55g Reef Tank Set-up Help

[Jaykit]

I have been keeping fish for about 6 years and would really get into the saltwater side of fishkeeping. I'm looking at coverting my 55g cichlid tank, which is 39'' x 16" x 20" (l x w x h) into a reef tank. I am very newbish to the whole idea so excuse all the obvious questions. I have been trying to read as much as possible on this forum and on other sites about all the different set-ups that people have had and the proper way of doing things, but one can only take in so much information so any other help or information would be much appreciated as I pursue this. On to the questions...
1. I will probably go with 55 -75 pounts of live rock depending on where my layout takes me. How much live sand is needed to create a good base?
2. My tank stand doesn't offer a whole lot of room(15"L x 13"W per side) for a built sump so I thought I could build my own. I am wondering whether is it possible to have a stepped setup where it would drain through an overflow box(no drilling) into the sump, fill the first level and fall to the next? Almost like a mini waterfall Or could I make a smaller one that would fit into one side and have enough room for the internal workings. And how many gph am I looking for in a return pump approx?
3. Protein skimmers: I have no idea what I am even looking for when it comes to a good skimmer. With my minimal space I'm looking for help to find a good quality compact model or a solution to that problem.
4. Circulation: I have read all over that circulation is key to keep algae away, etc. How many extra power heads do you think I will need to maintain good circulation in my 55g?
5. I will be refitting the canopy that I have with proper lighting(retrofit kit) and am aiming for 4w/g so that there won't be too many restrictions on what I am able to get down the road. Recommendation for bulbs and toughts on the set-up?
Thank you very much for your help in advance.

[Amphiprion]

I have been keeping fish for about 6 years and would really get into the saltwater side of fishkeeping. I'm looking at coverting my 55g cichlid tank, which is 39'' x 16" x 20" (l x w x h) into a reef tank. I am very newbish to the whole idea so excuse all the obvious questions. I have been trying to read as much as possible on this forum and on other sites about all the different set-ups that people have had and the proper way of doing things, but one can only take in so much information so any other help or information would be much appreciated as I pursue this. On to the questions...
1. I will probably go with 55 -75 pounts of live rock depending on where my layout takes me. <<That number is subjective. You may very well not need quite that much. Get enough to create a decent structure, yet allow plenty of circulation around, between, and behind the rocks. Since you are getting corals, I suggest a lower structure, which gives everything plenty of room to grow. I also suggest flatter structures, which maximize surface area.>> How much live sand is needed to create a good base? <<Again, subjective. It can take as little as a few pounds or cups worth of very good live sand to get things going. If it is just bagged live sand (which you don't technically need at all), then a single bag is plenty. It won't make a huge difference for you in the long run. "Real" live sand (sand that has much more than just bacteria), on the other hand, makes a big difference in terms of diversity. The more of it the better.>>
2. My tank stand doesn't offer a whole lot of room(15"L x 13"W per side) for a built sump so I thought I could build my own. I am wondering whether is it possible to have a stepped setup where it would drain through an overflow box(no drilling) into the sump, fill the first level and fall to the next? <<Of course. That is actually how many sumps work. You'd want to alternate some of the baffles before the water reaches your return to minimize air bubbles (i.e. have an opening on top, then bottom, so water travels over, then under, etc.)>> Almost like a mini waterfall Or could I make a smaller one that would fit into one side and have enough room for the internal workings. And how many gph am I looking for in a return pump approx? <<That depends upon the capacity of your overflow box.>>
3. Protein skimmers: I have no idea what I am even looking for when it comes to a good skimmer. With my minimal space I'm looking for help to find a good quality compact model or a solution to that problem. <<Look into the Octopus brand of skimmers. Some of their HOB models are relatively compact. Also look into the AquaC Remora and Urchin skimmers (and the larger versions). Deltec is an even better (but substantially pricier) alternative.>>
4. Circulation: I have read all over that circulation is key to keep algae away, etc. How many extra power heads do you think I will need to maintain good circulation in my 55g? <<This varies on the powerhead. Recommendations for total relative amount of flow also varies. I've had the best luck in the past with seemingly very large amounts (possibly excessive in some peoples' opinion) of water motion. I'd like to see at least 25x-30x of total volume turnover by powerheads alone. I personally have ~160x in my 40 gallon, but it is also geared toward a high energy, habitat specific environment.>>
5. I will be refitting the canopy that I have with proper lighting(retrofit kit) and am aiming for 4w/g so that there won't be too many restrictions on what I am able to get down the road. Recommendation for bulbs and toughts on the set-up? <<Try to ignore watts-per-gallon. It can fool you into thinking sub-par lighting is actually as good as other types. The issue is that different types of lamps emit greater or lesser amounts of light per watt of energy used (i.e. varying efficiency). So an equivalent wattage of compact fluorescents versus, say T5s with individual reflectors would be drastically different. You'd get substantially higher amounts of light with the T5 setup, even at lesser wattages. What you really want to shoot for, in terms of lighting intensity, is the amount of light a lamp or system emits that is adequate for photosynthesis. This measure (no units) is PAR, or Photosynthetically Active/Available Radiation--the amount of light present in the appropriate wavelengths for photosynthesis. This can make or break a lamp or given lighting system.>>
Thank you very much for your help in advance. <<You are very welcome.>>

My comments are in red. I hope this clarifies things a bit (or it may have made things even more complicated).

[Jaykit]

Thanks for the quick answers. Guess what I was reading was only scratching the surface as to all the possibities and requirements. From the answers given, it safe to say that all things are porportional to the tank and the bio-load placed on the system, much like anything else that I have learned in my short fish experience. I will begin the planning and calculations, more researching, and ask many questions to the experts as I go along.

[Jaykit]

Designing the sump. I need a spot for the return pump(obvious) and possibly a spot for a skimmer if I have enough room. I know you need to have a sponge type area for bacteria to grow, but beyond that for a reef aquarium what should I be adding? Do I need a spot for more live rock? Extra media(carbon)? If I was going to run the sump from top to bottom, best design to have the baffles horizontal(tray like) or vertical?

[cav]

Designing the sump. I need a spot for the return pump(obvious) and possibly a spot for a skimmer if I have enough room. I know you need to have a sponge type area for bacteria to grow, but beyond that for a reef aquarium what should I be adding? Do I need a spot for more live rock? Extra media(carbon)? If I was going to run the sump from top to bottom, best design to have the baffles horizontal(tray like) or vertical?

You should any sponges in a reef aquarium as they do nothing but create nitrate.
All you need in your sump is the skimmer, return pump and a phosphate reactor (for fluidising phosphate removing media).
You can then think of adding other items such as a bag of carbon and nitrate removing items such as a deep sand bed or macro algae (this will require a light over it either ran 24/7 or opposite to your display lighting schedule to avoid ph swings).
Later down the line, depending on what corals you are keeping, you can add other items such as kalk stirrers or calcium reactors.

[Jaykit]

So all I really need then is a smaller secondary "tank" with only a couple of baffles to seperate the various stages from each other.

[Cheech]

So all I really need then is a smaller secondary "tank" with only a couple of baffles to seperate the various stages from each other.


Pretty much.. get the biggest size cheapo tank you can use as a sump, and I'll draw a simple diagram for you with an area for your skimmer, one for your return pump, a bubble trap, and a refugium in the middle. Then you can purchase baffles and glue them in.

you might want to also take a look at Tunze skimmers... They have a small footprint and apparently work quite well. The 9010 would work for your setup as they're rated for 90G tanks . They should fit in a 4 1/2 spacing..

http://www.tunze.com/fileadmin/images/product_database/9010.000.jpg

As was said, you dont' really want any mechanical filtration in a reef tank. I'd fill up the refugium with cheato (or other macro algae) , some sand, and rock rubble.

If you don't want to go with a media reactor, you can use a filter sock with either carbon, or whatever else you're tryingt o remove... The sock can be placed close to the intake of your return pump.

here's my sump/fuge for example:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f2/carlo2478/tank/DSC02312.jpg

I decided to put a deep sand bed in my fuge area, but not everyone does... With your limited space, I'd prob. do a shallow sand bed, rock rubble, and cheato.


That cheato stuff is great, grows fast, and sucks up nitrates.

[Jaykit]

Sweet thanks very much for the pictures. I had seen a couple sumps before but that clears it all up. I don't think that I will be able to fit even a 10g tank into my small area because its more of a square (15x14) so I was going to fab the whole thing up. What kind of lighting is over yours/recommended?

[ToeJam]

Sweet thanks very much for the pictures. I had seen a couple sumps before but that clears it all up. I don't think that I will be able to fit even a 10g tank into my small area because its more of a square (15x14) so I was going to fab the whole thing up. What kind of lighting is over yours/recommended?

Skimming Basics 101: Understanding Your Skimmer by Frank Marini, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/fm/feature/index.php)

To learn about skimmers more.

http://www.melevsreef.com/
Has stuff to inspire ideas if you want to build a sump.

Lighting I don't have any articles to link but i should probably start adding stuff to my bookmarks to help others.

You need to google about K ratings on bulbs and why,how, they affect the tanks... 6.5k sunlight level and color...20k very very blue and brings out color but lacks the spectrums you want of lower K ratings.

he answered it pretty well about lighting and watts per gallon... its really only a guideline with the watts a gallon but there is more to it..

Power compacts limited and not for larger tanks in my opinion.

T5 great lights and retro fit easy to do on your own for hoods

Metal halides the best to me....

I guess in other words about lighting above in Red..

PC with 150watts vs a MH bulb with 150 watts and same K rating...that MH blows it away ...if that makes sense in terms of lighting quality

[Jaykit]

Sorry for the confusion, I was referring to over his sump, not over the tank itself. Basically what am I looking for to maintain growth in the sump?

[ToeJam]

Sorry for the confusion, I was referring to over his sump, not over the tank itself. Basically what am I looking for to maintain growth in the sump?


OH for the fuge inside the sump ...correct?

Well hydroponic stores sell 6.5k bulbs for plants...and they are cheap...having some Mcgyvered lighting hanging over it with those bulbs is sufficient.

Its pretty much all you are shooting for is a grow light... I used them on a Hob fuge...worked well.

[Jaykit]

Ah ok. Thanks for the clear-up. I have an old balastic that should work perfect for that job then. Now to find enough plexiglass to make a sump. (layout on paper first ofcourse). In the design, is it better to have the skimmer closer to the return or closer to the drain-in spot?

[Jaykit]

Well, after creating some initial designs for the sump and thinking things through I've decided that for now I am just going to keep my 55g the way it is. Getting rid of the fish I have to make room for others almost seems inhumaine to me because who knows where they would end up. So I will continue to read and follow others builds and become more knowledgable until I am able to find a new tank to house a reef.