Setting up a reef tank as a stable ecosystem

[Christoporia]

there are a few youtube vids on DIY sumps. I did see somewhere that the caulk does not attach plastic to glass very well? Not sure myself but something to look into. You could go to a glass shop and have them cut glass to your specs and then you just have to caulk them into your tank.

SCS-1200 silicone is an adhesive that will work for glass to acrylic

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Here is my 40 breeder sump with a kit from Amazon

that looks so very nice. I’m very tempted to do that for my sump and then plumb in another 30g or 40b as an extra refugium. My wallet is on life support at the thought though. Pretty sure I paid $300 or so for my pro-clear sump. I guess I can try selling it on here or on FB marketplace. Le sigh. Oh well, if I’m forced to take my time I may as well do it right this time around

edit: thinking about the space under my stand, I could get away with up to a 65g tank for a sump. I still think I want to go for another esperare refugium plumbed in...but with a 65g sump the possibilities lol

 

[Easy E]

I'm certainly no expert, but I had similar goals in achieving a self-sustaining ecosystem. Here are some things that worked for me:

Get a lot of live rock, probably more than you think you need. Make sure it's very porous.

Get a clean up crew that reproduces itself. This includes amphipods, copepods, brittle stars, asternia stars, trochus snails, etc.

Get utility fish and inverts. Not necessarily the ones you want, but those that perform a function. Such as, eating algae and detritus, cleaning your rocks, eating pests, stirring your sandbed, etc.

Keep your wayer conditions not necessarily perfect, but stable. Stability is the key to any thriving reef tank.

Last, but not least. By all means, resist the temptation to overstock and overfeed your tank. That has caused more problems for me than anything else. Add items slowly, and if something seems out of whack, stop right there and allow the situation to correct itself.

Good luck with your goals. A self-sustaining ecosystem is both admirable and achievable. Stop back here often for advice. Reef to Reef is a gold mine for valuable information.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to possible fish for my build. I don’t really want many super preditory fish. I would like a good pest controller (for coral pests). I’m thinking some sort of wrassse, but I admit I’m not super familiar with the various complexes of the fairy and flasher varieties.

This I have 2 questions: what’s a good fit for that role within the wrasse that are suitable for a 120g tank?

Would one such fish put too much strain on what I’m trying to do?

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Another question that’s come to mind. Algae scrubbers. I’ve always liked the idea. Should I be considering one for my build since the fuge I’m planning will be primarily for additional live rock? If so, why? If not, also why? Lol

thanks all!

 

[R.Weller]

Absolutely love our DIY algae turf scrubber (ATS), & I doubt I would setup another system without one. The idea of using algae to clean the water is fascinating in principal, & brilliant in practice. This is what happens in nature after all. After spending years in freshwater & paying too much for disposable media, then fighting nitrates like mad when we finally moved to saltwater, when we decided on the large build, the ATS was added from the start. Here’s a pic from today after cleaning the screens a few hours ago.

For now, we run around 20 days between cleanings.

The stand on the left is for Pods & phyto.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Absolutely love our DIY algae turf scrubber (ATS), & I doubt I would setup another system without one. The idea of using algae to clean the water is fascinating in principal, & brilliant in practice. This is what happens in nature after all. After spending years in freshwater & paying too much for disposable media, then fighting nitrates like mad when we finally moved to saltwater, when we decided on the large build, the ATS was added from the start. Here’s a pic from today after cleaning the screens a few hours ago.

For now, we run around 20 days between cleanings.

The stand on the left is for Pods & phyto.

thank you!