Multi-Tank LPS, Softie, Mangrove system

Ichtha_yo Stuff · Dec 31, 2020

I decided to post my build of my multi-tank system designed to house and group corals in multiple displays sharing a common filtration system for ease of maintenance. The idea of having multiple tanks that I can separate the needs of specific groups of corals in separate systems appeals to me. I feel it will allow me to meet the needs of the corals without having to have separate filtration systems to maintain. I do have a separate SPS reef tank which I did not want to tie into the system because SPS require different nutrition than LPS and soft corals. I currently have 2 of the 3 tanks running and I just acquired the third and final tank which will house the mangroves. Here are a few quick shots of the tanks as they look today.

Side view of 50 gallon with 29 gallon in background

50 gallon LPS front on

29 gallon soft coral zoa tank

This system has many unique features that I will go through in this build thread but here are the basics as they are today.
LPS tank

50 gallon SC aquariums cube 24 x 24 x 20 inches
Aqualife Hybrid T5 running 4 ATI blue+
Radion G5 Blue XR15
3x Current USA Loop 660 powerheads
Rock- Variety of manmade rocks from Carribsea, and RealReef
Sand- Paleo sand

Softy tank

29 gallon Aqueon tank
XAqua In Out overflow and return
AI Prime16 HD
Live Rock from previous tank
Bare bottom

Sump

20 gallon Aqueon tank
Tunze 9012 Skimmer
Two Little Fishes Kalkwasser Reactor
Skimz L90 return pump

lapin · Dec 31, 2020

Ichtha_yo Stuff · Jan 1, 2021

In the beginning,

This build started life as a 29 gallon seahorse tank on a 4 tiered wire shelving system. They are easy and cheap to find on Amazon and hold a good amount of weight, 250 lbs. per shelve. They allow you to adjust the highs to your needs and as your requirements. The original plan was to stack the aquariums with a 20 gallon sump on the bottom, the 29 gallon tank in the middle and a 20 long on the top as the display refugium mangrove tank. I would then tie the 50 cube which was in the garage onto the sump. The tanks are situated in a back room in our house that we use as our children's play room with a day bed in-between. I regularly watch TV on the daybed in the evenings when the children are asleep. I also have a desk on the opposite side of the 50 cube so when I look to my left I see through the 50 to the 29 gallon tank.

January 2019

This was a good start, but I wanted to get the equipment into a sump and out of the tank and I knew that there was only one option to drill the tank. I have never done this so I was pretty apprehensive about doing this. I watch a lot of YouTube on how to do and talking to some fellow reefers I decided to go for it. I had to decide what type of overflow to use. I did more research and I remember at Reef-a-palooza 2019 talking to Julian Sprung about this overflow called a XAqua In Out. It was a product he was importing from Italy. So I did more research, there is not a whole lot of videos on the product but I decided to give it a try.

Ichtha_yo Stuff · Jan 1, 2021

To drill or not to drill that is the question
January 2020

So I decided to drill my first tank, kinda. I found a local reefer in my club, Roger, who was willing to show me how to drill the tank. He actually drilled it, but then Murphy showed up. I was installing the overflow and return on to my freshly drilled tank and as I was tightening it down I heard a "pop". My heart sank. Yep, I cracked the tank. Fortunately, Petco was having there dollar per gallons sale at the time, so I purchased another tank, quickly and discreetly. I couldn't bring myself to ask Roger to drill another tank for me so I decided to go it on my own, and with my oldest daughter's assistance I was victorious.

I chose the INOUT because of the low profile and for small tanks it makes a difference. It also has a feature with the return that it has a pulsing water movement, which it does at first, but over time it doesn't work as good, and you have to keep it clean using a foxtail brush, but overall I am happy with the product and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a low profile overflow.

Ichtha_yo Stuff · Jan 6, 2021

A Time to Build

So now that I had my tank drilled it was time to build a stand for the 50 gallon cube, build a sump, and plumb it all together. This system has a lot of first for me. First time, drilling a tank, first time building a stand, first time building a sump, and the first time I have done a complex plumbing job. So I built the stand using a 2 x4 design found on many different forums. I think it was Rocket Engineers design. I painted it with white Kilz paint and skinned it with some barn wood found a Home Depot. It was pretty straight forward and I am not a carpenter by any means. The sump was a 20 dollar per gallon Petco special and I had glass cut by a local glass shop. I left to much a gap between the tank and the glass pieces and I had to put the silicone extra thick which I didn't like and there were some leaks, but it didn't effect the performance or design of the sump. I had to make the first chamber extra tall because I am using a Tunze 9012 skimmer, that I picked up used and is a great skimmer, but it needs to be in about 10-11 inches of water. It is designed to work in a non-drilled tank. So if you have a non-drilled tank and are looking for a good skimmer I highly recommend it. The sump has a basic design with a first deep chamber to hold the skimmer, filter socks and kalkwasser reactor. Then a two baffle system to remove the bubbles from the first chamber. In hindsight I would have made the 2nd baffle a little higher to reduce the falling water sound. I like simple sumps, because they allow flexibility. I see all these new complex sumps with all these chambers. They look great, but do not allow for changes in equipment or needs over time and they are quite pricey. I would rather have a very simple sump that allows for changing out equipment and space.

Ichtha_yo Stuff · Apr 6, 2021

Putting It Together

I wanted the tanks to be on both sides of the day bed so when I was sitting at my desk I could look through the 50 cube to see the 29 gallon. Also when you are laying on the bed you can see either tank. I connected the 50 to the sump which is located underneath the 29 gallon by running the plumbing behind the daybed.