newbie to salt

[mfro00]

hey there ive been looking all over this site and it seems like theres a lot of knowledge to be found. well im new to salt water and recently got a tank that was used its a 70gal drilled with a ocean clear canister and a little giant pump( the smaller one). the guy and my lfs told me that this wasnt the best way to run a system and im looking for more ideas as to what i can do. i also have a remora 1200. i want to have a reef tank. my main questoin is should i keep the filtration that i got and get a bio filter to stack in line or plug it up and run an overflow box and a refugium.

thanks in advance for advice
MIKE

[aquawolf]

Welcome to TRT!!!

Since the tank is already drilled, you should just be able to go with a sump underneath it. Then you can get a skimmer to place in the sump and a return pump to complete the plumbing portion. The live rock will be your biological filtration and the skimmer will provide mechanical filtration. The sump can be as simple as another tank that will fit under the stand that you silicone some baffles into, all the way to an extravagant pre-built acrylic model with special chambers for everything. If you are going to use live rock and run a reef, then do not even start messing with the bio balls, bio bale, or anything else like that as it is not needed.

The Ocean Clear cannister may be used from time to time when you are doing water changes and want to polish the water, but you may be much better off just trying to sell it.

[mfro00]

well the tank is drilled in the center of the tank on each side( 1 return- 1 suction
). so how would i be able to run a sump with out having all the water in the tank draining out instantly. if i run a sump or fuge i would need to have a overflow box correct? and just plug the bulkheads off?

[Loverotties]

You should buy LRock and get rid of the other filters.

[mfro00]

well i plan on building a fuge and installing a hang on overflow box. what size fuge tank and pump would i need if my display is 70gal?

[aquawolf]

If the tank is already drilled, then it should have a built in overflow. You will plumb that using either a Durso, or better yet a Gurgle Buster. The 1 inch pipe will be for your drain and the 3/4 inch pipe will be for your return. Some people actually use both of the drilled holes as drains and then run the returns over the back of the tank.You should be able to do a search on Durso Standpipes, or look into the Megaflow kit that comes pre-assembled to get an idea of the plumbing needed.

[mfro00]

the tank was not factory drilled someone else drilled it there is no overflow box on the tank there are two holes that ar drilled in the center of the tank that are 16" spread apart one is 1" and the other is a 3/4". i wanted to still use the 3/4" for the return. what flow pump and size of overflow bow and size of fuge would be the best.

[aquawolf]

The holes being spread 16 inches apart is going to cause some issues for an overflow I would think. Perhaps you could do a coast to coast with that, and there are some examples on this site of people who have done that. Otherwise I am not sure how you could plumb it and am hoping someone else will chime in with assistance.

[gouch]

Originally Posted by mfro00

the tank was not factory drilled someone else drilled it there is no overflow box on the tank there are two holes that ar drilled in the center of the tank that are 16" spread apart one is 1" and the other is a 3/4". i wanted to still use the 3/4" for the return. what flow pump and size of overflow bow and size of fuge would be the best.

you wont need an ovreflow box as stated above. these hang on the back of the tank. you need to put bulkhead fittings in the holes and run the plumbing through those.
go slow, better to take your time, be creative and plan somthing that works for what you want to keep.

[mfro00]

maybee this can show better what im tryin to plumb into my system what do yall think if theres some thin wrong with it or better ways to get things done please let me know. the suction in the top picture will be blocked off to allow the overflow bow that is comming from life reef to be the suction. this is my first so dont hold back. also what size pump would be needed the return distance is only about 2' max and what size the fuge should be the drawling is not by any means to scale just to get the idea out there. i was thinking a 20L would work.

[mxracer19]

A 20-Long would work very well for your proposed setup. If you'll be running a refugium, place the drain in the first chamber with the protein skimmer. Place the refugium in the central chamber. I would then place a bubble trap, followed lastly by your pump chamber. It appears to me that the drain and return holes are both drilled in the bottom plate of your tank? If this is the case, personally I would indeed plug them and redrill holes in the upper portion. Glass-holes .com is a very inexpensive website whom I've used recently for my drill bit. The hole saw itself was $9, which is a far cry from the charges that glass shops wanted to drill my tank (~$35/hole!) The guys are great to deal with and drilling holes in glass turned out to be less trouble than I thought.

If I am wrong about your current holes being in the bottom of the tank, then you may be better off utilizing what you've got unless you've already ordered an overflow box.

The benefits of using an overflow box include less chance of snails or other critters finding their way into your plumbing. The downside includes a possible loss of suction. This may rarely occur, but when compared to a straight-drilled drain hole the possibility exists. The downside to a drainhole drilled into your tank with a bulkhead is that critters such as snails may find their way into the plubing and clog your drains. No fun at all.

Hope this helps as I too am going through the design and testing phase of my own project,
Matt

[mfro00]

the top pic is what is in there now and it has a closed loop system with the drain and return in the bottom.i was told that this is not the best wasy to filter because theres no bio filter and every filter cleaning will destroy the bio on the filter so im doing away with that system. i was planning on plugging the drain and running a life reef overflow box. instead of adding more to the tank i was going to still use the return on the floor of the tank with both a check valve and a ball valve to keep safe in the event of a power failure. you think that i can take the baffle out from between the drain and the remora and yes there is going to be a 2'' bubble trap at the end chamber to house the return. what return pump would work the best the return only has to drive about two feet and the life reef overflow box is 600gph.

[mfro00]

any more thoughts

[mfro00]

no more inputs? any help greatly appreciated