[cofstl411]

I bought a used 125 gallon all-glass aquarium with 6 ft hamilton lights. It also came with an turboflotor 1000 protein skimmer, magnum 350, aquafx ro/di filter, 6 powerheads (5 maxi-jet 295 gph and another smaller one), dual overflow, and a 20 gallon sump tank. I paid $600 for it all. I have it all set up and everything is running except the sump because the water level is not high enough because I am about to buy 100 lbs of live rock and don't want it to overflow. That means the protein skimmer is not running yet either. I purchased 120lbs of Nature's Ocean Bio-Active Live Aragonite reef sand. I was going to put this in today and then get the 100lbs of live rock tomorrow. The live rock has been cured at least 2 months here locally. My questions are:
1. Can I add fish on wednesday (day after lr)?
2. My mag drive pumps 700 gph up to the tank. Will my overflow allow 700gph down to the sump?
3. Do I have enough powerheads?
4. Should I wait one day after adding live sand to add the cured lr or do both as soon as possible?
5. My sump is 24x12x16 1/2". The turboflotor takes up about half. How can I make a refugium out of it? Can I just get a piece of glass and epoxy it in as a baffle? Would a 12" section make any difference? The return pump would be on the refugium side but would the sand have an effect on the pump?
6. Are there any problems that you guys can see happening that I have not planned for?
Thanks!

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by cofstl411

1. Can I add fish on wednesday (day after lr)?

I wouldn't. I would wait at least three weeks. Actually I waited more than five weeks and I started with fully cured live rock, too.

2. My mag drive pumps 700 gph up to the tank. Will my overflow allow 700gph down to the sump?

Yes, assuming you're talking about a standard All-Glass tank with built-in overflows. If you're talking about something else, what is it???

3. Do I have enough powerheads?

That's a personal decision. Depends on what you want and what you like.

4. Should I wait one day after adding live sand to add the cured lr or do both as soon as possible?

Add them both at the same time. Your "live sand" isn't really live sand anyway. It's just plain ole dead aragonite sand that is packaged damp with semi-dormant bacteria.

5. My sump is 24x12x16 1/2". The turboflotor takes up about half. How can I make a refugium out of it?

You probably can't. You don't have enough room.

[pavesi]

good purchase!
Q1: I would actually hold off and wait at least 4~5 days and make sure all water tests are coming out the way you want them. Once you add the sand it will be very cloudy, you'll really want this to settle. Adding cured LR is not too big of deal, although, since you are using new sand,water it MAY have a mini-cycle. You will go through the usual diatom bloom new tank issues.

Q2: You don't mention what size your overflow is.. If its 1", yes, it will handle this amount just fine.

Q3: I personally like the 10x turnover rate, and it seems like this is right in the ballpark.

Q4: I would add both same day, but you may have to take a turkey baster and blast some of the sand off the rocks in a couple days when everything settles down.

Q5: Depending upon the flow rate of the sump, you may not be able to.
I have seen some sumps where you have the inlet section, outlet section, then at the end a refugium. The refugium doesn't want/need a high turnover rate. If your thinking of growing macro, you need to make sure it tumbles and not get sucked up into the return.

Q6: You don't make mention of your tank being drilled.. If this is not the case, you seriously need to look and test for siphon breakage before 3/4 of your tank volume is now on your living room rug.

I would also once your live rock/sand is in, turn on your skimmer and let it micro bubble itself out and make sure all is working properly. Catching anything after the fact is a nightmare you don't want.

[cofstl411]

Yes, assuming you're talking about a standard All-Glass tank with built-in overflows. If you're talking about something else, what is it???

I don't have built in overflows. I have a dual hang on overflow.

I wouldn't. I would wait at least three weeks. Actually I waited more than five weeks and I started with fully cured live rock, too.

I was just curious because the lfs says that you can because it is cured rock and already has the bacteria on it. The bags of sand say "instant cycle". But I figured that I would ask someone that was not trying to sell anything. I thought about maybe adding a chromis just so I have something to look at because I heard that they were pretty hardy as well.

You probably can't. You don't have enough room.

I guess if I want to do that I will need a bigger sump because I don't want two tanks under my aquarium.

Thanks

[Reefland]

Hi cofstl411,

I'll answer your last question first. I think you should look into what you really want to do with your substrate. If you are looking for just a covering of sand for aesthetic purposes, you could definitely ditch the bio-active stuff (which isn't useful either way and a waste of money) and just use some dry aragonite sand. If you are wanting the substrate to be functional (a live deep sand bed), still ditch the bio-active stuff and go with a whole lot of dry aragonite sand and seed it with some true live sand. If you would like some more info, do a search for DSB or deep sand bed to do some reading.

1. No - Even though you are using fully cured liverock, it would be better to wait at least a week to ensure the tank has stabalized and no cycle will occur. If after monitoring the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate for a week and if there is no spikes in ammonia and nitrate, then add your first hardy fish.
2. If this is a standard aga with standard overflows, then it will handle this flow with no problem. I am guessing that it has dual overflows to which you should be able to push ~2,000 gph through the overflow. Keep in mind the drains and the sump might become a bottleneck.
3. Depends on what you are planning to keep really. To me, the more flow the better.
4. There are 2 ways to go about this. 1 is if you add them together, you'll limit the time your tank is cloudy but will also risk the rock getting covered in sand and that will take work to clean up. The other way is to add the sand and then once it settles, add the rock. The downfall is the tank will most likely get cloudy again but your rock won't get covered in sand.
5. Any size refugium is beneficial. The key is to get it incorporated and still have room for baffles to remove bubbles.

[cofstl411]

Originally Posted by pavesi

Q2: You don't mention what size your overflow is.. If its 1", yes, it will handle this amount just fine.

I have a hang on dual 3/4" overflow. (two hoses in one box)

Q6: You don't make mention of your tank being drilled.. If this is not the case, you seriously need to look and test for siphon breakage before 3/4 of your tank volume is now on your living room rug.

It is not drilled. The previous owner had the same overflow but the pump had the insulation broken on the wires so I bought the Mag drive. He had a RIO 2100 which I don't think had the same flow rate. I am really concerned about the siphon, overflow, and return.

thanks

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by cofstl411

I don't have built in overflows. I have a dual hang on overflow.

That should be OK for 750 gph.

I was just curious because the lfs says that you can because it is cured rock and already has the bacteria on it.

Both cured and uncured live rock already have bacteria. They should have told you that uncured live rock will still have some dieoff for the next few weeks whereas fully cured live rock with have very little dieoff.

The bags of sand say "instant cycle".

That's just advertising hype. The bacteria in the sand will give your tank a head start on doing what it would have done with or without this so-called live sand. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just unnecessary. The phrase "instant cycle" is very misleading and something they should drop. This is one of many products that are pitched to newbies with no previous experience. The purpose of the printed copy on the package is to induce people to buy the product. The only difference between a product like that and the exact same product without the bacteria is that the sand without the bacteria costs less and it will take a few days for the beneficial bacteria to get going on their own.

Don't add a fish to your tank just because it is hardy. Purchase a hardy fish as your first fish only if it is something you really want to keep. Never add fish to a newly set up aquarium. Always test your water parameters for at least a couple of weeks first to make sure things are going according to plan. And be aware of the fact that some species of fish should not be added for at least six months.

[pavesi]

The duel 3/4" should be fine for the 700gph. Be aware that the reason many people use duels is as a safety net in case one gets blocked. So, you will want to block one up and test the flow rate (and noise). You may want to keep the word "Durso" in the back of your mind.

The easiest way to test for an overflow condition is to fill your tank till its just starting to overflow into the sump, fill the sump 1/3 ~ 1/2 and start your pump. Allow to run making sure all is working as it should, then turn off the pump. Depending upon how far down your overflow pipes go depends on how much volume your sump needs to hold. Once you have the perfect balance, start your pump again then draw a line on your sump stating the MAX water line and do not fill beyond this point.

[cofstl411]

Originally Posted by Reefland

Hi cofstl411,

I'll answer your last question first. I think you should look into what you really want to do with your substrate. If you are looking for just a covering of sand for aesthetic purposes, you could definitely ditch the bio-active stuff (which isn't useful either way and a waste of money) and just use some dry aragonite sand. If you are wanting the substrate to be functional (a live deep sand bed), still ditch the bio-active stuff and go with a whole lot of dry aragonite sand and seed it with some true live sand. If you would like some more info, do a search for DSB or deep sand bed to do some reading.

I've already purchased the sand and it was just a little over $1 a lb. I live in Ohio so I don't have access to the play sand that can be bought at Home Depot. I have 120 lbs of the "live" sand sitting on my living room floor. (in bags) I thought the lr would seed the sand as well. I liked some of the gobies and I read that they need a decent amount of substrate. I don't know if 120 lbs is enough but I was going to put most of my lr on one end and then add more sand to the other end if I needed it.

4. There are 2 ways to go about this. 1 is if you add them together, you'll limit the time your tank is cloudy but will also risk the rock getting covered in sand and that will take work to clean up. The other way is to add the sand and then once it settles, add the rock. The downfall is the tank will most likely get cloudy again but your rock won't get covered in sand.

It sounds like I may try to go somewhere in between. I will wait for the sand to settle some and then put the rock in.

5. Any size refugium is beneficial. The key is to get it incorporated and still have room for baffles to remove bubbles.

My main reason for the refugium was just to grow some vegetation to feed the fish. I thought maybe just a small light on a timer would cut it. I was hoping that the live rock and the protein skimmer would do most of the work.

[cofstl411]

Originally Posted by Ninong

Don't add a fish to your tank just because it is hardy. Purchase a hardy fish as your first fish only if it is something you really want to keep. Never add fish to a newly set up aquarium.

I actually like the chromis because it is pretty mild and it is reef safe. I like the damsels as well but I have read that they tend not to be very good tank mates if most of your fish are going to be non-aggressive as mine are going to be.

[dougc]

2. My mag drive pumps 700 gph up to the tank. Will my overflow allow 700gph down to the sump?

You don't state what model Mag pump you have. Keep in mind how high you must push the water. For example, a Mag 7 is rated at 700 gph, but that is at 0 feet of pumping height. At 4 feet, which is about typical if your sump is in the stand under the tank, it only pumps 480 gph. Your overflow will handle this with no problems.

[cofstl411]

Originally Posted by dougc

You don't state what model Mag pump you have. Keep in mind how high you must push the water. For example, a Mag 7 is rated at 700 gph, but that is at 0 feet of pumping height. At 4 feet, which is about typical if your sump is in the stand under the tank, it only pumps 480 gph. Your overflow will handle this with no problems.

My mag 7 pumps the water back up to the tank faster than the overflow drains it down to my sump. I only have one U tube pouring into the hang on overflow. If I put two U tubes in will it drain faster or too fast and lose siphon?