank w/ stand
-15g sump
-protein skimmer
-hang-on overflow box
-return pump
-PC light fixture w/ bulbs
-ballast for 250w metal halide w/ bulb (no fixture/reflector)

What else do I need for a full reef setup?

Once I get the tank running, the gentleman trading me will even include coral frags to get me started.

Another question is tank drilling. Do you suggest I get my tank drilled for the piping? If so, how do I determine where to drill?

Thank you in advance for all of your help!

Here are some pictures of some of the equipment.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c112/jpulpulaan/DSC00752.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c112/jpulpulaan/DSC00753.jpg

[Frogmanx82]

You'll need good flow in the tank. Koralia powerheads come highly recommended. The best light combo is high output T5 with metal halide. You will probably want a plant light in the refugium. People typically use the basic spiral type power compacts.

[fishnub]

i would upgrade to t-5's instead of the PC's. drilling is always better than a HOB overflow. but with tha you will need to do more plumbing, make/buy an overflow box, its just more work. but well worth it.

[TheStig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15752539#post15752539 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Frogmanx82
You'll need good flow in the tank. Koralia powerheads come highly recommended. The best light combo is high output T5 with metal halide. You will probably want a plant light in the refugium. People typically use the basic spiral type power compacts.

ok so in my first pic, is the chamber to the right refugium? or should i light up the whole sump?

now the powerheads are just to create "waves" right?

i am thinking about drilling, the piping isnt much to worry about, where should i have it drilled?

[ROB2005]

If you are going to drill, make sure your bottom glass pane is not tempered, it will shatter if drilled.

[TheStig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15752723#post15752723 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ROB2005
If you are going to drill, make sure your bottom glass pane is not tempered, it will shatter if drilled.

ok thanx

but do i have to drill from the bottom? how many holes do i need and what size are the holes needed?

again, reference a 58 gallon tank

[jtrasap]

No, you don't have to drill the bottom, you can drill the back, or even the end or ends, if you plan to do a peninsula style tank.
My tanks all have the back drilled. Ther'es not much to it if you're at all mechanically inclined.

Just make sure that the glass that you're drilling is not tempered.

[jtrasap]

Also, stig, you should check out Chicagoland Marine Aquarium Society (CMAS).

You can get to their RC forum, by scroling down to the bottom of the main RC forum page, and clicking on the Reef Club Forums, and Midwest region, links.

Here's a direct link to the CMAS RC forum.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=180

[svynx]

LOL, thestig. Top Gear...great show.

[Madratter]

I strongly recommend getting the tank drilled or at minimum ditching that particular overflow unit. I had that one and I was constantly getting air in the siphon and siphon would eventually break. It was a hassle and a half.

And the time to get the tank drilled is now, not later.

[ROB2005]

How did you manage to get air in the siphon?

[TheStig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15753286#post15753286 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by svynx
LOL, thestig. Top Gear...great show.

i know! i freakin love the show! i actually went to the uk for vacation and went to a taping... it was awesome!

[TheStig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15753390#post15753390 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Madratter
I strongly recommend getting the tank drilled or at minimum ditching that particular overflow unit. I had that one and I was constantly getting air in the siphon and siphon would eventually break. It was a hassle and a half.

And the time to get the tank drilled is now, not later.

ok there is a glass place a block from me that will drill it for pretty cheap...

now, i want to drill on the back, how big should i have the holes? and how many holes?

[ludnix]

You should look into what type of overflow box you want to use. You'll probably need to build one out of glass or acrylic to fit your needs. Where you put the overflow box will depend on where you're planning on putting the tank, if it's the peninsula style tank, I would place the overflow on one of the sides, if it's going flat against the wall than I would put it on the back. Regardless of what position the tank is I would avoid putting the bulkheads on the bottom, it is much more difficult to service when they are on the bottom compared to a side.

You'll want to research what size return and drain you want, but you'll need to drill the holes to fit the bulkheads. You can see the bulkhead PVC and actual hole size on this site:

http://savko.com/partlist.asp?pgid=2&ptid=6&pid=29

For example if you want to use 1.5" PVC for the drain than you need to drill a 2 3/8" hole.

If you get a decent reflector you could easily just run that 250w metal halide for the tank, that would provide plenty of light for hard corals and LPS or soft corals lower down on the sides of the tank.

EDIT: If you don't want to make your own overflow box you can order a kit from www.glass-holes.com, their offer complete kits to give you everything you need, but they are pretty pricey in my opinion.

[eric@tampa]

How about upgrading to a bigger sump?If possable it will be a good investment,jmo. Good luck,eric

[eric@tampa]

Also check out wetwebmedia.com lots of info about overflows,bulkheads,ect

[TheStig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15756111#post15756111 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ludnix
You should look into what type of overflow box you want to use. You'll probably need to build one out of glass or acrylic to fit your needs. Where you put the overflow box will depend on where you're planning on putting the tank, if it's the peninsula style tank, I would place the overflow on one of the sides, if it's going flat against the wall than I would put it on the back. Regardless of what position the tank is I would avoid putting the bulkheads on the bottom, it is much more difficult to service when they are on the bottom compared to a side.

You'll want to research what size return and drain you want, but you'll need to drill the holes to fit the bulkheads. You can see the bulkhead PVC and actual hole size on this site:

http://savko.com/partlist.asp?pgid=2&ptid=6&pid=29

For example if you want to use 1.5" PVC for the drain than you need to drill a 2 3/8" hole.

If you get a decent reflector you could easily just run that 250w metal halide for the tank, that would provide plenty of light for hard corals and LPS or soft corals lower down on the sides of the tank.

EDIT: If you don't want to make your own overflow box you can order a kit from www.glass-holes.com, their offer complete kits to give you everything you need, but they are pretty pricey in my opinion.

how can I determine what would be a proper size for an overflow box? I plan to drill the tank so i guess the next step would be to determine the size to install

[TheStig]

ok, now i'm having issues with what seems like a lot of evaporation... i woke up this morning and checked the tank and the sump, which currently has nothing but water, to see if i have any leaks but there does not seem to be any... i came home for lunch and realized that there was a lot of bubbles, i mean A LOT

i look in the sump and realize that the return pump chamber has barely half of the water in it which is causing the pump to push air back to the main tank... there was no leaks, i check everywhere... any remedy to this?

[MCCOOL]

An auto top off system would be your best bet, it continually refills the tank as it evaporates.

[ddinox64]

Maybe for the time being you should change your member name to Captian Slow(James May). Until you're in "The Stig" category.

[TheStig]

Maybe for the time being you should change your member name to Captian Slow(James May). Until you're in "The Stig" category.

hahah! they actually call me the stig bc i autocross and i don the whole white outfit, white helmet deal... and captain slow... that guy's my fave