Wanting to start a new build

mr_z

mr_z

New member
I want to do a 20 gallon long I like the dimensions and it fits where I want to put it. I plan on having it drilled I was told the hiles had to be 1 for drain and 3/4 for return. I'm getting a 10 gallon sump from another reefer on here. What return pump should I get? What's the largest I can get? What's the smallest I can get away with? What should I put in the sump? LR, sand? What about a decent inexpensive skimmer? How long can I get away with not having one? How Long should I let it cycle? I am going to be transferring everything from my 12 gallon nano. I'm going to be putting the rock I have now in the sump and sand if i can. And can I also transfer the water? And I will be getting all new dry rock for the display and sand


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you dont need a skimmer, if it were me. i would just put the live rock you already have in your sump only until the rock in your display can handle the bioload. keeping stuff in your sump makes cleaning suck, and if it sucks you prolly wont do it as much. i would ditch the sand unless it is fairly fresh. dump all your water that doesnt have particulates floating around in your new tank. for the return it can be pretty dinky prolly something like 300-400 gph with 4' of head should be fine. HTH
 
How are you going to do the overflow? I suggest glass-holes.com they have overflows return kits glass cutting holesaws and tons of info on these types of projects. Maybe a mag3 or 5. The cycle depends on what kind of dry rock and if there will be any decomposing organics on the new rock. Its possible there will be no cycle since you will have your established rock in your sump but I could be a couple weeks too. I would use a skimmer and my suggestion would be a Bubble Magus NAC3.5 or an scaquarium sc-65 which is a clone of the aforementioned BM but only costs $80. If you have any questions about anything let me know ill do my best to help.
 
The reefer said:
Look into that clone of the bm3.5 skimmer. Ive seen a couple for sale here. Sc-65 I believe.
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I have it and I am very happy with what it is pulling. I got it direct on e-bay there are at least 2 floating around here. It will be great in a 10 gal sump because it needs 6-9 inches of only.
 
Herbie said:
I have it and I am very happy with what it is pulling. I got it direct on e-bay there are at least 2 floating around here. It will be great in a 10 gal sump because it needs 6-9 inches of only.
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+1 I happen to have one I'm not using anymore since my upgrade is complete. Pm me if interested.
 
Yep, sc-65 would be perfect for your build. Brandon has a used one, I've got a brand new sealed one. He takes great care of his stuff so I'd trust buying used from him if you want to save some money.
 
I'm going to have someone drill it for me. And get some bulk heads I think they're called. I'll pm you guys about the skimmers. I'm going to be getting dry rock and seed it with my LR. Who's Brandon? So I can pm him also


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You also may want to consider two 1/2" returns as opposed to one 3/4". You don't want to flow too much water through your ten gallon sump even with baffles it will be hard to keep microbubbles out of your display. Imagine whitewater rafting in your sump. Also decreasing the flow increases contact time with your filtration ie skimmer, fuge etc. 5x volume of flow through the sump is good add some powerheads to the DT to get up to 20x volume total flow.

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smallest pump you can get away with is 10x the water volume per hour, so id say 250gph. Rios are very good. also, for a 20 you dont really need a skimmer unless you plan to overstock. i ran a 30 gallon off of fully biological filtration (fuge + sump with LR) for a couple months before i took it down. a good skimmer certainly wont hurt though.

also, you can make overflow pipes from PVC for <$10 each, although id put 2 of them just incase 1 fails. this keeps your water level in your display constant so that only the sump will drain as water evaporates.
 
sparky5785 said:
You also may want to consider two 1/2" returns as opposed to one 3/4". You don't want to flow too much water through your ten gallon sump even with baffles it will be hard to keep microbubbles out of your display. Imagine whitewater rafting in your sump. Also decreasing the flow increases contact time with your filtration ie skimmer, fuge etc. 5x volume of flow through the sump is good add some powerheads to the DT to get up to 20x volume total flow.

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So one 1 inch drain and the two 1/2 returns can run on the one pump. The sump I'm getting from the reefer has a bubble trap so that should help. And so what you mean is smaller pump to slow stuff down in the sump and some power heads in the display to still keep te flow up?


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mr_z said:
So one 1 inch drain and the two 1/2 returns can run on the one pump. The sump I'm getting from the reefer has a bubble trap so that should help. And so what you mean is smaller pump to slow stuff down in the sump and some power heads in the display to still keep te flow up?


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Check out glass-holes.com look at the super nano con dientes(with teeth) it has a 1" drain it is rated to 300 gph both the teeth and the integrated baffles inside the overflow box will help keep snails and the like out. I'd also go with the lid keeps light out and extra protection against snails I would center that at the top and then get two 1/2" return kits with locline and put those near the top corners to distribute your return flow better throughout the tank. Yes a smaller pump with some well placed powerheads or a mp10 in the DT would work great. If you really want extra security you can drill a second drain and just use a street elbow pointed upwards so if your main drain were to fail and the water level in the display would rise it would pour into the emergency drain instead of on the floor. Believe me I know how overwhelming this stuff can be I went through it when I upgraded from my all in one nano cube. There are many different right ways to do this you have to decide what works best for you. If you need help I'd be glad to help with anything plumbing sump fuge overflow returns pumps powerheads whatever you need just let me know.

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I think ima skip the overflow box even though it sounds like a great idea but I wanna save a few bucks I'm going to get the rest of the stuff I need from there tho. here's a list
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Yeah you don't neeeeeed the box I just like it because it keeps the water level higher and looks a little cleaner but like I said do what works for you.

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Lol I put them for the returns without thinking about the loc line. I'm going to take them off. Another thing I wanted to do Is place a whole a bit higher in case of overflow into the display and dot have to come home to water on the floor would that be a good idea? A half inch one?


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1" it has to be as capable as your normal drain otherwise you still may come home to water on the floor if the emergency drain can't keep up with the flow.

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