My 100 gallon Mixed Reef Basment Sump BUILD

[DaScubaSteve]

Hey all I just ordered a 42x24x24 SCAquariums tank. A 48" long would be too big and a 36" would be too short so I bit the bullet and ordered custom. The tank Cost $995 free shipping, which I thought was a great price. I needed the custom size to fit nicely between the two windows in my library. I looked at waterbox and the other common tank companies but they dont sell just the tank, you must use their stand or they wont warranty the tank. Hopefully the tank is good quality, Ill update with pictures of the actual tank when it arrives in 10 weeks.

Plans For the Build:
Build a custom stand and hood. The wife wants a hood so that the light stays in the tank and doesnt splash around the walls in the room. I like the look of the rimless but agree that the room will look nicer with a hood.

The tank is plumbed using the herbie method, holes drilled at the bottom of the tank. I will be plumbing the drains and return through the wall using 1 inch pvc and 45° elbows. Here are some pictures.

Here are some pictures of the basement sump area.

I have a spectrapure 5 stage rodi with a pump on it to increase the pressure as I have a well and it only pressurizes at 60 psi and drops to 40 psi before the well pump switches on. The system is rated for 100gpd curious to see what the actual rate is. Very happy with the rodi system I bought, it came with two float sensors, auto flush kit, two tds monitors, the high pressure pump, and emergency float stop. I have it hooked up to a 45 gallon brute, its the gray one under the the table. The directions were simple and it was very easy to figure out. The other grey 45 brute is for waste water. Right now im thinking i will use a household sump pump to drain the waste water out my basement window... maybe buy and attach it to a rainbarrel outside my house to use for watering things. The other small 35 gallon barrel is for mixing saltwater. I am thinking about an auto water change system using spectrapure pumps from their website. I will be using a tunze osmolator and will put the pump in my 45 rodi water brute can and run it up to my sump on the table above for an ATO.

Equipment that I want to run include:
Neptune apex
filter roller
algea scrubber
skimmer
Auto Feeder
UV sterilizer
when it comes time to dose things I will tackle that in the future with an autodoser.
I need the tank to be able to run on its own for a month at a time if possible. May have to come up with some kind of skimmer pump to extract the skim into the waste water brute can using a water level switch.
My head Height is approximately 10 feet, would anyone suggest a specific pump and what gph I should get I was thinking of atleast 500 gph return?

Please if any one has any suggestions or comments to add regarding what they would have done different when setting up their tank post here.

This build is going to take me atleast 8 months before stocking, shooting for a fall 2020 timeline to add fish. Next thing to order is a Sump. Any suggestions? was looking at the Trigger systems 34 sumps maybe splurge and get the platinum series with built in filter roller. Thoughts?

 

[Peace River]

#WelcometoR2R and congratulations on the new tank that is on its way! This is a great start to your build thread! You mentioned herbie style drain and it appears that you have three pipe so I'm assuming that one is for the return. You may also want to consider the Bashsea and GEO sumps. Good luck on the build and I'm sure others will chime in soon with recommendations!

#reefsquad

 

[DaScubaSteve]

Will I have issues with head height using 1 inch pipe for the return? the tank comes drilled for a 1 inch bulk head return? I will tee it off at the top of the overflow to go out two spouts into the tank

 

[DaScubaSteve]

Thoughts on this Basement Setup?

Things I may be Missing or best ways to set things up? Not sure about having the Tunze in the rodi container because I may want to dose Kalkwasser. Is there better ways to dose kalk other than ATO or is ATO best?

 

[Erick Armanii]

Thoughts on this Basement Setup?

Things I may be Missing or best ways to set things up? Not sure about having the Tunze in the rodi container because I may want to dose Kalkwasser. Is there better ways to dose kalk other than ATO or is ATO best?

Looks good!
Is there any method of draining the rodi waste water into A nearby drain? I have my RoDI system connected to my kitchen sink. I purchased 150 feet of quarter inch Ro tubing and ran the tubes through the ceiling down to my mixing station.

Awc salt water can be drained in a similar fashion. Which will eliminate the need for two more brute trash cans and two more pumps with strong enough head height to pump them out of your basement room.

 

[DaScubaSteve]

Looks good!
Is there any method of draining the rodi waste water into A nearby drain? I have my RoDI system connected to my kitchen sink. I purchased 150 feet of quarter inch Ro tubing and ran the tubes through the ceiling down to my mixing station.

Awc salt water can be drained in a similar fashion. Which will eliminate the need for two more brute trash cans and two more pumps with strong enough head height to pump them out of your basement room.

Thanks for the reply, I am very thankful for this forum as there is absolutely no one I know personally that is into aquariums that I can run any ideas off of, Time to join a local club...

Now that I think of it I could try to run the AWC bad saltwater outside using the quarter inch ro tube. I would drill a hole through the siding underneath my front porch and put it down the down spout from the gutters. The gutter drain leads all the way into the woods underground ... Only thing I worry about is the line freezing in the winter especially if its running small doses multiple times a day. What is the freezing point for salt water at 1.026?

With the trashcans I can empty it every few weeks with out worrying about it freezing and I can put float switches on the cans if I want to get real technical and have them auto empty. I was planning on using a household sump pump in the cans as I can get them from home depot cheap with enough head height and I will pump them out of the basement through the siding under my front porch and into the downspout. Worst comes to worst I can build a stand for them to sit higher for less head height and use a small aquarium pump. It's about 11 feet of head height from the floor.

I don't want to drain the saltwater into my septic system so the gutter spout seems best for me. Now for the RO waste water, will my Spectrapure Ro unit with boost pump automatically be able to pump that water up approximately 7 feet into a drain manifold in the basement. I have access to the main drain in my basement I could tie into that. But then I could not use the water to water my lawn. If the Ro unit can pump the waste water up I may use an irrigation line attachment for my front flower bed in the spring and summer.

 

[SPR1968]

It might be worth considering the drain from the skimmer as well if you haven’t already.

They can sometimes go crazy into over skim, and if it overflows and continues down into your drain container, could it potentially drain the tank if it continued if you were away ? Or make a ‘puddle’ on the floor.

It might also be worth plumbing in some extra outlets with ball/gate valves from the manifold for the UV-C you mention and potentially reactors so you can run them from the return pump depending on its power.

I’ve just a built a 2000 litre system so if you need any ideas/help just ask away

And Welcome to R2R as well!

 

[DaScubaSteve]

Thanks SPR, I did not think about an over skim issue. Definitely something I will have to think about. If it over skims and drains continually into my bin then my Top Off will fill like crazy and the salinity is going to drop. What do people do about the skimate when On vacation? I am sure that skimate cup fills at a different rates from tank to tank? Maybe I catch the skimate in another small cup that is positioned over the sump so that if it over flows it goes back in the tank but allows for more skimate being collected before needing emptying? I am enjoying this puzzle lol. Is there any good vids of manifolds explained regarding water coming from return pump. The return pump I will be using is a Ecotech Vectra M2.

 

[Erick Armanii]

Thanks for the reply, I am very thankful for this forum as there is absolutely no one I know personally that is into aquariums that I can run any ideas off of, Time to join a local club...

Now that I think of it I could try to run the AWC bad saltwater outside using the quarter inch ro tube. I would drill a hole through the siding underneath my front porch and put it down the down spout from the gutters. The gutter drain leads all the way into the woods underground ... Only thing I worry about is the line freezing in the winter especially if its running small doses multiple times a day. What is the freezing point for salt water at 1.026?

With the trashcans I can empty it every few weeks with out worrying about it freezing and I can put float switches on the cans if I want to get real technical and have them auto empty. I was planning on using a household sump pump in the cans as I can get them from home depot cheap with enough head height and I will pump them out of the basement through the siding under my front porch and into the downspout. Worst comes to worst I can build a stand for them to sit higher for less head height and use a small aquarium pump. It's about 11 feet of head height from the floor.

I don't want to drain the saltwater into my septic system so the gutter spout seems best for me. Now for the RO waste water, will my Spectrapure Ro unit with boost pump automatically be able to pump that water up approximately 7 feet into a drain manifold in the basement. I have access to the main drain in my basement I could tie into that. But then I could not use the water to water my lawn. If the Ro unit can pump the waste water up I may use an irrigation line attachment for my front flower bed in the spring and summer.

28.4 degrees fahrenheit.
If you elect to run the system outside, add an rodi shut off valve so if the line freezes, you can shut off and disconnect and add new section.

since your draining the salt thru a drain and way out the backyard, draining into your septic essentially is the same thing.

How a septic works:
Water from the house drains into the septic; thru a set of baffles or chambers (similar to a sump) the collected waste (toilet paper, poop, etc etc) is separated from the water. Then the “grey water” is dispersed thru leeching fields into your lawn.

For RODI waste water for flower beds. I like the idea. Consider plumbing the system so the waste water is going into the main drain.
Add a T fitting with shut off valve
summer months you can run the RODI waste water outside
winter months have the waste flow thru the main.

I recently had a similar debate with my setup lol. Should I have a waste water container for my awc and then once a month or as needed connect a garden hose and drain the waste outside. I figure the faster the waste salt water is out of the house the better! Save money on few containers and pumps. Plus No filtration/carbon may cause the water to stink over a few days and wifey said if the fish room smells I’ll be swimming with the fishes too! Lmaooo

 

[DaScubaSteve]

Depending on your septic chamber I have read that saltwater in general is really bad for the concrete or metal holding tank where the waste is separated from the water. The water is leached but the poop stays behind and is emptied every two years... I dont know if the tank salt water is salty enough to ruin the septic tank but from different things I have read people are against it. I know building codes now in CT will not let you purge a saltwater softener system into your household septic and requires a dry sump out in the yard for the water to be pumped to. Has anyone had problems with their septic's? Do reefers take this into account or has it been debunked? I figure less load on the septic the longer it will last.

LOL didn't think of the smell that would definitely be an issue. Maybe I should just have it set up with a small container attached to the wall with a little pump and set a low water volume sensor at like 4 gallons. Set it to purge every 2 days at around 1 o'clock in the afternoon (warmest time of day). I figure I will change out around a gallon of water every day.

I like the idea of having the rodi waste water T'd off between flower bed irrigation and drain. I will probably put a T in the rodi water line with a switch to fill the saltwater holding bin. I have yet to run my RO Di system and have never seen one run in person so this may sound dumb but the waste water that comes out of the unit is it gravity fed (aka does the line need to drip down into a container below it or will it pump the water up from the unit to some degree up?

 

[dwest]

Depending on your septic chamber the saltwater is really bad for the concrete or metal holding tank where the waste is separated from the water. The water is leached but the poop stays behind and is emptied every two years... I dont know if the salt water is salty enough to ruin the septic tank but from different things I have read people are against it. Has anyone had problems with their septics? Do reefers take this into account or has it been debunked? I figure less load on the septic the longer it will last.

I have a similar setup with a 180 gallon tank and my 40 gallon sump in the basement on a stand. I run an AWC changing 1.8 gpd to my septic tank. Been doing that for over a year with no problem. Before that I was doing 10-30% monthly ish water changes for 20 plus years. No septic problems. My tank is concrete.

 

[Erick Armanii]

I have a similar setup with a 180 gallon tank and my 40 gallon sump in the basement on a stand. I run an AWC changing 1.8 gpd to my septic tank. Been doing that for over a year with no problem. Before that I was doing 10-30% monthly ish water changes for 20 plus years. No septic problems. My tank is concrete.

Great point!

 

[Erick Armanii]

Depending on your septic chamber I have read that saltwater in general is really bad for the concrete or metal holding tank where the waste is separated from the water. The water is leached but the poop stays behind and is emptied every two years... I dont know if the tank salt water is salty enough to ruin the septic tank but from different things I have read people are against it. I know building codes now in CT will not let you purge a saltwater softener system into your household septic and requires a dry sump out in the yard for the water to be pumped to. Has anyone had problems with their septic's? Do reefers take this into account or has it been debunked? I figure less load on the septic the longer it will last.

LOL didn't think of the smell that would definitely be an issue. Maybe I should just have it set up with a small container attached to the wall with a little pump and set a low water volume sensor at like 4 gallons. Set it to purge every 2 days at around 1 o'clock in the afternoon (warmest time of day). I figure I will change out around a gallon of water every day.

I like the idea of having the rodi waste water T'd off between flower bed irrigation and drain. I will probably put a T in the rodi water line with a switch to fill the saltwater holding bin. I have yet to run my RO Di system and have never seen one run in person so this may sound dumb but the waste water that comes out of the unit is it gravity fed (aka does the line need to drip down into a container below it or will it pump the water up from the unit to some degree up?

That’s an interesting point with the dry well but I would imagine most building Depts wouldn’t say anything about hobbiest doing water changes into the septic. Just my perspective.

where in Ct are you from? I’m in Danbury!

 

[dwest]

Thanks SPR, I did not think about an over skim issue. Definitely something I will have to think about. If it over skims and drains continually into my bin then my Top Off will fill like crazy and the salinity is going to drop. What do people do about the skimate when On vacation? I am sure that skimate cup fills at a different rates from tank to tank? Maybe I catch the skimate in another small cup that is positioned over the sump so that if it over flows it goes back in the tank but allows for more skimate being collected before needing emptying? I am enjoying this puzzle lol. Is there any good vids of manifolds explained regarding water coming from return pump. The return pump I will be using is a Ecotech Vectra M2.

This is how I handle my skimmate on vacation

Davy Jones' Skimmate Locker

V2 Coming Soon :) This Product has been discontinued. Now that the Swabbie has increased skimmate production while also reducing the frequency of skimmer cleaning, wouldn't it be nice not to have to empty your smelly collection cups as often, or even better, worry about messy skimmate overflows...

www.avastmarine.com

 

[DaScubaSteve]

Im in southbury off exit 14, nice to know theres a fellow reefer around. Maybe some Frag swaps in the future!

That Davey Jones Locker is the Cadillac solution... Adding it to the list.

Thanks for the experience with the septic. it Makes sense that the saltwater gets way too diluted to really harm anything at such a low volume daily.

 

[SPR1968]

Thanks SPR, I did not think about an over skim issue. Definitely something I will have to think about. If it over skims and drains continually into my bin then my Top Off will fill like crazy and the salinity is going to drop. What do people do about the skimate when On vacation? I am sure that skimate cup fills at a different rates from tank to tank? Maybe I catch the skimate in another small cup that is positioned over the sump so that if it over flows it goes back in the tank but allows for more skimate being collected before needing emptying? I am enjoying this puzzle lol. Is there any good vids of manifolds explained regarding water coming from return pump. The return pump I will be using is a Ecotech Vectra M2.

That’s exactly what I do, I have a container ‘inside the sump’ on a stand and when the skimmer fills to a certain level it drains into the container so is handy for holidays etc and means less emptying or cleaning of the actual skimmer cup.

But if the skimmers goes crazy, all the liquid eventually goes back into the tank, rather than on the floor and of course you don’t have the potential to drain the tank.

 

[Erick Armanii]

Im in southbury off exit 14, nice to know theres a fellow reefer around. Maybe some Frag swaps in the future!

That Davey Jones Locker is the Cadillac solution... Adding it to the list.

Thanks for the experience with the septic. it Makes sense that the saltwater gets way too diluted to really harm anything at such a low volume daily.

Wow I was just working off exit 14 towards oxford earlier this week! Frag swaps for sure! There’s a good group of guys in Danbury that are on the forum too been a big help at getting me back together (took a few years off)

 

[DaScubaSteve]

Hey guys been busy building my tank stand, check it out... its about 38 inches tall. Went with the grecian type molding to make it look kind of like atlantis. Still need to put a center shelf and wrap the sides and back.

 

[DaScubaSteve]

All done with the staining and got in place. Waiting for the tank so i can drill hiles for the plumbing.

 

[DaScubaSteve]

tank came and couldnt be happier with the size... going to use shelf racking system with 20 inch arms screwed to the bacm wall to hold the hood and lights