New guy with new tank build log!

[WoodRight]

Well hello there, I am very new to the salt water world. This is all my girl friends falt. She has a 20gal tall SW tank at her parents house that is really great and every time I'm over there house I just sit there next to the tank with my nose about 1/2" away from the glass. I have desided to set one up at my/our apartment. I have gotten a 75gal all glass tank with MegaFlow overflow systum installed in it. I have built and now rebuilt a wet/dry sump for it out of a 20gal all glass tank. Also I have built a 12gal fuge out of plexy glass. I have most of the base cabinet done but it has been raining for days here and have not been ale to work on the rest of it. It still needs the face frame, trim, installation and paint. I just got most of the plumbing done tonight. I'm waiting for a MagDrive 9 that I'm going to use for the return pump from the sump to the main tank and cant finish the plumbing till I get that.

Ok so that is how far I have gotten so far and here are some pics of the build and if you see anything that you would change please let me know. Thanks for reading and injoy the pics.

 

[WoodRight]

Some more pics

Still going!

 

[WoodRight]

Some more pics!

Still going!

 

[rookie07]

How do you plan to finish the stand? Are you going to take it all apart?

 

[junglebase]

You just had to put that Maxim in there didn't you? You trying to distract us from that awesome plumbing work? :redface:

 

[Sean]

I would use wood blocks instead of the old Maxim magazines

the hole in the acrylic tank I would use a rubber gasket instead of silicone.

I don't understand why you feel the need to T off the return to go to both the refugium and the trickle filter. you could have the whole thing go to the refugium then go directly to the trickle part.

also when the water hits the pad on the trickle part there will be some splashing so you may need to do something to compensate for that

 

[Tim]

I agree with Sean. Put a bulkhead fitting where you have the fuge draining into the sump. Why did you not go directly into the bulkhead`s with you pvc( drain & return)?

 

[WoodRight]

OK the Maxim Mags are only temporary until it stops raining here and I can make a stand for the fuge. The reason I split the outlet of the main tank is that I'm going to have my skimmer in the center chamber of the wet/dry and if the water from the fuge goes threw there then all the pods and good stuff that I want to make it to the main tank will get skimmed out. So I bypassed the wet dry and skimmer by sending the overflow to the bubble trap.

Yes I will be taking everything apart to finish the cabinet but it isn't that bad. I haven't glued every thing on the plumbing yet. The 2 sections are glued other then right before the the rubber hoses and clamps and the elbow were the pump is gunna be.

As far as the splashing goes the is going to be filter floss it the drip tray and I figured I would wait and see if there is going to be splashing before I bother making a cover. If so then it no big deal to make one.

 

[Dj Orion]

I have a question, and I may be totally off on thisd one but are you planning on putting bio balls in the center of that trickle down system next to the fuge? It seems to me that your sump looks more like a wet/dry in the works, than just a normal sump.

Do you plan on making this tank a reef? And if the center piece is for bio balls, arent bio balls not so great for a reef (nitrate factory) I am only asking because it looks like you are making a wet dry with the egg crate and the top with the holes punched in it.

 

[bigbris1]

Looks good, especially from a 20H inspiration!

 

[JHOV2324]

Why dont u run the fuge pipe to the return pump compartment......

 

[WoodRight]

I have a question, and I may be totally off on thisd one but are you planning on putting bio balls in the center of that trickle down system next to the fuge? It seems to me that your sump looks more like a wet/dry in the works, than just a normal sump.

Do you plan on making this tank a reef? And if the center piece is for bio balls, arent bio balls not so great for a reef (nitrate factory) I am only asking because it looks like you are making a wet dry with the egg crate and the top with the holes punched in it.

Yes it is a wet/dry but I am useing LR rubble insted of bio balls.

 

[WoodRight]

Why dont u run the fuge pipe to the return pump compartment......

Becouse I don't want the micro bubbles that will come from the falling water in the overflow from the fuge to make there way into the main tank. I hope that by sending it into the bubble trap that wont happen.

 

[Dj Orion]

Yes it is a wet/dry but I am useing LR rubble insted of bio balls.

OK, but i thought that any trickle down system that allows particles to get trapped creates an unnecessary abundance of nitrates. I would make that a secondary station to your fuge or make it an RSB. But thats just what I would do, anyways good luck!

 

[WoodRight]

The cabinet is built!

Well the cabinet is done and now I have to take it all apart and paint it inside and out. Then I can install it for good and set up he tank finely. We will be painting it white on the inside and a green color on the outside.

For now here are some pictures of the cabinet befor paint.

Oh and for those that asked about the Maxim Mags. Like I said befor they were not staying there. I made the base for the fuge also.

 

[masterswimmer]

Allowing the water to trickle through the LR rubble will act the same way as bio balls. You'll continually have higher than necessary nutrients. You'll almost have a mini cycle going on all the time. The LR needs to remain submerged.

swimmer

 

[WoodRight]

Allowing the water to trickle through the LR rubble will act the same way as bio balls. You'll continually have higher than necessary nutrients. You'll almost have a mini cycle going on all the time. The LR needs to remain submerged.

swimmer

The rubble will be both submerged and out of the water but will be wet at all times there for no cycle.

 

[WoodRight]

It seems that I'm getting diffrent oppions from everyone about the wet/dry filter idea. So what I think is going to happen is that I will try it with the LR rubble and if i get a nitrates problem then I can just take out the rubble and the eggcreat. That would turn it into a sump only.

 

[bigbris1]

One thing I learned the hard way is that you must do it right the first time. You don't want to have to go back & change your system & risk the health of your animals. This will most certainly discourage you & prove costly.

Tap into the tried-and-true wealth of info available & make your system as spectacular as the woodworking job you did the first time around. :thumbup:

 

[grundig5]

That stand looks very nice! However, I would heed the advice already given. Its much easier to fix now, been there done that. Use that space for either a bigger skimmer, or place to hold reactors, etc.