New Tank

Hello Everyone,

Well I finally found a good deal on a tank! I got a 55 gallon with stand and canopy in GREAT shape from a guy on craigslist for $150!!!!! Can't beat that! Now I gotta go through the process of getting it up and running with a sump/refuge and the works.

What steps do you recommend in getting the tank up and running? I currently have a 35 gallon (see signature) and want to try to make as smooth a transition as possible. I am thinking that first I should set up the whole system (tank, lighting, sump, refuge, etc...). Then I will need to buy some more live rock, so I probably need to let that cure for a few weeks, then I can add some of the current tank's live rock and some sand. Once I'm fully cycled and settled down I can move over the fish and the rest of the current tanks live rock.

Anything I am missing here?

Hope I can get some good advice!

Thanks,
Mike

 

um the only thing is u might not want to test the new tank with ur fish, maybe buy like 3 or 4 damsels to let the tank cycle (if u gona use fish) then bring them back 2 the store, they usually let u do that other wise ur plan sounds good. o one more think if u gona cure ur rock in the tank, dont put live sand. put dry sand let the rock cure and then seed it with ur live sand. otherwise all the goodies will die

 

No need to cycle with fish anymore! Use cocktail shrimp in a stocking if you must...

Mirosh, I think your plan sounds good. Let it cycle with the new rock and stuff, then add from your old tank, a bit at a time. ;D

 

Another Question...

What should I aim at for GPH on my return pump from the sump? Like I said, the new tank is 55 gallons. The guy at the LFS (who I don't think knew what he was talking about) said that a 190GPH pump would be fine...I went a little above that and got the Mag-Drive 250GPH. I am reading now that 6-10 times per hour is about normal...so I would need at least 330GPH. Is this right? Please let me know because I can still take this mag-drive back and get a larger one if need be.

Thanks again,
Mike

 

Any tips on the GPH question?

Thanks, Mike

 

Yeah, 6-10 - closer to ten is right. You can skimp a bit here if you have nice powerheads making up for it a bit.

I'd take it back.

EDIT -

There is another factor - 'head loss' - this a term used for how the GPH goes down with the length of the return tube and the vertical height. So throw a bit extra in for that.

Here is my experience. I have a approx. 30 gallon setup (20 long and 10 gallon sump) and got an Eheim 1250 pump (317gph) for the sump pump. The Eheim does not nearly provide the circulation I thought it would. So I bought a Tunze Turbelle powerhead. End of story. Circulation a go-go. So like I said, you can make up for it with a nice powerhead.

 

Thanks Matt,

I took the 250 back and got a 500 Mag-Drive. No idea why I didn't just do that in the first place cause the 500 was only $10 more! Oh well...I have the 500 GPH now + 2 Maxijet 900's. I think that should provide enough circulation!

Yet another question...Which Protein Skimmers do you recommend for an in-sump setup?

Thanks,
Mike

 

Yeah that sounds like you got it going. 8)

Well I am becoming a big fan of the needlewheel skimmers. I have the Turboflotor 1000 multi hanging off the back of my sump (no room in the 10 gallon sump I have) and it freaking rocks. The 1000 (not multi) is an in sump version. Another needlewheel that seems to be a good bang for the buck is the ASM G1X. From what I hear, the ASM is really easy to setup and a lot of stores around here use these in their setups. Both are available from 3reef sponsors.

 

Hey Everyone...my new 55 gallon is nearly ready to go! I will be taking pictures tonight so that you can all see my handy work...I'm soooo excited to get it up and running!

As of right now I have the 55 gallon display tank and a 10 gallon sump and all the plumbing hooked up (DIY spraybar for the return). I am filling with RO/DI water as I type this...that's gonna take a while (about 10 hours or so...damn slow RO/DI)!

Does the rest of this plan sound good to you:

1) Tonight, add the salt and mix thoroughly
2) Add the non-live sand (after rinsing, of course)
3) Add the cured live rock that I have been curing in a bucket for about a month now.
4) Wait a day or two just to make sure the tank is balanced (pH, Salinity, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate)
5) Move the live rock from my 37 gallon and seed the sand with live sand from my current 37 gallon.
6) Add the livestock (should I wait some time before doing this, or should I just do this along with step 5?)

I want to make sure I get this right in order to not stress the tank too much...let me know what you think!

-Mike

 

I mixed my salt water in 5 gallon buckets before adding to the tank. I found that easier then doing it in the tank. Also made it easier to get the salinity just where I wanted it (I could make minor adjustments along the way).

Once you get the salt water made up, I would aerate it over night before putting any live stock in there. That way you can make sure the salt is totally desolved, the PH is somewhat stabalized, and the salinty is where you want it. They say it is a good practice to aerate new saltwater over night before you do water changes as well.

By and large it sounds like you have a good plan. This is an exciting part of the hobby I think - I love doing the set up and the build!