Re-Doing 4YR 55 Gallon (BEWARE PICS)

@raggedfinfirefish wrote:
looks great man said:
LOL! Your lucky you dont need fans, they cause more evaporation in my setup and along with the MHs its pretty bad. Hopefuly i wont go broke from going back and forth to the LFS :lol:. But anyways the LEDs are great and even better with surface agitation.

Travis
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Yea its a pain to top off my system since the sump is so far back.. I really want to get a auto-top off but for that Id have to build a new sump and do some serious plumbing, Maybe next month lol.

Any new pics of your tank?
 
Hey Travis,

Do you have an RO/DI filter?
I've been thinking about getting one, but its hard to justify the starting cost. I also goto the BYOB water store to fill up my 5 gallon jugs instead of the LFS.
 
Yea, I have the Kent Maxxima Hi-S 35GPD filter. They cartridges and membrane need to be replaced because I havnt used it in a while. I also have to Plumb it up under my sink and run some hoses to the tank for auto top off. I really liked the convienence of having the RO machine working. Id go off to school and leave it running into a 30 gal rubbermaid on my back porch and when I came home id have a full weeks supply of pure water. The only thing that is costly is replacing filters, but id say it pays for itself over and over, Especially when you have a emergency.
 
Awesome, Ill take some updated shots of mine too.. Still need corals and fish.. But my Cleanup crew is coming first, Hopefully the GB wont have any problems
 
Some pics for yall... The fish are out swimming around like crazy, the water is crystal clear, tank params are stable and the best they have ever been, all lighting runs and doesnt heat up the water 8) . Still need more life! Corals anyone ?! :lol:


Total wattage 450watts.
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Im loving it. The water is super clear since I put carbon in the over flow box, Ill leave it on for a few more days and then its coming out.

Travis
 
You could also get a couple of filter socks, they keep my water crystal clear and catch any thing going into to sump, you just have to change them every 3 days or they can lead to nirtrates.
 
Ill definatley look into buying some! *EDIT* BTW-Whats a cheap place to get these lol?

On another note, im highly considering building a HUGE sump. Not sure what material yet, and not sure of the design. However, With my avg water evaporation starting to top 1.5 gals a day, im wanting to have a auto top off and about 20lbs lr in there also a large area for growout. I guess ill start to plan it hopefully it will come through good but its nowhere in the near future haha.

So I got a question... From this thread you guys got to know me and my setup pretty well. Needless to say, I think im ready for some basic coral, what type do yall think I should start off with and where should I get them? Im just wanting small frags so I can monitor them closley. My ultimate goal is SPS but with my salinity swings im not risking it. Just a few opinions are great. Thought about a small colony of Shrooms (I have 1 polyp and it has doubled in size the past week) and a kenya or colt coral but im not sure.

Thanks for following everyone, ill be updating with new projects soon!

Travis
 
I ahve been following this thread for a while and I am truely impressed. I am also currently setting up a 55 gallon so I have been looking for ideas in this thread. Thank you I will probally using your idea of a side sump. I wish I had thought of that eailier I would have saved myself a lot of headaches. I am impressed with your knowledge and patience. I love your rock work and I am going to be following this thread to follow your progress.

Thank you again
 
Wow thanks Luke! Im glad things you have seen here are helping you out. It sure has been a fun project, and I still have tons of things to do haha. Thanks for the kind words, it really goes a long way in this hobby!
 
I get most of my supplies including filter socks from Marine Depot, I'm not sure where you can get them local.

Go with the biggest sump you can fit, I think a 40 gallon breeder would be a nice sump.(36"L 18"W 16"T)

As for corals any soft corals will work as a starter coral, maybe some LPS too like brains, fungia, frogspawn stuff like that. I also found Acans and Blastos to be extremely hardy and reproduce fast, so maybe try one of those in a month or two.

Good Luck
 
Yea Comet, I want to try and match my tank's water volume :)twisted:) in the sump or get as close to it as i can . They way I have the tank angled in the corner gives me more room then I would have flat up agianst a wall so hopefully that turns out to be a positive. Tomorrow ill be measuring the inside of the stand and the space behind the stand and also take some pictures so yall can see what im working with. I have a few crazy ideas yall might like.

:Stay Tuned: :lol:

Another quick question... lookin at Marine Depot filter socks and whats better 100, 300, or 800 micron bag?

Thanks
Travis
 
Wow I broke my camera today, It fell off my desk and bent the metal peice on the USB hookup while it was still in the cam. Hopefully thats the problem.

So anyways Ive been trying to come up with a winning combination for a sump. I think its going to be glass because.

1) Its cheaper to modify an existing tank
2) I like working with glass 8)

Well im very determined to keep this thing as updated as I can. My photo shop doesnt work so I used paint lol :? .



This Drawing just shows basic mesurements from inside the stand. Of course I will be Modifying the stand for more room because there is useless trim in there that can be cut out.
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This was my 2nd Idea. My first was a little extreme and I decided not even to attempt it lol.
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I like this Idea the most so far, Its based on alot of Natural filtration. It uses a LR field (in my own words) which would be placed on starboard, like a BB tank. Im not sure if I will use lighting over it yet because I dont want any algea growing in the surrounding equipment . Im not sure if alot of people have used this much LR in their sump, but It seems like a good idea to me so why not give it a shot? If it doesnt work out I can always convert the are into a grow out section :lol: . I havnt came up with the tank demensions yet but it will be the biggest I can fit. The 10gal resivoir will be 6-10 inches off the bottom of the stand, it will also have a bulkhead with a ball valve to release fresh top off water in the system. Im not sure how to properly use float switches or install them for complete automation but im studying up on that. Any suggestions or new Ideas?
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On another note I found some spare airstones with an air pump and put it to use in my ghetto LFS skimmer. So far the airstone seems to help out. This thing can crank massive micro bubbles if i want it to but the ends up being to much. Maybe a DIY skimmer will added to the line of future projects because it was a fun modification. Im not exactly sure where the sweet spot is on it yet though

Let me hear what yall think
Travis
 
Why are you going to use starboard in your sump. IMO I wouldn't waste my money on it in your sump, unless your stacking your rocks up and fear cracking the glass from a falling rock. Otherwise I would skip and use your money on something else.

Good Luck
 
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