My 55 gallon reef project

dcombs44 · 08/22/2006, 03:25 PM

I've seen that some people make threads showing how their tanks progress during the setup process, so i figured I'd make one of my own.
I started with a 29 gallon reef setup, and I'm getting ready to upgrade to a 55 gallon (all that I can afford)........so here are some pictures and specs on my setup.

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As far as livestock, I have a tomato clown, a yellow tang, a red serpent star, green brain, various mushrooms, green buttons, green star polyps, and about 60 lbs of live rock. All of which are being babysat until my system is up and running.

55 gallon drilled perfecto aquarium, 29 gallon custom sump/fuge, and perfecto stand. Too lazy to build my own stand.

All-glass megaflow corner overflow

This is a pic of hopefully all that will be seen as far as plumbing work in the display tank. The return from the sump and then a "closed loop" setup that I'll talk more about in a minute.

Here is the plumbing work for the closed loop. I actually just put a mag drive 7 in the overflow chamber and plumbed it over the top of the tank to the opposite corner to try and increase and even out the flow. I painted the back of the tank using some good old krylon.

The canopy is also made by perfecto, but fitted for a 75 gallon. I wanted to put the reflectors in the direction shown so i ordered the bigger canopy. I plan to hang this over the tank from the ceiling. It's fitted with 2 250 watt MH ballasts that will fire 14k hamilton bulbs. I also added a 40 watt shop light ballast just for a little color supplement if the 14k bulbs make the tank too blue. I'll probably put a 10k or a 50/50 in that socket.

My Euroreef CS-80 Protein Skimmer. I've heard good things about this company, but anything has to be better than my old seaclone. This of course will go in the center chamber of my sump.

Here are some odds and ends. 60 lbs. of CaribSea Aragomax for substrate, 10 lbs. of Ecosystem Miracle Mud for my sump (I've had good luck with this product), and my sump return: QuietOne 6000 (1500 gph)

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Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. I am moving this weekend, so I will begin my setup process and hopefully keep posting as the system comes together.

drinkhomebrew · 08/22/2006, 03:55 PM

I am starting a 55 gallon also. Purchasing my lights tomorrow.

dcombs44 · 08/22/2006, 04:09 PM

good luck....what's your setup look like?

mg426 · 08/22/2006, 05:00 PM

Looks like good gear, Might want to calm that return pump down a bit.

dcombs44 · 08/22/2006, 05:05 PM

That's what some others have said. Ecosystem actually recommends quite a bit of flow through their sumps, and this is basically a DIY verison of an ecosystem. I think they recommend a flow rate of 1000-2000 gph. I know that's a lot of movement through the sump, and i did put a gate valve on the return just incase it needs turned down. What exactly is the reasoning for having less flow through a sump. Some have said skimmer performance and some have said microbubbles.

drinkhomebrew · 08/22/2006, 06:33 PM

Still planning a lot right now. I am in the process of refinishing the stand and hood. I am getting 2 175 watt MH and some LEDs for moon lights tomorrow. Skimmer is next on my list. I want to put a 29 gallon sump/ refuge in there. I havent measured anything to see what will fit. My goal is to be buying live rock by oct 1.

dcombs44 · 08/22/2006, 07:09 PM

Sounds good. The 29 gallon is extremely tight in my stand, but your custom stand may be better. I needed the extra volume so i went ahead and got the 29. You may consider a 30 gallon. 6 inches longer across the front and 2 inches shorter. May save you enough space for better maneuverability

THEPHISHGUY · 08/22/2006, 07:39 PM

I have a quiet one 6000 for a closed loop. You will be fine! They have more head loss then they claim imho. Lookin good so far!

mandrin13 · 08/22/2006, 08:07 PM

I have a 15(?) gallon sump,and a 7 gallon refugium.I have almost no room to stick my hands in the fuge.And i ran out of room to take the filter sock off without takeing down the whole sump,so still trying to figgure that out.

dcombs44 · 08/27/2006, 08:36 PM

I set the tank up today in my new apartment and attached all plumbing work, hoses, etc. The lights fired right up thanks to my handy wiring job. I should have some pictures up within the next couple of days. I'm wating on my RO/DI unit before I go any farther.

Stirfry001 · 08/28/2006, 02:20 AM

what kind of protein skimmer do you have? If you have one

dcombs44 · 08/28/2006, 08:53 AM

Euroreef cs-80.......look at the first post..there's a picture of it in the box....I'll get one on here with it assembled

dcombs44 · 09/01/2006, 02:15 PM

RO/DI unit arrived, but refractometer is on back order. I'll be back in my apartment on Sunday to hopefully start filling containers to mix the salt water.....yaaaaaaaayyy!!!

dcombs44 · 09/04/2006, 07:49 PM

I've got everything set up, I opened my RO/DI unit, and it had a broken fitting, so I ran to the hardware store and.............NOTHING. So I called the company, and they are sending one to me. Here are a couple of pics of the setup system and a picture of the sump from the back. I used shepard's hooks to hang the canopy.

I went ahead and put the substrate in the display and the sump. I left enough space behind the tank in the corner so I could get behind it to work. I also turned the sump sideways due to the height so I can remove the pump and skimmer easily

dcombs44 · 09/04/2006, 07:50 PM

As always, thoughts and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

Farrmanchu · 09/04/2006, 08:00 PM

So how much flow are you going to have in total? I'm using a 590GPH Return, and a SEIO 850 powerhead in my 55. I'm having trouble getting my Mushrooms to stay attached.

dcombs44 · 09/04/2006, 08:02 PM

Well, the return is 1500 and the mag is 700. So with no head loss, I'd run 2200, but I'm not sure kind of head loss I'll get on the return. Apparantly, QuietOne is notorious for head loss, so I'll have to see. I did put gate valves on each in case I need to turn them down. I can always just shut the magdrive off as well. It's a little bit of an experiment, and I'm very anxious to find out how it's going to work.

dcombs44 · 09/04/2006, 08:04 PM

Both pumps will be split, so that may help break things up as well. I've seen people use more flow than me and have success, so maybe it's just the way that you have your pumps arranged and/or plumbed.

dcombs44 · 09/05/2006, 07:39 PM

Well I rigged up the RO/DI unit to work until my new fitting comes in. I'm going to have to fill the tank about 18 gallons at a time though because I have no storage tank, just small jugs. Anyways, I'm still excited to make my own CLEAN water for my fishies.

dcombs44 · 09/08/2006, 08:04 PM

I finished filling the tank today. I hope to put my live rock back in the water tomorrow to start the cycle. I'm having some microbubble issues as some have suggested. I'm hoping they calm down a little bit when the skimmer gets broken in. If not, I'm really not sure what I'll do. I don't want to have to turn the return pump down too much, because I do like the amount of flow I have. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to help dissipate the microbubbles, please give an opinion.

dcombs44 · 09/15/2006, 12:25 PM

Here's a couple of pics of my tank with a few pieces of my live rock in it. I should be getting some more partially cured rock to throw in it over the weekend. I guess I'll have to start worrying a bit more about water changes then. I have a few pieces of the good rock left, but the rest will be some good quality semi-cured rock. Any suggestions on water changes will this thing cycles. So far I've got a couple of stray striped mushrooms and a hermit crab that made the journey. I'm not sure how they'll fare when the new rock goes in though.

Andrew · 09/15/2006, 12:39 PM

Looks like a good start to me.

dcombs44 · 09/15/2006, 01:34 PM

Thanks....I definitely hope that my experience helps this tank start off better than my first.

dcombs44 · 09/17/2006, 07:17 PM

Well, I picked up the rest of my rock as well as what I thought would be partially cured rock, but the new rock is pretty well totally cured. Here are some picks with the rock in the tank. I have a good idea of what I want to do with the aquascaping, but it's just somewhat put together/thrown in right now. If anybody has any suggestions on moving this stuff around, let me know. I will possibly need a few more pieces of rock, but I want to bring a stack down from the overflow and then have a stack go up and back down into the opposite corner. I've got the general shape that I want, but I'm not sure I like the way it's arranged. Let me know your thoughts!

drummereef · 09/17/2006, 07:32 PM

I love the look of clean white sand. So much for those days! Lookin' good!

08/22/2006, 03:25 PM	#1
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	My 55 gallon reef project I've seen that some people make threads showing how their tanks progress during the setup process, so i figured I'd make one of my own. I started with a 29 gallon reef setup, and I'm getting ready to upgrade to a 55 gallon (all that I can afford)........so here are some pictures and specs on my setup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As far as livestock, I have a tomato clown, a yellow tang, a red serpent star, green brain, various mushrooms, green buttons, green star polyps, and about 60 lbs of live rock. All of which are being babysat until my system is up and running. 55 gallon drilled perfecto aquarium, 29 gallon custom sump/fuge, and perfecto stand. Too lazy to build my own stand. All-glass megaflow corner overflow This is a pic of hopefully all that will be seen as far as plumbing work in the display tank. The return from the sump and then a "closed loop" setup that I'll talk more about in a minute. Here is the plumbing work for the closed loop. I actually just put a mag drive 7 in the overflow chamber and plumbed it over the top of the tank to the opposite corner to try and increase and even out the flow. I painted the back of the tank using some good old krylon. The canopy is also made by perfecto, but fitted for a 75 gallon. I wanted to put the reflectors in the direction shown so i ordered the bigger canopy. I plan to hang this over the tank from the ceiling. It's fitted with 2 250 watt MH ballasts that will fire 14k hamilton bulbs. I also added a 40 watt shop light ballast just for a little color supplement if the 14k bulbs make the tank too blue. I'll probably put a 10k or a 50/50 in that socket. My Euroreef CS-80 Protein Skimmer. I've heard good things about this company, but anything has to be better than my old seaclone. This of course will go in the center chamber of my sump. Here are some odds and ends. 60 lbs. of CaribSea Aragomax for substrate, 10 lbs. of Ecosystem Miracle Mud for my sump (I've had good luck with this product), and my sump return: QuietOne 6000 (1500 gph) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. I am moving this weekend, so I will begin my setup process and hopefully keep posting as the system comes together.

08/22/2006, 04:09 PM	#3
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	good luck....what's your setup look like? __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

08/22/2006, 05:00 PM	#4
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	Looks like good gear, Might want to calm that return pump down a bit. __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

08/22/2006, 05:05 PM	#5
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	That's what some others have said. Ecosystem actually recommends quite a bit of flow through their sumps, and this is basically a DIY verison of an ecosystem. I think they recommend a flow rate of 1000-2000 gph. I know that's a lot of movement through the sump, and i did put a gate valve on the return just incase it needs turned down. What exactly is the reasoning for having less flow through a sump. Some have said skimmer performance and some have said microbubbles. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

08/22/2006, 07:09 PM	#7
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Sounds good. The 29 gallon is extremely tight in my stand, but your custom stand may be better. I needed the extra volume so i went ahead and got the 29. You may consider a 30 gallon. 6 inches longer across the front and 2 inches shorter. May save you enough space for better maneuverability __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

08/22/2006, 03:55 PM	#2
drinkhomebrew Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 231	I am starting a 55 gallon also. Purchasing my lights tomorrow.

08/22/2006, 06:33 PM	#6
drinkhomebrew Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 231	Still planning a lot right now. I am in the process of refinishing the stand and hood. I am getting 2 175 watt MH and some LEDs for moon lights tomorrow. Skimmer is next on my list. I want to put a 29 gallon sump/ refuge in there. I havent measured anything to see what will fit. My goal is to be buying live rock by oct 1.

08/22/2006, 07:39 PM	#8
THEPHISHGUY Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Baltimore Posts: 386	I have a quiet one 6000 for a closed loop. You will be fine! They have more head loss then they claim imho. Lookin good so far!

08/22/2006, 08:07 PM	#9
mandrin13 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Valrico FL southish of Tampa Posts: 258	I have a 15(?) gallon sump,and a 7 gallon refugium.I have almost no room to stick my hands in the fuge.And i ran out of room to take the filter sock off without takeing down the whole sump,so still trying to figgure that out. __________________ Showers are for dirty people!!! If you only have one hand will second hand smoking affect you? Current Tank Info: I dont have a tank,I just like to be on this website

08/27/2006, 08:36 PM	#10
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	I set the tank up today in my new apartment and attached all plumbing work, hoses, etc. The lights fired right up thanks to my handy wiring job. I should have some pictures up within the next couple of days. I'm wating on my RO/DI unit before I go any farther. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

08/28/2006, 02:20 AM	#11
Stirfry001 Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ (Greenfield/Baseline) Posts: 777	what kind of protein skimmer do you have? If you have one

08/28/2006, 08:53 AM	#12
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Euroreef cs-80.......look at the first post..there's a picture of it in the box....I'll get one on here with it assembled __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

09/01/2006, 02:15 PM	#13
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	RO/DI unit arrived, but refractometer is on back order. I'll be back in my apartment on Sunday to hopefully start filling containers to mix the salt water.....yaaaaaaaayyy!!! __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

09/04/2006, 07:49 PM	#14
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Progress, progress, progress I've got everything set up, I opened my RO/DI unit, and it had a broken fitting, so I ran to the hardware store and.............NOTHING. So I called the company, and they are sending one to me. Here are a couple of pics of the setup system and a picture of the sump from the back. I used shepard's hooks to hang the canopy. I went ahead and put the substrate in the display and the sump. I left enough space behind the tank in the corner so I could get behind it to work. I also turned the sump sideways due to the height so I can remove the pump and skimmer easily

09/04/2006, 07:50 PM	#15
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	As always, thoughts and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

09/04/2006, 08:00 PM	#16
Farrmanchu Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Winnipeg MB, Canada Posts: 26	So how much flow are you going to have in total? I'm using a 590GPH Return, and a SEIO 850 powerhead in my 55. I'm having trouble getting my Mushrooms to stay attached.

09/04/2006, 08:02 PM	#17
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Well, the return is 1500 and the mag is 700. So with no head loss, I'd run 2200, but I'm not sure kind of head loss I'll get on the return. Apparantly, QuietOne is notorious for head loss, so I'll have to see. I did put gate valves on each in case I need to turn them down. I can always just shut the magdrive off as well. It's a little bit of an experiment, and I'm very anxious to find out how it's going to work. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

09/04/2006, 08:04 PM	#18
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Both pumps will be split, so that may help break things up as well. I've seen people use more flow than me and have success, so maybe it's just the way that you have your pumps arranged and/or plumbed. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

09/05/2006, 07:39 PM	#19
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Well I rigged up the RO/DI unit to work until my new fitting comes in. I'm going to have to fill the tank about 18 gallons at a time though because I have no storage tank, just small jugs. Anyways, I'm still excited to make my own CLEAN water for my fishies. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

09/08/2006, 08:04 PM	#20
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	I finished filling the tank today. I hope to put my live rock back in the water tomorrow to start the cycle. I'm having some microbubble issues as some have suggested. I'm hoping they calm down a little bit when the skimmer gets broken in. If not, I'm really not sure what I'll do. I don't want to have to turn the return pump down too much, because I do like the amount of flow I have. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to help dissipate the microbubbles, please give an opinion.

09/15/2006, 12:25 PM	#21
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Here's a couple of pics of my tank with a few pieces of my live rock in it. I should be getting some more partially cured rock to throw in it over the weekend. I guess I'll have to start worrying a bit more about water changes then. I have a few pieces of the good rock left, but the rest will be some good quality semi-cured rock. Any suggestions on water changes will this thing cycles. So far I've got a couple of stray striped mushrooms and a hermit crab that made the journey. I'm not sure how they'll fare when the new rock goes in though.

09/15/2006, 12:39 PM	#22
Andrew Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 13,640	Looks like a good start to me.

09/15/2006, 01:34 PM	#23
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Thanks....I definitely hope that my experience helps this tank start off better than my first. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

09/17/2006, 07:17 PM	#24
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	Well, I picked up the rest of my rock as well as what I thought would be partially cured rock, but the new rock is pretty well totally cured. Here are some picks with the rock in the tank. I have a good idea of what I want to do with the aquascaping, but it's just somewhat put together/thrown in right now. If anybody has any suggestions on moving this stuff around, let me know. I will possibly need a few more pieces of rock, but I want to bring a stack down from the overflow and then have a stack go up and back down into the opposite corner. I've got the general shape that I want, but I'm not sure I like the way it's arranged. Let me know your thoughts!

09/17/2006, 07:32 PM	#25
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	I love the look of clean white sand. So much for those days! Lookin' good! __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system