Logan Schwandt Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Hey everyone... I picked up this tank for what I thought was a steal because it came with a nice Vortech MP60. I really didn't want the tank, but somethings have worked out as to where I need a new tank in my office at church (I'm the children and youth pastor so it's a big plus with the kids). Anyways... I feel like I have a decent amount of knowledge when it comes to reefing but I'm definitely not a veteran so I wanted to open up this forum to see what advice I could get, and I can build this tank alongside all of you! First things first... Here's what I have for the foundation... 90 Gallon Cube tank with center overflow AI Hydra 26 HD lighting (I picked up one of these, need to get another) I have 2 older LED lights I will probably try and sell Eshopps Sump: looks like it will hold about 15 gallons Tunze 1073 Return Pump A small protein skimmer MP60 and MP10 I have some additional things like a media reactor and more wavemakers... The end goal is to have a tank with LPS and maybe long term SPS with some fish... The guy had this tank soft plumbed and I have all the material.. My questions that I'd like to have a discussion on is what other equipment should I get and in what order of importance? Do you guys prefer to have your sumps hard plumbed? Equipment is the big question... I'll be doing a sand bed, contemplating setting up the sump as a fuge... Any advice is more than welcome... But remember.. I'm just a Childrens Pastor... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeflogic Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Cool tank, the kids will enjoy it! I've used hard PVC and flex PVC on various builds, I prefer hard PVC, but sometimes it's not necessary, really depends on the setup, imo. Either one will work and do the job. The MP60 is overkill for that tank, but who am I kidding, I have an MP40 on a 36" shallow 34g tank, lol, just have to dial it back Looking forward to your progress, looks like a great start!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Dogfish Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 It will be a great tank. Hard plumbing is what I would do but....... since you have all the flex just use that. A penny saved is a penny earned. You will prob need a automatic top off to replace water lost to evaporation. That will save you checking the sump water level every day. If you decide that MP60 is a bit big and ugly. I'll swap you a slightly used MP40 still in the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 I used hard plumbing where i could... however if you have anything not part of the tank/stand, you want some sorta give. i plumbed through a wall... so between the wall and the tank, i used something flexible... houses/walls/furniture moves.... be it rain, drought, or basic thermal expansion. even a tiny move breaks something like pvc if its in the right spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Schwandt Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 18 hours ago, Dogfish said: I'll swap you a slightly used MP40 still in the box. I'd be interested in this, but mine is a couple years old and not the QD so I don't know if that is a breaker for you... It works great, currently have it setup on my 125 Cichlid tank and they absolutely love it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Schwandt Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 Thanks for the advice guys! I decided I am going to hard plumb the drain and keep the soft plumbing on the return. I replaced all the old stuff anyways because it was the cheap flimsy tubing that just wanted to kink. I feel like I have lighting and flow down, any advice on dosing? I'd like to have the freedom with this to do whatever types of corals, but the acquisition of those is going to be slow. I need to eventually upgrade my protein skimmer, but the areas I am unsure about is do I do a fuge, and do I buy a doser. Within the next few months I'd like to get an apex... I don't have the money for it right now, and everything I've read is that I'll regret it if I go with the apex jr, but eventually I'd love to have my tank ran by that. I'm a noob to Apex' though. Lastly, does anyone have any craft ideas for a skinny but tall ATO container? I was almost thinking just getting a plastic garbage can, but I'd like to have as much capacity as possible as it is not the easiest location to bring water too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 I use the BRS 1ml/minute dosers and also their 2-part mixes, it's pretty easy and not too expensive. They are very reliable. You do need a controller, something like an Apex. Reek Keeper, or Reef Angel to control them though. If you don't have a lot of corals you can manually top off 2-part daily, but when you start to have high consumption the dosers are really a must have (unless you are going with a calcium reactor) If it were me I'd look for a good deal on a used Apex classic unit rather than a Junior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BobcatReefer Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 That's a fantastic setup for a kiddo situation - being able to look from 3 sides instead of 1 is really cool to me. That's a great looking setup too! 3 hours ago, Logan Schwandt said: I feel like I have lighting and flow down, any advice on dosing? I bought a Jaebo 4 head doser from a respected poster on here a month or so ago on the chance that I could find a way to fit it in my stand, but no dice. I'll sell it to you for the $20 I bought it for. If you are still looking for a top-off solution, and are the DIY type, I have one of these (new, unused in box) that I'll sell for $20 as well. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aquahub-diy-top-it-off-kit-premium.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Dogfish Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 On 8/23/2017 at 9:50 AM, Logan Schwandt said: Lastly, does anyone have any craft ideas for a skinny but tall ATO container? What I used for my 125 gal was a 15 gal chemical barrel. I got 2 of them, used, from a chemical manufacturing place. Those places usually have piles of that stuff they cant get rid of. They might have some at the used 55 barrel places. You need to triple rinse them, with soap and water. They look like this. http://www.ebay.com/itm/15-GALLON-white-plastic-Barrel-Drum-Container-FOOD-GRADE-water-fuel-storage-sand-/182638363429?hash=item2a86184325:g:CnEAAOSwJQdXA--A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Schwandt Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 Some update... I plumbed the tank primarily how it was originally plumbed but with a higher quality tubing... Then, like an idiot, I decided to trust the previous owners word and pour in salt and start to fill up the tank. When it was all full and starting to run I realized that the tank is draining much faster than the return pump is putting out... My overflow box has a broken seem somewhere, so I had to quickly figure out a way to siphon the water out before my sump overflowed as I didn't have my ball valve put in because I wanted to cut a corner and save a few bucks. Looks like I'll have to delay the setup for a few days as I redo the seam on the overflow and replumb the drain line. I have to say... I regret buying this tank. Cleaning it and trying to figure out a way to make it look nice and now this issue, I would've much rather paid someone more for a nicer setup and at least I'd have the peace of mind that the tank is in good condition. Oh well, mistakes are apart of the hobby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Bummer, sorry to hear you're having bad luck with this new tank. When you say the overflow is broken with a leak somewhere, why don't you just raise the intake drain pipe to be closer to the surface of the water line? Maybe I'm a little confused by the situation, a picture would help of your overflow and sump set up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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