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View Full Version : Newbie needs light and diy sump help!


stephhuckeby
07/04/2010, 10:02 PM
Hi everyone! I'm new here. I am setting up a 75g hopefully to have some fish softies and lps eventually. I have 2 questions.

1. I have a 48" coralife t5ho w/ 2 54 watt bulbs (10k and actinic) I also have a power compact light w/ 2 65 watt actinics in it that come w/ the tank. My question is... Is this enough light for what I want? if not what do I need?

2. I'm building my own sump w/ refugium. How tall should I make the baffles to put in a 29g tank I had already? I'm put in the bubble trap w/ 3 baffles. I think that middle 1 is at least 1" from bottom if I'm correct, but I'm confused a little on the height of the other ones and the main compartment baffles.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!!!!

Mikilios
07/04/2010, 10:11 PM
What are the dimensions of your 29 gallon? And yes, the middle baffle should be around an inch off the bottom from what I've read. When I glued mine in, I placed two cd cases underneath it. I just completed my system and got live rock in it yesterday.

stephhuckeby
07/04/2010, 10:30 PM
deminsions are 30"l x 12"w x 18"h

Mikilios
07/04/2010, 10:41 PM
My sump is 30x12x12. Here is a picture. I have the drain line entering the right hand side (1" pvc on my 50 gallon). Then I have a 10" baffle set at the bottom. This right side chamber holds the skimmer in a depth of 10" water. The next baffle is 10" off the bottom to create the middle chamber (refugium). The next baffle is a 10 inch piece that i slipped two cd cases underneath the bottom and glued in (about 1/2 column between it and the other two baffles). The final baffle comes off the bottom 6 inches. This creates the chamber for the mag 7 return pump that I have hooked up to a ball valve with a 3/4 " return line. I may edit this design though and make a T fitting, with 1 3/4 " line going back into the refugium (with the ball valve so I can control the flow rate), and the other line going back into the tank drain. Hope this helps some. :)

Mikilios
07/04/2010, 10:49 PM
I forgot to mention... the chamber for my skimmer was based on the Bubble Magus NAC6's footprint. So that chamber is 7" wide (by 12 depth), and the return pump side chamber is 4" wide (based on the footprint of my mag 7 return).

Sharpie_
07/04/2010, 10:59 PM
Your lights should be fine, I'm running 4 t5ho over my 75 and it holds sps in it's top half. As for sump design, I find the best method for it is:

I posted this on another forum and I think it's a good writeup.

I made an image that gives a detailed outline of my idea of the optimal simple sump. I will go through it really quickly to explain all of it's components though;

http://i47.*******.com/wwamit.jpg

A - Valve, this valve goes on the main drain and allows you to control the water level in the overflow box, the pipe beside it is an emergency drain.

B + C - These were added to the drawing in order for you to visualize the space required to have an in sump skimmer such as the Red Sea Berlin. This section can be smaller if the skimmer used will be HOB, Nano, or non existent. This area can also house other equipment such as heaters, probes, and media.

D - Is your return pump, it is hooked into;

E - Which is a flexible hose on two barbed fittings, this allows you to reduce vibrations transferred to your plumbing as well as have a quick disconnect for your pump. From the barbed fitting hard PVC pipe is used.

F + G - A "Tee" fitting is used to split the water so the flow through the refugiem can be controlled. This also allows for excess flow from an overpowered pump to be redirected without damaging the pump (throttling it back). Keep in mind, when adjusting the valve it will affect the water level in your Herbie overflow and can cause problems. Find a happy place for flow through the refugiem and keep the valve there. If you will be using a check valve on your return line, place it above the Tee and make sure that the refugiem line is submerged otherwise air will be let into the system and the check valve will burp and fail.

H - Your refugiem, it can be lit by a simple flood light in a standard socket wired to a plug.

I - The RDSB provides a place for anaerobic bacteria to grow unhindered by disturbing current or oxygen. It also provides a place for roots of some macro algae to grab hold. Do more research on the (R)DSB before adding it.

J - The bubble trap is used to stop problem micro-bubbles from returning to the display tank. The first sheet of glass sits relatively low to the bottom of the tank (1" - 1/2" clearance) this stops floating proteins from being recirculated into the water column as well as keeps the current at the bottom of the sump section allowing bubbles to float up. The next pane keeps the water level in the skimmer section constant, certain skimmers need more water than others, 9-11" being average. It is always better to have the section taller then necessary because a skimmer can be raised, this is however a problem in short stands. The final pane of glass is about two to three inches away from the second and sits at a similar height as the first, this last section gives a place for any remaining bubbles to rise before the water is recirculated into the tank.

You may consider adding a single pane bubble trap to the refugiem side with a similar method of placement. It is however unnecessary if the flow in the refugiem is slow enough.

HTH, Zach.