180 cube questions

[rlf_racing]

I'm looking at getting a used 180 cube that only comes with stand and canopy. It is reef ready. I know the lighting that I am wanting go with. My questions are;

What size sump should I be looking for?

What size return pump?
Basically what equipment am I going to need?

Thanks

[LXXero]

I would say something in the 1500-2500GPH range for the pump, so that you end up with like 1000 - 1600GPH after head, assumping the sump is somewhere within 3-5ft below your tank. You could even go a little higher if you want, maybe up to 3000GPH, but most people say 5-6x or 8-10x the tank volume, i tend to aim for the higher side, and you can always dial it down if you need to, with a ball valve, or if it's a DC pump, you can just dial it down via controller.

If you plan on building a manifold and driving other accessories, it never hurts to oversize the pump a little for that purpose either.

i like fluval SP series for AC pumps, that's what's currently on my 120g. i'm trying a waveline DC pump on my new 60 cube build, but i haven't actually received it or used it yet, so I can't give much of a review just yet, but they seem nice enough. one of the larger model would probably suit a 180g just fine as well. the vectra pumps look pretty nice as well

what are the dimensions of the tank? that's gonna be the main limiting factor I think. If it's a 36x36x36 cube, give or take, that might limit you to a smaller rectangular sump. For 180G, it would be nice to try and have at least 40 gal sump if you could....could even go larger, but cube might limit that. a lot of 40gal sumps are gonna be nearly 36-40" long as well, so depending on dimensions you might need to either go smaller, or go custom....the traditional 40 breeder tank is of course 36" long, you may need to go down to 30-34" range, like a 29G or 20 long....they do make some sumps around 34" long that would fit somewhat tightly in a 36" cabinet...but it's all gonna be about dimensions.

smaller cube's are even tougher though, I'm doing a 60cube and my only option other than a 10gal was to locate an actually cube-shaped sump. which is made by trigger systems, but it'd be way too small for 180...their largest model is a 40gal, but plenty other brands make ones around 40gal as well, have an aqueon sump on my 120g which is ok, but i did have to sort of custom mod it a little bit to get it up to my standards, it's not terrible for the money though, but i have a feeling the sump on my 60 is gonna be nicer than the one on my 120, lol.

you'll also maybe need heater, skimmer, plumbing pieces for the sump/overflow and returns, wavemaker pumps/powerheads...etc...tons of options. i like aqueon pro heaters, but no matter what heater you choose, get a controller of some sort anyway. having two levels of redundancy is better than one, and better than frying your fish!

[Breadman03]

As far as sumps go, I think a basement sump or fish room is ideal. Barring that, you should consider getting an acrylic sump made for you.

[rlf_racing]

As far as sumps go, I think a basement sump or fish room is ideal. Barring that, you should consider getting an acrylic sump made for you.



I wish I had a basement. And unfortunately I don't have any room available that would work as a dedicated fish room. I definitely don't want to run lines in my crawl space to the other end of the house into to garage. We're talking maybe 30' or more of a run.

[Keelo]

You could possibly make the stand wider in all sides if that is option or push the stand and tank away from the wall maybe 15 inches or so just enough to fit the sump then you could cover that up to make it look like it belonged to the stand. With 30 inches I would imagine it would be hard to have a big sump under it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk