Add a Frag Tank and Sharing Sump with DT?

[DudeBoy]

Hello all....thank you for taking time to read and hopefully reply.

Wife and I are new to salt water and went all out with a 210g reef less than a year ago. We have quickly fallen in love with the incredible variety and colors of coral and are wanting a frag tank to better see/interact/grow/feed/care for them. However, I'm the maintenance guy and handle all aspects of this hobby so I'm really wanting to keep it simple. I was hoping that we could somehow connect the frag tank water with the display tank system. Doing so shouldn't change much as far as maintenance/water changes/water testing/etc.....right?

I'm in the process of making a bigger sump out of a 40g breeder and I'm thinking....if the frag tank is 4'x2' and only 2 feet away from the display tank, I could have a single overflow on the back side of the frag tank closest to the display sump. Run a single overflow feed line to the display sump and use a separate return pump to run a single return line back to the frag tank.

Thoughts/suggestions/ideas?

Also, I'd like to have a few small fish in the 4'x2' frag tank.....anyone have a good recommendation on the frag tank depth? I assume I'll have to have one made....know of any good custom tank manufacturers?

 

[Mike N]

I recently did just what you're planning, though with smaller tanks.
Sounds simple and it was simple in practice as well.
No it wouldn't change much at all, just make sure you count the frag tank water volume whenever you need to dose anything.
My display is a 40b and the frag tank I built is 24x16x8.

 

[Amado]

Yeah I have the same 210 and I have it connected to two fragtanks. The additional water volume is a great help. The frag tanks are very easy to work in. They also help keep your hands out of the main tank. The only concern I would have is that I think the 40 breeder might not be big enough for a sump for two tanks. As far as frag tanks I think you can’t beat the zoomed frag tank.the size is perfect and it’s $130 or less.

 

[BMW540]

I used to have a similar setup: 180 display with 50 gallon frag tank plumbed in. I ran a separate return for the frag system, but wish I had taken the time to replumb and run it all on the same one.

 

[ESH]

morning! I've done the same thing you've described by adding on additional tanks to my display sump.
What you described would work, and the simpler you keep it the easier it will be for maintenance because you are basically setting up a second tank. Things I'd recommend:
-Make sure your equipment is rated for your increased water volume. Skimmer, heater, Ca reactor if you are using it etc.
-Expect to be refilling your ATO container more frequently. More water volume and surface area = more evaporation. If you are able to, Id recommend to set your RODI system to automatically refill your ATO container. It took me a year of refilling a 30gl container every 1.5 weeks to realize this. Just make sure to -regularly monitor TDS so you know when to replace media. This isn't a set and forget thing.
-Once you have things setup, kill the power and watch the sump level. A power outage test will help you understand if your sump is big enough. Someone smarter than me here could maybe help you figure out the volume increase before you set things up.

Good luck and hope this helps!

 

[BluTang85]

I have a 120 with a 30 gallons frag tank plumbed into it. The current fish in the frag tank (powder brown tang, starry blenny, clown, and 6 line wrasse) my sump is a 40 gallon breeder.

 

[andrewey]

I've done it. Make sure your 40 breeder has lower baffles so you can hold a few extra gallons from the overflow of the frag tank and make sure your return on the frag tank is larger than the pump feeding it. After that, it's really simple and works well. Enjoy your increased stability!

 

[DudeBoy]

you guys are freaking awesome. I feel much better about this approach now.

As far as equipment rating, yes, I always go conservative and upsize everything so I feel I'm good there. Also, I'm using an E-schopps R-200 sump now without issue and its about 25 gallons or so, so I believe upgrading to a 40 gallon breeder sump should be fine....but I will definitely test it out.

I have my own RODI setup to the garage but running a line to Living Room is a major issue do to floorplan and second story above the wall I would need to run it to. I currently have a 15-gallon fresh water reservoir that I refill each week when doing a 30 gallon water change. I figure I could use another 40 gallon breeder under the frag tank for a fresh water reservoir so I should be good on that issue.

Finally, I have a 200Ah backup battery to keep the sump pumps running in the event of a power outage......this saved me a few weeks ago when we had power outage in northern Alabama. Longer term outages and the generator can be fired up.

Again.....thank you guys..... really....

 

[ca1ore]

A 48x24x12 frag tank is going to be around 60 gallons (16" tall would be 80 gallons) added to 210 strikes me as a lot for a 40B sump (sump around 1/6-1/7 of display volume). You'd have to be careful about not overflowing the sump. I run a similar frag tank on my system (450 gallon display) into a 150 gallon sump (sump around 1/3-1/4 of display volume).

 

[DudeBoy]

A 48x24x12 frag tank is going to be around 60 gallons (16" tall would be 80 gallons) added to 210 strikes me as a lot for a 40B sump (sump around 1/6-1/7 of display volume). You'd have to be careful about not overflowing the sump. I run a similar frag tank on my system (450 gallon display) into a 150 gallon sump (sump around 1/3-1/4 of display volume).

ok....I'll see what other size sumps I can fit into my 210 cabinet.....THANK YOU....

 

[ESH]

I would recommend to get as big of a sump that you get because over time you'll come up with reasons to add something else.
For reference, I'm using the 40gl red sea reefer sump that came with my 160gl 750xxl tank. The sump has lots of extra volume in it though I did make sure to run the power outage test. Water does go over each sump chamber and gets within a few inches of the top now. The tank is upstairs with a good amount of pipe pushing and pulling water into the basement sump. I then have a 90gl frag tank, a 20gl refugium, and another 5 gl frag system connected into this tank. I've pretty much maxed the system out for what the sump can handle.

 

[BMW540]

ok....I'll see what other size sumps I can fit into my 210 cabinet.....THANK YOU....

You can calculate how much water drains from your tank when it’s off and plan accordingly for the baffle heights. I used a 40B for my sump and had more than enough room when both tanks were off. I do agree that go for as big of a sump as possible; you’ll never regret having a big sump, only a small one.

This picture is when I first set up the whole tank.

 

[ca1ore]

ok....I'll see what other size sumps I can fit into my 210 cabinet.....THANK YOU....

Not saying a 40B cannot work, just that you'd have to design the baffle heights so that there's plenty of volume to handle drain down. Since the 40B isn't that tall, might be a challenge based on skimmer water level requirement.

 

[DudeBoy]

Display tank is 72" x 24" and frag tank will be 48" x 24". when power off, the water level goes down about 0.5" but let's say 1" to be ultra conservative.

72"x48"x1" = 7.5 gallons
48"x24"x1" = 5 gallons
Total drain gallons = 12.5

40 gallon breeder tank is 36"x18"x16" = 45 gallons
45 gallons - 12.5 gallon drain amount = 32.5 gallons

Doing the math, the breeder can be 11.5" full (so, 36"x18"x11.5") and be at 32.25 gallons. So as long as I keep the baffles no taller than ~11", I should be good to go.

What do you think?