Advice Please

[djnzlab1]

HI,
Here's a system that can convert a simple 20 gal tank into a nice sump add a light and some algae and you have the best of two worlds.
I like using live rock and sand in my sumps use the rock in place off bio-balls,
I am amazed how quickly you can cycle dead rock to live rock in a tank and it can save a lot of money.
Just add a few pieces of live rock and let it go.
Doug
there are many different places to buy kits to modify tanks into sumps so price shop.
Wet/Dry Aquarium filters and overlfow boxes

[inwall75]

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Response to Advice Please

[JAS]

Btw, I live in the UK.

Quote:
7) I really want to keep a couple of seahorses too, but i know they require special treatment and will not survive in your standard reef tank. Before i was thinking of somehow connecting both of the tanks together and run it all as one with 2 display tanks and 1 sump, but no im not too sure ? Any help with this issue ?
This is doable as long as you monitor water quality well. (Seahorses miss as much food as the eat and then the food rots).

What other live stock can you put in a tank with Seahorses that will eat food that the seahorses will leave / miss so that not as much of the food rots ?

Quote:
9) Using a RO/DI system, do you keep that separate to make the water, or do you plumb it into your sump ?
I cannot tell you how many people who have destroyed their entire system just to save the money on one bucket and one powerhead. Their auto-top off was blocked by a snail, was encrusted with calcium, etc. and their RO/DI unit continued to fill up their system and the salinity kept going down and down and down until everything died. In fact, this happened to Eric Borneman recently.

So, have the RO / DI system in another tank / tub / bucket and have it run into the sump, possibly covering the inlets / outlets with some form of mesh or somewhat.

Quote:
12) Im scared that the floor / floorboards are going to break with such weight on it.
Will it be alright ?
Large tanks should run perpendicular to the floor joists as opposed to parallel. Large tanks should also be placed near to a load-bearing wall. Smaller tanks don't really matter much.

What do you call a "load-bearing" wall ?
Would adding support under each beam help ?

Would a Wave Maker be a good investment ?

And a question on a overflow and return pump.
If your Overflow has a flow rate of 500Gph, and your return pump returns 600Gph of water after all the piping has been setup, will the return pump, pump back more water than whats available, or will both the overflow and return pump level there flow rates out ?

Finally, say you use electronic equipment to measure everything, temperature, pH, redox ect, 2 things would you reccommend using them and would you put them in either the tank or the sump ?

Sorry for so many questions, just so keen to learn about this.

Thanks

[RAVEN]

As far as equipment goes, its all up to how much your willing to spend and how technical you want to get. Out of the equipment you have listed the only thing you must have are power heads. You want on average about 20x' s the tank volume to flow through the tank in gph.
As far as lighting goes for a reef there are many options. Metal Halides are the best when combined with actinic PC's, VHO's or T-5's. But you can go straight VHO,PC or T-5. HO T-5 lighting is becoming very popular due to lower cost and less heat compared to MH's.
As far as stand pipes vs overflows, stand pipes are better, I use both and tend to prefer my overflow because it takes up less space in the tank.

[JAS]

"You want on average about 20x' s the tank volume to flow through the tank in gph"

Is that going through the filtration system or is that just being pushed round the tank ?

How do you workout how much flow goes through a stand pipe ?

Thanks.

[RAVEN]

Thats pushed through the tank. If your planning on doing Sea Horses then you do not want very much flow and you will need to do a species only tank as they cannot compete with fish for food. They also need to be feed 3 times daily to survive. I used to keep they many years ago when I lived in New York. I used to catch them around our boat dock along with pipe fish.

To answer your question about the overflow, the return pump will pump more water than the overflow can handle and you will flood your tank and empty the sump. You want the final GPH of the return pump to be slightly less than the flow of your overflow and the overflow will adjust to the flow of the pump but not visa-versa.

And yes a wave maker is great to have in a reef tank but its not a must have. People that have them love them.

Put as much as you can in the sump but keep a thermometer in the main tank as well.

[JAS]

Thank you.

If your planning on doing Sea Horses then you do not want very much flow and you will need to do a species only tank as they cannot compete with fish for food

I will hopefully be having 2 tanks, a big tank with the reef and fish in and a smaller tank just for the seahorses, but will both be flowing together through the same sump.

To answer your question about the overflow, the return pump will pump more water than the overflow can handle and you will flood your tank and empty the sump. You want the final GPH of the return pump to be slightly less than the flow of your overflow and the overflow will adjust to the flow of the pump but not visa-versa.

But how much water flows through a stand-pipe ?

Thanks.

[RAVEN]

A 1" Durso Standpipe has at least 800gph capacity.

I wouldn't recommend running 2 tanks through the same sump. If one tank has a disease or foul water the other tank will be affected.

For a smaller tank like a Sea Horse tank, I would forego the sump. I would use a skimmer and a HOT box filter like an Aquaclear or something similar. Maybe even a HOT Aquafuge.

[RAVEN]

JAS, here's a link that may be helpful
Salty Zoo - Calculators

[JAS]

Thank you for all your help and patience.
One more question, on the smaller tank for seahorses, Is this going to be like setting up a mini reef tank or whatever ?
Have the equipment either in/external to the tank, no sump ect ?