Marvollo Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Finally have the funds to set my 125 gallon reef tank up. I have the tank pre drilled and a stand with two sumps along with a bunch of miscellaneous equipment from the previous owner. if someone who is very knowledgeable with plumbing and has experience with tank set ups is willing to come over and help that would be amazing. For your troubles I could give you a mr aqua 12g tank or a new 165w Chinese led light. i live in kyle in the hometown kyle neighborhood. Let me know if your interested in assisting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Dogfish Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Hey Marvollo, I live in Wimberley and could come over and help you get started. Its not all that hard once you figure out what creatures you want inside your tank. I had a 125 for 2 years. Made my own stand and turned a 55 into a sump. I also had a closed loop for added circulation. Kessels for lights, all computer controlled. Give me a call if you are interested. 415 Two Four Four 198 Seven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 I live down this way as well, but will be traveling a lot over the next few weeks. What specifically are you want to set up? Have you planned out the tank and plumbing at all yet? If you post pictures of the tank I'm sure we can all help you with the design before you're ready to actually assemble everything. Having a plan helps immensely, and lets you know what parts to have on hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvollo Posted April 23, 2017 Author Share Posted April 23, 2017 (edited) Thanks for the replies. I plan on running the two sumps if possible. One for a refugium, and the other for skimmer, reactors, and the tank return. The tank will be a mixed reef and controlled with a reef angel set up. I have a lot of piping and equipment but am not opposed to purchasing needed plumbing. The sump on the left is sitting on a platform and has two holes for pipes on the right side to drain into sump two on the right. Which sump should be the refugium? Should I send both tank drain pipes to one sump or split them going to seperate sumps with a valve on one drain for the refugium. it looks like the sump on the right was set up for an external return pump. I have a brand new quiet one 5000 pump that I plan on using. is it best to run a seperate pump for a skimmer or tap into the return or drain to feed the skimmer? it looks like the previous owner tried to make some kind of wave maker that connects to some of the return piping. Any idea if that should be utilized? 3rd picture down Edited April 23, 2017 by Marvollo Auto correct fails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvollo Posted April 23, 2017 Author Share Posted April 23, 2017 Below is what the previous owner sent me if that helps. I am not sure if the previous set up is the best option for me due to the drains being run horizontally and lots of valve control potentially decreasing drain and flow efficiency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Dogfish Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Looking at the drawing i see what the previous owner did. I can come over and explain how it goes together and what i would change. Call me. You have 1 long Internal overflow box with 2 drains (Herbie), we can make those pretty silent. Both drains need to go into the first sump. The skimmer should go in the first sump (its internal yes?). The second sump can be your refugium, with the return to the tank coming out of it.The return pump you have can be internal or external so it will be your choice. Kinda depends on any holes that are all ready there. They can be plugged if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvollo Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hey guys could I get some help reviewing my sump, refugium design here? Please see attached file. It seems i have a few options. 1- tee of main return to send controlled flow to refugium which would be elevated and gravity fed to sump- skimmer- return. I would still have an emergency drain. 2- tee off return to feed the separate refugium, let it gravity feed to main sump 3 - run both drains and one feeding the refugium would have a valve to control flow. I have retained and painted inside out of my stand so far, painted the back of the tank, ordered all my lights. Just need to finalize the sump design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Personally, I like to supply the refugium prior to the skimmer, so to me option 3 is best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 i supply my fuge from the return.. not a fan of DT's detritus in the fuge. fuge's drain goes to same chamber as pump, bypassing skimmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasReef Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I love the schematic and set up of this system. I see it working similar to mine. a dual with 2 x1.5" drains. I did not tee off my main drain but I can see the advantage of sending a little bit over to the fuge. Very elegant with letting gravity due all the work and not having to plug in a pump to feed an external fuge/frag tank. I just ended up running a pump from the return section of sump to feed a 40 gallon tank. You have done a great job of maximizing space under there. 11 hours ago, Marvollo said: Hey guys could I get some help reviewing my sump, refugium design here? Please see attached file. It seems i have a few options. 1- tee of main return to send controlled flow to refugium which would be elevated and gravity fed to sump- skimmer- return. I would still have an emergency drain. 2- tee off return to feed the separate refugium, let it gravity feed to main sump 3 - run both drains and one feeding the refugium would have a valve to control flow. I have retained and painted inside out of my stand so far, painted the back of the tank, ordered all my lights. Just need to finalize the sump design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 8 hours ago, Isaac said: i supply my fuge from the return.. not a fan of DT's detritus in the fuge. fuge's drain goes to same chamber as pump, bypassing skimmer. Good point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvollo Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 I could install filter socks at the fuge intake to remove the dt detritus. Could it work to tee off of main drain - and leave second drain as emergency? Or work by using both drains and no emergency? Even if one drain clogged there would be no flood in either scenario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 i stopped using socks in the "main" flow points. i only use a sock coming out of the skimmer now (to catch big chunks after a cleaning). the drain from DT to sump, i've been using a koi filter. this filters out the "big" stuff and slime. everything else goes into the sump, which then hits the skimmer and through another opencell sponge to the return pump. I'm getting more air exchange this way.... i do have to vacuum the "dirty" side of the sump more often though. also, if a snail or fish decides to take a ride on the drain-slide... they dont die in a sock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvollo Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 Hey guys my canopy is very heavy. How much weight can a 125 with a center brace hold sitting on top of it? i was trying to find a lid stay mechanism for my canopy and after it broke a few I am thinking it’s just to darn heavy for my tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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