New Tank design planning

Joined
9 Nov 2008
Posts
13
Reaction score
0
Location
Cape Town
Hi Guys and Girls

I am new to the marine aquarium vibe and have tried reading and speaking to as many people as possible.

This is what I have come up with as a starting point.

I will use a 1200mm X 450mm X 450mm DT and 900mm sump

2 x 150w Heaters
2 x 1500L/h return pumps
Boyu DG-2520 Skimmer
1" thick substrate

still deciding on the layout of the sump (what comes where?) and what lighting to use as my budget is fairly restricted (sux being a student)

Any suggestions? I will try and get some pics up asap of wht i have in mind

I have been contemplating running my overflow over bio balls into the sump through my mechanical filtration over the DSB and then through the skimmer.



:yeahdude:
 
Welcome Poseidon!
Also keep in mind your 1" substrate should be fine. A good substrate to go for would be Aragonite or if finances are a bit tight, you can get play sand (which alot of us use inc. me) from Reggies. Give it a good few washes before putting it into your tank.
 
2 x 1500L/h return pumps

go for one bigger pump.. less plumbing less hassle and definatley less noise.. white size holes do you have in your overflow? and how many?
 
welcome poseidon.
Nice tanks size, dontb stress too much about lighting for the beginning unless you want to go heavily into sps or light loving tank mates, but for fish and softies softer light is an option:)

def skip the bioballs as kanga says:) and play sand is a good option, just make sure its very well washed.

i would look at doing a DT deep sand bed if i were u, but thats personal choice:)
 
WELCOME TO MASA

kanga gave you the link on the dsb sump:thumbup:

try to keep it simple:

1chamber= mechanical filtration (Skimmer)
2 chamber= biological filtration (dsb, Deep Sand Bed)
3 chamber= chemical filtration and return (Carbon ect)

like Crispin said, don't worry to much about lighting, lighting all depends on what you want to keep.

i'm running a ts1 on my 1200x450x450mm and it workes like a little bomb.

enjoy, and ask as many questions:thumbup:
 
A very WARM WELCOME to you, PoseidonDive! I am very glad that you joined MASA! Awesome to have you on-board!

Many thanks for sharing your information with us so far.

I see that our fellow members have already helped you out nicely!

Good luck with your journey into the world of marines and reefkeeping!
 
I have been contemplating running my overflow over bio balls into the sump through my mechanical filtration over the DSB and then through the skimmer.:yeahdude:

Welcome to MASA, please feel free to ask as many questions as you like and read and learn as much as you can, it will save you a lot of pain and money. Like the guys said: skip the bio-balls - detritis gets trapped in them causing high nitrates later on which is bad for corals and you'll have nuisance algae problems.
Don't put the skimmer afer the DSB, all the pods and micro life will be skimmed out before they can reach the DT.
Like Lanzo said:

"1chamber= mechanical filtration (Skimmer)
2 chamber= biological filtration (dsb, Deep Sand Bed)
3 chamber= chemical filtration and return (Carbon ect)"

Enjoy the hobby - it's very rewarding ;)
 
I am planning one 60mm hole?what do you suggest?

With regards to the pumps,as with the heaters I am gona stick to 2 individual pumps to play with the probabilities of both of them failing whilst i am not at home. The plumbing is not a problem as i will only be using my return pipes to stimulate the flow in my tank, no power heads. Planning on placing 4 outlets at different positions and angles to get sufficient flow.

2 x 1500L/h return pumps

go for one bigger pump.. less plumbing less hassle and definatley less noise.. white size holes do you have in your overflow? and how many?
 
Do you suggest a deeper substrate?
Welcome Poseidon!
Also keep in mind your 1" substrate should be fine. A good substrate to go for would be Aragonite or if finances are a bit tight, you can get play sand (which alot of us use inc. me) from Reggies. Give it a good few washes before putting it into your tank.
 
Welcome to MASA PoseidonDive. Great that you are planning your setup.:)

I am planning one 60mm hole?what do you suggest?
Two 38mm holes would be better just incase the one gets stuck with a dead fish/CUC etc.Your sump wont then empty all the water in your display tank.

WRT to 2 pumps. I would personally run one pump off the main electricity and one of a battery(bulge pump).That way you will still have circulation in your setup and if the electricity fails or a pumps burns out:)
 
Welcome to MASA PoseidonDive!!

Are you still going to build your tank or have you got one already? If you still need to buy a tank let me know as I've got a 120 x 45 x 45 standing in the garage on a really nice stand. I was going to set it up later this year but something else came up. Let me know..
 
Back
Top Bottom