Robs 180 Gal mixed reef build

[PrettyBoy]

well things are finally starting to happen so I figured I would start my own thread to keep all my questions and info in one spot. First a little intro for those that dont know me. Im Rob 21 years old from hazlet NJ. Ive been keeping fresh water fish since I was 5 all diffrent size tanks, at 12yr old I got into ponds and started my own pond business. Ive been into ponds for quite some time with trips all over the place for koi, pond builds etc... Anyway I recieved a free brand new 180gallon fish tank, from a friend who didnt want it because of a tiny scratch in the glass that probably could be buffed out its so light. It is a Marineland RR tank with 2 corner flow skimmers with 2 holes drilled in each skimmer bottom. Says it is rated for 750gph of flow. Ive been doing some reading and pretty much have a direction I want to go in. Clownfish, a few tangs, few clams like blue maximas and crocea's. some anemones, etc... I am basically revolving the tank arond the clowns and tangs. I am building the tank in wall which i just finished the in wall framing and stuff last night. I will be using a 40gal breeder tank that I have lying around, unless I should step up for a 55gal. Want to use a very large protein skimmer, last one I looked at was a 3pump 10" octopus skimmer, unless people tell me to go bigger/smaller or with a better/diffrent brand. I plan on doing a CLS, have no clue how many inlets/outlets or where to place them. I would aslo like to do a FSB.
Right now the tank as you see in the pic is up, I think the next step would be to drill the returns and inlets correct? To help me out with the returns/inlets I want to have the LR aquascaped so there is minimal amounts touching the bottom. I would to have a mounds on both sides, and then like caves and such built going across the middle or smaller mounds with again very little touching the bottom. you can see in the pic how eveyrthing is setup so far. the closet on the right I would like to use to house my sump, but it is only 4' wide so I think leaving the bottom open for access would be the best, i mean its 6' of room 3' tall... I am hoping to do the returns/inlets tomorrow and do the FSB asap... Ill be around all day tomorrow if anyone wants to help ;D

 

[PrettyBoy]

forgot to post a picture of the progress so far

 

[Hawkeye]

looking good....welcome to NJRC!

keep in mind even large tanks do not necessarily mean tangs will not chase or react aggressively towards one another. Always put the least aggressive fish in first...but anyways - way early to talk about fish. When you say "FSB"- what does that mean exactly? ??? I know BB-bare bottom and DSB - deep sand bed...

Oh and your tank has two corner "overflows" - not skimmers. Yes the overflow skims the water surface, but they are typically referred to as overflows...though I could be wrong and learning something new.

Keep the pictures coming and good luck!

 

[JohnS_323]

Hi Rob, Welcome to NJRC!

 

[malulu]

welcome to the club.

one quick note, you might want to add some support in the middle of your frame, just in case.

 

[PrettyBoy]

welcome to the club.

one quick note, you might want to add some support in the middle of your frame, just in case.

my buddy is a carpenter who helped me build it. the front and rear header beams are doubled up with 2x6" and the center supports are also 2x6. I know we plan on adding a double center support because there will be 2 doors on the bottom so we need something to lock the doors to. right now i was just mocking things up to see how it all fits.

as for FSB i meant faux(false) sand bottom. its a mixture of epoxy and sand to be used on a BB tank so you can get away from the statboard bottom or just bare glass

 

[PrettyBoy]

just picked up my protein skimmer from Dave(referwanabe) its an MRC MR2. Just finished up all the sheetrocking in the new room so Im looking to work on the tank right now. I just found out my 40gal breeder I had isnt meant to hold water or so the tag says(It use to be my phytons tank) so it looks like Im going to be buying a sump. should I go with a 55 or larger? Id also like to plumb my overflows today so I am going to run back out and get some bulkhead fittings. Can anyone help me with my CLS setup? Like I said I really have no clue of how many and where to put the returns and inlets

 

[PrettyBoy]

just got back from tropiquarium. Picked up 2 overflow kits for my tank and i ended up leaving with an Oceanic 3 sump tank with all the fittings. The overflow kit included a 1" discharge and a 3/4" return pipe with dual adjustable nozels(since Im going CLS do I even need these?) the woman talked me into buying the plumbing kit for the sump but all the holes and bulkheads are only 1", im to have to drill all of these out and go to 1.5" right? The also gave me a overflow hose, but it is flexible basically vacuum cleaner hose with ribs inside, i dont know about aquariums but I know in ponds that creates a ton of head pressure when the water hits all of those little ribs. I planned on going either 1.5" spa tubing or pvc... any input?

The woman i spoke to there also told me she would not recommend going BB, she said to do a little bit of sand and get a bunch of cleaner fish. I told her that minimal maintance was my goal and was why I either wanted to do BB with starboard or with a false sand bottom.she still said a tiny bit of sand will let me get cleaner fish and they will help... any input on this also?

 

[BobCReef]

the holes in the overflow, one is 1" the other 3/4". Some people use the 1" as a drain to the sump and run the return back using the 3/4". Others use both the 1" and 3/4" as drains to the sump and run someother type of return. Not sure what you mean about drill to 1 1/2". You will need to one of our tank drilling experts on that. Myself i would not drill the overflow. I would use the factory drilled holes. If you are considering a closed loop that would be separate from the water to the sump. That would require drilling the tnak but again talk one of the guys who have drilled tanks before, you can easly crack your tank.

 

[PrettyBoy]

the holes in the overflow, one is 1" the other 3/4". Some people use the 1" as a drain to the sump and run the return back using the 3/4". Others use both the 1" and 3/4" as drains to the sump and run someother type of return. Not sure what you mean about drill to 1 1/2". You will need to one of our tank drilling experts on that. Myself i would not drill the overflow. I would use the factory drilled holes. If you are considering a closed loop that would be separate from the water to the sump. That would require drilling the tnak but again talk one of the guys who have drilled tanks before, you can easly crack your tank.

i thought the standard for plumbing is 1.5".. the sump is all 1" plumbing. I could be completely wrong about how to hook all of this stuff up or what but my overflows have two 1 3/4" holes which would mean a 1" bulkhead fitting. the kit had 1" bulkheads but one was reduced to a 3/4" line for the return. I didnt know if you used those returns on a closed loop system which was why i was asking if I should get two 1" bulkheads so that I have four 1" lines going to the sump. the sump itself has 2 1" bulkheads on the side and 2 1" bulkheads on the top. should these be made to 1.5"?....my understanding was that the overflows flowed down to the sump and so do the CLS inlet(s), protein skimmer was placed in the sump water was pulled into the protein skimmer to be skimmed, clean water was then flowed to your external pump and then out through your returns.

 

[PrettyBoy]

anyone have experiences with closed loop systems? i tried speaking with an experienced guy at my LFS and he advised me not do anymore then 1 hole in my tank. said im already weakening it enough with the one hole... my plan was to do 2 CLS inlets and then have 3 or 4 returns. I really dont want to have powerheads all over the tank which is why I wanted to go with a closed loop... if anyone has some expertise and wants to lend me a hand either on here or in person i would really appreciate it.

 

[reeferwanabe]

Rob dont use those flex. pool hoses. pvc is the way to go. are you using an external or internal pump? 2 lines to the sump 2 return lines then I T'ed off return line came up to top of tank and looped around the back and sides with returns 1 on each side and 4 across the back. made my own flares T at each place you want another outlet. a lot of plumming work. also ran a line across the bottom and drilled small holes in it for flow.
your welcome to stop over and look to get ideas. or wait to get more advise here

 

[reeferwanabe]

also put a ball valve on each line

 

[danthemanj]

Hi Rob,

Welcome to NJRC. I think a good place for you to get ideas on your new setup would be to attend the February meeting in Cherry Hill. Bring some pictures of your setup and a pen and paper and every question you can think of. Here you could meet other members, get your questions answered and get ideas on how other folks have put their systems together. You want to make sure that you are doing things the right way the very first time, especially since you are putting your setup in the wall. Are you planning on having a Closed Loop System (CLS) in addition to water going through your sump?

Dan

 

[BobCReef]

Rob; the size pipe you need will depend on flow requirements. Can you post some pics with what you have. when i mentioned the size holes in the overflow i was talking about pipe size after you install the bulkheads. your drains may be different than mine.
Closed loops don't go to the sump. drains direct to the pump inlet and then returns. that's why it is closed.
don't know if this is helping or confusing the issue. If you can stop and see a system or have someone close by stop and take a look i think it will be less confusing.

 

[PrettyBoy]

pictures up top show what I have. Just the 180 tank with the corner overflows, the sump which looks to be around 40gallons not sure exactly, the MRC MR2 skimmer as of now that is all I have. oh yea plus some starboard for the bottom Your explanation of the closed loop is fine, i thought that was how it was but someone told me differently. I dont know anyone around here that is into salt water that has a closed loop system, thats why Ive been asking so many questions on here and other forums

 

[PrettyBoy]

here is a terrible drawing about how I am planning my corals and what I would think my CLS setup would be... the 2 black circles would be the inlets to the pump. Top red circles would be returns and the bottom 2 red circles would be the entrys for the spray bar system. I dont know if I need another return up top in the middle or what. chime in people!! thanks

 

[Phyl]

What pump are you planning on using? Looks like a fine setup for a closed loop, as long as you have a manifold where the top 2 come from one (or more) port(s) and the bottom spray bar return comes off of another one (or more) port(s) on the manifold. That way you could adjust the pressure between the two to make sure that you were getting ideal flow to each location.

 

[PrettyBoy]

What pump are you planning on using? Looks like a fine setup for a closed loop, as long as you have a manifold where the top 2 come from one (or more) port(s) and the bottom spray bar return comes off of another one (or more) port(s) on the manifold. That way you could adjust the pressure between the two to make sure that you were getting ideal flow to each location.

not sure of pump, i want to get some serious flow but also easy on electric and noise as this setup is in my bedroom. My plan was to have a wavemaker and run the top returns for a few minutes, then blast out of the spray bars for a few minutes. some have told me to run 2 pumps and just have the spray bars constantly on and add 2 more returns in the middle region and alternate flow from the uppers to the middles.

 

[Phyl]

Have you thought about an Oceans Motion? That sounds like it would be idea for rotating around from top to bottom like that.