Bumble B
02/12/2013, 07:32 PM
Hi all and thanks for reading. Been following all the good info on here for a little while n finally decided to stop being a guest and register. Hopefully I could help you guys as well.I will be starting two new tanks in the near future, a 15g tall cube, and a 55g standard. Both will be mixed reef and focus mainly on inverts and less on fish. I will get more into the details of husbandry and the specifics of the preferred inhabitants for each tank in a bit.
I am thinking about setting up the 15g asap. (Within 1mo). Im going to use a 10g as a sump and refugium with cheato, mag3 return pump (5' head height), and a cpr bakpak as a skimmer. I bought the Orphek pr25xp for the main lighting but feel like ill need some additional leds for more general veiwing brightness...id like this tank to be simple, green star polyps on a barebottom, clams mid way up the rock work, and maybe M. Setosa for the top...a few blood shrimp, small hermits, and maybe some cerith snails as my CUC...*
The 55g will have a custom 35g sump with refugium and Euroreef skimmer(forgot model but rated for 75g or so I believe). Lighting will be 2 120w led fixtures (off brand name unknown. I have seen these at the store where they were purchased from. Its a 60/40 blue white combo, which is shown to work to grow and keep inverts happy as the store uses them on all their tanks, show/stock/frag). I havent decided on what and how much to put in this tank yet, but im thinking of half show tank (mother colonies) and the other half a frag station...for when my mommies grow out lol... 1" sand bed (or less) for the dt.
So heres the situation and where I need your suggestions:The 55g will have an acrylic sump that comes with the setup. (Im aquiring the full setup in about 5months) the custom sump is 36" x 13" x 16" tall. It has a 15" long 1st section, 12" mid section, and the rest are baffles leading to the return pump (mag 7) section. Section 1 is basically empty except for the Euroreef. Section 2 is the refugium. Thats the existing system...
*I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS SUMP TO RUN BOTH TANKS!
Thinking to make the 1st section an 8" deep DSB, leading to a bare bottom cheato refugium w live rock. I would also like to use the last section to house the return pump, BUT heres where I need your advice guys and gals.( guess I shouldnt have said that earlier...lol) I would like to drill drainage holes into the side of the sump (return section side, left panel of sump) leading to a satellite 10g that would be under the 15gal dt. (The two mentioned setups will be side by side, the 15g on the left). The 10g would house the skimmer and a mag 3 or 5 (or what do you suggest flow rate wise?) that would lead back to the DSB section of the main sump. I plan on modifing the feed line from the 10gal and the 55g drainage line to spray bars so they dont disturb the DSB.*Anyone see any problems yet?I also would like to ask if this eventual setup sounds good, what problem if any do you see adding this larger system to the existing 15gal? Remember I WANT (lol) to get the 15gal going asap but wont get the 55g for a few months. I am worried that I will run into another new tank syndrome if I put the 55 online to the 15 as a new tank. Should I cycle the 55g first (for a few months) and then combine the systems? Or should I wait and start them both at the same time since they will be running off one main filtration setup anyway. Normally I would like to keep systems separate, but since it seemed like two very similar systems, I wanted to combine the sumps usage so I could enlarge and benefit from the overall volume of the system stabilizing the 15g a bit. Oh I didnt mention but I plan to use a mag 9 as the main return pump, Teeing off to a SCWD to each of the tanks. (So each tank would have two return lines and one SCWD)...Well I think you should all get my long winded point by now...lol.
I will kindly accept all constructive criticism. Let me know what you think.*Thanks again !*
I am thinking about setting up the 15g asap. (Within 1mo). Im going to use a 10g as a sump and refugium with cheato, mag3 return pump (5' head height), and a cpr bakpak as a skimmer. I bought the Orphek pr25xp for the main lighting but feel like ill need some additional leds for more general veiwing brightness...id like this tank to be simple, green star polyps on a barebottom, clams mid way up the rock work, and maybe M. Setosa for the top...a few blood shrimp, small hermits, and maybe some cerith snails as my CUC...*
The 55g will have a custom 35g sump with refugium and Euroreef skimmer(forgot model but rated for 75g or so I believe). Lighting will be 2 120w led fixtures (off brand name unknown. I have seen these at the store where they were purchased from. Its a 60/40 blue white combo, which is shown to work to grow and keep inverts happy as the store uses them on all their tanks, show/stock/frag). I havent decided on what and how much to put in this tank yet, but im thinking of half show tank (mother colonies) and the other half a frag station...for when my mommies grow out lol... 1" sand bed (or less) for the dt.
So heres the situation and where I need your suggestions:The 55g will have an acrylic sump that comes with the setup. (Im aquiring the full setup in about 5months) the custom sump is 36" x 13" x 16" tall. It has a 15" long 1st section, 12" mid section, and the rest are baffles leading to the return pump (mag 7) section. Section 1 is basically empty except for the Euroreef. Section 2 is the refugium. Thats the existing system...
*I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS SUMP TO RUN BOTH TANKS!
Thinking to make the 1st section an 8" deep DSB, leading to a bare bottom cheato refugium w live rock. I would also like to use the last section to house the return pump, BUT heres where I need your advice guys and gals.( guess I shouldnt have said that earlier...lol) I would like to drill drainage holes into the side of the sump (return section side, left panel of sump) leading to a satellite 10g that would be under the 15gal dt. (The two mentioned setups will be side by side, the 15g on the left). The 10g would house the skimmer and a mag 3 or 5 (or what do you suggest flow rate wise?) that would lead back to the DSB section of the main sump. I plan on modifing the feed line from the 10gal and the 55g drainage line to spray bars so they dont disturb the DSB.*Anyone see any problems yet?I also would like to ask if this eventual setup sounds good, what problem if any do you see adding this larger system to the existing 15gal? Remember I WANT (lol) to get the 15gal going asap but wont get the 55g for a few months. I am worried that I will run into another new tank syndrome if I put the 55 online to the 15 as a new tank. Should I cycle the 55g first (for a few months) and then combine the systems? Or should I wait and start them both at the same time since they will be running off one main filtration setup anyway. Normally I would like to keep systems separate, but since it seemed like two very similar systems, I wanted to combine the sumps usage so I could enlarge and benefit from the overall volume of the system stabilizing the 15g a bit. Oh I didnt mention but I plan to use a mag 9 as the main return pump, Teeing off to a SCWD to each of the tanks. (So each tank would have two return lines and one SCWD)...Well I think you should all get my long winded point by now...lol.
I will kindly accept all constructive criticism. Let me know what you think.*Thanks again !*