Newbie needs questions answered for his 125gallon tank hes starting!

I'm completely new to saltwater and just have some of my basics down. First off, I just bought a 125 gallon tank that I'm planning on turning into a FOWLR tank. At this time, I have nothing more than the tank and the stand. Basically, I just want to make sure I'm starting everything right. Lots of questions here folks, I hope you guys have fun with this one! I'm all ears and open to criticism, lol.

Before I start with my equipment I'm going to buy, I want it to be known that I plan on making my own live/dry rock, and probably cure it in my main tank since it's a brand new tank and nothing is going to die in it, hah. If curing it in the main tank is a bad idea, please let me know so I can cure it elsewhere. I plan on making roughly 150 pounds of rock in the 125 gallon tank... Too little, too much?! Eventually when everything is cured I plan on putting in 150pounds of live sand in... Again, too little? Too much!? Anyways, onto my plans for equipment!

Correct me if I'm wrong, or if I need to add better equipment, or if I'm over-killing some of my equipment for my tank so I don't waste money... hah...

I'm planning on making my own sump out of a 40gallon breeder tank(I'm skeptical if this tank is too small as it might overflow if the power goes out if I'm not careful, should I go bigger just in case!?). My overflow box is going to be an Eshopps PF-1000, with a Rio 17HF Hyperflow return pump. Will this combination work well with what I have?! Upgrade? downgrade?? From what I understand(correct me if I'm wrong), I do NOT need a protein skimmer at this time because I am planning on making my own live/dry rock and curing it and a protein skimmer may prolong the process. If this is true, I plan on getting one later for better water quality. Is this correct?? Or should I buy a skimmer for the curing process. In terms of powerheads for circulation... I have no idea what I'm getting. I've been told one large powerhead, or two smaller ones on both ends of the tank... please.. advice on this one, I'm lost! Any other equipment I need, please let me know!

In terms of the sump itself, how should it be layed out?? I was thinking this... Section one portion of my sump off so that water flows down from the overflow box to the sump where my protein skimmer(when I get one) is, then goes into and the other section where all my biological filters go(live rock, and eventually sand) then having the return pump pumping the water back into the tank. Also in this area place my heaters and other useful monitors in there. PLEASE correct me if my logic is wrong here, I'm having a HARD time understanding the mechanics of the sump idea!! I think that's it in regards to questions for my sump... Any tips would be appreciated though. Now for a general question!... lol so sorry!! I promise I'll post pictures of all this! lol...

Live/dry rock question... As stated, I want to make my own live rock. The big question is should I buy some "live rock" that's ready to go and put it in my sump and main tank to help with beneficial bacteria during the curing process?? Will this speed up the process as well? Is this is a waste of time or a good investment/smart choice??

And now, the last and probably the most stupid question out of the bunch!... I just couldn't find the information on the web... During the curing process of my dry rock is it essential to keep my ph, salinity, temp, etc balances perfect, or can I let anything slide since there is nothing "currently" living in the tank.

Thanks in advance for all the advice! I will be posting pics of the rock being formed, as well as my tank to keep this thread alive for future newbies with lots of questions!

 

Welcome to 3Reef!! You will have a lot of fun in our community.... that's for sure
When it comes to your questions... I would love to get back to you on what I personally know (I have an 8 month old 110g) but am at work. So for now just "Welcome"... I will respond as soon as I can

 

First to answer your question about how much LR to add... the general rule is for each gallon 1.5lbs. You can use part dry or base rock... it will eventually develop the bacteria necessary, just requires a longer cycle. Make sure that the base rock is porous, so not as heavy and easier to build up the bacteria. This is a good site for rock Marco Rocks The finest aquarium rock available, base rock, live rock, reef rock, marco rock, reef tank saltwater fish, live corals, Marco rocks, Fiji live rock, Tonga Live rock
You might also want to check out Something Fishy. The base rock had been on sale for 89 cents/pound but now it's back to $1.29 /pound.
When it comes to the sum, I would recommend a 55g (preferrably drilled basement sump)
Question sand: I cannot tell you how many lbs ... some go without sand these days but about 1"-2" sandbed.. depending on your taste...

I didn't see any info about the lighting... any info what you are planning?
I have T5s but this is another example for a tank that size:
3x 175w 15K Iwasaki metal halides
2x 165w UVL VHO SuperActinic
2x 40w normal output fluorescent daylights

Question protein skimmer:
You would not need it right at the beginning of the cycle(I added it about 2 weeks after beginning the cycle) but I personally can only recommend it.
I have a Turboflotor Blue 3000 and it's working great... here is another option with other equipment one of my friends has:
Octopus NW200 skimmer
ViaAqua phosphate reactor
Ranco temperature controller
Powerheads:
4x Koralia 4, 1x Koralia 1
Return pump:
GenX PCX 40

Sump: I already mentioned the measurements... I had mine custom build. To explain it very simply.. Three compartments. One for the skimmer, then a biofilter and sump that pumps the water back into the tank.

I have a reeftank, so not so sure about my recommendations but that's what I can tell you from experience. Hopefully other members with more experience with a FOWLR will respond as well.
I let my tank cycle for almost 3 months before adding any lifestock... just to be on the safe side. You want to make sure that your NO2, Ammonia and No3 as well as all other parameters are perfect before adding ANY fish.
Hope this info helps.

 

Welcome to 3reef, petey463!

All good questions. I had no experience once, in fact, it's a wonder how many times I mess up despite over 20 years in the hobby.

Anyways, I'll answer one or two, and I'm sure others will have your back and get every question answered. As for the sump size, IMO you can't really go too small for fear of an overflow if it's constructed properly. Now I don't mean you should use a 10 gallon tank as a sump, b/c it's not big enough for other reasons. My point is, that if you plumb things correctly and execute the job with forethought, you could use a 10 gallon just to show off your skills. (But the 40 breeder sounds great.)

What you do, is fashion your overflow in the DT, and the baffles in the sump such that when the power goes out--the water in the DT can not drop more than an inch or so before it's below the teeth of the overflow. Also, the baffles in the sump should hold the water at a level where after a power outage, the total expected flow from the DT simply can not overflow the sump. Essentially, this includes 3 main ideas.

1. The return from the sump should be positioned in the DT very closely to the surface of the water. Remember, in a power outage, the return becomes an overflow.
2. The DT's overflow should be likewise very close to the top. Don't laugh, beginners (like myself back in the day) considered placing my overflow in the bottom corner of the tank--until common sense kicked in.
3. During normal operation, the level of the sump should have ample room to accomodate the water you anticipate draining off from the DT. Of course, when you're done constructing and everything is running--one of the very first things you do is a power outage test. This is simple. One step: Pull The Plug and observe. If you did everything right, the entire system will come to rest with the display tank only an inch low, and the sump not completely full. Make sense?

Next question regarding curing your homemade LR in the DT. You don't need any parameter to be "on point" at this time, assuming you will dedicate the tank to this purpose only, for this timeframe. I don't see any reason to use salt either. Use fresh water, preferably RO/DI. If you use tapwater, you'd be starting down a slippery slope, as you'd begin the process of introducing phosphates into your newly-made rock. Down the road that will contribute to an algae problem. Back to the point: while curing your LR, you should have ample water movement, oxygenation, and a pH test kit. The pH test kit will help you determine when the rock is ready. When the rock stops causing your water to drop in pH below 7, then your rock is cured. You'll want to change this water fairly often, too. If you cure the rock in your DT, you must plan on completely draining the tank and refilling when the cure is done.

Hope this helps. By the way, here's a great article from Powerman. He's quite the brain when it comes to protein skimmers, flow and plumbing, and sump construction.

Again, Welcome!!

 

Great advice "Reefsparky"!!!! We can all benefit from it Thanks!

 

Might be kind of hard getting an 18" wide sump under a 18" wide display tank, even if your building the stand around the sump it can be a challenge to get everything braced right. a standard 55 might be a better option but that wont leave you much room under the stand for anything else . . . are you using a store bought stand or making your own?

Have you looked online for rock? I found some great liverock on craigslist for around $1 / pound. just send an e-mail to everyone with a large setup for sale and ask them if they would just sell you their rock.

Since your starting from scratch, would it be an option to get the tank drilled for a real overflow or 2? I had a 125 with HOB overflows and wished I drilled it almost every day it was setup. I have never been a fan of rio hyperflows, any particular reason you decided on this pump?

As for the powerheads / flow question, it all depends on what your planning on keeping. if you got around $800 to burn a pair of MP40's will give you the best flow imaginable for a tank that size. Or if you want to go much cheaper some maxi jet 1200's and koralia 4's - 2 of each should be good, again depending on what you want to keep.

~Will.

 

Glad others have responded with such great advice. Hope it helps!

 

good point.

 

Thanks for all the useful replies. Thanks for that article and your information in regards to ideas for sumps reefsparky, that helps dramatically. First of all I'm assuming DT means "Display Tank" if not, that's what I'm using DT for when I type that in my reply, LOL! I feel I pretty much understand what the heck I'm going to do now, haha. The only thing that is unclear is now is what the order of the sections should be in the sump. I hear two ways is good.

From left to right on the sump.
#1 Section for: water from DT to skimmer; skimmer to biofiltration(live rock etc); biofiltration to return pump section to DT.
#2 Section for: water from DT to skimmer; skimmer to return pump section to DT; return pump section to biofiltration(live rock etc).

Which way is best for my FOWLR tank??

I would like some clarification in terms of curing my dry rock. First of all, I don't plan on buying any rock online at all(except very little live rock from a LFS so it helps introduce bacteria in my tank better), I plan on making everything myself. Two reasons why. One, it looks retardedly fun, haha. Two, from everything I've read about starting saltwater tanks, I've been told to take everything slow and be patient. What better way to go slow than making your own rocks, right? lol(2.5, it's really cheap to do). Anyways, onto the question.

You said to just cure it with freshwater. I'm just confused in general about that. Wouldn't the beneficial bacteria not be present if I did it that way? If this works fine, it would be a lot cheaper than my original intend of starting things up so that's fine. Also, keep in mind I wanted to have live rock in my tank/sump to start adding bacteria in the rock ASAP, so I figured I needed saltwater in the DT during this whole process doing it that way. Please correct me if this is unnecessary and wasteful.

My plan to starting everything was this. Please correct me if my order doesn't make sense/or it's stupid and if I forgot anything! lol

#1 install sump, heaters, and powerheads, fill tank and test for overflows
#2 add my salt
#3 add some live rock in DT and in my biofilter section in my sump
#4 make my dry rock and add in my tank as I create it
#5 let everything cycle until finished
#6 add protein skimmer
#7 add live sand both in DT and biofilter section in sump and let it settle
#8 add fish and start enjoying my tank ;p


To answer some of the questions about my equipment. The person who I bought this tank from had built their own custom stand and fits perfectly on it. The stand has a mostly open back with a few cabinets and said he has successfully done saltwater before with it. I'll post pics later tonight when I'm off work. Got it all for $200, great deal, go craigslist! Since it is on open back and I need some room for pipes and plugs and such, my 40 breeder tank would fit perfect inside my stand. For the Rio pump... That's what my LFS suggested me to buy. Why is that one bad? Faulty or something? If it indeed sucks I'll definatly invest in a better pump, it looks good in terms of price and what it put out to me, but my all means you guys are the experts, please share your experiences so I can learn! ;D

Lighting: I honestly haven't got that far yet. I do however have a few lights that were used for corals, I have no idea what they are yet, but will get back to you when I find out. From what I've read, lighting isn't important during the curing stage, so I wasn't really preoccupied in reading up and getting informed in that section just yet.

In terms of powerheads, I'm kind of sold on Koralia 4's. Will two of these on each corner of my tank be fine for circulation/flow? If not, what is a bit better?

Protein skimmer: I was told by my LFS that the Seaclone 150 skimmer by Aquarium Systems they had would be fine for my tank since it goes up to 150 gallons. From what I've read online, no one has used one past a 55 gallon tank. Am I missing something here? Should I double/triple whats expected out of my protein skimmer or what?? I'm confused ...

Drilling... I'm the kind of person where something always goes wrong when I use powertools! rofl ;D I know I'll screw the tank up, and don't want anyone to screw it up either, so I'll deal with a regular overflow box, haha. I do appreciate the info though!

That's about it I think. Thanks in advance again for the replies! Pics (hopefully) will be posted tonight sometime.

 

this should help, it's my 40 breeder. left to right skimmer/return/fuge.


ignore the chateo in the return area, I put it there for a few days till I got the rest of the sand for the DSB in the fuge section.