265 reef setup gone planted

[bb265]

Hello,

I've been into SW reef tanks since I took the plunge into aquariums about 15 years ago.

I took down my 180 reef 2 years ago due to it starting to leak and have recently acquired a drilled perfecto 265gal to replace my 180.

It is now setup as a planted tank. The tank is drilled and I have a sump available and would really like to use it to hide the heaters ( and other equipment), easier to clean vs. canisters, etc...

I have all the equipment used for a reef setup.... 2x Vortech MP40w, Vortech MP60w, 3x Ecotech Marine Radion XR30w, sump, chiller, tons of powerheads, etc.... will the VorTechs be to powerful for a planted tank?

Currently the tank is setup without the sump and is running with 2x Eheim Pro 3.

I would like to set it up with sump and ATO. I have read several conficting threads about using a sump on a planted tank. Can someone here please give me the pros and cons of using a sump on a planted setup?

- Should/Can I use co2? what is the best way? Ive

- Do I set up the sump the same way as a reef sump? (obviously without the skimmer or calcium reactor lol)

- refugium? (or a second planted tank in the sump) running reverse light cycle to the main tank to balance pH?

- besides filter floss for mechanical filtration, bioballs/ceramic rings for biological filtration, carbon for chemical filtration, what else should I be using in the sump?

- What kind of flow do I need from the sump back to the main? is it the same as reef? 10x turnover? so for a 265 I'd need 2650 gph?

- I found a planted tank template for my LED lighting at the EcoTech website. Is LED lighting adequate for a planted tank?

The tank currently has 5 loaches, 7 angels, a bala shark, a plecko, and a half dozen or so of other community fish.

thanks

 

[bb265]

I forgot to mention....

I have 3 bags of black florite mixed in with 11 bags of black gravel.

I've also dosed flourish excel on setting up and am adding more on a weekly basis.

 

[tanker]

I would like to set it up with sump and ATO. I have read several conficting threads about using a sump on a planted tank. Can someone here please give me the pros and cons of using a sump on a planted setup?

- Should/Can I use co2? what is the best way? Ive
Should You? That is up to you. Can you yes, you can use a sump with a planted tank.

- Do I set up the sump the same way as a reef sump? (obviously without the skimmer or calcium reactor lol)
Yes, the sump would just add water volumn and hide the heater, and make it easier to do water changes.

- refugium? (or a second planted tank in the sump) running reverse light cycle to the main tank to balance pH?
I have known people to do this, but if you go CO2, will it be on 24/7?

- besides filter floss for mechanical filtration, bioballs/ceramic rings for biological filtration, carbon for chemical filtration, what else should I be using in the sump?
Those are the basics

- What kind of flow do I need from the sump back to the main? is it the same as reef? 10x turnover? so for a 265 I'd need 2650 gph?
10X is good for both FW or SW. SW, and some FW maybe even higher.

- I found a planted tank template for my LED lighting at the EcoTech website. Is LED lighting adequate for a planted tank?
I am not sure about using LEDs for planted tanks. I think there are some on this site that do use it. I am too "Old Fashion". I am still using what has worked for me.

 

[bb265]

Thanks for the reply Tanker...

I don't think I understood your reply to using co2 with a sump.... was that a yes? What reactor would you recommend?

Will I be running co2 24/7? If I do the reverse light cycle with the sump I probably will from what I read. ..

Do people use other media in the sump other than what I listed?

I have a bunch of old MH lights that I used to use before I switched over to LED. I was very happy with the difference with the growth of my corals... and I don't think I need to mention the difference in cost powering them or replacing bulbs .. I could always use both LED and add a few hours of MH during the day...

As for the return... an idea came to me at lunch.... I could reuse the 2x eheim pro 3 as my return from the sump.... by doing this I could load it up with carbon inside turning it into a "reactor" instead of having a filter sock with carbon in the sump passively.... any thoughts on this?

 

[Duckie]

As for the return... an idea came to me at lunch.... I could reuse the 2x eheim pro 3 as my return from the sump.... by doing this I could load it up with carbon inside turning it into a "reactor" instead of having a filter sock with carbon in the sump passively.... any thoughts on this?

Using the canister as return pump can be risky depending where you put the inlet. If you put the canister outside the return chamber of the sump and point the inlet in chamber, then you are inevitably adding water volume to your return chamber. You would have to reavaluate if your DT would flood in case your overflow gets plugged. In the case of powerout you need to test if the sump will flood. I personally would never depend on check valves alone, so another mean of breaking the syphon of the canister needs to be in place. Especially as you are abusing the canister as returnpump which it wasn't designed to do - it is designed to have the inlet hose and outlet hose in the same body of water (same tank, same height of waterlevel).

As for checkvalves - I avoided them completely when I build my sumps. All I have ever heard about them is that they will fail sometime down the road. Not a question of IF, but WHEN. Then again, you have about 15 years more experience in SW than me - both my SW tanks just got started this year.

Funny thing is that both of them (a 75 and a 180) got converted from FW to SW. Excact opposite of you. My thinking is: what a shame to turn a 265 gal reef into a FW tank.

 

[tanker]

Running a sump will usually oxygenate the water more, so there would be less CO2. I know it can be done, just more difficult.

 

[bb265]

Duckie, thanks for your reply...

I'm not worried about the DT syphoning back into the sump through the canister filters. The same would happen if I were to use a regular pump. I was planning on using the return plumbing from perfecto as the return from the Eheim. Water flow will be very low to try and limit the amount of out gassing caused by the overflow. The 2x Vortechs will make up the difference... lol

I always do a power out test to see where the level on the sump rises to and I set my ATO accordingly. In 15 years I've never had a sump overflow due to a power out. AND to add.... I have a UPS with 8 marine batteries hooked to it to run the return pump and a heater in the event of a power out.

I'm also not concerned with the overflow getting blocked... I have 2x overflows drilled into this tank... chances of both getting blocked atthe same time are slim to none.

I totally agree with you on the check valves. I don't trust them. I've seen them fail at some of my clients... especially in a SW setup... in SW you'll get calcium buildup, a speck of sand, aptasia, algae, just to name a few things that can block the check valve. ..

As for switching over to FW from a reef.... it was a hard choice.... it's just that SW is so much more time consuming for maintenance. I already work a full time job, I'm a full time single father to an 8 yr old boy, and I also do aquarium servicing on the 2 weekends I don't have my boy. I'd like to enjoy life a little. The 265 will be run off a Profilux EX2. .. auto water changes, auto dosing, auto feeding, etc....

I'll just have a little pruning to do, syphon the gravel every now and then, change floss, change carbon....

 

[bb265]

That was a pic of my 180 reef...

For you duckie

 

[bb265]

This is my 265... semi set up....

 

[Duckie]

The 265 will look nice once it is grown in. You plan on putting something as ground cover? Looks like all plants will grow tall and not much at the bottom.

Thank you for the pic of the 180. The sand looks nice and clean - wish mine would do that. Maybe have to give it time in mine - it is still going through the nasties. At least that is the excuse I give it for now. At least one good thing in the tank is that my tangs fattened up nicely (two hippo, one yellow).