Getting back into the hobby

Happy Thanksgiving all!

I do a lot of reading and not much posting so, at this rate, It'll be sometime next year before i can see threads in the Market place

Well anyways, I have some questions for my 120 gal build that I am hoping some of you can help answer.
How many lbs of dry sand will it take to get 1/2" sand bed?
Will a 13w 6500k light be enough for macro algae in the refugium?
I'm not ready to get one yet but, Any suggestions on a CUC?
What's the diff between Instant Ocian and Intant Ocian Reef Crystals?
Is the regular IO good enough for cycling?
Glass or no glass covering the top of the tank?
Should I put egg crate (i think thats what its called) on the floor of the DT under the sand and Rock?
Should I used a sock on the drain tubes going into the sump?

Thanks for all the help!

 

Hello again. Some progress has been made with the 120 gal tank. The Sump has been created and all plumbing is in place and tested. The Back of tank is painted black. Floor has been braced to support the load. RO/DI water system is in. Dry rock is ordered and is on its way. Some Live Rock is cycling in a plastic bucket. Lights are ordered and on their way.

Here are some pics of the progress. Next step will be some kind of hood or light hanger for the lights and then a skimmer.

Holes drilled


Plumbing test fit



Water test




No leaks - Good!



Power outage test (sump overflow test) with plenty of room to spare.


I will post more after AquaScaping is complete and then with lights.

 

Looking very nice. I can answer a couple of your questions - again, just my opinion...Your first CUC, I would say is go to one of the on-line places and pick your own-think about you will need them for. Or, you could go to your LFS and ask them to make you one. I think a lot of people use short pieces of pvc instead of egg crate on the bottom. You can stand your rock on top of these and keep off sand. Instant Ocean is perfectly fine salt to use for a cycle or for general reef keeping IMO. I like open top for better oxygenation (sp) if that's even the word I mean. It also keeps heat low although not so important right now ..For most species of fish, you'll need to cover it with some sort of mesh. Hope this helps!

 

-That light will be fine for fuge
-CUC is open for debate. I personally like a nice mixture of hermies and snails but to each his own
-Reef crystals has more calcium and other elements. I personally use IO myself
-IO is good enough for a reef tank so yes it's just fine for cycling
-No glass on top. If you are concerned about jumpers, get some egg crate
-No Sock on tubes......your skimmer will do all that work for ya.


These are just my opinions. There are about 6 billion different ways to do this and all of them are the best depending on who you ask.

 

Here's my two cents. I've done a number of builds now so this is really just my preference and my experience of what works and what doesn't.


How many lbs of dry sand will it take to get 1/2" sand bed?
IMO, 1/2" sandbed isn't going to cut it. Just the blow around will cause you to have bare bottom in some places. I would suggest at least a 2" to 4" sand bed allowing you to have some play in certain areas of the tank. A Deep sand bed is considered 4"-8". I do not prefer this deep at all. 2" works well for me and i've done it several times. If you have a standard 125g, 150lbs of sand will do about 2".

Will a 13w 6500k light be enough for macro algae in the refugium?
Any light really from 3500 to 6500 will be ideal for a refugium.

I'm not ready to get one yet but, Any suggestions on a CUC?
My suggestion, get clean up crew as you need them. For instance, if you have an increase of algae, increase your crew. If you have a decrease, don't add anymore. Just remember that most hermit crabs have a short life span and they need shells to grow into otherwise they will harass other crustaceans such as snails. They will even kill each other.

What's the diff between Instant Ocian and Intant Ocian Reef Crystals?
Reef crystals has higher calcium and magnesium. Doesn't matter as both will do the same for fish only. Just make sure there is no phosphate in your salt.

Is the regular IO good enough for cycling? don't know what IO is. if you mean RO/DI, always best to start with the best water. It will save you headaches in the long run.

Glass or no glass covering the top of the tank? The only reason I would see to cover the tank with a solid lid is to reduce evaporation. If you live in a very dry area and have rapid evaporation, then maybe. The glass will cause condensation and reduce PAR from the lights above.


Should I put egg crate (i think thats what its called) on the floor of the DT under the sand and Rock? I recommend this in the event of rockfall. Leave about .5" - 1" on all four sides of the aquarium. I've seen egg crate shift and eventually lead to the peeling of silicone in glass tanks. Just make sure it's far away enough from the corners. This is especially helpful if you have sandsifting creatures as they will sometimes dig so much they cause rock to shift and fall. It will also prevent them from being able to expose the floor.


Should I used a sock on the drain tubes going into the sump? This is purely preference. I have done it both ways. If you have so much debris in the tank to need a sock, you've got issues. However, if you have no plans on cleaning the sump, then a sock is the way to go. Otherwise, no socks but clean your sump every now and then of the dietrus that will collect in there.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for all the help!

 

Just to further comment on your build. Everything looks good but I have a few suggestions. I read that you will eventually be doing a overflow conversion? I would suggest this as soon as possible. The more surface skimming area the better. With those two reverse durso looking stand pipes as drains, your surface skimming ability is severely limited.

Second, I would put a true union on the two back drains. This will save you a headache in the future in the even you ever have to take the tank down for any reason. I know you have them close to the sump but you should have another higher up for full disconnect. I purposely use vinyl tubing for my drains and returns as much as I can because they are quieter and are less restricting due to the fact that the bends are smoother.

 

Thanks for the answers and suggestions everybody.

IO was my lame way of saying "InstantOcean". All water will be RO/DI and i am already cycling some rock from an old tank.

The standpipe drains were suggested by the LFS but I'm not totally sold. The bulkheads are possitioned so that an Over flow box can be added if needed without having to modify anything else.

I possitioned the shut offs just above the sump because when the tank is pushed back against the wall, thier is little to no access higher up to turn them off. I guess the good thing is, that if needed, the level of the water in the tank can be lowered below the drains and would still be ok if work needs to be done.

Thanks again everybody. Rock will be here tomorrow (sand wont be here till th end of the week) and so, we will start aquaskaping on the floor and then transfer into the tank when the sand gets here.

Lights will be here on Friday (pretty sure We dont need them for a few weeks tho) and we are thinking of installing a shelf above the tank and hanging the lights from the underside. This will allow for the tup of the tank to be completely open and free of obstacles.

 

Tank is fillling! We hope its done sometime tomorrow evening.

 

This build is coming along nicely. I can't wait to see the end result!

 

That's a very nice clean start to a tank, great job, congrats!