Getting back into the hobbie need a little help with tank setup.

GoGetterReef · Dec 5, 2019

Hello all, new to this site. It's been a long time since I have had a salt water tank, around 10 years now. I had a 29 gallon bio cube. Also ways wanted another one. My son has been begging for one for a few years now. He is almost a 11 now and figured it was a good time as he can actually help take care of it. I also want to do this right and get everything I need to run this thing as smoothly as possible. This will be a reef tank, with mostly soft corals. So here we are now, I have bought a used 65 gallon tank. It came with everything you see in the pictures. The light is a Coralife 36 inch Lunar aqualight led tri-lamp (https://www.coralifeproducts.com/product/aqualight-led/ ), return pump is a Fluval 14335, not sure what brand the sump is. So far I have also bought a Octo Classic 110-S skimmer and a Aqua FX 6 stage RO/DI. So first issue I see is access to the sump though the tiny door in the stand. I might can get everything done though it. I just see it as being a problem down the road. I would take the panels apart and use magnets to hold them on, but who ever built it also glued them to the 2x4's. Now is the Coralife light that came with the tank. It looks to be a nice light but I can't seem to find anything on it. No reviews or anything. I was going to go ahead and fill up the empty bulb spots on it as you can still get the bulbs on e-bay new. Any input on the light would be welcome. As for the sump what is every one's recommendation on where everything should be placed? I have seen some with the protein skimmer in the first chamber with the filter sock and some in the middle. I would like to run a refugium in the middle. So with this, I'm guessing I should put the skimmer in the first chamber. I hope to have the tank up and running in the next few weeks. Going to start with just live sand and about 30-35 pounds of case rock. Then looking to order 35-40 pounds of live rock to put in the tank and let that run for a few months and make sure everything is stable before adding anything. I'm sure I'll have many more questions. Thanks for any feed back.

Redfoxtang · Dec 5, 2019

Welcome to R2R!!! I would try and make your access to the sump a bit bigger while you have the chance it defiantly will make things easier down the road maintenance wise!! For the sump i always ran filters sock-skimmer-refug-return in that order. But thats me and youll get different advice as well. As for the light i cant help you there unfortunately.

BeejReef · Dec 5, 2019

I think I'd bite the bullet on a new piece of wood paneling tbh. That sump door is just too small. Either a bigger door or a quality pair of knee pads and a long-tailed shirt for plumber's butt. Feel your pain that the paneling matches the material on the canopy

The Aquatic Arsenal · Dec 5, 2019

I don't really know anything about that light. It may be alright fo softies. I think the way you want to run the sump sounds good as well. I would see if you can make that access door a little bit bigger. I can see that being an issue as well.

GoGetterReef · Dec 5, 2019

BeejReef said:
I think I'd bite the bullet on a new piece of wood paneling tbh. That sump door is just too small. Either a bigger door or a quality pair of knee pads and a long-tailed shirt for plumber's butt. Feel your pain that the paneling matches the material on the canopy

So my son really wants to paint the stand and canopy white (I like the color it is now). So now might be a good time to just bite the bullet and tear it apart. I just so happen to have some really nice cabinet paint left over from the kitchen remodel I just finished. I have all the tools and saws to redo it. Just liked the look of it and really didn't want to tear it apart

. If it wasn't glued it wouldn't be an issue, I would just take it apart and redo the panels with magnets and braid nail the rest.

S.Pepper · Dec 5, 2019

Welcome to R2R, GoGetterReef. It looks like the link you provided for the light provides most of the information you'll need to run it.--but I only took a quick look. As everyone has mention, widen the opening to the sump area before you get this thing going. You'll thank yourself for doing it now, rather than dealing with it after the system is running.

S.Pepper · Dec 5, 2019

Here's a video for the light.

GoGetterReef · Dec 11, 2019

So I tried taking the stand apart today. Well as I thought it's all glued. I can widen the front door opening about 1 inch top and bottom and it still cover. That's about the extent of what I can do. As it is I can get my pump in and out and my skimmer all the way out. I can make it work, just not what I would like to work with. I'm going to build another stand that's going to sit next to the tank to house the auto top off, wave maker controllers and the like. Also got my RO/DI mounted in the laundry room (wife was like what the heck lol) . Also picked up 13, 10k replacement lights for the light I have for 40 bucks off ebay. Now I can fill it up and have some left over.

GoGetterReef · Dec 28, 2019

Got the tank up and running Thursday. Running a combo of base rock, life rock and live rock. Trying to get the sump water level dialed in. It ran a little low yesterday and was a bubble fest. I had adjusted the water level in the tank up to much on the over flow with out adding enough water. Total noob question here but I don’t see much of a change in the sump water level to try and see where it needs to be in order for that not to happen. Or to monitor when I need to top it off. Thanks