New Tank/Fuge Setup. Help with additions

Hi guys,

I'm a newcomer to aquariums as well as 3reef, just wanted to introduce myself and ask a question about cycling a new tank/fuge setup.

Firstly, I'm working with a 55 gallon tank that will hopefully house both soft and hard corals. My original plan was to go FOWLR strictly, but I quickly changed my mind once I saw some of the beautiful reef setups that were possible.

Because of the size limitations of my stand, I have to deal with a 10 gallon sump and a dual Rubbermaid fuge setup as seen below. I still have some work to do on it but I think you can see what I'm shooting for. My plan is to have everything siliconed up by tonight and leak testing/reapplying tomorrow. Hopefully by Wednesday I can start filling it with sand/water.

The real question is about tank/fuge additions and when they happen.

If I were to add 85 pounds of Live Rock this weekend to begin the Nitrogen cycle, when do I add the livestock to the refugiums? I would imagine I have to wait until the cycle is finished so as to not kill anything, but do I need a stocked DT to provide the necessary nutrients to everybody. I plan on ordering a refugium kit that includes:

-Chaeto
-Sand / rubble
-Rooted plants
-Assortment of snails
-Fighting Conch
-Cucumber

I guess the same question holds true for a clean up crew. Do I wait a couple months until I have some fish swimming around making a mess before adding the crew? Can I add them right after they cycle as well with a fish or 2?

Here's what the setup looks like so far. All suggestions are welcome

 

Your plumbing isnt going to work. The water isnt going to "feed" the two tanks on the right side of the first pic. The only way that diagram is going to work, is if you install another ball valve right under the first T. Luna

 

Thanks for the comment,

You very well could be right. I was under the assumption that the 2 refugiums were only getting a fraction of the water flow that the overflow/pump would provide. Because of this, the backpressure from the 2 existing shutoffs would force the majority of the water straight to the 10 gal.

I'll be swinging by Lowe's after work today anyway to find a lighting solution, perhaps I'll pick up another shutoff just incase my test run does indeed fail, but I still don't see how it could yet. I'll post an update later.

Any word on fuge/cleanup crew additions and at what point they should be added?

 

i see what you are saying about the water flow Luna but if he shuts the left ball off a little more than he has it it should feed the 10 dont you think?

 

That will work, I think maybe Luna didn't see the ball valve on the left. You will need another bulkhead on the left rubbermaid to drain into the sump, I think you may have plans for this already since you have the one on the right rubbermaid already. Keep at it!

In response to your fuge question. Don't add anything to the fuge until the cycle is complete. Then make your first addition to the tank you fuge. After a week, if everything is still in check, you can start with the first fish or the clean up crew. IMO, you will want to add your clean up crew first, usually after a cycle you have a pretty good mess to clean up.

How do you plan to cycle? If it were me I would use the LR and also add a piece of chopped up raw shrimp. You will get a definite cycle this way, unlike some of the mini cycles which then causes another mini cycle down the road.

 

BTW, you may want to somehow support the plumbing on the right side, that side could get pretty heavy and cause a crack in your overflow if not supported. Looks like it would be easy to attach it to your stand on the right side.

 

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the left ball valve might have been hard to see in the pictures and think I will be okay with flow. I actually installed both bulkheads on the fuges already and have the pipe work draining into return section of the sump, but really wish I could fit a larger tank in there as everything is so cramped after adding the baffles.

Thanks, will follow this advice.

My LFS has some semi and uncured live rock. My plan was to clean em off a bit, throw 'em in there and let them start the cycle while they cure at the same time. Then once Ammonia and Nitrite levels hit 0 call it good? Not 100% sure on this as I don't think I've read anything about curing LR and cycling at the same time.

I was thinking the same thing. For longevity's sake I will definitely rig up some sort of support for the right hand side.

Thanks!

 

Okay,

So I just finished testing the entire setup tonight and with the exception of a small leak on the bottom a baffle and small leak on the fuge bulkhead, everything ran like a dream. No PVC leaks at all and the overflow kept up with the pump no problem. At first I was a little concerned about the "draining" sound that came from the PVC as the system ran. Kind of like someone left the water running upstairs, but then I just plugged in my Nova Extreme fixture for the first time and the sound of the water running through the PVC is nothing compared to the sound of the fan running. Hopefully I can fit my hood over the fixture or find a way to muffle the fan sound somehow.