newbie.. need some advice

[mr_brix]

hi there just want to introduce my self before i begin.. im brix from toronto canada..

anyways my bro got me into this hobby.. so i used to have a 15gal SW tank and i have one clown fish that last 3months due to i forgot to close the balcony door and the temp drop down cold so the fish froze..

so now i bought a 72gal bow front tank and a fluval 305 filter canister...
now i'm done testing the new tank and put 80lbs of crushed coral so far.. i dont have any live rock yet and some other equipment...

now i dont want to get crazy i want to take it slow.. and i see some tank has sump.. do i need this system or im ok with my filter and my tank is not drilled..

if i'm going to need a sump am i able to do with my undrilled tank??

and by the way as of my bro he has plan making me a custom overflow...

feel free to shoot me some opinion..

thanks

brix

[metalhead]

Welcome brix! I would run an overflow with a sump if I were you. This will increase the volume of water in your system and has other advantages as well.

[mr_brix]

do i need to drill my tank to have a sump?

[metalhead]

do i need to drill my tank to have a sump?

Not at all and depending on the type of glass it's made of you may not be able to drill it anyway. At any rate, drilling a glass tank is not something you should attempt yourself unless you really know what your doing.

Instead you can use an overflow box. I'm not sure what kind is the best but do know that any box type overflow system should have at least two siphon tubes so that in case one becomes obstructed, the other will continue to siphon.

Anyway, check around on here and see what kind of boxes other people are using before you go out and buy one.

Hope this helps

[mr_brix]

no no no hell no i'm not going to drill it lol.. and it says on my tank " DO NOT DRILL "
but yah good stuff ... i'm going to look around and ask more question.. thanks

[metalhead]

no no no hell no i'm not going to drill it lol.. and it says on my tank " DO NOT DRILL "
but yah good stuff ... i'm going to look around and ask more question.. thanks

That's always a good idea!

This looks like a pretty good one...

ADHI Over Flow Box- Single Drain

Good Luck!

[mr_brix]

hey i checked it out look neat.. thanks for the find

[Seige]

Here's another link.

CPR AQUATIC, INC - CS Overflows

You want one thats silent or close to silent, will keep the syphon even if theirs a water drop due to power outage or evaporation, and draws air out of the syphon tube. Other things too I can't think of right now... lol

[King Triton]

hey brix you do as you please but I will give you my experience ditch the crushed coral it will be a uncontrolable nitrate factory use fine sand.Also I wouldnt use the canister filter either it is a good place for nitrate to build if you dont change the filter media in it regulary like once a week two weeks at the very most for a canister to be left unchanged filter media.I suggest a multi chamber sump with live rock and lots of water movement and live rock in the display tank invest in a RO filter if you dont have one and use quality salt mix.You asked about drillin tanks I wouldnt bother , either buy or build a overflow drilling is expensive and risky most glass dealers at least in my area wont garantee tank from crackin or chippin during drilling so I have found a overflow to work out just fine for me.One last thing if your canister filter is still new take it back and buy a protein skimmer.

[mr_brix]

Seige - thanks for the site.

King Triton - dam the crushed coral is in the tank already.. now i cant take it back.. and i'm not planning drilling my tank because it's not recommended and my tank has a big ass sign says " DO NOT DRILL" lol

ok guys before is burn more money whats the recomendation

my tank is 72gal bow front what is the required skimmers and sump size..

thanks you for all of your help i really appreciate..

[metalhead]

Seige - thanks for the site.

King Triton - dam the crushed coral is in the tank already.. now i cant take it back.. and i'm not planning drilling my tank because it's not recommended and my tank has a big ass sign says " DO NOT DRILL" lol

ok guys before is burn more money whats the recomendation

my tank is 72gal bow front what is the required skimmers and sump size..

thanks you for all of your help i really appreciate..

This may be a matter for debate... I know people who use crushed coral exclusively and swear by it as substrate. Also makes it easier to run a higher flow rate in your tank which is one reason a lot people use it vs sand. I think it also helps buffer or maintain calcium rates as well.

I do agree with King on the canister... either use it for GAC/GFO or not at all. I have heard of some people running them empty though for flow purposes and supposedly filter feeders will take up residence inside eventually which is probably a good thing.

[mr_brix]

ok this whats make me think.. my bro has a 55gal with custom overlow and use the filter canister as a return pump.. he has crushed coral and couple of live rock.. and he's running it in couple of years now with no prob... i'll get more info how he does it.. and i believe not 100% he never change water and only add some..

[Seige]

Sump can be as big as you want. It's usually restricted by the size of the cabinet unless you can run it in a closet/room behind the tank or in the basement under the tank.

[mr_brix]

ok here in my area there is a lot of people selling their used tank for cheap.. i can just grab one and make one my self right.. make a devider some stuff like that..

[mr_brix]

seige - where u from in ontario??

[My2heartboys]

Ok, I agree on the crushed coral....only not for the same reasons. I found that it collects a lot of detrius and stuff (to put it politely). It is a royal pain in the tail to vacuum and keep clean. You are better off with some sand and you will get the benefit of getting some really cool sand dwelling critters if you get some live sand from somebody who already has an established system. It only takes a cup or two spread around.

I also agree in trading the fluval in for a skimmer. If you really want to have a filter and do away with the sump (I don't have a sump or a refugium), get a hang on back filter (something like a Penguin Biowheel), ditch the biowheel and use the rest of it to run carbon and whatever other media you want to run.

If you have enough live rock and sand, you should not need biowheels, bioballs, or whatever other gadgets like those for your tank. IMHO I use my AquaClear HOB filter to run carbon and a little bit of Pura Complete which I tend to change every 2-3 weeks. It is easy to do it this way as it is simple to pull out the old media bag of stuff and drop in the new media bag. While this method is not nearly as effecient as running it in a cannister filter, for me it works great with tons less hassle and frustration.

Anne

[cdearing]

If you want to grow corals, just make sure that if you buy a used tank for a sump that it has not had copper in it.
Cyn

[mr_brix]

ok i decide to make a sump.. but the canister i ordered is on the way. if i return it what type of skimer im looking at??? right now i'm in the search of 30gal tank that can fit on my cabinet is that a good size??

[Seige]

seige - where u from in ontario??

London.

[Seige]

Check the DIY forum for making a sump. You just need some plexiglass and bonding glue. Practice on some scrap pieces first or you'll make a mess of it. If you get a used tank clean it thoroughly in the hottest water you can stand. Rinse it a lot. Then do it again adding some vinegar. Rinse a lot again.

Check the equipment forum for skimmers. You'll get better responses. Don't know anything about what's good. Mines likely crap because it was relatively cheap.