Hey, thanks for checking out my build. I'm new to the forums and new to the saltwater and reef world so id appreciate any advice!
I have recently acquired a 180G DT with 70G sump, it also came with some skimmers(x2)and pumps(one with broken impeller), t5 fixtures and bulbs, china black box leds(white channel not working), 250w metal halide, return pump and closed loop pump. The tank is 5/8 glass drilled with dual corner overflows and 5 closed loop ports.THE BEST PART! I scored some life to care for in the mean time, i have a tank running with a canister filter and lots of maintenance to keep healthy. I also purchased a 4 stage BRS RO/DI system used off a local forum.
The plan was to have the tank be a see through peninsula/ room divider, with the corner overflows it means that one will always be visible, something i'm not thrilled about but with 7 holes already in the bottom of the tank i cant seem to figure a way to move an overflow to a "better" position nor would i see it being enough gain to spend the extra money. The stand will be painted black and when budget permits id like to remove the hood and go with a nice clean thin LED bar.
The Sump that came with it had a very odd flow and odd baffle system, the guy said he had it designed for him. That was 10 years ago as that's how long he had his tank up for. To explain it is hard, as i guess why trying to research it was near impossible. so it was at this point i figure i need to redesign this sump for what i'm trying to achieve.
Step 1 Redesign the sump, after many hours of youtube and forum reading it was decided to cut up an old aquarium that was broken sitting around. Oh boy! After breaking the old tank down a design was drawn up measured, thought out, researched and glass was cut. i would definitely recommend getting a good glass scribe and probably have a friend help you out. i wasted about 2-3 ft of glass before getting the hang of how to do it. some things that were taken into consideration; fitting a skimmer, having removable mechanical filtration, a refugium with some cheatomorpha, live rock area, and a lower flow area for possible fraging, predators, or display. It is planned to be a 1/2 visible sump.
I ended up with a sump that has 5 chambers, Chamber #1 (Incoming overflow) will hold 2.9 Gallons and some filter floss as a removable mechanical filter. then through an over under baffle to Chamber #2, it will hold 3.4 gallons and house some live rock rubble . then an over under over baffle into compartment #3, the refuge holding 16.7 gallons and housing the cheatomorpha, left with ample space to house a backup skimmer. Then another over under over baffle into Compartment #4 a low flow/display area holding 3.4 gallons, then a over under baffle into Chamber #5 the return pump. holding 2.4 gallons of water, and does not have to house the pump as i will be externally mounting it. as well as you may have noticed i said "backup" skimmer, yes I will be having an external skimmer.
I Will End here as i'm no sump expert and i'm not even sure the design will work so before silicone and water id love to hear what you guys think.
I have recently acquired a 180G DT with 70G sump, it also came with some skimmers(x2)and pumps(one with broken impeller), t5 fixtures and bulbs, china black box leds(white channel not working), 250w metal halide, return pump and closed loop pump. The tank is 5/8 glass drilled with dual corner overflows and 5 closed loop ports.THE BEST PART! I scored some life to care for in the mean time, i have a tank running with a canister filter and lots of maintenance to keep healthy. I also purchased a 4 stage BRS RO/DI system used off a local forum.
The plan was to have the tank be a see through peninsula/ room divider, with the corner overflows it means that one will always be visible, something i'm not thrilled about but with 7 holes already in the bottom of the tank i cant seem to figure a way to move an overflow to a "better" position nor would i see it being enough gain to spend the extra money. The stand will be painted black and when budget permits id like to remove the hood and go with a nice clean thin LED bar.
The Sump that came with it had a very odd flow and odd baffle system, the guy said he had it designed for him. That was 10 years ago as that's how long he had his tank up for. To explain it is hard, as i guess why trying to research it was near impossible. so it was at this point i figure i need to redesign this sump for what i'm trying to achieve.
Step 1 Redesign the sump, after many hours of youtube and forum reading it was decided to cut up an old aquarium that was broken sitting around. Oh boy! After breaking the old tank down a design was drawn up measured, thought out, researched and glass was cut. i would definitely recommend getting a good glass scribe and probably have a friend help you out. i wasted about 2-3 ft of glass before getting the hang of how to do it. some things that were taken into consideration; fitting a skimmer, having removable mechanical filtration, a refugium with some cheatomorpha, live rock area, and a lower flow area for possible fraging, predators, or display. It is planned to be a 1/2 visible sump.
I ended up with a sump that has 5 chambers, Chamber #1 (Incoming overflow) will hold 2.9 Gallons and some filter floss as a removable mechanical filter. then through an over under baffle to Chamber #2, it will hold 3.4 gallons and house some live rock rubble . then an over under over baffle into compartment #3, the refuge holding 16.7 gallons and housing the cheatomorpha, left with ample space to house a backup skimmer. Then another over under over baffle into Compartment #4 a low flow/display area holding 3.4 gallons, then a over under baffle into Chamber #5 the return pump. holding 2.4 gallons of water, and does not have to house the pump as i will be externally mounting it. as well as you may have noticed i said "backup" skimmer, yes I will be having an external skimmer.
I Will End here as i'm no sump expert and i'm not even sure the design will work so before silicone and water id love to hear what you guys think.