New build 300g basement sump...Need ideas.

primo21

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Hey all...starting a new build in a new house. Construction set to finish in December and I need some equipment ideas. The only thing set in stone right now is the tank, 8ft peninsula that i will run Herbie into a basement sump. Initially planning on getting SB Reef lights, open for input. Will be a mixed reef with a good mix of tangs. Need help with the following:

Return - would like to keep it internal, but open to external. Only hesitation is the potential for leaks...this is a brand new house.
Skimmer -
Sump - thinking a 150g stock tank
ATO - will run off a new ApexEL so will need a float and breakout box
Circulation - need something that will push water 8ft and not looking to spend the money on MPs

What else am I missing?
 

this is me

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Good luck on getting a pump that will push the 8ft length and without pealing the flesh off of corals the within the 24” “blasting” zone.
6’ peninsula is do-able. More than that it’s very difficult.
 

brandon clow

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If there is a canopy you might be able to consider a closed loop if you are opposed to circulation coming from any of the viewable sides.
 

BlennyTime

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I’d think about electrical, sink, water and drains around your sump. That will make maintenance so much easier!!
 
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primo21

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Nothing like the first post being positive..;). I am not opposed to circulation coming from a side but would prefer from the ends.
 
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primo21

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I’d think about electrical, sink, water and drains around your sump. That will make maintenance so much easier!!

i am planning to have water and dedicated circuits in the sump room. Drains will be tough as it will need to be pumped up since its in the basement..
 

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Nothing like the first post being positive..;). I am not opposed to circulation coming from a side but would prefer from the ends.

I’m just talking from reality and from experience.
 

BlennyTime

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i am planning to have water and dedicated circuits in the sump room. Drains will be tough as it will need to be pumped up since its in the basement..
We used this little guy attached to a laundry sink, I have a setup in the basement like what you are planning. Works great!

 

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Congrats on the build and the house. I am pretty much in the same boat, looking for a 300G Deep Dimension or something comparable, will be upgrading from a 150G DD.

Anyways, to answer some of your concerns here are my thoughts:

Return - if you plan on pumping water up from the basement, it is inevitable to not have an external pump IMO. The only thing that I think could come close to having enough power is maybe one of those Ecotech Pumps the L2 specifically unless there's something similar. At the same time I don't think submersible pumps have the strength for head pressure that you'll have to account for. I personally have a basement/living room setup right now and I have a Reeflo Hammerhead Gold to push water through approximately 20 horizontal feet and 10 vertical feet of 3/4" PVC x2. I also have a client who has a Blueline 100 HD that pushes water through probably 20-25' of 3/4" PVC at height of about 15' also x2. I was thinking about pumps like the Ecotechs but I would probably use one for each return line.

Skimmer - for a budget friendly skimmer I think a Reef Octopus would be ideal. There are a bunch of models to choose from and I'm sure you can find a used one in decent condition on any of the hobby forums. I personally use an old SWC Xtreme 300 which even with a heavy bioload is apparently rate for 365G, if you could find a used one, I'd highly recommend it with the taller neck skimmer cup.

Sump - 150 is nice but it will be hard to separate anything. I would suggest maybe a 75G or 90G that you could make your own baffles for and arrange any which way you want. I was toying with the idea of a 90G just because of the increased height that would catch any water that could possibly backflow in the event of a power outage but honestly, I think a 75 is tall enough.

ATO - will run off a new ApexEL so will need a float and breakout box. I'm not sure how you plan on topping off but I find it very efficient to have your RO run straight into your tank and allow your Apex to control a solenoid to the feed water of your RO. This way you don't need a freshwater reseirvoir.

Circulation - personally, I think MPs are overrated for their price. I have been a huge fan of Gyres and although they carry a decent price tag themselves, I think that one or two of the larger Gyres should give you enough flow couples with your return lines. Another budget friendly wavemaker are the Jebao RW series. I think 2 gyres on each side along with a couple RWs that you could mount to the inside of your overflow box if you have the space for the magnet. The nice thing about the Gyres is that you can mount the vertically if you wanted to give you a nice flow around your overflow box.


I hope this helps. I've been preparing for a very similar build and should be closing on my place by the end of the month. My only thing is that I don't have a tank yet. Good thing is most of my equipment can pretty much be reused and I already got a ton of new rock which filled a 55G tank and is currently cycling then off to build my sump with this 90G I picked up.

Good luck with your new place and new tank.
 

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Good luck on getting a pump that will push the 8ft length and without pealing the flesh off of corals the within the 24” “blasting” zone.
6’ peninsula is do-able. More than that it’s very difficult.
You just put a gyre on the other end and live with it. I’d much rather see a slim black power head than limit myself to 6 feet
 

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I have a jebao dcp18000 pumping 1200 gph up 28 feet of head from my basement to my 180. 1.5” pvc the whole way. That’s the key- if you restrict flow using 3/4 or 1”, of course your going to have issues since you are inflating the head pressure. Always match the return plumbing with the designed size of the volute to get flow as characterized on the box. Been doing it 2 years with zero issues. I have zero plans to switch it out or not use the same pump (or the 20k) when we move next year and build my 400g peninsula with basement sump

there are several internal, inexpensive pump options for doing what you want
 

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We used this little guy attached to a laundry sink, I have a setup in the basement like what you are planning. Works great!

Me too, works perfectly. Also let’s you run a utility sink for clean up too.
 

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Look at noopsyche k7 pro II and a couple aliexpress reefbrite clones. You can light that tank up as far as you want and grow everything in it for less than $1500 all in. Don’t listen to the haters about the controller- once you dial it in you aren’t changing anything anyway

check mybuild thread for some less expensive options. It is doable on a generous - not excessive or exorbitant- budget

Go for a heat exchanger connected to yiur hot water tank for heating. Electricity is more expensive than gas so it ends up paying for itself in about 9 months on a 180 gallon system, less for a bigger system. All you need is an apex to control a solenoid and a pump and a titanium HE. There are threads around here taking about it . I have one, but was waiting to hook it up, but now we are probably living within a year. Actually- still makes sense to do it. I just talked myself into adding it back on the to do list
 
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primo21

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We used this little guy attached to a laundry sink, I have a setup in the basement like what you are planning. Works great!


Great idea and something I will certainly look at. Thanks.
 
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primo21

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Congrats on the build and the house. I am pretty much in the same boat, looking for a 300G Deep Dimension or something comparable, will be upgrading from a 150G DD.

Anyways, to answer some of your concerns here are my thoughts:

Return - if you plan on pumping water up from the basement, it is inevitable to not have an external pump IMO. The only thing that I think could come close to having enough power is maybe one of those Ecotech Pumps the L2 specifically unless there's something similar. At the same time I don't think submersible pumps have the strength for head pressure that you'll have to account for. I personally have a basement/living room setup right now and I have a Reeflo Hammerhead Gold to push water through approximately 20 horizontal feet and 10 vertical feet of 3/4" PVC x2. I also have a client who has a Blueline 100 HD that pushes water through probably 20-25' of 3/4" PVC at height of about 15' also x2. I was thinking about pumps like the Ecotechs but I would probably use one for each return line.

Skimmer - for a budget friendly skimmer I think a Reef Octopus would be ideal. There are a bunch of models to choose from and I'm sure you can find a used one in decent condition on any of the hobby forums. I personally use an old SWC Xtreme 300 which even with a heavy bioload is apparently rate for 365G, if you could find a used one, I'd highly recommend it with the taller neck skimmer cup.

Sump - 150 is nice but it will be hard to separate anything. I would suggest maybe a 75G or 90G that you could make your own baffles for and arrange any which way you want. I was toying with the idea of a 90G just because of the increased height that would catch any water that could possibly backflow in the event of a power outage but honestly, I think a 75 is tall enough.

ATO - will run off a new ApexEL so will need a float and breakout box. I'm not sure how you plan on topping off but I find it very efficient to have your RO run straight into your tank and allow your Apex to control a solenoid to the feed water of your RO. This way you don't need a freshwater reseirvoir.

Circulation - personally, I think MPs are overrated for their price. I have been a huge fan of Gyres and although they carry a decent price tag themselves, I think that one or two of the larger Gyres should give you enough flow couples with your return lines. Another budget friendly wavemaker are the Jebao RW series. I think 2 gyres on each side along with a couple RWs that you could mount to the inside of your overflow box if you have the space for the magnet. The nice thing about the Gyres is that you can mount the vertically if you wanted to give you a nice flow around your overflow box.


I hope this helps. I've been preparing for a very similar build and should be closing on my place by the end of the month. My only thing is that I don't have a tank yet. Good thing is most of my equipment can pretty much be reused and I already got a ton of new rock which filled a 55G tank and is currently cycling then off to build my sump with this 90G I picked up.

Good luck with your new place and new tank.


Lot of good ideas in here. Appreciate the feedback.
 
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primo21

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I have a jebao dcp18000 pumping 1200 gph up 28 feet of head from my basement to my 180. 1.5” pvc the whole way. That’s the key- if you restrict flow using 3/4 or 1”, of course your going to have issues since you are inflating the head pressure. Always match the return plumbing with the designed size of the volute to get flow as characterized on the box. Been doing it 2 years with zero issues. I have zero plans to switch it out or not use the same pump (or the 20k) when we move next year and build my 400g peninsula with basement sump

there are several internal, inexpensive pump options for doing what you want


I have a Jebao on my current tank and love it. Will have to take a look at the larger ones. Thanks for the input.
 
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primo21

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So the build is in motion. have added rock and started my cycle. Using microbater7 with quik cycle as the ammonia source. have about 250lbs of rock in there now and another 10ish rubble in my basement sump (150g rubbermaid).

any thoughts on the rock scape, seems like a lot (too much)...i was trying to not have it all the way to the ends, also not all the way to the back to allow for flow.
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jim881

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We used this little guy attached to a laundry sink, I have a setup in the basement like what you are planning. Works great!

Hey there, I saw a post stating you used a Liberty residential drain pump on your system. May I ask, how has that worked as far as salt water / corrosion. ALl of these companies state you cannot use salt water.....??? I want to make sure this thing will hold up ....I'm in the process of a new in wall 300 gallon , but , will need to lift saltwater discharge (rodi, water changes, etc) as I do not want to jackhammer a new drain line into the floor ...there is already on right over head on the unfinished side.
Thanks in advance for any advice.!
 
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