Need help starting 72 gallon reef tank......

[Habz]

Hey guys, im new to this board, and have tried the searches, but am still unclear on what to do, so please help guide me.

The plan is to have a 72 gallon reef tank, with a 10 gallon sump, and a fluval 404 filter (will be cleaned weekly). I also plan on having a protien skimmer (coralife) that will be attached to the sump, rather then hung on the back of the aquarium.

I will have about 70 pounds of live rock, and roughly 3 inches of argnite, which should help in terms of filtration.

As for the pump in the sump, i will be using a 600 GPH pump. I figured with he fluval already pumping well over 340 GPH, a 600 GPH pump should be fine for the sump.


Now my question is, is the sump to small for a pump that size, and a protien reactor. The reactor will not go in the sump but rather outside (almost as if hung on the sump).


As for lighting, i have a coralife PC light. 2 65 watt acnic bulbs, and two 55 watt GE 9325K Bulbs. around 3.5 watts per gallon. Is that ok to grow some basic or slight above basic corals??

This will not be an intense reef, but rather a set-up with a few corals for colour. So for that reason i have no plans on adding C02, calcium reactors, etc..

Thanks for your help guys.

 

[mogurnda]

Sounds like a decent plan. A ten gallon sump will be plenty spacious for the pump, and the lighting will be good for a lot of soft corals, mushrooms, zoanthids, and even large-polyped stonies. Because there be losses of flow from having to pump a few feet up to the tank, plus the loss from the plumbing, it would probably be worth adding a powerhead or two to boost flow. The powerheads will also give you some more control over where the current goes, to avoid dead spots.

If you don't like the look of powerheads in the tank, you could get another external pump, and plumb it with a closed loop to boost your current. That's the way I prefer to do it.

 

[Mooch28]

How in the world would you fit a skimmer into a 10 gallon?

 

[mogurnda]

How in the world would you fit a skimmer into a 10 gallon?

Depends on the skimmer. Hanging a Coralife skimmer off the back of a 10 gallon should be easy. Heck, even my Euroreef would fit in a 10 with a little twisting and turning.

 

[Mooch28]

Depends on the skimmer. Hanging a Coralife skimmer off the back of a 10 gallon should be easy. Heck, even my Euroreef would fit in a 10 with a little twisting and turning.

That's true. But is 10 gallons not a bit small for a 72 as a sump??

Id probably go atleast 20. I mean the price difference between the two is small anyways.

 

[mogurnda]

That's true. But is 10 gallons not a bit small for a 72 as a sump??

Id probably go atleast 20. I mean the price difference between the two is small anyways.

No argument from me. I'm always in favor of of using as big a sump as you can fit.